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Meet some of our Oakland Business Lawyers
Chris D.
With over 15 years of legal experience, I was admitted to the bar in 2008 and have since cultivated a diverse legal background. My expertise spans family law, estate planning, healthcare regulatory matters, and business law. I have a particular knack for crafting meticulous contracts. My approach is client-centric, ensuring that every individual receives personalized, knowledgeable guidance tailored to their unique situation. Partner with me, and let's navigate the complexities of the law together. www.downslawla.com
Daniel K.
I graduated from Yale University magna cum laude, served as a Fulbright Scholar in Italy and attended UC Berkeley School of Law. In 2023, I was named a "Legal Visionary" by the Los Angeles Times. I have broad experience in corporate transactions and in serving as outside general counsel to clients. I started my legal career in Silicon Valley and Hong Kong working on large equity and debt financings and matters for private wealth clients. After returning home to Los Angeles, I advised startup companies with formations, acquisitions and day-to-day matters such as sales contracts and licensing. More recently, I have focused on data, IT and SaaS contracts for both providers and customers. My clients include NASDAQ-listed companies, a top ranked children’s hospital and local startups.
September 8, 2023
Gina O.
see resume.
October 5, 2023
Gina S.
Experienced business attorney in the field of real estate, construction, and design.
October 5, 2023
Melissa T.
Having more than ten (10) years of experience in commercial law, I have garnered both relevant in-house and law firm experience. With more than a combined seven (7) years in-house experience, I have gained valuable insight in balancing the business needs with the legal risks and applying the legal skills I have acquired to various fields. I have specific experience with SaaS, vendor contracts, customer contracts, and general marketing agreements. Moreover, my law firm background has taught me to be detail-oriented and to be an effective negotiator in all types of commercial dealings.
October 12, 2023
James D. F.
Unique Hybrid Background ➲ Deep Legal, Tech & Commercial Experience More by pure chance than design, I arrived late in life to pursue a career in law. My background spans more than 3 decades across Information Technology, entrepreneurship & the legal profession supporting my claim to being a 'Deep Generalist'. What is a 'Deep Generalist'? 'The professionals who develop into really great client advisors are deep generalists.' Quote from Warren Bennis. From 2013 I worked for established boutique property, finance & commercial law firms + an award-winning #newlaw firm of senior lawyers (formerly Nexus Law Group, now merged with Arch.law) before founding my digital law firm Blue Ocean Law Group in 2017. I also worked part-time for 2 years as a freelance online expert across all aspects of Australian Law with JustAnswer (H.Q. in San Francisco) and volunteered at the Caxton Legal Centre to give back to the community. Now I offer pro bono (free) legal assistance at my discretion. My achievements in the law are best reflected in the high number of settlements where civil litigation has been avoided, court judgements (incl. successful appeals) in my clients' favour & [90+] testimonials which can be seen on the blueocean.law [700+] page website which offers tons [585+] of both free & paid innovative legal products & resources. My personal experience as a client on the other side of legal matters affords me a unique perspective and goes some way to explaining my passion for the reinvention of the delivery of legal services. I am an early adopter of technology + gadgets, an avid reader and an animal lover. In January 2023, I joined the IAPP – International Association of Privacy Professionals and became a Certified Information Privacy Professional – United States by gaining the highly valued gold-standard ANSI-Accredited CIPP/US credential. I followed this up in August 2023, by obtaining the Certified in CyberSecurity qualification form ISC(2). Pre-Law Background From 1992 to 2002, I worked for Accenture as an IT Project Manager across APAC (including long-term project assignments in New Zealand & Singapore). I started a small business side hustle in 1997 and in 2003 I left Accenture to become a full-time entrepreneur in the transport industry. I later expanded into the mezzanine property development finance market as well as venturing into small-scale property development.Unique Hybrid Background
November 5, 2023
Dawn K.
Dawn K Kennedy has been licensed to practice law since 2015, but has been an entrepreneur since 2011. She uses her extensive project management and business background to support small and mid-sized businesses with contracts, negotiations, and other matters relating to the operation of a successful business venture.
