Corporate Law Services We Offer for Vancouver & BC Businesses
Our Vancouver corporate lawyers at Watson Goepel LLP stand as a pillar of expertise in a dynamic corporate landscape, offering a comprehensive suite of services tailored to diverse business needs.
Specializing in corporate structuring and the structuring of various other business entities is a cornerstone of our corporate legal practice. We craft bespoke solutions and provide thoughtful counsel to further the business objectives of our clients. We have experience structuring partnerships, proprietorships, joint ventures, corporations and other hybrid solutions.
When your company works with our corporate lawyers in Vancouver, we can assist with:
Start-Ups And Early Stage Companies
For entrepreneurs and emerging companies, the early choices you make about structure and ownership can have long-term impacts. Our Vancouver corporate lawyers can help you evaluate whether to operate as a corporation, partnership, or other structure, taking into account tax, liability, and succession planning goals in coordination with your tax advisors.
We assist with incorporations under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act, extra-provincial registrations, and continuances into or out of British Columbia. We also prepare shareholder agreements, subscription agreements, and other foundational documents that govern how decisions will be made, how capital will be raised, and how business disputes between owners will be managed.
Where new ventures anticipate cross-border operations or key personnel relocating to Canada, we can work closely with our in-house immigration lawyers and workplace law team to ensure that immigration strategies and employment contracts support your growth plans.
Growing And Mature Businesses
As businesses grow, they often face new governance, financing, and risk management challenges. Our Vancouver corporate team can advise on:
- Reorganizations
- Corporate restructurings
- Private placements
- Equity investments
- Strategic partnerships
- And more
We also help owners and boards understand the legal consequences of proposed transactions and how those transactions fit within existing shareholder arrangements and financing structures.
Our work regularly includes coordinating with lenders and investors, preparing board and shareholder resolutions, and updating corporate records to reflect new classes of shares, changes in control, or the admission of new shareholders. When ownership changes are tied to real property or leasing issues, we work in tandem with our real estate lawyers in Vancouver to ensure that corporate and property factors are aligned.
Watson Goepel LLP has successfully guided family-owned businesses through staged share reclassifications and buyouts, assisted professional corporations with reorganizations to accommodate new partners, and supported privately held companies as they raised capital from private equity and other investors.
Corporate Governance And Regulatory Compliance
Good governance helps protect both the company and its directors and officers. We advise boards, management teams, and corporate secretaries on their duties under the Business Corporations Act, including record keeping, annual meeting requirements, and the preparation and maintenance of transparency registers.
Our Vancouver corporate lawyers can prepare and update constating documents such as articles, bylaws, and special rights or restrictions, as well as shareholder, partnership, and joint venture agreements. Where governance issues develop into shareholder disagreements or allegations of oppression, we frequently collaborate with our corporate and shareholder litigation team to assess options ranging from negotiated resolutions to formal proceedings.
Corporate compliance often intersects with employment, human rights, privacy, and workplace safety rules. On issues relating to workplace investigations, employment standards, or administrative proceedings before regulators, we coordinate with our workplace administrative law and employment standards teams so that your governance and HR responses stay consistent.
Transactions, Reorganizations, And Succession Planning for Corporations in Vancouver
Transactions and reorganizations are key moments in the life of a business. Our Vancouver corporate lawyers regularly provide strategic advice on structuring and documenting these changes in a way that reflects your commercial goals, tax planning, and family priorities.
We assist with asset and share purchases and sales, mergers, amalgamations, and internal reorganizations. This work often involves coordinating with tax advisors on rollovers, estate freezes, and other transactions designed to support long term plans for ownership and control. Where transactions involve employees or changes to workplaces, we work closely with our Vancouver workplace lawyers to address employment contracts, termination risks, and communications with staff.
Succession planning is especially important for family businesses and closely held companies. In collaboration with our wills, estates and trusts team, we help clients explore options such as family trusts, management buyouts, and gradual transition plans that balance business continuity with intergenerational planning. We can also work with our family law lawyers when business interests form part of relationship property or separation agreements.
How Our Vancouver Corporate Lawyers Assist Clients
Our goal is to provide corporate advice that is practical, responsive, and aligned with your broader business strategy. We recognize that owners and executives need to make decisions in real time, often under commercial pressure, and we work to offer clear, timely guidance rather than abstract theory.
When you work with our Vancouver corporate lawyers, you can expect:
- Clear explanations of your options, the steps involved, and the documents required at each stage.
- Strategic guidance that takes into account your risk tolerance, timelines, and long-term business objectives.
- Integrated support with our business lawyers in Vancouver, including commercial, real estate, workplace, litigation, and immigration services, when needed.
- Assistance for owners, boards, and management teams in understanding their duties under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act.
- Flexible engagement models, from ongoing external general counsel support to targeted help on specific transactions, reorganizations, or governance projects.
- And more.
Vancouver Corporate Lawyers With You Every Step of the Way
If you have questions about incorporating a business, updating your corporate structure, managing governance issues, or planning a transaction or succession strategy, our Vancouver corporate lawyers can help.
To discuss your situation with a member of our legal team, call (604) 688-1301 or contact us online to request a consultation. We will review your circumstances, outline potential options, and work with you to develop a corporate plan that supports the long term health of your business in British Columbia.
