California Startup Essentials

Launching a business in California involves numerous legal requirements and strategic decisions. We offer guidance for essential steps to establish your company including:

  • Before committing to a business name, confirm its availability through:

    • California Secretary of State business name search

    • Domain name availability check

    • Federal trademark search through the USPTO database

    Selecting a name that's legally available from the start prevents costly rebranding and potential trademark disputes later.

  • Depending on your chosen business structure, you'll need to file appropriate formation documents with the California Secretary of State. These may include:

    • Articles of Organization (for LLCs)

    • Articles of Incorporation (for corporations)

    • Statement of Partnership (for partnerships)

  • Your EIN functions as your business's tax ID number + is necessary for:

    • Opening business bank accounts

    • Filing business tax returns

    • Hiring employees

    • Establishing business credit

  • California businesses typically need to register with multiple tax authorities (depending on your business activities):

    • California Franchise Tax Board (for income taxes)

    • California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (for sales taxes)

    • Employment Development Department (for employment taxes)

  • California businesses often need multiple permits depending on location and industry:

    • City business licenses

    • County permits

    • Industry-specific licenses

    • Professional licenses

    • Zoning permits

  • Create systems to maintain ongoing compliance with:

    • Annual statement filings

    • Tax payment schedules

    • Industry-specific regulations

    • Employment law requirements

    • Insurance coverage

    Proper compliance systems prevent penalties and protect your business's good standing.

  • Early intellectual property protection prevents costly disputes and establishes valuable business assets. Safeguard your business's valuable assets through:

    • Federal trademark registration for brand elements

    • Copyright protection for creative works

    • Trade secret protocols

    • Patent applications when applicable

    • Proper IP clauses in all business agreements

Contract Drafting & Negotiation

Your business relationships are defined by your contracts. Well-crafted agreements protect your interests while establishing clear expectations for all parties. Our contract services include:

  • Creating customized agreements for your specific business needs

  • Reviewing vendor and partner contracts before you sign

  • Developing standardized terms to streamline operations

  • Crafting employment and contractor agreements

  • Negotiating favorable terms while maintaining relationships

Strong contracts prevent misunderstandings, reduce risks, and create frameworks for resolving issues efficiently. We craft agreements that are comprehensive without being unnecessarily complex.

Contract Development & Management

Our contract practice covers the full spectrum of business agreements including:

  • Client and customer agreements

  • Service contracts

  • Vendor and supplier arrangements

  • Licensing agreements

  • Distribution contracts

  • Non-disclosure agreements

  • Employment and contractor agreements

  • Partnership and joint venture documents

  • Buy-sell agreements

  • Commercial leases

We can develop completely customized agreements or review and revise existing contracts to better protect your interests. Either way, you'll gain clarity and confidence in your business relationships.

Business Litigation

Business disputes can arise unexpectedly and threaten everything you've built. When conflicts escalate beyond internal resolution, having experienced legal counsel can make the difference between costly litigation and efficient resolution. We provide strategic representation across various types of business litigation:

  • California's employee-friendly laws create significant compliance challenges for employers. When your business faces employment claims, the financial and reputational risks demand strategic defense. We represent California employers against wrongful termination allegations, wage and hour disputes, discrimination and harassment claims, and misclassification issues. Our defense strategies combine thorough investigation, procedural expertise, and practical business sense to resolve employment matters efficiently while minimizing disruption to your operations.

  • Corporate conflicts between majority and minority shareholders, board members, or executives can threaten a company's stability. These disputes frequently involve allegations of breached fiduciary duties, oppression of minority interests, or misuse of corporate assets. We provide representation in shareholder derivative actions, corporate dissolution proceedings, and governance disputes, always with an eye toward preserving business value while protecting our clients' legitimate interests in the enterprise.

    Our dispute resolution approach emphasizes practical business solutions while maintaining readiness for aggressive litigation when necessary. We understand that most businesses prefer to resolve conflicts efficiently and return focus to operations, but some disputes require forceful courtroom advocacy. In every case, we develop strategies aligned with your specific business objectives and risk tolerance.

  • When business partners disagree on fundamental issues—from profit distribution to strategic direction—the conflict can paralyze operations and threaten the company's survival. Partnership disputes often involve complex questions of fiduciary duty, contractual obligations, and business valuation. Our approach focuses on preserving business value while finding workable solutions, whether through negotiated settlements, buyout arrangements, or when necessary, litigation to protect your interests. We help address deadlocked decision-making, allegations of self-dealing, financial mismanagement claims, and partner exit disputes.

  • Contracts form the foundation of business relationships, but disagreements about performance, payment, or interpretation can quickly escalate into costly disputes. Whether you're seeking enforcement of contractual obligations or defending against breach allegations, we provide focused representation to protect your business interests. Our contract litigation experience spans vendor disputes, service agreement conflicts, commercial lease controversies, and supply chain breakdowns. We emphasize practical solutions that preserve valuable business relationships when possible.

  • When your business suffers harm from another party's wrongful conduct—or when you face such allegations—the legal issues extend beyond contractual obligations. Business tort claims often involve allegations of fraud, interference with business relationships, unfair competition, or misappropriation of confidential information. These complex cases require strategic navigation of both liability questions and damage calculations. Our representation focuses on efficient resolution while maximizing recovery or minimizing exposure, depending on your position in the dispute.