B Corps, ESG & Social Enterprises

We help companies become Certified B Corps, implement ESG practices, and scale social enterprises.

We understand business as a force for good. We’re one of the only B Corp and 1% For The Planet law firms in the country. As Tech Lawyers for Good, we help businesses make profit + purpose business models scale.

Our team of attorneys assists clients in a variety of industries across multiple impact areas, including: 

Examples of our services include:

B Corp Certification

Ask most lawyers what a B Corp is and they will likely confuse B Corps with Benefit Corporations. These are actually complete different structures, and as one of the only B Corp law firms in the country we regularly help business understand the differences and what they could and should pursue. We help B Corp consultants with certification by advising on qualifying “mission lock” corporate governance structures. We help founders establish proper corporate structures and adopt policies to one day become Certified B Corps. We help companies acquire and merge B Corps, and we help B Corps navigate sales of their companies. We help existing B Corps improve their policies and processes for re-certification. Working with mission-oriented B Corps inspires us and makes us extremely happy attorneys, so we like to go the extra mile with B Corp legal services.

B Corp Legal Governance

The B Corp framework includes an assessment of corporate structure and policies resulting in a governance score that dictates whether a company can be certified in the U.S. and/or abroad. We help companies implement community, employee, and supply chain policies that implicate the B Corp Impact Assessment score. We also help companies choose or convert to the right corporate structure required by B Lab to reduce shareholder primacy and satisfy the mission lock.

Benefit Corporation Registration

We create social enterprises that are sustainable, just, and profitable. One legal model underpinning today’s social enterprise is the Public Benefit Corporation. We help companies launch as Delaware Benefit Corporations, as well as statutory public benefit corporations under other state laws. It’s important to understand not only the distinction between Certified B Corps and Benefit Corporations, but also the variation in Benefit Corporation structuring and operations among states. We help Georgia Benefit Corporations, Florida Benefit Corporations and New York Benefit Corporations alike to structure and operate in ways to minimize shareholder primacy and maintain the core values of founders and early leaders.

Benefit LLC Registration

A handful of states provide for Benefit LLC registration. We help companies launch as benefit limited liability companies in preferred states, e.g. Delaware Benefit LLC’s, and obtain the necessary foreign filing permissions in their primary places of operation. The Benefit LLC model can be a great way, particularly for small businesses, to message your values while avoiding the complexities of the benefit corporation model. In most cases you can register as a Delaware Benefit LLC and obtain an authorization form for operating in a preferred state.

Investor Due Diligence

Many investors are unfamiliar with legal aspects of Certified B Corps and Benefit Corporations. We help investors understand how these companies operate, what if any limitations pertain to investors and shareholders, and how such a model can scale in accordance with its foundational mission.

SEC GHG and Climate Change Reporting

The new SEC greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations and value chain reporting requirements obligates companies large and small to better analyze and communicate climate change impact on their finances and operations. We help companies comply with SEC rules and identify market opportunities in this new era of corporate ESG.

Stakeholder Reports

A number of jurisdictions require that benefit corporations and benefit LLC’s publicize audits of activities in furtherance of their express public benefits. We help companies draft and publish stakeholder reports that summarize their activities and satisfy relevant legal requirements.

Shareholder Notices – Benefit Conversions

Some companies launch as traditional Delaware C Corps or LLC’s, but then later decide to convert to Benefit Corporations or Benefit LLC’s for any number of business and legal reasons. State laws and governance documents govern the ways companies must officially convert to benefit entities, including proper notices to shareholders and conducting of meetings and votes. We help companies create the proper notices and obtain approvals for formal conversion.

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