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From business formation and contracts to resolving disputes, Compass Legal provides clear, strategic guidance to help business owners protect their interests and move forward with confidence—at every stage of growth.
You didn’t start your business to spend time worrying about legal problems. But every business — from a one-person consulting firm in Carrollton to a multi-location company serving all of DFW — runs on legal foundations: the entity you formed, the contracts you sign, the people you hire, and the deals you make.
At Compass Legal, PLLC, we help business owners get those foundations right the first time. Our business law practice is built around a simple idea: it’s far less expensive to prevent a legal problem than to fix one. We don’t just handle cases. We help people move forward. From our office in Carrollton, we serve business owners across North Texas, including Dallas, Denton, Collin, and Tarrant counties. Call (972) 292-8151 or book a consultation to talk through where your business stands.
A business lawyer protects your company at every stage of its life — from formation through growth, and through the everyday agreements that keep it running. For most North Texas small and mid-sized businesses, that work falls into four areas, and our practice is organized around them:
Choosing the right structure — LLC, corporation, partnership, or a professional entity like a PLLC — affects your personal liability, your taxes, and how you’ll bring in partners or investors later. We handle formations under the Texas Business Organizations Code, draft the company agreements that actually govern your business, and restructure entities through conversions, mergers, and amendments as your company evolves.
Every business runs on contracts: company agreements, buy-sell agreements, employment and contractor agreements, NDAs, service agreements, vendor contracts, and leases. We help you build a complete, enforceable contract stack matched to your stage of growth — so the paperwork protects you instead of leaving gaps.
When a specific deal lands on your desk — a contract someone else drafted, a lease, a major customer agreement — you need an attorney who can draft from scratch, spot the red flags in the other side’s paper, and negotiate terms that work for you. We do all three, in plain English (or Spanish!), on practical timelines.
Most small businesses can’t justify a full-time in-house lawyer — but they still face legal questions every week. Our outside general legal counsel/CLO (Chief Legal Officer) model gives you ongoing access to an attorney who knows your business, so you can ask the question before it becomes the problem.
Because context matters. A lawyer who reviews one contract for you knows that contract. A lawyer who knows you and your business — your ownership structure, your key customers, your risk tolerance, your plans for next year — gives you better answers, faster, on everything. One-off legal help also tends to be reactive. You call when something has already gone wrong, and you pay crisis prices for it. A relationship with a firm like ours flips that: we help you see issues coming, and most of what we do together is preventive — tightening a contract before you sign it, fixing a company agreement before a partner dispute, documenting a handshake deal before memories diverge. And when disputes do arise, litigation isn’t the only path. Compass Legal also offers mediation, which often resolves business conflicts faster and at lower cost than a courtroom — and preserves relationships you may still need.
Because your legal needs change as your business does — and the decisions you make early determine the options you have later. We think about it in four phases:
Choose the entity, file the Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State, and put a real company agreement in place — not just the state filing.
Build the agreements that govern your owners, employees, customers, and vendors before you need them.
Add partners or investors, restructure, expand into new lines of business, negotiate bigger deals — with documents that keep up.
Keep a trusted advisor in the loop so day-to-day decisions get legal input early, instead of late, when it can get expensive.
Texas is one of the best places in the country to build a business — there’s no state personal income tax, and the franchise tax has a generous no-tax-due threshold ($2,650,000 in annualized total revenue for 2026 reports). But Texas’s business-friendly climate doesn’t make legal mistakes any less costly. The owners who thrive here treat legal structure as strategy, not optional paperwork.
Earlier than most owners do. As a rule, involve an attorney before you sign, file, hire, or promise — not after. Specific moments that call for legal counsel:
If you’re not sure whether your situation needs a lawyer, that’s exactly what a consultation is for. Asking the questions ahead of time costs nothing, and the answer might save you a great deal in the long run.
You’ll work with a small, experienced team that knows your company — not a rotating cast. Our attorneys, Angela McMurry (Partner/Managing Attorney), Magali Martinez (Partner/Attorney), and Kelli Trujillo, are supported by senior paralegal Ashtyn Anders-Tapp and paralegal Alejandra Alvarez. We’re based at 4425 Plano Pkwy, Suite 1103, Carrollton, TX 75010, and we represent business owners throughout the DFW metroplex. Many of our business clients first came to us through our family law practice — and that’s not a coincidence. For most owners, the business and the family are intertwined. Whether it’s a prenuptial agreement that protects a company, or a divorce that involves dividing one, we understand both sides of that line. Explore all of our services to see how the pieces fit together.
Start with a conversation. We’ll review where your business stands, flag the gaps that matter, and give you a clear, practical path forward — always leading you in the right direction.
Yes — small businesses often need legal counsel most, because a single bad contract or formation mistake can threaten everything you’ve built. You don’t need a lawyer on staff; you need one available at key moments: formation, major contracts, hiring, general legal questions and disputes. Compass Legal works with businesses of every size across North Texas, and a consultation will tell you quickly whether your situation needs legal attention.
We represent small and mid-sized businesses across North Texas — including LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and professional entities like PLLCs for licensed professionals. Our clients range from new startups filing their first Certificate of Formation to established companies that need ongoing general legal counsel support, contract work, or restructuring as they grow.
It depends on the scope of work — a single contract review costs far less than ongoing general legal counsel support. We start every engagement with a case review, so you’ll understand the scope and the cost before you commit to anything. In our experience, proactive legal work consistently costs a fraction of what it takes to resolve a dispute after the fact.
Yes. We help clients resolve partner, customer, vendor, and contract disputes — and we also offer mediation, which often resolves business conflicts faster and less expensively than litigation. Our first step is always to understand your contracts and your goals, then map the most practical path to resolution, whether that’s negotiation, mediation, or a firmer approach.
