Commercial Kitchen Lease Lawyers for Augusta, Georgia

Experienced sports and entertainment attorney. I specialize in contracts, business formation, licensing, wage disputes, negotiations, and intellectual property.

Hello! Interested in transactional and remote work. I primarily do real estate closings in northeast Georgia (I am ONLY LICENSED IN GEORGIA) but can also do other transactional matters from time to time. You have definitely heard of my litigation work -- now I'm happy on the transactional side!

I am an accomplished attorney with more than 19 years of experience and extensive expertise in business negotiations, commercial contracts, and technology transactions. With a proven track record of providing strategic legal advice and delivering exceptional results, I have successfully assisted numerous clients in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating various business arrangements. My experience encompasses a wide range of areas, including intellectual property, data privacy and security, SaaS agreements, and software licenses. I co-founded a reputable general corporate law firm with three offices in Aspen, Atlanta, and New York. As a partner and attorney, I represented diverse clients, including start-ups, public corporations, investors, financial institutions, educational institutions, and non-profit entities. With a focus on delivering comprehensive legal solutions, I provided general counsel, expert dispute resolution, efficient litigation management, and skillful contract drafting and negotiations for businesses across industries.

⛵AJ has practiced in entertainment, technology, intellectual property, data privacy and protection, a broad array of domestic and international transactions, finance, and as outside General Counsel for startup and growth companies.

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.

I am a corporate Attorney licensed in the state of Georgia and Ghana. My professional career started in 2016 as a litigator in a private law firm in Ghana. Subsequently in 2018, I moved in house to work for the University of Ghana and this is where my corporate transactional work experience began. Since coming to the US in 2019, I have gained significant transactional experience through internships at Verizon and Tricentis (a software testing company) during law school at UGA. Since graduating from UGA law school, I have worked as a corporate transactional attorney of an AmLaw 200 firm. In that role, I helped foreign companies entering the US market to establish a presence and comply with applicable corporate laws while doing business. I also assisted customers and service providers in the software and technology industry by reviewing SaaS and similar contracts. Also, I helped energy utilities in the renewable energy space navigate regulatory and policy issues and establish contractual business relationships through contract reviews.

Ben is the founder of the Middleton Law Firm (2022). He has experience in the European Union and the United States. He interned with the University Rijeka, Croatia assisting businesses with trademark, Uniform Domain-Name Registry Dispute Registry, European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law compliance, and International Comparative Copyright issues as the country itself prepared itself for European Union statehood. He worked with Michigan State University's Anti-Counterfeit and Product Protection (A-CAPP) Center to protect and enforce its intellectual property in foreign territories and moderated panel discussions with brand owners and U.S. Customs to curb counterfeit products. Ben assisted indigent artists with legal issues and in some cases brought their works to life with Georgia Lawyers for the Arts. Ben is admitted to the federal courts of Georgia. Before practicing law, Ben worked for Core Security and Meridian Link as a software QA engineer in the information technology (IT) space. Ben produced countless commercial music recordings, engineered hundreds of songs, and served as executive producer seven studio albums as a founding member of member of Million Dollar Minds Entertainment (Est. 2006). He is an alumnus of The South Carolina State University (Bulldogs) and Michigan State University (Spartans).

I currently focus on estate planning, uncontested divorces, mobile real estate closings, and contract review for small businesses after starting my firm after leaving my position a partner at a national law firm specializing in creditor rights and real property.

At Whalen Legal Group, PC, we strive to ensure that our clients are provided with the highest quality legal representation. Our team is committed to providing you with personalized and effective legal advice. We specialize in Business Law, Estate Planning and Trust, and Real Estate Law and have years of experience in these fields.Our goal is to provide our clients with the best possible service and to ensure that their legal matters are handled with compassion, integrity, and transparency. We understand that every situation is different and we take the time to listen and understand each and every one of our clients’ needs.

My firm focuses on family immigration (spouse, parents, children and siblings of US citizens and permanent residents), change of status, and citizenship applications.