Portland Business & Commercial Law Blog

Oregon has many businesses that deal in some aspect of food manufacturing and/or processing. A lot of activity in business law involves the purchase and sale of businesses in the food growing and processing industries. An established food manufacturer may desire to add a certain specialty line of products to its brand or it may need to increase its production values by acquiring a business that can engage in a manufacturing procedure not yet available to the buyer.

An example is the recent acquisition of the soybean processing facility owned by CHS, Inc. The purchaser, ZFS Creston L.L.C., is a subsidiary of Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. The purchaser will use the facility to make soybean products for specialty markets. The process of locating and buying such a business by a large manufacturer can be arduous due to the variety of businesses that deal in some form or another with at least part of the activities of CHS, Inc.

Oregon business law attorneys get the opportunity to work with many startup businesses, which gives them an insight on some of the mistakes that startups may encounter. Of course, the attorney will be primarily concerned with assuring that the legalities of business formation are established and running without a flaw. Business law attorneys are also useful for steering the startup in the right direction and sharing a wealth of knowledge with the new company.

The initial phase of the startup may be a critical time to retain a focus on the primary purposes and goals of the business. The SBA estimates that about one out of every five startups will fail in the first year. There are, however, some observations and tools to keep in mind. For example, the startup must be dedicated to the energizing values and love of the work that is ingrained in an owner's psyche.

Data breach cases involving retail companies are becoming common in Oregon and other states. Usually, these business litigation claims are class actions filed to obtain redress for thousands if not millions of consumers. The claims usually center around the theft of the victims' personal information, including addresses, passwords and credit or debit card details, stored on a company's online servers.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit recently reinstated a class-action lawsuit against Zappos that had been dismissed by the federal district court. The case arises from an incident in 2012 when hackers accessed the Zappos servers and took the  information pertaining to 24 million customers. The lawsuit filed on behalf of the victims was dismissed due to the district court's opinion that not all of the plaintiffs could establish proof of an actual injury that was traceable.

Oregon and all states have organization that nurture and support startup businesses to get them going and to survive. They are called business incubators and accelerators. A business law attorney who provides business formation services may coordinate efforts with these programs while also assisting the startup to get its legal filings and business structure requirements established.

These organizations may focus on high tech startups but not always. Some of the functions of accelerators and incubators are to prepare companies for growth. They provide resources, mentorship and a wide scope of practical help. The incubator operates earlier, in the beginning stages of the business. It offers office space, funding, skills training, organizing financial record-keeping and integrating with professional networks.