Legal Services for Small Businesses
We provide extensive legal services to small businesses that do not have a legal department and are looking for cost effective legal representation and advice. We help small businesses choose the right legal entity to keep costs low and maximize protection of assets. Most of our clients need help on an occasional basis to resolve a dispute with a client, independent contractor or service provider, collect overdue fees, update their contracts, have a lease reviewed or negotiated, have a tenant evicted or fight an eviction, put in proper website language, such as terms of use or a privacy policy, register a trademark or copyright or generally protect their interests as a business owner, artist or entertainer.
Some Recent Clients Include:
- Ace Rankings: a San Francisco
search engine optimization company
- Albany Music School: a private music school in Albany
- Awareness Diet: an online site that offers diet tips and advice
- Berkeley Electronic Press: a publishing company for academic institutions
- CertaPro Painters: a Berkeley based painting company
- China Lake Express: a Chinese restaurant in Oakland
- Dogtopia of the Tri-Valley: a dog boarding facility in San Ramon
- E iWear: a Berkeley designer eye wear store
- El Sobrante Optometry: an optometrist in El Sobrante
- Kibby Road LLC: a company that specializes in real estate investment
- Lotus
Foods: an East
Bay importer of specialty
foods
- Marvin Gardens Real Estate: a
boutique residential real estate company in the East Bay
- T. Wood Designs: A kitchen and bath, build / design firm in the East Bay
RECOMMENDATIONS: People
have recommended us on LinkedIn, Berkeley Parents Network, Angie's List and Yelp. Here is what a few people have to say about us:
"Jean has been my company's counsel since 2001. She is a top notch
attorney and very professional. Jean has played an integral part in
helping me make solid business decisions while minimizing my risk and her legal
advice and work has been exemplary. I would not make a big business
decision without consulting with her and I can unequivocally recommend the use
of her legal services to anyone."
~ Sean Fields, President & CEO, Ace Rankings Inc.
"Jean is all you want in an attorney, without acting like one. She was
able to communicate with me in terms that I understood, and resolve the issue
at hand. Her prices were very reasonable, and the results were
exceptional. I would recommend her to anyone."
~ Soumil Amin, Owner/General Manager, CertaPro Painters
"I met Jean through a BNI network but never expected to have to call upon
her for legal advice. When I did, she was as clear and concise as any
attorney I have ever spoken with. She listened to my questions and
concerns and gave me feedback and input that fit the situation
correctly. She was also quite quick, leaving me well at ease about the
time required and cost, a most pleasant and refreshing approach. For
business legal matters I highly recommend Jean."
~ Frank S.
APPLICABLE LEGAL TERMS:
Arbitration
A
legal procedure to settle a dispute between two or more parties. The
arbitrator is typically a retired judge or experienced attorney. Each
party presents its case to the arbitrator who makes a final
determination regarding disposition of the dispute.
Contract
A
legal agreement between two or more parties that sets forth the terms
which the parties are agreeing to. Typical terms include who the
parties are, what each party is providing, what obligations and promises
each is making, what sorts of warranties or limitations of liabilities
each may have and procedures to resolve disputes that may arise.
Copyright
A
legal right to control how a creative work is used. A copyright is
intellectual property that usually applies to music and literature and
is comprised of a number of exclusive rights, including the right to
make copies, authorize others to make copies, make derivative works,
sell and market the work and perform the work.
Dispute
A
disagreement between two or more parties regarding a party's
performance of its obligations or warranties. One of the best ways to
limit potential disputes is to have a strong contract that clearly
outlines each party's obligations and details performance standards.
Mediation
A
process designed to settle a dispute between two or more parties. The
mediator is typically a retired judge or experienced attorney. Each
party presents its grievance to the mediator who attempts to have the
parties reach some sort of mutual settlement. A mediator often
accomplishes this by educating the parties on how a judge might rule in
their case and by emphasizing the merits of the other side's case.
S-Corporation
An S-Corp is a corporation formed
under California law which generally offers liability protection to its owners
(shareholders) and the entity may not exceed 100 shareholders. Each shareholder
is personally responsible for paying taxes on their pro rata share of income
and the S-Corp does not file a separate tax return. If the shareholders adequately meet the needs
of the corporate formalities (separate bank account, separate records, elections, meetings, filings, etc.)
they are not liable for the losses of the business, and creditors may only look
to the corporation and its business assets for payment. S-Corps must pay the annual $800 minimum
franchise tax.
Trademark
A trademark, identified by the symbols TM or SM for a servicemark (not yet registered) and ® (registered),
symbolizes that the item with which the trademark appears is being
claimed by the owner of the trademark as intellectual property. A
trademark typically applies to a name, word, phrase, logo,
symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements.
