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Running a business involves navigating a complex legal landscape, and having the right legal support is essential for success. At Barlow Anderson, LLC, we provide a full range of business law services tailored to meet the unique needs of your company.

Whether you’re starting a new venture or managing an established business, our experienced attorneys are here to guide you every step of the way.

Meet Our Anchorage Business Law Attorneys

Your business matters at Barlow Anderson, LLC, and is guided by founding partners Nora G. Barlow and Leonard R. Anderson, who bring more than 60 years of combined Alaska legal experience. Our firm also practices estate planning, probate, and trust administration; we counsel businesses with the full life cycle in view, from formation through succession.

Our Business Law Services

From the day you form your company to the day you sell it, every stage of business raises legal questions that deserve solid answers. Our Anchorage business law attorneys provide the full range of services below, each delivered with practical judgment and a clear focus on what actually helps your business move forward.

Business Formation Documents

By seeking professional legal advice, businesses can navigate the complexities of the legal landscape, minimize risks, and position themselves for sustainable growth and success.

Starting a business requires careful planning and proper legal documentation. We assist you with drafting and filing essential business formation documents, ensuring your business is set up correctly from the start. Our services include:

• Articles of Incorporation – Establish your corporate entity with properly filed foundational documents
• Operating Agreements – Create clear guidelines for how your LLC will function and be governed
• Partnership Agreements – Define relationships, responsibilities, and profit-sharing among partners
• Bylaws – Develop internal rules that govern how your corporation operates

Non-Disclosure Agreements

Protecting your business’s confidential information and maintaining a competitive edge is crucial. We help create robust non-disclosure agreements to safeguard your trade secrets and prevent unfair competition. Our tailored agreements ensure your business interests are protected, providing peace of mind in your professional relationships.

Contracts

Contracts are the backbone of any business operation. From drafting to review and negotiation, our attorneys ensure that all your business agreements are clear, enforceable, and in your best interest. We cover a wide range of contracts, including:

• Service Agreements – Define the scope, terms, and obligations in service-based relationships
• Vendor Contracts – Establish clear expectations with suppliers and service providers
• Lease Agreements – Secure favorable terms for your business property needs

Guidance in Buying or Selling a Business

Navigating the complexities of buying or selling a business can be daunting. Our experienced attorneys provide strategic guidance throughout the entire process. We assist with:

• Negotiating favorable terms
• Drafting comprehensive purchase agreements
• Ensuring compliance with all legal requirements
• Facilitating smooth ownership transitions

Day-to-Day Legal Advice

Running a business involves making numerous decisions every day, some of which have significant legal implications. Our team offers ongoing legal advice to help you manage risks and seize opportunities. Whether you need guidance on regulatory compliance or any other legal matter, we’re here to support you.

Choosing the Right Business Entity in Alaska

The entity you choose at formation shapes your taxes, your liability exposure, and how easily you can bring in partners or sell the company later. It is one of the most consequential decisions a new business owner makes, and it deserves more than a guess.

For many Anchorage entrepreneurs, an LLC offers the right blend of liability protection and flexibility, while corporations suit businesses planning to raise capital or issue shares. Sole proprietorships and partnerships remain options, but they leave personal assets exposed.

Our Anchorage business law attorneys walk you through the tradeoffs in plain language, then prepare and file the documents correctly with the State of Alaska, so your foundation is solid from day one.

Why Alaska Is a Great Place to Build a Business

Alaska offers business owners real structural advantages. There is no state personal income tax and no statewide sales tax, which means pass-through business income often goes further here than in almost any other state.

Anchorage adds its own benefits, including a strategic logistics position, a diverse economy spanning healthcare, transportation, military, tourism, and resource industries, and a tight-knit business community where reputation matters.

We help our clients take full advantage of operating in Alaska while staying ahead of the obligations that do apply, from biennial report filings to municipal licensing and industry-specific regulation.

Keeping Your Business Legally Healthy Year After Year

Forming an entity is the beginning, not the end. Alaska businesses must maintain their good standing through ongoing obligations, and entities that neglect them can lose the very liability protection they were created to provide.

We help Anchorage businesses stay compliant and well-documented, including:

• Biennial report filings with the State of Alaska
• Registered agent requirements and corporate record maintenance
• Annual meeting minutes and corporate resolutions
• Updating operating agreements and bylaws as the business evolves
• Business license renewals and regulatory filings

Think of it as preventive care for your company. A few hours of attention each year is far cheaper than litigating whether your corporate veil still holds.

