Business Law Group

10/30/2026

So you're buying a bar or restaurant in Louisiana. What happens with the liquor license?

In most deals, the buyer has to apply for a brand-new ATC permit in their own name. That means the full process: entity documentation, Schedule A filings for qualifying principals, background investigations, and local governing authority approval where required.

After closing, the buyer also has to notify the ATC and submit the required documentation and advertising, all within specific timeframes based on the deal structure.

Amanda Butler Schley explains in Part 3 of our Louisiana liquor licensing series. Missed Parts 1 and 2? Catch them on our YouTube channel.

Questions about your deal? Visit www.lawgroup.biz or call (504) 446-6506.
Subscribe for more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

10/28/2026

If you buy a bar and keep everything the same (the name, the location, the menu, the staff), does the liquor license stay with it?

In Louisiana, no. Under Title 26 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, an ATC permit is tied to the qualifying individuals who passed the state's background investigation. When ownership changes, the permit doesn't follow, even if nothing else about the business changes.

Amanda Butler Schley explains what that means for anyone buying or selling a hospitality business.

Questions about your deal? Visit www.lawgroup.biz or call (504) 446-6506.
Subscribe for more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

10/26/2026

Thinking about buying or selling a bar, restaurant or other hospitality business in Louisiana? Here's something most owners don't learn until it's almost too late: the liquor license doesn't transfer with the business.

Your ATC permit is tied to a specific person or entity and a specific location. A change in ownership means a new permit, whether you're buying the membership interest or the assets.

Amanda Butler Schley explains why this is one of the most misunderstood parts of Louisiana liquor license law. Watch, then plan ahead so your doors and your bar stay open.

Questions about your deal? Visit www.lawgroup.biz or call (504) 446-6506.
Subscribe for more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

10/09/2026

New Orleans just opened a three-month window to clean up overdue city taxes, and it closes December 31.

From October 1 through December 31, 2026, the City’s Sales Tax Amnesty Program waives 100% of penalties and cuts accrued interest in half. You still pay the tax itself, but the penalties and half the interest go away.

Who qualifies? Businesses that have:
• Fallen behind on sales and use tax
• Missed filing or registering
• Let their occupational license lapse or failed to renew it
• An outstanding balance or a lien on business property

What’s covered: The program applies to outstanding sales and use taxes, hotel/motel taxes, parking taxes, alcoholic beverage gallonage taxes, occupational license taxes, and certain permits, but not property taxes. Installment agreements are allowed but must be paid in full by December 31, 2026, and taxpayers under audit or in litigation for sales tax matters can participate.

The City has signaled stricter collections in 2027.

If you’ve been putting off a letter from the City or aren’t sure what you owe, now is the time to deal with it. Business Law Group helps New Orleans business owners review their exposure and get back in good standing.

📍 Business Law Group | New Orleans, LA
🔗 lawgroup.biz

09/23/2026

Hi-Ho again! 🎶

A New Orleans institution is back on St. Claude. Congrats to the new owners of Hi Ho Lounge. We were proud to represent them on the acquisition.

Go show them some love at 2239 St. Claude Ave. See you at the bar. 🍻

📸: Hi Ho Lounge

09/17/2026

Signing your name correctly is step one. Step two is not undoing it the rest of the year. 😅
Here's what a lot of LLC owners miss: liability protection isn't a one-time setup, it's something you maintain. A few habits that quietly erode it:
💳 Mixing personal and business money in the same account
📄 Skipping the formalities laid out in your operating agreement
✍️ Going back to signing "just your name" out of habit once the excitement of forming the LLC wears off
Courts look at how you actually run things, not just what your formation paperwork says. If it looks like there's no real separation between you and the business, that separation can stop protecting you when you need it most.
Full video on this (and the signature mistake) — link in bio! 🎥
Business Law Group | New Orleans, LA

09/15/2026

If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: your signature block is doing more legal work than you think.
Most business owners just sign their name and move on. But if you want your LLC's liability protection to actually hold up, your signature needs to show three specific things:
1️⃣ The name of the LLC
2️⃣ Your signature
3️⃣ Your printed name and your title — manager, member, or authorized representative
That's it. Three elements, and it's the difference between a court seeing "the business signed this" versus "you signed this personally."
It takes ten extra seconds. Skipping it can cost a lot more than that.
Full video breakdown — link in bio.
Business Law Group | New Orleans, LA

09/12/2026

09/10/2026

Quick question for the business owners in the group: when you sign a contract for your business, are you signing it correctly? 🤔
A lot of owners don't realize this, but simply signing your personal name — without your title or the LLC's name — can undo the liability protection you formed the LLC to get in the first place.
Here's why it matters: your LLC is supposed to keep business problems from becoming personal financial problems. But that only works if it's clear you're signing on behalf of the company, not as yourself. Sign your name alone, and a court can treat that contract as personal — which opens the door to going after your personal assets if something goes wrong.
The fix: every business signature should include the LLC's name, your signature, and your printed name with your title (manager, member, or authorized representative).
We break this down (and a few other easy-to-miss LLC mistakes) in our latest video — link in the comments! 🎥
This is general info, not legal advice — Louisiana has its own rules here, so if you're not sure your business is protected, it's worth a real conversation.
📍 Business Law Group | New Orleans, LA

09/08/2026

Here's one that catches even careful people off guard: you can have a genuinely solid personal estate plan — will, trust, beneficiaries all in order — and still have done nothing about your business.

It's easy to assume the business will "just work itself out." It usually doesn't.
Without a plan for your ownership stake, your family can end up inheriting a role in the business they never wanted and aren't equipped to run. Your partners can end up with a new co-owner they didn't choose. Or the business just stalls out while everything gets sorted through probate.

Your personal plan and your business plan have to be built together — not as an afterthought.

We break down this mistake — plus the other two — on our YouTube channel

Business Law Group | New Orleans, LA