Mitchell Williams Insights
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Mitchell Williams Insights
Protecting Arkansas Businesses with Attorney Casey Lawson
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As Northwest Arkansas transforms into a global commerce hub, local entrepreneurs and business owners are turning to legal guidance to form and scale safely. In this session of Mitchell Williams Insights, we are joined by experienced Attorney Casey Lawson. In addition to a passion for supporting local growth, she brings over 20 years of experience in corporate and real estate law to our discussion.
Learn more about Attorney Casey Lawson and the services offered by Mitchell Williams:
https://www.mitchellwilliamslaw.com/casey-dorman-lawson
https://www.mitchellwilliamslaw.com/practices
Hello and welcome to Mitchell Williams Insights, where we discuss legal topics with Mitchell Williams attorneys who bring strategy and experience to the issues many corporate clients are facing. As Arkansas's business landscape continues to expand, owners are increasingly looking to experience legal counsel for guidance at every stage. And joining us today is attorney Casey Lawson. Based in Northwest Arkansas, she brings over 20 years of experience in business and corporate law to her clients. And to our discussion today, welcome, Casey. We're so happy to have you on Mitchell Williams Insights. Will you tell us a little about yourself and your practice?
SPEAKER_00Um, so I primarily do a lot of business transactional work, and that can range from forming a business to then helping the business as it matures and grows.
SPEAKER_01Are there certain entry points when people realize that they need to call an attorney? Where does your relationship with clients typically start?
SPEAKER_00A lot of my relationships kind of start at the beginning. And so it's when someone's first thinking of, I have this idea, I think I can make this work and I want to start a business around it. And so that's when a lot of times I will first connect with a client is from the very beginning. Other times, unfortunately, it's when something's gone wrong and they need help. Um, and so that happens as well. And so I'm I have clients all on the various spectrum from the beginning to the middle to the end of the business, and I try to help them all. And is there a primary purpose or goal when a client walks through your door for the first time? Sure. So my primary job when a client comes to me, especially when they're thinking about opening a business, is to try to guide them into the proper formation for what they're going to be doing and to make sure that we do it all correctly on the front end so that they are operating correctly from the beginning. Okay. So in many ways, a large part of your work is preventing problems before they start. Yes, that is my goal is if we start everything correctly, it makes everything run smoothly and that you don't run into those problems. Whereas if we don't start it off correctly, you're bound to have problems later on. You know, if you don't plan, you plan to fail. That's a, you know, a common thing. And that's definitely the way my practice works. If we get a plan in place, it helps avoid a lot of those speed bumps that you would have down the road.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm sure your clients are so grateful for that support, especially in the beginning. Tell me more about how that support continues after the business is up and running.
SPEAKER_00Yes, my business clients tend to be long-term. Often they come in, like I said, when they're first starting out in business, but then that relationship continues to grow as their business grows. And I help them do um real estate purchases or leases or contracts or um anything that they need going on, employment issues, everything that comes along with Azure Business Grows. So it typically becomes a long-term relationship.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'd love to hear more about where you're located and how you serve clients there.
SPEAKER_00I have been in Northwest Arkansas my entire legal practice. I have focused on business that entire time. And so it's really an area of the law that I find uh passion for. And I love helping people. And to see someone realize their dream of being able to start their own business and to see that business mature to where it has employees and it has uh all these things that maybe we started with, you know, just the owner and now we have, you know, 20, 50 employees, it's it's a great thing to see how it can, you know, bring their dream um to life and that I get to be a little part of that. Um, and so I hope that what I've learned with each client that the next client gets to benefit from that.
SPEAKER_01How has the growth in Northwest Arkansas shaped your practice?
SPEAKER_00Northwest Arkansas is a great place to be for businesses and all types of businesses. I have everything from, you know, a husband and wife wanting to start a food truck to um people starting real estate businesses, construction companies, development companies. So just about anything you can do in Northwest Arkansas is a great opportunity right now to be doing it.
SPEAKER_01It must be quite exciting personally and professionally to witness so many new businesses forming in your community.
SPEAKER_00It is fun to see them. It is fun to see that. Hey, I helped set them up. Hey, I did the at least on that property.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so I'm glad you mentioned property because I'd love to talk about that side of your practice. Do you have a certain type of client you serve on the real estate side?
SPEAKER_00Um, I it's kind of still all over the place. Sometimes it's maybe a family where um someone has passed away and we're selling real estate now that they've passed away. Um I have some developers, some construction companies that are going out and strategically buying property that they want to develop. Um so it's a little bit of everything. Sometimes just an individual buying a property and sometimes a business for development.
SPEAKER_01And what are some common issues that you're able to solve for clients who are purchasing or selling property?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I think on the real estate side, one of the big issues is people just aren't as aware of what all their property can be used for and what it can be um moved into. And so I think some people go into a real estate sale maybe not having a full view of what their property is actually worth. And so sometimes coming in, talking about what their where their real estate is, what the opportunities are, um, it gives them a better idea of what their property may actually be worth and who they need to be looking at to try to sell that to.