November 7, 2023
Boris K.
With over 10 years experience as a Real Estate Broker and an attorney, I can help you with all your residential real estate needs such as For sale by owner transactions and drafting grant deeds
November 17, 2023
Alexandra I.
I am a licensed attorney in California specializing in consumer contract law. My areas of expertise include contract law and employment law, including independent contractor compliance, work-for-hire compliance and general corporate law. I appreciate getting to know my clients and enjoy providing legal guidance, whether they are large corporations, young start-ups about to take off, or just one person in need of legal advice. Some of my recent work has included the drafting of corporate purchase and sale agreements, independent contractor agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and software as a service (SaaS) agreements. I am well-versed in intellectual property law and have successfully obtained trademarks for former clients. My passion for learning, reading and writing has proved advantageous in my practice. I complete continuing education courses to stay current on industry best practices. I take great satisfaction in offering precise and helpful legal advice free from fancy terminology. I look forward to discussing your particular needs and supporting you in achieving your objectives. Please get in touch to learn more about my approach and see whether we are a good fit.
November 21, 2023
Jana B.
I am a Silicon Valley tech lawyer with over 13 years of in-house experience and additional years in BigLaw. I provide tech licensing, data privacy, employment, international expansion, go to market, and other corporate and commercial legal services to clients in software, SaaS, bio-tech, cryptocurrency, financing, and construction business. I currently run my own practice concentrating on transactional, commercial, corporate or employment matters. Prior to starting my own practice, I joined as the first in-house counsel to lead the global legal strategy to bring tech products to market, increase revenue, decrease exposure to risk, and raise venture funding for HashiCorp Inc., currently an unicorn technology company with evaluation over $5 billion and venture funding over $350 million; Sysdig Inc., a technology company with venture funding of $195 million; and Anaplan Inc., currently a publicly traded company on the US Stock Market. Furthermore, I acted as in-house counsel advising leading technology enterprise companies such as HP, VMware, and Genentech and currently act as member of strategic advisory boards to several technology companies located globally
December 4, 2023
McCoy S.
P. McCoy Smith is the Founding Attorney at Lex Pan Law LLC, a full-service technology and intellectual property law firm based in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A and Opsequio LLC, an open source compliance consultancy. Prior to his current position, he spent 20 years in the legal department of a Fortune 50 multinational technology company as a business unit intellectual property specialist; among his duties was setting up the free & open source legal function and policies for that company. He preceded his in-house experience with 8 years in private practice in a large New York City-based boutique intellectual property law firm, working simultaneously as a U.S. patent litigator and U.S. patent prosecutor. He was also a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office prior to attending law school. He is licensed to practice law in Oregon, California & New York and to prosecute patent applications in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; he is also a registered Trademark and Patent Agent with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. He has degrees from Colorado State University (Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, with honors), Johns Hopkins University (Masters of Liberal Arts) and the University of Virginia (Juris Doctor). While in private practice, and continuing into his in-house career, he taught portions of the U.S. patent bar exam for a long-standing and well-known patent bar exam preparation course, and from 2014-2020 was on the editorial board of the Journal of Open Law, Technology & Society (JOLTS), and starting in 2023 will be on the editorial board of the American Intellectual Property Law Quarterly Journal (AIPLAQJ). He is the author or co-author of chapters on open source and copyright and patents in “Open Source Law, Policy & Practice” (2022, Oxford University Press). He lectures frequently around the world on free and open source issues as well as other intellectual property topics.
December 6, 2023
Eliza J.
