Attorney for Business Law
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Archived Q&A and Reviews
Attorney needed for small food ecommerce biz
July 2013
I'm looking for an attorney with small food business expertise that can help me draft website terms and conditions and consult on the best way to structure my company. Reasonable rates and down-to-earth personality are big bonuses. food entrepreneur
I would recommend you contact Allan Zackler of Zackler & Associates. They specialize in business and food law and come highly recommended from a friend who is also a food entrepreneur. His website is foodlaw.com. audrey
Small business/employment contract lawyer needed
July 2013
I am looking for a small business/employment contract lawyer who can look at an employment contract and make sure it is legally sound for a variety of potential situations, including a buy-out situation by another company, as well as the employee buying into the current company. Would prefer East Bay. Thanks
Richard Lee has been my small business attorney for over 20 years. He has helped me develop contracts, advised me with intellectual property and even helped me prepare a case myself in small claims court. He is knowledgeable, caring and reasonable with his billable time. Here is his contact info Richard J. Lee 510.272.0200 x304 fax 510.451.3931 rjl@leelawlessblyth.com
Stuart
Business Attorney for Contractor
Sept 2012
Hi. I'm looking for a recommendation for a business attorney to help us change our business entity from sole proprietorship to an LLC. We are a local contractor. need help
I can highly recommend Jean Shrem of Shrem Law Group. She is an excellent business attorney and specializes in working with small businesses. I have found her to be sharp and to the point. www.shremlaw.com, Jean@ShremLaw.com, 510-882-9992. Business Owner
I recommend using Trevor Caudle - 415.260.0947 - http://www.trevorcaudlelaw.com/ - We are a painting contractors and he helped us to form a corporation. He was super reasonable at the time and a really nice guy. I continue to use him for advice and if I every have to file mechanics liens. He's located in SF but that wasn't an issue at all. Fellow contractor
Business Attorney to form a corporation
Feb 2012
Hi, I am looking to start up a new medical business and need a lawyer to help me form a corporation. I am in the east bay. Any advice appreciated! Preferably someone with reasonable prices new venture adventure
Try the nolo press attorneys. http://www.nolo.com/lawyers/attorney/neil-allan-rones-4934.html neil
Spencer Young is an excellent attorney who is a good listener, very knowledgeable and, at the same time, quite affordable. He does business law as well as personal injury. He's helped several people I work with in handling business issues. I recommend him highly. www.spenceryounglaw.com 652 8751. symetrick
Tova Zeff is a business attorney who can help you with your business needs including incorporation. Her phone is: (510) 593-8393 and email is: tovazeff@comcast.net. Good luck. Shoey
I have worked with Richard J. Lee for over 20 years. He knows how to set up corporations, and he is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. I believe his fees are reasonable. Feel free to contact me if you wish. rjl@leelawlessblyth.com (510) 272-0200 x304 stu
Business Consultant for Holistic Practitioner?
March 2011
One of my clients is starting a practice in Ayurveda and seeks a consultant to guide her through the tax/legal/financial forest of starting a small business. A consultant practicing in the East Bay would be preferable. Thanks! Eva
I think that Nolo Press has books of help. Neil
LLC legal advice
Jan 2011
Im thinking about setting up an LLC for a home that I own. Any suggestions as to an attorney that could handle this for me or suggestions from others who have done this either on their own or used other resources (ie. legalzoom.com)? Thanks Need to Know
Nolo Press puts out a lot of free/low cost information regarding how to do these types of filings at a minimal cost. Please visit www.nolo.com. I am not an attorney, however, I believe that you cannot transfer your home into an LLC unless your primary business is real estate investment. Regardless, I highly recommend you consult an attorney and you can contact either Bob Buchanan (415) 395-4700 (who formed my LLC) or J. P. Harbour (415) 728-7205. Please tell them that I referred you. Good luck! Sincerely yours, Kevin
I can recommend Tova Zeff who is a business attorney who does exactly this kind of work. She has been very helpful to me, and I recommend her highly as a lawyer who can answer your questions and help set up your LLC. Her phone is 510-593-8393, or you can email tovazeff@comcast.net David
I've been using Richard of Lee, Lawless & Blyth for my business for over 20 years, and more recently for a trust for my home. They specialize in setting up organizations, and Richard is very knowledgeable with business structuring. He has been generous with his time, reasonable with his fees and easy to work with. phone: 510.272.0200 x304 email: rjl@leelawlessblyth.com stu
Consultant for LLC for real estate investment
July 2010
I am looking for recommendations for a consultant/lawyer/ or accountant who is familiar with the creation of LLCs for the purpose of real estate investment. Thank you, East Bay Investor
If you have questions about forming an LLC, I'd recommend Tova Zeff who is a business attorney - her offices are on Boradway in Oakland. She specializes in helping set up LLCs and other corporations for businesses, and I have found her to be extremely knowledgable and helpful. You can email tovazeff@comcast.net or phone 593.3893. Best wishes! David
Absolutely! I would highly recommend the following legal team. KYLER KOHLER OSTERMILLER & SORENSEN, LLP. They are based out of Cedar City, Utah & handle all of my tax preparation, legal pprwrk, etc. Speak to Susan Kumpe who is the Legal Assistant for any questions at: 435-586-9366 / susan@kkolawyers.com Good luck! Isadora
Starting a business - do I need a lawyer? CPA?