Preventing and Resolving Business Disputes

Most business disputes trace back to a handshake deal, a vague contract, or an expectation that was never written down. The best time to involve a business law lawyer in Anchorage is before the dispute exists.

We draft agreements that anticipate the hard questions: What happens if a partner wants out? Who owns the work product? How are deadlocks broken? Clear answers on paper prevent expensive arguments later.

When conflicts do arise, whether with a partner, vendor, customer, or landlord, we work to resolve them efficiently through negotiation whenever possible, protecting both your interests and the business relationships you depend on.

Partnership and Shareholder Agreements That Protect Everyone

Going into business with someone is a little like a marriage, and the agreement between owners is the prenup nobody should skip. Even businesses owned by family members or lifelong friends need clear written terms.

A strong owners’ agreement addresses capital contributions, profit distribution, decision-making authority, what happens when an owner dies, divorces, or becomes disabled, and how an owner can exit the company without destroying it.

Our attorneys draft and update these agreements for Anchorage businesses of all sizes, and we have seen firsthand through our probate practice what happens to companies that never put one in place.

Business Succession Planning: Where Business Law Meets Estate Planning

Every business owner will exit their company one day, by sale, by retirement, or by death. The only question is whether the exit happens on your terms or by default.

Because Barlow Anderson, LLC practices business law, estate planning, and probate under one roof, we build succession plans that actually work when tested. We coordinate your buy-sell agreement, your trust, your insurance funding, and your operating agreement so they tell one consistent story.

Whether you intend to pass the company to your children, sell to a key employee, or position it for an outside buyer, we help you build the roadmap years before you need it.

Buy-Sell Agreements: Your Business’s Safety Net

A buy-sell agreement determines what happens to an owner’s interest when they die, become disabled, divorce, or simply want out. Without one, a business can end up co-owned by a deceased partner’s spouse, family, or frozen in a valuation fight.

A well-drafted buy-sell agreement specifies how the interest is valued, who may purchase it, and where the money comes from, often through life insurance funding that guarantees the cash is available when the trigger event occurs.

We draft new buy-sell agreements and review existing ones that have quietly gone stale. If your agreement predates major changes in your business’s value or ownership, it is overdue for a look.

Commercial Leases: Negotiate Before You Sign

For many Anchorage businesses, the lease is the single largest contract they will ever sign, and the most one-sided. Landlord-drafted leases routinely shift maintenance costs, personal guarantees, and renewal risks onto tenants who never noticed the language.

Before you commit to years of rent, have our Anchorage business law lawyers review the terms. We negotiate improvements on rent escalation, build-out obligations, exclusivity, assignment rights, and exit options- protections that matter enormously if your plans change.

Serving Anchorage Businesses Across Every Industry

Anchorage’s economy is unlike any other, and we are proud to serve the businesses that drive it. Our clients include professional practices, construction and trade contractors, tourism and hospitality operators, fishing and maritime businesses, retailers, restaurants, and family enterprises that span generations.

We also advise startups and side businesses taking their first formal steps, because every established Anchorage company started exactly where they are.

Whatever your industry, you get the same approach: practical advice, responsive communication, and legal work that serves your business goals rather than complicating them.

Why Choose Barlow Anderson for Your Business Legal Needs

At Barlow Anderson, LLC, we understand that every business has unique legal needs. We take the time to understand your business goals and challenges, providing personalized legal solutions that support your success. Our attorneys combine legal expertise with practical business sense, offering guidance that is both legally sound and commercially viable.

We are dedicated to building long-term relationships with our business clients, serving as trusted advisors throughout the life of your company. Our goal is to help you succeed by ensuring your business operations are legally protected and strategically positioned for growth.

Talk to a Business Law Attorney in Anchorage Today

Whether you are sketching a business plan at your kitchen table or running a company your grandfather founded, the right legal partner makes every stage easier.

From our office on L Street in downtown Anchorage, Barlow Anderson, LLC serves business owners throughout Anchorage and across Alaska with formation, contracts, transactions, succession planning, and ongoing counsel.

Call (907) 375-0750 or send us a message today. Tell us what you are building, and we will help you protect it.

Blog Post:

What is a Buy-Sell Agreement