As one of the largest law firms in Iowa, Simmons Perrine PLC provides experienced business services in many general and specialized areas. We assist the entrepreneurial spirit, whether in a one-person business or a national corporate enterprise. In an increasingly complex legal, business and regulatory environment, we provide the successful entrepreneur with a broad spectrum of legal services.

GENERAL BUSINESS
Our general business practice includes the selection and structure of the proper business entity such as a proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation. We also assist in the purchase or sale of a business, arrangement of financing, and the negotiation and preparation of various business documents, including operating agreements, contracts, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and governmental filings.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Simmons Perrine PLC represents various financial institutions including banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions which are headquartered in Cedar Rapids or surrounding communities. The firm counsels financial institutions with respect to the organization and structure of the institution, regulatory compliance, loan transactions, forms, loan collections, foreclosures and related matters. In addition to the expertise of several members who practice extensively in banking law, banking clients benefit regularly from the expertise of other firm members in such areas as probate, employment, real estate, and environmental law.

BANKRUPTCY
The firm actively practices in the bankruptcy area and represents both creditors and debtors in agricultural, business and personal proceedings. Our lawyers have substantial experience in the representation of clients in Chapter 7 liquidations, Chapter 11 reorganizations and Chapter 13 proceedings. Financial difficulty is not a prerequisite for the need of experienced bankruptcy counsel; however, many successful businesses find bankruptcy matters thrust upon them. Experienced counsel often may avoid or minimize potential loss in such situations.

TAXATION
Knowledge of the tax consequences of business decisions may make the difference between success or failure for the entrepreneur. Simmons Perrine PLC continues its history of providing comprehensive tax advice to its clients in all areas of taxation including income, employment, sale and use, and excise taxes. Our lawyers represent clients before the local and national offices of the Internal Revenue Service, the Iowa Department of Revenue and various state and federal courts.

PENSION and EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
An increasingly significant practice is in the pension and employee benefits area, including qualified and nonqualified pension and profit sharing plans, 401(k) plans, Keogh plans, deferred compensation plans, various stock option plans, health insurance plans, cafeteria plans and others. Experienced attorneys work with all sizes and types of businesses in developing pension and benefit plans, from individual professionals to large, closely-held corporations.

To develop new retirement plans, the firm first evaluates the client’s needs, recommends selection of an appropriate type of plan, and then designs, drafts and assists in the implementation of the plan. In the case of qualified plans, the firm also prepares the necessary documents and assists the client in obtaining IRS determination of the plan’s qualification under the appropriate provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Once the plan is in place, Simmons Perrine PLC remains ready to assist when questions arise pertaining to administration of the plan.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Simmons Perrine PLC provides experienced environmental legal counsel to clients on a broad range of environmental issues, including buying and selling contaminated property, gasoline station contamination, superfund cleanups, RCRA management issues, CERCLA matters, chemical spills, wastewater treatment issues, clean water issues, wetlands, clean air act matters, landfills, waste management and other issues. This representation involves handling matters for clients before local, state and federal regulatory agencies and in state and federal courts. The firm’s clients in this area include many eastern Iowa companies, engineering firms, banks, cities, counties, and the State of Iowa.

REAL ESTATE
Simmons Perrine PLC has a comprehensive real estate practice and represents residential and commercial real estate developers, residential and commercial landlords and tenants, real estate brokers and property managers, and various mortgage lenders. Services that the firm provides include counseling, planning and drafting documentation in the acquisition or disposition of properties, leasing, development of condominium projects, platting, zoning, property tax assessment matters, condemnations, regulation of brokers, and various construction projects. Additionally, the firm regularly provides title opinions to purchasers of property, lenders and title insurance companies. The real estate practice at Simmons Perrine PLC also involves litigation in the foreclosure of mortgages, enforcement of leases, assessment disputes and other related matters.

COMPUTER LAW
In recent years Simmons Perrine PLC has developed substantial experience in the area of computer law. This is rapidly becoming a very specialized area. The problems of clients in the computer business are often unique. Experienced legal advice has proven necessary for success in the field of computer business. Our lawyers have represented new firms in the formation of the business, negotiation and arrangement of financing (venture capital and private placement of securities), licensing of software products, protection of software and the drafting of various complex agreements.

PATENT, TRADEMARK and COPYRIGHT
Simmons Perrine PLC has a long and well-established practice in patent, trademark, copyright and unfair competition law. The firm is one of just a few in Iowa with experienced patent and trademark counsel capable of obtaining patents not only in the United States but throughout the world. The firm maintains an active litigation practice in all areas of patent, trademark and copyright law.

LABOR and EMPLOYMENT LAW
Simmons Perrine PLC has an extensive labor law practice in both private and public sectors. This encompasses the negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements, arbitration of contract disputes, representation of clients in administrative and judicial proceedings involving claims of unlawful discrimination, unemployment compensation, occupational safety and health complaints, unfair labor practice charges, wrongful discharge claims and a variety of related personnel matters.

PROBATE
The firm’s goal is to provide for the orderly administration and transfer of assets and preserve those assets to the extent possible by minimizing the effects of income, inheritance, estate and gift taxes. This involves working closely with the personal representative of the estate or the trustee of any trust. The firm prepares all necessary court documents and all required tax returns.

ESTATE PLANNING
The goal of our experienced estate planning attorneys is to assure the greatest possible estate, gift and income tax savings consistent with the client’s financial situation and desire for disposition of the estate. This requires a careful analysis of the tax consequences of any existing plan and any proposed changes. To assist in this analysis, the firm has an advanced computer program that can analyze various alternatives in a thorough and efficient manner. Once the analysis is complete and the client has decided on the plan of disposition, the appropriate instruments are drafted.

Whether it is a will, revocable trust, insurance trust, charitable trust or foundation or other planning technique, the firm has significant experience.