Business Formation · Calgary
Incorporation & Business Formation Lawyer in Calgary
Incorporating is the one legal decision almost every founder makes, and the one most often made too fast. The entity you choose, and the share structure underneath it, shapes your taxes, your liability, and your ability to raise capital for years. We set it up right the first time, so you’re not paying to unwind it the day an investor finally looks closely.
What we handle
The decisions made at formation
The choices below get locked in when you incorporate, and they decide your taxes, your liability, and your room to raise for years. We get each one right the first time.
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Entity selection
Corporation, partnership, joint venture, or ULC, each carries different tax, liability, and flexibility trade-offs. We work through them with you and your accountant and choose the structure that fits where the business is going.
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Federal vs. Alberta incorporation
Incorporating provincially under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) or federally under the CBCA changes your filing obligations, name protection, and where you can operate. We pick the right one and handle the filing and extra-provincial registration.
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Share structure & classes
The share structure you set at formation decides how you bring in investors, reward your team, and split value later. We design common and preferred classes, voting and non-voting, with later rounds and an eventual exit already in mind.
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Founder shares & vesting
Equal splits on day one are the most common founder dispute by year three. We issue founder shares with vesting and reverse-vesting that protect the company, and the founders who stay, if someone leaves.
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Tax-driven structuring
Holding companies, family trusts, and the lifetime capital-gains exemption are decided at formation, not at sale. We coordinate with your tax advisors so the structure is built for what you keep, not just what you start.
What it costs to incorporate in Alberta
A straightforward Alberta incorporation, articles, bylaws, organizing resolutions, and initial share issuance, typically runs $1,500–$2,500 in legal fees plus government filing fees (roughly $275 provincial, $200 federal). We quote a fixed fee for standard incorporations up front, and flag clearly when something, a shareholder agreement, a multi-class structure, a holding company, sits outside the base scope.
Common questions
Incorporating in Alberta
Do I need a lawyer to incorporate in Alberta?
You can incorporate yourself through a registry, but a registry fills in forms, it doesn’t advise you. The share structure, founder vesting, and tax setup are where the real decisions are, and where self-filed incorporations most often go wrong. A lawyer makes sure the structure supports a raise or a sale, not just registration.
Federal or provincial, which should I choose?
Provincial (Alberta) is simpler and usually sufficient if you operate in Alberta. Federal gives you national name protection and is worth it if you’ll operate across provinces. We’ll recommend based on where you actually do, and plan to do, business.
Do I need a shareholder agreement when I incorporate?
If you have more than one shareholder, or plan to bring in partners, investors, or employees with equity, yes, ideally at incorporation. (See shareholder agreements.)
Start here
Start on a structure you won’t have to unwind
Tell us where the business is going, and we’ll set the entity, shares, and founder terms up to carry it there.