Corporate law also corporations law or company law refers to the law establishing separate legal entities known as the company or corporation and governs the most prevalent legal models for firms, for instance limited companies (Ltd or Pty Ltd), publicly limited companies (plc) or incorporated businesses.

In the US, corporate law is often viewed (at least for teaching purposes) as part of the law of business associations. In each case, corporations are distinguished from a wider spectrum of organizational forms, such as partnerships, trusts, unincorporated associations, guilds or sole proprietorships.

A sole proprietorship, or simply proprietorship is a type of business entity which legally has no separate existence from its owner. Hence, the limitations of liability enjoyed by a corporation and limited liability partnerships do not apply to sole proprietors. All debts of the business are debts of the owner. It is a "sole" proprietor in the sense that the owner has no partners. Check out what the North Carolina business lawyer for more details about this.

A sole proprietorship essentially means a person does business in his or her own name and there is only one owner. A sole proprietorship is not a corporation; it does not pay corporate taxes, but rather the person who organized the business pays personal income taxes on the profits made, making accounting much simpler. A sole proprietorship need not worry about double taxation like a corporate entity would have to.

A sole proprietor may do business with a trade name other than his or her legal name. In some jurisdictions, for example the United States, the sole proprietor is required to register the trade name or "Doing Business As" with a government agency. This also allows the proprietor to open a business account with banking institutions. Learn more of this with the North Carolina business lawyer.

In the United States a sole proprietorship has the option of buying health care for self-employed persons, such as a Health Savings Account.

Furthermore, in most jurisdictions, a sole proprietorship files simpler tax returns to report its business activity. Typically a sole proprietorship reports its income and deductions on the individual's personal tax return.

In comparison, an identical small business operating as a corporation or partnership would be required to prepare and submit a separate tax return. A sole proprietorship often has the advantage of the least government regulation. For more information about business sole proprietorship, then visit the North Carolina business lawyer for more details.