Business Attorney in Montgomery County, MD
A Montgomery County, MD business attorney for the county's biotech and federal-facing firms: Stephen Thienel handles formation, contracts, transactions, and succession.
Links to outside sources open in a new tab.
Montgomery County companies often work within minutes of the federal agencies that shape their industry. A biotech firm in Rockville sits near the National Institutes of Health, a device maker in Gaithersburg near the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a consultant in Silver Spring near the Food and Drug Administration. That proximity powers the county’s economy, and it raises legal questions most owners never trained for: which entity to form, what to sign, whom to bring on as a partner, and how to exit later. Stephen Thienel is a business attorney who handles those decisions for companies across Montgomery County, from Bethesda to Germantown. He has practiced for more than 26 years and holds an LL.M. in Taxation, so the business, tax, and estate questions that come with growth stay with one attorney instead of three.
What makes doing business in Montgomery County different?
Few places put companies this close to their own regulators and funders. The county hosts the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, the Food and Drug Administration at White Oak, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, along with dozens of federal labs. That gravity built one of the country’s largest life-sciences clusters, and the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation backs a base weighted toward biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and federal-facing professional services.
The legal needs across that base look nothing alike. A gene-therapy startup along the I-270 corridor lives on investor terms, licensing, and intellectual property, while a contractor serving a federal agency lives on contracts and tight compliance. A restaurant, trade, or professional-services firm in Silver Spring or Bethesda deals with employees, vendors, and the lease on its space. They share a county, not a contract or a risk profile, and sound counsel starts by knowing the difference.
Formation and yearly upkeep run through the state, not the county. Maryland companies register with the state and file an annual report each year to keep their good standing. When a dispute cannot be resolved another way, larger civil cases and jury trials are heard at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville, while smaller civil claims go to the District Court of Maryland, which sits in Rockville and Silver Spring. As a Maryland-licensed attorney, Stephen can represent your company in either when a matter reaches that point.
What business services does Thienel Law offer in Montgomery County?
Stephen does this work himself rather than passing it to associates. Most Montgomery County matters fall into a few areas:
Business formation and entity selection
You start as the right entity for your tax and liability picture.
Learn moreContract drafting and review
The agreements your company runs on, from client and vendor contracts to NDAs.
Learn moreOperating and partnership agreements
Set ownership, control, and voting before a disagreement tests them.
Learn moreBusiness purchases and sales
You buy, sell, or merge.
Learn moreBuy-sell and succession agreements
Keep ownership steady when a partner joins, leaves, or retires.
Learn moreCommercial lease review
You sign for lab or office space in Rockville, Bethesda, or anywhere in the county.
Learn moreBecause the business, tax, and estate sides of a decision rarely stay separate, many Montgomery County owners work with Stephen on more than one of these as the company grows.
Why do Montgomery County business owners work with Stephen Thienel?
What sets Stephen apart is range. He practices business, tax, and estate law and is licensed in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. A Montgomery County company that sells into the District, opens a Virginia location, or hires across state lines works with one attorney instead of coordinating three. Because he holds an LL.M. in Taxation, the tax side of a structure or a deal is handled in-house rather than referred out and billed twice.
His training shapes how he reads a deal. Stephen holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland and an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Baltimore, and he earned an M.A. in economics at Virginia Tech, studying under Nobel laureate James Buchanan. He weighs how a decision plays out for the owner, not only how it reads on the page.
The firm is based across the river in Alexandria, Virginia, and the practice runs online by design. Secure document sharing, electronic signatures, and video meetings carry the work, so a Montgomery County matter does not cost you a day in traffic. You work with Stephen directly, on clear terms set in writing before the work begins.
For companies that want ongoing legal access without a full-time hire, Stephen also serves as fractional general counsel on a steady monthly basis.
Serving Montgomery County
Thienel Law serves Montgomery County businesses in person and through secure, fully remote service, so where you are never limits the counsel you can get.
- Area servedMontgomery County, MD
- Phone443-535-9717
- Office1520 Belle View Blvd, Ste 5392, Alexandria, VA 22307
What clients say about working with Steve
Throughout the years, Steve has been my go-to guy for business, real estate, and legal work. Steve works fast and is highly reliable. I would recommend Steve to anyone.
Unbelievably knowledgeable and responsive, particularly where it concerns ... financial planning matters. I truly feel like Steve cares about me and any issues that I bring before him - in other words, I'm much more than a client.
Reviews are published as given. Thienel Law does not offer compensation for reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Should a Montgomery County startup form as an LLC or a corporation?
It depends on how you plan to raise money, who will own the company, and how you want to be taxed. Startups courting venture investors often need a corporation, while many owner-run companies do well with an LLC and its pass-through taxation. Because Stephen holds an LL.M. in Taxation, he weighs the tax side of that choice with you rather than sending you to a second firm for the answer.
Do I need an operating agreement for a single-member LLC?
Yes, it is strongly recommended even when you are the only owner. A written operating agreement reinforces the line between you and the company, sets out what happens if you take on a partner or step back, and gives banks, lenders, and courts a clear record of how the business runs.
Do I need a separate tax attorney or CPA for a business decision?
Often not. Stephen practices tax law alongside business law and also prepares tax returns, so structuring, filing, and any dispute can sit with one advisor. When your company already works with an accountant, he coordinates with them.
What does a Maryland business file each year to stay in good standing?
An annual report with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Missing it can push your entity out of good standing, so tracking that yearly deadline is part of the routine upkeep Stephen helps clients keep straight.
Does Thienel Law have an office in Montgomery County?
No. The firm's office is in Alexandria, Virginia, and Stephen serves Montgomery County companies from there through a remote practice. The work runs on secure online meetings, document sharing, and electronic signatures, and he appears in Maryland courts when a matter requires it.
Talk With a Montgomery County Business Attorney
If a business decision is in front of you, start with a free 30-minute consultation. You and Stephen use it to size up what your company needs and to decide together whether he is the right fit to handle it. You speak with the attorney, not an intake screener, and the work runs on secure online meetings.
- Tell Steve about your matter
- Pick a time that works