LLC Operating Agreement Drafting:
Key Terms, Drafting Tips, Legal Help

Experienced attorney and tax analyst with a history of working in the government and private industry. Skilled in Public Speaking, Contract Law, Corporate Governance, and Contract Negotiation. Strong professional graduate from Penn State Law.

Clear, strategic legal guidance when you need it most—whether you're planning ahead or defending a position. Legal challenges shouldn't feel confusing or overwhelming. Whether you're building an estate plan, structuring a business, or navigating a dispute, my practice is built on clarity, care, and practical strategy. I work with clients who want real solutions—not just paperwork—through planning and advice that truly fits their goals, families, and businesses. Planning & Structure I focus on estate planning, asset protection, and business succession, helping individuals and entrepreneurs organize their assets, reduce risk, and prepare for every stage of life. Whether you're setting up your first living trust, shielding your business from liability, or updating an existing estate plan, you'll receive clear guidance, fixed-fee pricing, and responsive support from start to finish. Each plan I design is tailored to your real-world priorities: preserving wealth, avoiding unnecessary taxes and probate, and ensuring the people you love are protected when it matters most. I also focus on general business matters outlined below. Disputes & Defense When legal conflicts arise—disputed contracts, demand letters, settlement negotiations, or litigation decisions—I provide realistic risk assessment and strategic guidance. I help clients understand their actual exposure (not just best-case scenarios), identify leverage points, and navigate toward efficient resolution. If you're facing a legal claim or need to evaluate your position before responding, I can walk you through the realistic options and their costs. Services: Estate Planning & Asset Protection --Simple wills and powers of attorney --Living trusts for small estates --Buy-sell agreements for family businesses Business Formation & Agreements --LLC or S-Corp formation filings --Operating Agreements / Shareholder Agreements --Founder or Investor Agreements --Bylaws and Minutes templates --Registered agent setup guidance Contracts & Commercial Matters --Service Agreements (consulting, marketing, software, design, etc.) --Independent Contractor Agreements --Employment contracts and offer letters --Non-compete, non-solicitation, or confidentiality agreements --Employee handbooks or HR policy updates --Termination or severance agreements --NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) --Partnership or Joint Venture Agreements --Sales or Vendor Contracts --Licensing or IP Agreements Terms and conditions SaaS Platforms --Terms of Service --Privacy Policy --Independent Contractor Agreements --Customer/User Agreements --Liability Waivers --Cancellation & Refund Policy --Non-Solicitation Clauses --Marketplace compliance documents Real Estate --Commercial lease drafting or review --Residential lease review --Purchase & sale agreements --Short-term rental (Airbnb) contracts --Property management agreements Professional Approach: I leverage modern legal research and writing technologies—including AI-assisted tools—to enhance the quality, speed, and clarity of my analysis. Like many legal professionals today, I use these tools to organize research, improve communication, and catch errors. On research tools: case law and statutory verification runs through a vLex/Fastcase subscription, and drafting and first-pass review is AI-assisted. Every analysis I provide is thoroughly reviewed and reflects my independent professional judgment as a licensed attorney. AI is a tool that supports my work; it does not replace it.

Experienced and business-oriented attorney with a great depth of contract experience including vendor contracts, service contracts, employment, licenses, operating agreements and other corporate compliance documents.

Experienced real estate, business, and tax practitioner, representing start up and established businesses with formation, contracts, and operational issues.

I am a Texas Board Certified specialist in Labor and Employment Law (since 2002) with nearly three decades of experience across private practice, Big Law, in-house counsel, and national civil rights litigation. I currently own and manage Jump Start Legal Justice Center, where I lead nationwide litigation for nonprofit domestic entities, defending free speech and constitutional rights, litigating Title VI and Title VII claims for professors, and representing individuals in No Fly list and watchlist challenges. For nearly a decade, I served as Civil Litigation Department Head at the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America (now MLFA), managing a nationwide team of up to 12 attorneys, paralegals, and interns. My docket included religious freedom and religious discrimination cases for Muslim, Jewish, and Native American clients; birthright citizenship challenges; and inmate rights litigation for meal and prayer accommodations. My employment law background includes senior roles at Littler Mendelson, Jackson Walker, Akin Gump, and Jackson Lewis, as well as serving as the Texas state expert for Thomson Reuters Practical Law. I have counseled corporations on wage/hour compliance, non-compete agreements, FMLA, discrimination, retaliation, and workplace investigations. I have first-chaired federal court jury trials and handled appeals across the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits. I also hold a Mediation Certification from the University of Houston and have served as an Associate Hearing Officer for the City of Dallas. I am a multiple-year Texas Super Lawyer (through 2026), Fellow of the Texas Bar College, and Fellow of the American Bar Association. I draft and review employment agreements, severance agreements, non-compete agreements, employee handbooks, independent contractor agreements, and settlement agreements. I also advise on nonprofit compliance, religious accommodations, and constitutional claims. Bar admissions: Texas (1996), U.S. Supreme Court, multiple Circuit Courts of Appeal, and federal district courts in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, and Illinois (General Bar and Trial Bar).

Elbert Thomas is the founder of the Thomas Law Group, LLC. Elbert is proficient in contract creation, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating various business contracts and demand letters in industries such as construction, personal, professional services, non-profits, and real estate. Elbert typically represents small and large companies in drafting and negotiating countless agreements such as purchase sale agreements, interconnection agreements, lease agreements, demand letters, cease & desist letters, transfer of deeds in real property, and merger/acquisition agreements. In addition, Elbert is also experienced in start-ups, small business formation, drafting operating agreements, and estate planning.

Pico & Kooker provides hands on legal advice in structuring, drafting, negotiating, interpreting, managing and enforcing complex high value commercial transactions. Adept at navigating complex environments, Jonathan has extensive expertise advising clients on a wide range of long- and medium-term cross border and financial engagements, including public tender participation, PPPs, export sales agreements as well as policy and regulatory formulation. Jonathan and his co-founder, Eva Pico have represented and acted on behalf of lenders, global corporations and other market participants across a range of industries including financial services, infrastructure and transportation. As outside counsel, Pico & Kooker, has developed a strong rapport and working relationship with their clients and appropriately work with their in-house teams to increase consistency, processes and procedures. The company employs a unique approach as practical, business minded outside legal counsel who believe in proactively partnering with their clients to achieve desired results while managing and engaging key stakeholders. They listen to their clients to develop customized solutions that best meet their needs while aligning with their objectives, vision and values. Some representative transactions include advising the World Bank on project finance and portfolio options to address the costs and risks associated with integrating renewable power sources. Also advising them as legal counsel, Jonathan developed policies, regulation and models for emerging market governments entering into public-private partnerships. In addition to his work with the World Bank, Jonathan has worked with some of the world’s largest consulting firms, financial institutions and governmental organizations, including the United Nations, the governments of the US, UK and select African countries. Through out his career, he has worked with large, multinational corporations both by consulting in-house and acting as outside counsel on large cross-border transactions. He graduated from Georgetown University’s law school and was admitted practice as a lawyer in New York, England and Wales and, as a foreign lawyer, in Germany. He has written several articles for trade journals and has been cited by several business publications in worldwide. Jonathan is a native English speaker and has high proficiency in German and a functional understanding of Spanish.