Texas has no state personal income tax, and its franchise tax includes a no-tax-due threshold of $2,650,000 in annualized total revenue for 2026 reports — so most small businesses owe no franchise tax, though they must still file an annual Public Information Report. Combined with a straightforward formation process under the Business Organizations Code, Texas offers a genuinely business-friendly foundation.
Project work solves a defined problem — forming an entity or reviewing a contract. General legal counsel support is an ongoing relationship: predictable access to an attorney who knows your business and advises you as questions arise, before they become disputes. Many clients start with a project and move to general legal counsel support as their business grows.
Angela is an outstanding family law attorney. Not only does she really know the law inside out, she is compassionate and gets to know her clients intimately, to better be able to serve them. She is ethical and works diligently to achieve the best possible outcome for those she represents. I am grateful for Angela’s professionalism, swift responses, attention to details and being proactive in always communicating next steps in a clear and concise manner. She made a very stressful divorce process less daunting. She was collaborative, efficient and kinds throughout the process and her communication was stellar. Angela was a great recourse on questions pertaining not only to the divorce at hand, but the process as a whole. She took the time to explain the logistics of navigating the judicial system, in detail. This is a rare gift that eliminates stress, money waste and guess work. Angela did a fabulous job of understanding what my own priorities were and helping me find the best way to patiently work through the process to achieve those goals. I feel that with Angela as my attorney, I received excellent legal representation. Her professionalism is remarkable, along with her knowledge and execution of the law. This was an extremely sensitive and emotional time in my life and Angela handled this case from beginning to end with grace and professionalism in every aspect. I feel that when people are faced with the fear of the unknown and are then given a sense of peace throughout this unfamiliar legal process, then they have found the correct Legal Representation. I definitely found just that in Angela and for that I’m grateful. I’m moving forward with my new life on a very positive note, knowing that I was represented by the most professional and well-rounded attorney that anyone could ever ask for. You can take comfort in knowing that if you retain Angela for your legal needs, you have hired THE VERY BEST !! Angela projects a calm confidence in every situation and that’s clearly a result of the dedication, preparation, and experience that she put into representing her clients. She guided me through an extremely difficult and foreign process. She did not flinch when it was time to give me tough feedback and her advice and support has been right on the money. I feel blessed to be working with Angela as she had my back from day one. I would recommend Angela to people ready to be honest to themselves and to do what’s best for their families. Conscientious, smart, excellent trial lawyer. Ethical, honest and knowledgeable, Outstanding. Great advice. Informative, patient and transparent and keep me up to date on the process. Makes the process as stress-free and straightforward as possible. Thoughtful and detailed
Angela represented me in a very difficult and uncommon family case involving complex out-of-state issues. It was an emotionally challenging situation with many moving parts, and I truly appreciate the professionalism, dedication, and steady guidance she brought to the process. My case was not typical, and there were layers of complexity that I imagine are not encountered every day, yet she handled it with experience, composure, and persistence. I know that both Angela and Ashtyn worked extremely hard behind the scenes on my behalf. Their effort, preparation, and attention to detail did not go unnoticed, especially given how stressful and high-stakes the situation was for me and my family. Navigating a case like this requires not only legal skill but also patience and resilience, and I am grateful for the work they put in throughout the process. I was ultimately able to achieve the outcome I had hoped for, which meant a great deal to me. Having strong representation during such a vulnerable time made an important difference. Ashtyn was also an invaluable part of the team. This case was very emotionally taxing, and her support helped keep communication calm, organized, and manageable when things felt overwhelming. She was responsive, reassuring, and helped maintain a sense of stability during a very uncertain period. While no legal process is ever easy, I appreciate the professionalism, time, and effort both Angela and Ashtyn invested in my case. I am thankful for their work and the role they played in helping me move forward.
I highly recommend Angela for legal services. I’ve consulted with her on both family legal concerns and business-related matters, and each experience has strengthened my confidence in her professionalism and legal expertise. What stands out most about Angela is her honest, straightforward communication and practical approach. She takes the time to walk through realistic scenarios and potential outcomes so you fully understand your options before moving forward. That level of transparency earned my trust and appreciation for how she approaches her work. Angela strongly advocates for her clients’ best interests. She provides thoughtful, well-informed guidance and is responsive when questions arise, always following up with clear explanations and practical recommendations. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable, professional, and trustworthy attorney who communicates clearly and focuses on practical solutions, I confidently recommend Angela.
Angela at Compass Legal is not only an excellent attorney but also someone who genuinely cares about the people she serves. She listened carefully, and answered all my questions patiently. Her integrity and dedication truly stand out. I’m so grateful for her guidance and would trust her again without hesitation.
Magali has my full trust, and I wouldn’t want anyone else on my team. Her dedication and attention to detail in my case have gone far beyond my expectations. She took the time to walk me through every step of the process and has always been straightforward and honest.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing her in the courtroom, and all I can say is I’m grateful she’s on my side. She helped me set court ordered boundaries that keep my family safe and healthy, and she truly cares about the best interests of my daughter.
If you are thinking whether Compass Legal is the right fit for you, all I can say is they gave me peace of mind during one of the most difficult times in my life.
Angela is an amazing lawyer and has helped me with many legal matters. I trust her judgment and advice. She is easy to talk to and I always feel like she has my best interest at heart. I would recommend her to anyone that needs a great lawyer!!
Angela has proven to be very dedicated to her craft. She is knowledgeable and relates well with those she represents. I’d highly recommend her for her honesty and skillful representation.
Schedule a confidential consultation with Compass Legal, PLLC to discuss your family or business law matter and receive clear, strategic guidance tailored to your goals, challenges, and next steps.
(972) 292-8151