Tempe Business Attorney
Accord & Shield Legal gives Tempe and East Valley companies a business attorney who stays involved. Tempe’s mix of university-connected, technology and hardware, and neighborhood businesses means our clients rarely look alike, but they tend to need the same thing: clear agreements and someone to call before a small question turns into a large one.
Tempe companies, in all their variety
Tempe is a compact city with an unusually varied business base. Arizona State University’s Tempe campus shapes a good part of the local economy, from companies spun out of research and student ventures to the service businesses that grow up around a large campus. Alongside it sit technology and hardware firms, small manufacturers and the restaurants, shops and studios of districts like Mill Avenue.
That variety is why we do not hand every Tempe owner the same checklist. A hardware company shipping to distributors needs different agreements than a brewery taproom, and a team of four with a founder who is still finishing a degree has different questions than a thirty-person firm with an HR manager. What they share is that the paperwork has not kept pace with the business.
How we help East Valley owners
Our work for Tempe clients is the everyday legal infrastructure of a company. We review the agreements you are about to sign, draft the ones you keep needing, put owner arrangements in writing and keep employment documents in step with how you actually hire. Where it fits, we do that on an ongoing basis so you are not re-explaining your business every time.
- Ongoing counsel — a lawyer who already understands your business when a question arises
- Agreements with customers, suppliers and contractors — reviewed before they are signed
- Co-founder and owner arrangements — written down while everyone still agrees
- Hiring and workplace documents — offer letters, contractor terms and policies
- Protecting what you create — ownership of work product and brand, with trademark matters handled through our of-counsel trademark attorney
What the first few months can look like
New Tempe clients often start with a single task, such as reviewing a customer agreement or settling how two co-owners will make decisions. From there, the work tends to follow the business.
- First, we handle the item that prompted the call and learn how the company operates.
- Next, we look at the agreements and documents the business leans on most and flag anything that no longer matches how you work.
- Then, we agree on a simple way to reach us as new questions come up, whether that is a standing check-in or an as-needed call.
You decide how far to take it. Some Tempe owners keep us for one project; others prefer an ongoing relationship once they see the value of having someone who already knows the business.
Working with a Scottsdale firm from Tempe
Our office is in North Scottsdale, and Tempe is part of the same East Valley web of customers, employees and vendors that many of our clients already work in. We meet in person when a matter benefits from it. For routine reviews, phone and video work well and save everyone a trip. We also serve clients in California and Texas, which helps when a Tempe company sells or hires beyond Arizona.
Because attorney Nadine Deeb is licensed in Arizona, California and Texas, one relationship can cover a business that has grown beyond its home state.
Start with a short conversation
Book a free 15-minute consultation, tell us what the business does and we will say plainly whether we are the right help. If you are weighing options across the Valley, see how we work in Phoenix and Scottsdale, or read the Arizona overview.
Looking for something narrower?
Questions Tempe owners ask about business counsel
Do you work with technology and hardware companies in Tempe?
Yes. Many of the agreements those companies rely on, such as supplier and distribution terms, customer contracts and contractor and employment documents, are the same ones we handle for other clients. What changes is the detail, and we start by learning how your product reaches customers.
Is a Scottsdale attorney convenient for a Tempe business?
For most owners, yes. Our office is in North Scottsdale, and routine reviews often happen by phone or video. We meet in person when a matter is better handled that way.
Which agreements do small Tempe businesses most often need reviewed?
The ones that come up most are customer and client agreements, vendor and supplier terms, contractor agreements and anything that sets out how owners work together. A review before signing is generally the point where a lawyer is most useful.
How do I know whether I need an attorney or just a template?
A template can be a reasonable starting point for a routine, low-stakes arrangement. It is worth talking to a lawyer when the agreement is large, unusual, long-term or something you would be uncomfortable losing a dispute over. We will tell you honestly if a template is enough.
What happens in the free 15-minute consultation?
You describe the business and the question in front of you, and we tell you how we would approach it and what working together would look like. There is no obligation to continue.
Do I need a lawyer before my Tempe company hires its first employee?
It is a good moment for one. Offer letters, how you classify the people you bring on and the policies you set tend to be easier to get right at the start than to fix later. We can walk through what is worth putting in place before the first hire.
Nearby: Phoenix · Scottsdale · Gilbert
Talk to a Tempe business attorney
Tell us about your business and what you need. The first 15 minutes are free. We serve Tempe and the East Valley, all of Arizona, plus California and Texas.