Starting
Formation and startup work
LLCs, corporations, partnerships and nonprofits, along with the agreements that make them hold up. See entity formation services.
Service Area · Central New Jersey
One Freehold Attorney for Businesses Across Three Counties
The firm's only office is in Freehold, in Monmouth County. From there it represents owners throughout Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean Counties, close enough to meet when a matter calls for it.
Local counsel
Business law is state law, and local knowledge helps
Whether your non-compete is enforceable, how long you have to record a construction lien, which default rules apply when an operating agreement is silent, and where a dispute will be heard all depend on New Jersey statutes and New Jersey courts.
That is why every agreement is drafted with New Jersey enforceability in mind, rather than adapted from a generic national form. It is also why the firm's advice draws on how Central Jersey deals tend to work in practice: commercial leases, local lending, and owners who often wear several hats at once.
The firm works with companies of every size in this region, from a single-member LLC run from home to multi-location operators and family businesses entering their second generation.
Counties served
Choose your county
Each county page describes the local business landscape and the legal services owners there use most.
Monmouth County
The firm's home county. Freehold, the shore towns, the Route 9 and Route 18 corridors, and a dense mix of professional practices, contractors, retail and hospitality businesses.
Monmouth County business lawMiddlesex County
Edison, New Brunswick, Woodbridge, Piscataway and their neighbors along the Turnpike and Route 1, where logistics, distribution, technology and professional services firms rely heavily on contracts and leases.
Middlesex County business lawOcean County
Toms River, Lakewood, Brick, Jackson and the communities along Barnegat Bay and the shore, with many construction firms, seasonal operators, franchises and growing owner-run companies.
Ocean County business lawElsewhere in New Jersey
Companies outside the three counties can still work with the firm on matters governed by New Jersey law, handled mainly by phone, email and video.
Statewide business law
Remote and in person
How distance works in practice
Most business matters do not require anyone to travel. Contracts are exchanged by email, marked up and discussed by phone or video, and signed electronically where the document allows it. A client in New Brunswick or Toms River gets the same attention and turnaround as one a few minutes from the office.
In-person meetings are arranged by appointment at the Freehold office when they genuinely help: a closing, a negotiation where everyone benefits from being in one room, or a first meeting for owners who would simply prefer to sit down face to face.
- Phone and video for consultations, reviews and most negotiation calls
- Email and secure file sharing for drafts and supporting documents
- Electronic signatures where the agreement and the parties allow it
- Meetings in Freehold by appointment for signings and other key moments
There is one office, and the firm has no satellite locations in other towns. If a town page on this site mentions your community, it describes how businesses there work with the Freehold office.
Available in every county
The full practice, wherever the business is based
Operating
Contracts and ongoing counsel
Drafting and reviewing the agreements the business runs on, or a monthly retainer for continuing support.
Changing hands
Transactions and acquisitions
Buying, selling, restructuring or passing on a company, with diligence and closing handled in-house. Read about buying or selling a business.
Resolving
Disputes and construction matters
Collections, contract breaches, co-owner conflicts and contractor payment problems, resolved commercially where possible.
Questions & answers
Questions about the service area
Which counties does the firm serve?
The core service area is Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean Counties in Central New Jersey. The firm's single office is in Freehold, in Monmouth County. Businesses elsewhere in New Jersey can also engage the firm on matters governed by New Jersey law, with the work handled remotely.
My business is in Middlesex or Ocean County. Is a Freehold lawyer practical?
Yes. Distance within the region rarely matters, because consultations, document reviews and most negotiations run by phone, email and video. When a meeting would genuinely help, it can be scheduled at the Freehold office by appointment. Clients in every county receive the same direct access to Paul.
Will I ever need to come to the office?
Often not. Many matters run from first call to signed documents without an in-person meeting. Some owners prefer to meet face to face for a first consultation or a signing, and that is always available by appointment. The decision is yours, unless a particular closing or negotiation requires attendance.
Does the firm have offices in other towns?
No. The Law Offices of Paul H. Appel has one office, at 11 Crestwood Drive in Freehold. The community pages on this site explain how owners in each town work with that office. They do not indicate a local branch.
Directory
Every community page
Find your municipality for local business law guidance.
Monmouth County
- Monmouth County overview
- Asbury Park
- Atlantic Highlands
- Colts Neck Township
- Eatontown
- Freehold Borough
- Freehold Township
- Hazlet Township
- Holmdel Township
- Howell Township
- Keansburg
- Keyport
- Long Branch
- Manalapan Township
- Manasquan
- Marlboro Township
- Monmouth Beach
- Neptune Township
- Ocean Township
- Red Bank
- Rumson
- Spring Lake Heights
- Tinton Falls
- Union Beach
- Wall Township
Middlesex County
- Middlesex County overview
- Carteret
- Cranbury Township
- Dunellen
- East Brunswick Township
- Edison Township
- Helmetta
- Highland Park
- Jamesburg
- Metuchen
- Middlesex Borough
- Milltown
- Monroe Township
- New Brunswick
- North Brunswick Township
- Old Bridge Township
- Perth Amboy
- Piscataway Township
- Plainsboro Township
- Sayreville
- South Amboy
- South Brunswick Township
- South Plainfield
- South River
- Spotswood
- Woodbridge Township
Ocean County
- Ocean County overview
- Barnegat
- Barnegat Light
- Bay Head
- Beach Haven
- Beachwood
- Berkeley Township
- Brick Township
- Eagleswood
- Harvey Cedars
- Island Heights
- Jackson Township
- Lacey Township
- Lakehurst
- Lakewood Township
- Lavallette
- Little Egg Harbor Township
- Long Beach Township
- Manchester Township
- Mantoloking
- Ocean Gate
- Ocean Township (Waretown)
- Pine Beach
- Plumsted Township
- Point Pleasant
- Seaside Heights
- Seaside Park
- Ship Bottom
- South Toms River
- Stafford Township
- Surf City
- Toms River Township
Your attorney
Paul H. Appel, Esq.
Every matter at the firm is handled personally by Paul — the same attorney reads the documents, gives the advice and negotiates on your behalf.
- Education
- Columbia Law School, Juris Doctor (1967)
- Experience
- 58+ years in commercial and business law
- Focus for this matter
- Commercial and business law for owner-run companies
- Office
- Freehold, NJ — serving Monmouth, Middlesex & Ocean Counties
Contact
Talk to Paul About Your Business
Describe what the business is dealing with — a contract on your desk, a deal in progress, a dispute or a company you are about to form. You will hear back from the attorney who handles the work.
- Phone917-748-6124
- Office11 Crestwood Drive, Freehold, NJ 07728
- ConsultationsBy phone, video or in person by appointment
Start a conversation