So You Want to Form a Company: Entity Formation and the Startup Business

This four-part series is taken from Alfred J. Ludwig's presentation at StartLouis's March Meetup.

Part 1

Part 1 communicates how one's choice of entity affects ownership, taxation, liability, certainty, and marketability. Al also addresses the basics of entity formation and reformation.

Part 2

Part 2 addresses how the jurisdiction of formation affects your business entity. Other topics in this episode include the differences of taxation across various entities, limiting liability, and how to avoid "piercing the veil."

Part 3

In Part 3, Al dives deeper into specific entity types, including corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and special entities. He discusses general business corporations as they concern state laws, ownership and management, liability, minority rights, and stock. He also addresses the "creature of contract"—the limited liability company.

Part 4

Part 4 addresses the finer points of entity types. Al explains a relatively new form of entity-the series LLC-and particularly, its attractiveness to real estate businesses. He also covers the basics of various limited partnership formations and how they affect partner liability.