Business Transactions. In our business transactions practice, we currently assist large and small companies in a variety of industries with organizational and compliance matters, buying, selling and merging businesses, forming joint ventures, and general business planning as well as counseling regarding corporate and partnership operations. Our clients vary widely, and include major corporations, privately held businesses, insurance companies, investment partnerships, and entrepreneurs.

Our business lawyers counsel all types of business entities, including profit and nonprofit corporations, partnerships (both general and limited), limited liability companies, and joint ventures at many different stages in the business life cycle - from selecting the form of business entity and capitalizing and financing the organization, through mergers, acquisitions and dissolutions. Recent transactions in which the firm has provided business counsel have included a merging of a local high technology company into a publicly held company; merging a Northern California chain of automobile lubrication centers into Quaker State Corporation; organizing a joint venture to develop approximately 800 acres of real property into estate-size homes; establishing and administrating an employee stock option plan for a large agricultural firm; obtaining capital through a private securities offering for a local health care facility; the sale of a group of restaurants in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties; organizing a number of non-profit organizations and obtaining tax exempt status for them; and the acquisition or sale of a number of other business interests.

Real Estate Transactions. Lawyers within the real estate practice area of the firm have a long and successful tradition of serving clients in all areas of real estate law and real estate transactions. We regularly represent sellers and purchasers, as well as landlords and tenants, in real estate sale, purchase, finance and leasing transactions of all degrees of complexity. These transactions may involve large parcels of undeveloped land, industrial facilities, major shopping centers, and commercial office buildings.

Recent transactions in which the firm has provided real estate counsel have included the sale of a large parcel of undeveloped land for the Pasadera residential and golf course development; the sale of a multi-building commercial office complex; the development of a master lease for a company owning multiple commercial office developments; the sale of a major shopping center; and the representation of the underlying owner of property which is a part of a property assemblage development for major retail use.