Aug 2006
I am starting a photography business and first want to know if I need a lawyer, to draw up papers for an LLC? A bookeeper to help me keep track of finances? (And teach me Quicken for Mac) A CPA to do taxes & give tax advice? And/Or an accountant? How many of the above do I need & can anyone make any recomendations as to who is wise to tax law, honest, and not too expensive, not condescending, as well as a shrewd business person, preferably in the Richmond,El Cerrito, Berkeley area? ruby
You don't need a lawyer to create your LLC: you can do it yourself, or use Nolo Press materials to guide you. That said, it's still often a good idea to have a lawyer do it, or at least to consult with one. Why? It's simply that the lawyer will be able to use the time you spend together to discover any other issues that may exist with your prospective business. Some will be relatively obvious things to check - licensing requirements, fictitious name statements, etc. - and others probably less so. Nor is it necessarily expensive to involve an attorney: I offer a free consultation, for instance, and so do many others. K.
I'm, a videographer and have used Richard Lee, 272-0200, as my attorney for over 20 years (thankfully not frequently!). He has a reasonable fee, but you can see him for a half hour free if you join Film Arts Foundation for $45. www.filmarts.org (415)552-8760
Dennis Middleton is a tax CPA who can set things up for you so you get maximum deductions. His phone is 339-8860, email is dnm at jps.net.
Sandra Garselle, with Hilliard Management, can do your weekly/monthly bookkeeping 655-2041
An excellent lawyer to contact is Richard Lee, 510-272-0200, or e-mail rjl at rjleelaw.com. He is experienced working with new businesses. You might also try Ann Valliant, who is a Management Consultant, 510-848-1516 ann at annvalliant.com. She could help you set up bookeeping and advise you on your other needs ernie
Starting a small business; need legal advice
Sept 2004
I am considering starting a small business and would like to consult with an attorney about my options. I have looked at the website, but there are only a couple recommendations and they are old and not geographically convenient. Can anyone recommend someone in the East Bay, first choice being Berkeley/Albany, but others would be great too. Lucy
www.sweepslaw.com: (Berkeley) good, knowledgeable attorneys to help you decide a) which corporate status is right for you, b) how to secure your trademark or trade name, and c) what issues you should be worried about as you begin. Ask for Angelique Tremble for corporate formation questions and Tsan Abrahamson for trademark/tradename issues. (flat fee for corporate formations, and they provide excellent back-up materials for keeping your coporate records straight). They make house calls!
www.methven.com: (berkeley) good website for getting basic legal knowledge and links to help you do-it-yourself and to keep abrest of the law. Also have corporate and litigation lawyers. Very reasonable rates (roughly $240/hr) and nice people.
www.premiercounsel.com: (Lamorinda) Good resource for forming large corporations or for securing funding/raising capital, and creating private placements or angel funding documents.
www.athenalaw.com: (SF) good for start-up companies who plan to do a great deal of high-tech work, including software and technology licensing work. Ask for Hilary Luros; she will take the time to really talk you through your issue and has excellent rates, including a 20% ( I think) reduction if you go over a certain amount of money each month.
-- legal eagle
I work with several small business clients on issues relating to formation, contracts, employment, etc. Happy to assist. david at dlevinlaw.com
Kathleen Hunt is an attorney located in El Cerrito. She has worked with quite a few business start-ups, so she might be able to help you with whatever you need. Her office number is 510-289-2288.
Need an attorney for my small business
April 2002
I own a small business and need an attorney to deal with several issues related to it. I'd prefer someone in the East Bay. Any ideas? Thanks anon
Dear Anon, My husband is a partner with a firm located in Palo Alto. He'd be available to speak with if you like. We live in Danville. You can email us at jeffreyiiATsbcglobalDOTnet Kim
My husband, Rick Randel, is an attorney in Oakland who does corporate/real estate and general business transactions representing small businesses in matters relating to new venture formation, raising capital, real estate transactions, etc. He can be reached at 510-336-9454 or randoloATsbcglobalDOTnet
I have used Peter Sproul (925-256-3900) for my small business needs for years. He is a nice guy but also a very effective attorney. He is not cheap, but he is worth it. Rebecca
This is a little crazy to me - you both are incurring tons of costs under this arrangement, by having to do all of this other stuff yourself. He could just start off consulting as a sole proprietor, for one thing, and kick the LLC can down the road because that's a hefty slice of work. You're doing all the unpaid admin work of being a consultant without the consultant freelancing benefits, sounds to me. You (he) have to make your own decisions about the LLC & health insurance stuff. The retirement is not a big deal and in fact you don't even need to do it until sometime prior to April 15, 2025 for tax year 2024. (Because there is a limit to what you can contribute as a business owner and you won't know that exact amount until you know your net for the year.) If his "new-ish job" is not witholding taxes, definitely go ahead and line up a CPA to do your quarterly filings, or what the heck, do it yourself and have him hire you as an employee (so your time is at least tax deductible). Please check out the Nolo Press small business owner books.
If he'll make more than $60K/year, you can file as an S-Corp as a single-member LLC and get a ton of benefits and minimize a lot of the headache taxes as there are services (Collective + Lettuce) that do it for you. If you make less than this, you'll spend more than you save. I started an LLC in August and just used Northwest Registered Agent to set up, and Hiscox to purchase LLC E&O insurance (most won't write in California - the saga continues...; other option is Hartford but it was more expensive). I had my bankers at JP Morgan (I was formerly with First Republic) set up a self-employed IRA for me to contribute to for retirement. If I continue to consult as my main work in 2025, I plan to go the S-Corp route with Collective or Lettuce as they take care of all the bookkeeping, bank accounts, filings, owners draw paperwork, etc. etc. so it seems worth the $300/mo to not sweat it. They also do have options to do self-employed retirement and health plans. Life is money and time, and sounds like you have plenty on your plates, so the $300/mo for these services is probably well-worth-it to avoid the headaches of going it alone. Lettuce and Collective both have a lot of free resources and webinars you can check out if helpful.