SPEAKER_01Okay, now across both business and real estate, is there a number one question you're asked? What is top of mind for the people you serve?
SPEAKER_00Basically, I get a lot of what would you do or what have you seen done? And and it's a good question, especially for my business clients. I've been practicing for over 20 years, and so I've seen a lot and I've done a lot. And I can, I believe my job is to listen to what they're wanting to accomplish and then tell them some different ways that we can do it and give them some options that maybe they haven't thought of before. But because I've been there and done that, I've seen it and seen some different ways that things can be handled. And it kind of helps them maybe get some ideas that they didn't think of originally.
SPEAKER_01How do you navigate the space between what the client wants and what is the best path forward legally?
SPEAKER_00Honestly, I think one of the best things that I can bring to a client is to listen. Um, I think oftentimes you have attorneys that already have a mindset of what they think a client needs to do. And that's not necessarily what that client wants. And so I think it's very important to actually listen to them and ask them those questions, often questions that they haven't asked themselves, so that you get to actually what it is they're wanting to do and how to accomplish it. If someone comes in and says they want to start a business, if I just say this is how you do it, that's not necessarily what's best for that client. I need to ask them questions and listen to those answers to actually make sure I'm planning for that client and not just a generic client that I've had before.
SPEAKER_01That's so interesting. Not only are you providing legal counsel, but your role grows almost like a business partner. Is that right?
SPEAKER_00It is because I can see where they started and we get a better relationship of knowing what it is they hope to accomplish. And I can know how we can grow that and also know what they've done in the past that helps me predict what they need to do in the future.
SPEAKER_01Having a legal advisor that truly understands their business must feel like an extra vote of confidence for the clients when they're making decisions. How else are you helping instill confidence in clients?
SPEAKER_00Knowing the information. So when a client comes in and wants to discuss a business opportunity, that I understand what they're talking about and that I can steer the conversation and ask them questions that maybe they haven't thought of. And uh I think that helps them be a little bit more confident in the decisions, knowing that we've walked through several different scenarios, that I've provided some information that maybe they hadn't considered before. And so that they feel confident that this has been looked at from not just an operational perspective, but from a tax perspective or for a regulation perspective. And so that they feel like all of the bases have been covered, not just a strict, this is the first document you sign to form a business.
SPEAKER_01Well, speaking of having all your bases covered, is there a business advantage to utilizing a full service law firm?
SPEAKER_00I think one of the great things about Mitchell Williams is the fact that we have so many different expertise under one roof. And so a client can develop a relationship with me. And if something comes up that I do not have expertise in, I can go next door and ask someone else to help. And that client still has the relationship of being able to talk to me, um, to talk to the new attorney, and we're still all in one firm. So we're not having to go 15 different places to serve that client. We can all keep it in-house and that grows their relationship because everything that I know, that attorney next to me can know as well. Um, and so it really allows them kind of uh to have that, you know, in seamless flow from one to the other because they're not having to go out and start a brand new relationship with a brand new firm that has never met them. I know them, I can talk to that other attorney, they can continue to talk to me. And it really saves them actually time by not having to go and explain to someone everything about their business because I already know that and I can share that with that other attorney.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm sure that's a relief for a lot of clients, knowing that they can go to a single trusted point of contact for everything.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Exactly. Because I'm I'm going to know their relationship, know what they need, um, and make sure that whoever I get on the other to help me with it is going to have that same focus on that client because we really do try to serve the client as a whole. Um, and we do kind of a teamwork mentality where we want to do what's best for the client. And so if that means someone else needs to help them on that problem, then that's what I'm gonna get done.
SPEAKER_01Well, you're clearly very passionate about helping your clients. Can you tell us what you love about your work?
SPEAKER_00It's really the clients. Um, I really love learning their stories, learning their their goals, their dreams, and I get to be a little part of that. Uh, you know, I'm I'm not out there running the business, but if I can help them set it up to where it can go and be successful, I've helped in that dream. And so that's a great thing. I get to live a lot of dreams um through other people on it. And I like that part.
SPEAKER_01Casey, thank you so much for visiting with us today and sharing your insights. As we wrap up our conversation, I'd love to end on a high note. So after practicing business law for over 20 years, can you tell us what feels like a win for you?
SPEAKER_00What's a win? Um You know, for me, it's really when um maybe we've been selling a company, um, which is often hard for the client because it's often something that they've worked for or their father worked for or their mother built, um, and now they're selling it. And a lot of times they have apprehension about handing that over to someone else. And so at the end of the day, when we've done it, and if they look at me and they say, I'm happy with this. I I think mom or dad would be happy with this, then that tells me I've I've helped them and done it in a way that they can be comfortable with it. And that I think is a win when someone is comfortable with how the end result is.
SPEAKER_01You've been listening to Mitchell Williams Insights with attorney Casey Lawson on business law. To learn more about Casey's practice and to find other discussions with Mitchell Williams attorneys, visit Mitchell Williamslaw.com. Thank you for listening.