Exceptional Legal Support for Small & Family-Owned California Businesses

We start with a short online Legal Health Check. For small and family-owned businesses, this focuses on your current entity structure, who owns what, who’s involved in the day-to-day, and what you’re worried about: fairness, control, transitions, or future disputes.

Once you submit your answers, you’ll be able to schedule a 20-minute triage call.

On that call, we:

• Confirm that your situation is a good fit for the firm.
• Clarify your goals and the dynamics between owners, family members, and key employees.
• Recommend whether your best next step is a Small & Family Business Strategy Session or a defined flat-fee project.

We do not review documents or give legal advice on this call. It’s focused on fit, expectations, and next steps. For matters that are primarily employment, IP, tax controversy, franchise, standalone real estate, or litigation, we may refer you to other firms that have served our clients well.

Fee: Your initial investment for this triage call is $150. If we decide to work together on the next step, we will credit this amount toward your Small & Family Business Strategy Session or a flat-fee project.

If we need to go deeper, the next step is a Small & Family Business Strategy Session. This is a focused working meeting—not a generic free consult—where we:

• Walk through your Legal Health Check in more detail.
• Review up to three key documents (for example, your operating agreement, shareholder or partnership agreement, buy-sell terms, or key correspondence or “understandings” among family members).
• Explain your options and risk areas in plain English, with a prioritized plan for ownership, roles, and decision-making that fits your goals and family dynamics.
• Where appropriate, we’ll also outline flat-fee or phased options to implement the plan, so you understand the likely scope and cost before you commit.

Fee: The Business Legal Strategy Session is billed as a flat fee. Most sessions fall within the $1,500–$2,500 range, depending on the scope of the issues and preparation involved.

Once you’re comfortable with the plan, we move into implementation on a flat-fee basis wherever possible. For small and family-owned businesses, that might include:

• Drafting or updating operating agreements, shareholder agreements, or buy-sell agreements.
• Clarifying ownership percentages, voting rights, and decision-making processes.
• Cleaning up entities and corporate records before a transition or major change.
• Coordinating with your CPA and estate planning attorney so business documents match your broader planning.

Each project is scoped in writing and approved by you before we begin, so you know what’s included and what it will cost. For owners who want continuing guidance, we can also structure an ongoing advisory relationship so you have a consistent point of contact as the business and family evolve.