Eliza brings a distinguished track record of delivering outstanding results for her clients, showcasing expertise across a spectrum of legal areas. Eliza is not just an attorney; she's your dedicated advocate with a proven record of achieving excellent results for her clients. Her representation spans numerous family law cases, including dissolutions, custody, support, probate, and civil litigation matters. Eliza's unique background as a Registered Nurse and licensed Attorney sets her apart. Before establishing her law practice, she served as a Registered Nurse in various hospitals across Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Notably, she contributed to prominent institutions such as Los Angeles County Public Health and the City of Anaheim. Additionally, Eliza ventured into entrepreneurship, managing her own Professional Fiduciary and Consulting business. Her legal acumen extends to civil litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, worker's compensation, and family law matters. Eliza earned her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and Public Health from CSU Dominguez Hills. In 2008, she furthered her education, obtaining a Master's Degree in Nursing, Administration, and Healthcare Management, along with a Quality Improvement Certificate. Eliza culminated her academic journey by earning her law degree from the JFK University of Law in 2016. Eliza's multidisciplinary background uniquely positions her to navigate the intricacies of legal matters, offering a comprehensive and compassionate approach to her client's diverse needs. Eliza's diverse background uniquely positions her to understand and address your legal needs comprehensively. Trust her to navigate your case with care and dedication, ensuring you receive the support you deserve.
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Browse Lawyers NowBusiness Legal Questions and Answers
Business
LLC
California
LLC or S-Corp?
I am starting a public speaking consulting business with one other person. Most of our work will be done virtually and do not need an office space and will not have a physical product. We do not have investors. We have received conflicting advice about whether to form a llc or an s-corp. The s-corp has been suggested by some as the best for tax purposes, but others have warned that it is much more expensive to start and harder to maintain. What would be best for our situation?
Briana C.
For a small service business with no outside investors, the LLC form probably offers you more advantages than the corporation. (For example, LLCs offer greater flexibility, fewer corporate formalities, and pass-through taxation which is especially beneficial in the early stages of an LLC if you have other income sources.) The S-Corp election does not affect your choice of entity (LLC or corporation). Either kind of entity can make the S-Corp election, which just tells the IRS how you should be taxed. You can form an LLC at the beginning and make the S-Corp election for that LLC in the future, if and when it makes sense (you will still be an LLC then, but an S-Corp for tax purposes only). The S-Corp election only makes sense to do once your net profits reach a certain level. The purpose of the S-Corp election is to reduce your taxes. Filing the S-Corp election is not itself very expensive, but you will need to incur the costs of running payroll. (LLCs don't have to run payroll.)
Business
Demand Letter For Payment
California
HI, being a freelancer and independent contractor( 1099) in CA, can I send a collections notice for non payment to client?
I am an independent contractor and freelancer in San Diego, California. I am a sole proprietor who offers training and consulting services. I use a contract agreement with my clients. Even after signing my contract, this client is unwilling to compensate me for the hours I spent working on his project. I would like to send this client a collections notice for non-payment. I would appreciate knowing the process. Thanks in advance
Matthew S.
Yes, you can send such a notice for nonpayment. I would send one in the form of a demand letter.
Business
LLC Operating Agreement
California
LLC and capital structure?
I am the founder and owner of a small business that is in the process of transitioning to an LLC. I am interested in understanding the capital structure of an LLC and how it differs from that of a sole proprietorship. I am looking for advice on how to ensure that my business is properly capitalized and structured in order to maximize its potential for success.
Russell M.
Well, putting aside the very important detail that an LLC offers limitation of liability and a sole proprietorship does not, the difference between a sole proprietorship and an LLC is that you can allocate the profits to others through membership interests. This means you can bring on one or more investors and allocate the capital appreciation, profit and cash flow to the investors with the same or different terms from your interest, and that you can share profits with employees through a "profits interest". There is a great deal of flexibility that you can use through a properly drafted operating agreement.
Business
Option Grant Agreement
California
What is 'strike price' in my employee stock option agreement?
Want to learn more about the agreement that is being presented to me. There is a 'strike price' that I am suppose to pay?
Michael M.
The strike price is defined as the price that the employee can exercise his/her options at. For example, if the strike price is $1.00, at the point the 100s options have vested, the aggregate amount owed to exercise would be $100.00
Business
Promissory Note
California
What happens to convertible note if startup fails?
I have a startup and am looking to raise money from investors. If we fail, are we going to be liable for anything if we raise money on a convertible note?
Michael M.
Typically, if the business fails, the note can then not be converted or repaid. Unless you have personally guaranteed the obligation which would be unusual, the recourse would be against the entity itself.
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