More Than an LLC: How Spokane Business Attorneys Help Entrepreneurs Grow, Buy, and Sell Smarter
Most business owners don’t realize they need a lawyer until it’s too late. Christal Lam wants to change that.
As the founder of Spokane Business Attorneys, she helps entrepreneurs avoid costly pitfalls—whether they’re signing a lease, buying a company, or preparing to sell one. Her work goes far beyond LLCs and bylaws. It’s about long-term strategy, smart decisions, and protecting your bottom line before a mistake costs you everything.
“We’ve seen people sign leases they didn’t fully understand,” Lam said. “We’re here to protect them before things go wrong.”
Building Better Businesses
Lam and her team work with a wide range of people, from those looking to start their first business to people who have owned their business for decades and are now looking to sell. While they do support plenty of business formations, much of their work focuses on helping clients avoid common and costly mistakes.
That includes reviewing commercial leases, structuring client and vendor contracts, and making sure employment agreements are done correctly.
“We’ve seen people sign leases they didn’t fully understand,” Lam said. “Sometimes they’re personally liable for $100,000 or more. They thought it worked like a residential lease, and it doesn’t.”
For Lam, it’s about protecting people before they make decisions that could jeopardize their business or worse.
The Overlooked Opportunity: Buying a Business
While many entrepreneurs focus on starting something from scratch, Lam says more people should consider another path: buying an existing business.
“There’s real opportunity in buying a business that already has momentum,” she said. “But buyers need to do their homework and make sure it is reviewed by an attorney before signing any contracts.”
That’s where Spokane Business Attorneys comes in. They help clients navigate the due diligence process—verifying financials, reviewing leases, and evaluating risks that may not be obvious on the surface.
“A lot of people overpay because they don’t know what questions to ask,” Lam said. “We help them understand the full picture—so they don’t make a $1 million mistake.”
Preparing a Business for Sale—The Right Way
Lam also works with business owners who are ready to sell. Many, she says, are surprised by how much prep work goes into making a business attractive to buyers. Including finding an accurate valuation.
“We look at the business like a buyer would,” Lam said. “Is it systematized? Can someone else step in and run it? Because most of the business may be predicated on the owner, and without them apart of the business, it might be worth significantly less.”
Often, that means helping owners organize their finances, operations, and reduce their personal involvement—steps that can significantly boost valuation.
“We’ve seen owners overpay in taxes short-term to show more profit on paper,” she added. “But that can lead to a much higher sale price. It’s about thinking long-term.”
The Next Great Generation
As more baby boomer business owners look to retire, Lam expects to see a significant increase in businesses coming up for sale. She also hopes more local buyers step in.
“Most people don’t know they can buy a business or that financing options like seller-financing exist,” she said. “I want to educate people on what’s possible because we risk losing great local businesses if they don’t sell.”
Her firm is also beginning to connect buyers and sellers—especially those looking to keep things off-market. It’s a natural extension of the relationships they’ve built over the past decade.
Heading East
Three years ago, Lam relocated her office to Liberty Lake’s River District, a decision she said was driven by both lifestyle and business.
“I wanted to live and work in the same community,” she said. “There’s so much business growth happening out here, and we wanted to be part of it.”
She also saw an opportunity to stand out. While downtown Spokane has no shortage of law firms, Lam felt Liberty Lake was underserved—especially for business legal services.
The idea was to be a true community law firm. We want to be known, trusted, and engaged.
Christal Lam, a Gonzaga University alumna, participated in the Gonzaga University School of Law Women in Business Law panel.
A New Approach to Legal Branding
Part of Lam’s success stems from her understanding and early investment in being online. Many attorneys rely on word-of-mouth to get clients, but Lam knew she needed to take a different approach. So she leaned into SEO, Google reviews, and a modern brand identity.
“We chose the name ‘Spokane Business Attorneys’ intentionally,” she said. “So when people type that into Google, we show up first.”
Those details spilled over to her website, which features a clean design, friendly headshots, and approachable language. “We didn’t want the classic angry-lawyer-black-and-red look,” she said. “We wanted people to feel comfortable reaching out.”
What’s Next
As the Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake business landscape continues to grow, Lam is focused on growing her firm’s reach—and its impact. That includes educating business owners on due diligence, helping clients prepare for transitions, and connecting buyers and sellers when the time is right.
“There’s a lot of energy in Spokane right now,” she said. “We want to help business owners build something that lasts—and be there for every step of the journey.”
