Civil Litigation

You've made a big investment, but now something is wrong. You've tried to talk it over, repeatedly, but that has gotten you nowhere. You felt great about investing in your future, but now you worry that's at risk. You need a plan to get the problem resolved, and get things back on track. You deserve an experienced counselor, and aggressive attorney.

At the end of the day, results matter. You hire a lawyer to get things done so you can move on with your life, not so you can get a legal education or needlessly spin your wheels. The legal work has to be effective in meeting the client's goals.

This is why the firm is selective and limited in the clients and matters taken. While some firms take on anything that comes in the door, the Firm limits its practice to that which it does well, efficiently, and feels confident in achieving great results for its clients. You don't want to pay someone to learn how to practice law, or to re-invent the wheel. You deserve legal representation by someone who has been around the block, bought the t-shirt, and memorized the trail. This approach is reflected in our close attention to detail, and our zealous advocacy for our clients at every step of the way.

While some firms needlessly drag out legal disputes through meandering approaches, the firm approaches each matter with the end in mind, and calculates how to get there as efficiently as possible. Time is money. The Firm does everything to make sure that your money is well spent towards accomplish achievable goals.

The firm is not afraid of complex matters, and has successfully litigated multi-million dollar claims on numerous occasions in courts across California.

Although business litigation can be described a number of ways, at its most basic, it usually involves a breach of an agreement between the parties. This breach can be described as a breach of contract, a corporate dispute, a breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, business fraud, a breach of fiduciary duty, financial misconduct, a commercial dispute, or as an officer or shareholder dispute. Although the dispute can be described a number of ways, each has its own facets that deserve specific attention.

The formation of business relationships often creates various duties owed by the owners or managers of the business to the other owners or partners. When a party takes on such a relationship, then the law deems their relationship to be "fiduciary." A "fiduciary" has the duty to act in the highest and best interest of those parties to whom they owed duties. In essence, that means that a fiduciary must put the other party's interests ahead of their own.

Frequently, misconduct in the operation of a business may be deemed a breach of a "fiduciary" duty. A party who is faced with a breach of a fiduciary duty, or is alleging that another breached such a duty, must carefully describe the duty and the agreement to take on those duties. While the term is often casually tossed around, it carries substantial burdens, and must be taken seriously when alleged. That said, a fiduciary duty may not apply in every case of business operation and management, and so it is important to retain an experienced business lawyer in order to competently handle these types of claims.

Partnership disputes are common in businesses with a small number of partners, and where the business have known each other well. In these types of situations, it is imperative that the client retain a lawyer who is familiar with all of the challenges involved. The Firm has repeatedly handled these cases successfully.

These cases often feel incredibly personal because the parties are trying to resolve the apparent betrayal of trust. The allegation that someone failed to honor another's trust leads to high emotions, and so it is important to approach the matter in a way that is warranted under the circumstances.

Generally, the conduct of business relationships entail the management and handling of funds either for investment or the business. When a party fails to properly handle these funds, then the transaction or series of transactions may constitute financial fraud. In such instances, it is important that the party faced with this situation find an experienced Sacramento business attorney who knows how to properly address these claims.

In financial misconduct cases, there are often critical defenses and types of claims that must be addressed in order to favorably resolve the issue. Frequently, the failure to do so can lead to the loss of valuable claims or defenses. In such cases, it is important that the party retain counsel who can speak to both the head and the heart of the matter. An attorney involved in these cases must understand business sense, and be able to translate those matters in a real way that connects to the emotions involved.

Not every lawyer charge for an initial consultation. If you are considering an experienced attorney who has a lot of free time on their hands, however, and needs to give it away for free to bring you in the door, then you may wonder whether they are really as good at their job as they say.

Generally, the first consultation provides some of the most value of the entire case as an experienced attorney can usually quickly dissect the issues and provide a plan of attack. In that scenario, the client comes in with a problem but can leave with a solution. As such, these meetings are charged at the normal hourly rate and are paid in advance.

Then, if both the client and the attorney agree to proceed, then the Firm will tell you what the initial retainer fee will be to become a client. We charge fees and costs against your retainer balance. You will receive a monthly statement. If your retainer balance is depleted, you may have to pay an additional retainer. Our retainer amount is refundable if the client changes their mind, or the matter settles.