Virtual Assistant Contract Lawyers for Joliet, Illinois

My name is Ryenne Shaw and I help business owners build businesses that operate as assets instead of liabilities, increase in value over time and build wealth. My areas of expertise include corporate formation and business structure, contract law, employment/labor law, business risk and compliance and intellectual property. I also serve as outside general counsel to several businesses across various industries nationally. I spent most of my early legal career assisting C.E.O.s, General Counsel, and in-house legal counsel of both large and smaller corporations in minimizing liability, protecting business assets and maximizing profits. While working with many of these entities, I realized that smaller entities are often underserved. I saw that smaller business owners weren’t receiving the same level of legal support larger corporations relied upon to grow and sustain. I knew this was a major contributor to the ceiling that most small businesses hit before they’ve even scratched the surface of their potential. And I knew at that moment that all of this lack of knowledge and support was creating a huge wealth gap. After over ten years of legal experience, I started my law firm to provide the legal support small to mid-sized business owners and entrepreneurs need to grow and protect their brands, businesses, and assets. I have a passion for helping small to mid-sized businesses and startups grow into wealth-building assets by leveraging the same legal strategies large corporations have used for years to create real wealth. I enjoy connecting with my clients, learning about their visions and identifying ways to protect and maximize the reach, value and impact of their businesses. I am a strong legal writer with extensive litigation experience, including both federal and state (and administratively), which brings another element to every contract I prepare and the overall counsel and value I provide. Some of my recent projects include: - Negotiating & Drafting Commercial Lease Agreements - Drafting Trademark Licensing Agreements - Drafting Ambassador and Influencer Agreements - Drafting Collaboration Agreements - Drafting Service Agreements for service-providers, coaches and consultants - Drafting Master Service Agreements and SOWs - Drafting Terms of Service and Privacy Policies - Preparing policies and procedures for businesses in highly regulated industries - Drafting Employee Handbooks, Standard Operations and Procedures (SOPs) manuals, employment agreements - Creating Employer-employee infrastructure to ensure business compliance with employment and labor laws - Drafting Independent Contractor Agreements and Non-Disclosure/Non-Competition/Non-Solicitation Agreements - Conducting Federal Trademark Searches and filing trademark applications - Preparing Trademark Opinion Letters after conducting appropriate legal research - Drafting Letters of Opinion for Small Business Loans - Drafting and Responding to Cease and Desist Letters I service clients throughout the United States across a broad range of industries.

I am Muhammad Yar Lak, a New York-licensed technology attorney with extensive experience advising startups, founders, growing businesses, established companies (including Fortune 100 clients), and individuals on the legal matters that shape how they operate, grow, and protect what they have built. My practice covers business relationships, operational and contractual risk, and corporate structure, including the formation and structuring of LLCs and corporations. I hold a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and am admitted to practice in New York. I am also CIPP/US certified, reflecting my commitment to privacy and data as core concerns in modern business and technology law. I practice as a Senior Associate with Gogo & Moore, a technology-focused law firm with offices in Aspen, Atlanta, and New York. I have built my practice around the industries defining the next decade, including technology, fintech, artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital assets, and e-commerce, while also serving clients in healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, and entertainment. Wherever my clients are building, I am there. My approach is simple: good legal counsel should empower people, not slow them down. I work hard to understand what my clients are actually trying to accomplish and help them get there. If that sounds like the kind of lawyer you are looking for, I would be glad to connect.

Experienced U.S.-licensed attorney with 10+ years of practice across commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, and contract drafting, currently in a part-time in-house counsel role and actively available for independent legal engagements on a project or contract basis. Proven ability to deliver efficient, high-quality legal work in flexible arrangements, including prior contract engagements with Am Law 100-affiliated firms. Adept at working autonomously, meeting tight turnarounds, and providing practical, business-focused legal counsel across a wide range of transactional matters.

I’m a commercial contracts attorney who helps growing companies get out of contract chaos and into something sustainable. I focus on the agreements that sit at the core of how companies operate—customer contracts, vendor deals, SaaS agreements, and supply and distribution relationships. Before going independent, I worked in private practice and embedded legal roles supporting technology, consumer goods, and manufacturing businesses. That experience shaped a practical, business-first approach to contracts: clear drafting, efficient negotiation, and advice grounded in how companies actually operate. I hold the CIPP/US credential and have completed AI governance training, which informs my work on data, privacy, and AI-adjacent risk terms commonly found in modern commercial agreements. If you want contracts that are clear, balanced, and usable by the people who sign and manage them, that’s where I’m most effective.

I am a U.S.-licensed attorney with more than a decade of experience in complex litigation and intellectual property matters. I have practiced at leading Am Law firms including Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Arent Fox, and Sughrue Mion, and I currently operate my own law practice. I have extensive experience handling high-stakes patent litigation, drafting pleadings and briefs, managing large-scale discovery, preparing and defending depositions, and appearing before federal courts and administrative bodies such as the PTAB and ITC. I hold a J.D., cum laude, from The George Washington University Law School and advanced technical degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, which allow me to efficiently handle technically complex matters. I am admitted in multiple jurisdictions, including New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, and I regularly provide high-quality remote legal support to clients nationwide.

Former partner in mid-size firms, now a solo practitioner, with over a decade of experience in commercial real estate, including leasing, acquisition and disposition, and real estate finance.

Attorney who focuses on all sorts of civil disputes.

I am an Illinois-barred attorney with 20 years of in-house government and affordable housing experience. I have had responsibilities of a member of the Office of a Chief Legal Officer, am an adaptable "Jill of all trades," and have strong operations and business acumen. I'm also well equipped to work in fast-paced, multi-priority environments, learn new areas of law and deal with unique situations.

Over the course of the past 30 years, in both General Counsel roles (3 times) and in private practice, I have built a successful national real estate transaction, construction, and environmental law practice

Ethan specializes in preparing and structuring transactional deals and advising business owners as outside general counsel. Ethan enjoys working with business owners and entrepreneurs who strive to achieve growth through utilizing modern-day solutions and implementing business strategies that get results. Ethan is passionate about helping families and individuals with disabilities to design, form, and administer special needs trusts, ensuring individuals with disabilities remain eligible for federal and state benefit programs while living their best lives. Ethan has experience from previous firms in civil litigation, estate planning, and regulatory matters. Ethan holds a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Masters of Law in Taxation (LLM) from Georgetown Law University Law Center. Prior to law practice, Ethan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was promoted to Chief Editor at a regional news publication.