Your business changes as it grows, but the legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems underneath it don’t always keep up. Use this California small business legal checklist to review what changed, identify gaps, and make sure your business and family are protected as you move into Q4. READ MORE
Posts Categorized: Business Law
Estate Planning for Business Owners: What Happens to Your Business If Something Happens to You?
If you own a business, having a will is only one small part of protecting what you have built. A complete plan should address what happens if you die or become incapacitated, who has authority to keep the business running, how your ownership interest will be handled, and how your family will be protected. READ MORE
Before Q4: What California Business Owners Should Review Now
Late summer is an ideal time for California business owners to review what has changed before Q4 begins. Looking at legal agreements, insurance, finances, and tax planning together can help uncover gaps while there is still time to address them before year-end. READ MORE
What Happens to Business Debt When a Business Owner Dies in California?
Business debt does not automatically disappear when a business owner dies. What happens depends on how the business is structured, who signed the debt, whether there are personal guarantees, what property secures the obligation, and how the owner’s estate and succession plan are structured. READ MORE
What the One Big Beautiful Bill Means for California Business Owners
The One Big Beautiful Bill created major federal tax changes for business owners, but California does not follow all of them. Understanding how bonus depreciation, the Qualified Business Income deduction, research expenses, and business interest rules affect both federal and California taxes can help you make better business decisions. READ MORE
Asset Protection Trusts for Business Owners: Getting It Done Before the Window Closes (Part 3)
The best time to protect your business and personal assets is before a lawsuit or creditor claim ever appears. Learn how an asset protection trust works across the legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems—and why waiting too long can leave everything you’ve built exposed. READ MORE
Asset Protection Trusts for Business Owners: Who Needs One and When to Act (Part 2)
Not every business owner needs an asset protection trust – but for those with growing personal wealth and increasing liability exposure, planning before a claim arises can make all the difference. Learn who should consider a lifetime asset protection trust, what life events should trigger the conversation, and why timing is one of the most important parts of protecting what you’ve built. READ MORE
Asset Protection Trusts for Business Owners: How They Work (Part 1)
Business success can also bring greater legal and financial risk. Learn how an asset protection trust may help business owners safeguard assets from future creditor claims and why proactive planning matters. READ MORE
Succession Planning: New Tax Law Limit Hits Small Trusts.
The new tax law permanently increases the federal estate tax exemption, but it also introduces a lesser-known rule that may increase taxes for many trusts. If your business succession plan includes a trust, now is the time to review whether it still works the way you intended. READ MORE
Your Heir Is Already in the Building: What Has to Be in Place Before the Transition Happens.
Many business owners assume their child will naturally take over the family business. But without proper succession planning, ownership disputes, probate delays, tax issues, and family conflict can threaten everything you’ve built. Learn what needs to be in place before the transition happens. READ MORE
Blended Families, Family Businesses: Why the Plan Has to Be Intentional
Business owners in blended families face unique planning challenges. Without a coordinated estate and succession plan, default legal rules can create unintended consequences, family conflict, and uncertainty about the future of the business. Learn why intentional planning is critical to protecting the people and the legacy you’ve worked so hard to build. READ MORE
The Business Your Dad Built: What Happens to It When He Can’t Show Up?
Many business-owner fathers spend years building a successful company but never create a plan for what happens if they can no longer lead it. Without proper business succession planning, families can face probate, ownership disputes, lost business value, and uncertainty during an already difficult time. Learn how the right legal, insurance, financial, and tax strategies can help protect your business and the people who depend on it. READ MORE
The 1099 You Shouldn’t Send: The Summer Hiring Mistake That Follows You Into April
Many business owners hire seasonal help during the summer and assume a 1099 solves everything. But worker classification is based on the actual working relationship, not the label on the paperwork. As an attorney, I help business owners understand the legal, insurance, financial, and tax consequences of worker misclassification before a temporary hire turns into a costly problem months later. READ MORE
Your Mid-Year Business Check-In: 5 Things to Review Before Summer (and One Deadline You Cannot Miss)
Mid-year is the perfect time to catch business issues before they become expensive problems later in the year. From estimated tax payments and entity structure to insurance coverage, contractor classification, and outdated agreements, this checklist helps business owners review the legal, financial, insurance, and tax systems that keep a business protected as it grows. READ MORE
Before You Load the Car: What Your Business Needs Before You Leave for Summer Vacation
Before you leave for summer vacation, make sure your business is protected if something unexpected happens. Learn the legal and financial steps every business owner should have in place before stepping away. READ MORE