Santa Ynez Business Lawyers

As one of the firm’s founding attorneys, Ching K. Chiao is a respected and prominent member of the Southern California Real Estate and Business Law community. Mr. Chiao represents various individuals and businesses, including major real estate developers in the Greater Los Angeles Area with portfolios in excess of $500,000,000. His representation includes notable deals with Home Depot, Office Depot, Food-4-Less, Rite Aid, Ross Dress-for-Less, JC Penny’s, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Foot Locker, Gymboree, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, MetroPCS, and many more. Mr. Chiao prides himself on delivering exceptional results in a cost-effective manner. Companies who utilize...

Margaret A. Sedy is an attorney at Law Office of Margaret A. Sedy and represents clients in Business Litigation, Business Disputes, Corporate Formation, Contract Drafting and Negotiation, Technology, Internet and Privacy Law, and Regulatory Compliance Margaret Sedy also counsels and represents businesses regarding Employment Litigation, Employment and Labor Law compliance, including wage and hour, wrongful termination and discrimination claims. Margaret Sedy was awarded the Rising Stars designation in 2021, 2022 and 2023 by Super Lawyers, a distinction only awarded to 2.5 percent of top-rated practicing attorneys selected through extensive evaluation. Margaret Sedy graduated in the Top 10% of her class...

Ms. Gallenberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California Los Angeles where she double majored in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Public Policy. Ms. Gallenberg received a Juris Doctor degree and a Civil Litigation Certificate from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. During law school, she received several academic excellence awards, and was a founding member and Articles Editor for the Hastings Business Law Journal. She also served as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Judge Sanchez Gordon in the Los Angeles Superior Court (Stanley Mosk...

Bryan is one of a small number of attorneys in the state of California to be certified as a Specialist in Franchise and Distribution Law, by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He currently serves as a commissioner and Chair of the California State Bar's Franchise and Distribution Law Advisory Commission (FDLAC), which oversees franchise specialist certification for the State of California and is a past Chair of the State Bar's Standing Committee on Franchise Law. Much of his practice involves business law litigation, but he also represents clients in transactional matters such as entity formation, contract...

Mr. Martinez represents a wide range of U.S. and international clients in all forms of dispute resolution and business counseling, with emphasis in the areas of commercial, intellectual property, unfair competition, shareholder and class action litigation, arbitration and mediation. His clients range from individuals to start-ups to Fortune 100 companies in the real estate, retail, fashion, transportation, financial, entertainment, manufacturing and technology industries, and often include Latin-American and other foreign clients interested in developing a presence in the United States. Mr. Martinez has won a reputation for his fierce commitment to his clients’ interests and to valued legal causes. This commitment...

Attorney David P. Meyer is the principal founder of Meyer Wilson. He has gained national recognition as an investment fraud lawyer, representing more than 800 investors in investment misconduct claims. He has won verdicts, settlements and judgments of hundreds of millions of dollars on their behalf. Because he is recognized as an authority in this field, he is often asked to speak for bar associations and at educational seminars. He is an active member of the Public Investors’ Arbitration Bar Association and various other legal professional associations. In 2013, Attorney David Meyer was included in the list of Best...

Matt’s practice focuses on facilitating innovative change through legal action, and he works with private and public leaders in emerging issues and industries, ranging from internet to cannabis law. Most recently, Matt was one of the lead drafting attorneys on California’s Proposition 64, the successful ballot initiative to decriminalize and regulate cannabis for adult use. Working directly with California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and other state leaders to craft the policy structure, Matt directly authored key provisions in the legislation, integrating complex legislative, political and legal considerations into a balanced, comprehensive and historic reform. For over 10...

Mr. Jeffrey S. Bolender is an established trial and appellate attorney with over eighteen years of experience representing policyholders, insurance carriers, underwriters, and other insurance professionals in complex legal disputes. Admitted to practice law in 1994, Mr. Bolender focuses his practice on commercial, business, and insurance law. He is licensed to practice law in the States of California, Hawaii, and Nevada, as well as the District of Columbia. Mr. Bolender regularly advises and advocates on behalf of policyholders and insurance professionals, providing guidance on legal principles for analyzing insurance policies and adjusting liability and property claims. He researches...

For nearly 30 years, Sa'id Vakili has successfully represented businesses and individuals in areas including complex business divorces, business disputes, business torts, shareholder disputes (both direct and derivative), complex contracts, and intellectual property litigation (covering patent, trade dress, copyright, trademark, and trade secret disputes), as well as all forms of employment claims. He has also handled all varieties of injury tort claims, including those related to products, along with claims arising under maritime and aviation law. Over the years, he has litigated hundreds of cases, achieving multiple results in the seven and eight figures while successfully defending cases of equal...

Mr. Bardwell’s practice focuses on all aspects of wealth transfer planning, including estate planning, charitable planning, business succession planning and post-death administration.

Mr. Bardwell routinely assists individuals and families in efficiently minimizing estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes through the creation of wills, trusts, business entities and charitable organizations and the use of gifts, sales and other wealth-transfer strategies. He works closely with each client's team of advisors, including accountants, investment advisors and insurance agents, to ensure the client's personal planning and wealth preservation goals are accomplished in a coordinated manner. In addition, he advises clients on estate and trust administration,...

I am an accomplished attorney with extensive experience in Business, Estate Planning, Tax, Probate, Immigration Planning, Charitable Planning, and Entities Law matters. Based in California, I represent multi-national individuals and businesses across the world.

A Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, I provide experienced, knowledgeable and skilled counsel. I am dedicated to personalized service and exceptional advocacy, focused on meeting my clients' legal needs.

Visit my website for more information, or call to set up a consultation and see how I can help you.

Daniel has had substantial court experience in trying a variety of cases in civil and family law. Before bringing his expertise to the South Bay, he was an associate at a Century City civil law firm and handled high profile family law clients in Beverly Hills. His experience also includes exclusive work with Forensic Child Custody Evaluators (730 Evaluations) enabling him the unique opportunity to provide clients with the knowledge for a successful child custody evaluation. He received his Juris Doctorate from Western State University in 2006, graduating with a Witkins recognition for factual investigation, an award given to individuals...

Jason K. Smith is one of the founding shareholders of MK Smith, APC. He has been admitted to practice in state and federal courts of both California and Utah. Mr. Smith focuses his practice in civil litigation and has successfully represented clients in matters involving business litigation, construction litigation, patent litigation, contract disputes, employment issues, false advertising, unfair business practices, personal injury, medical malpractice, family law, education law, and special education law.

Mr. Smith obtained his Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Utah, graduating Cum Laude in 2008. In 2011, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the...

Tina has dissolved Gehres Law Group to focus on building a NFP organization, YesHope.org. She is no longer taking clients. Thank you for your patronage.

"I love my work. I get to make a real difference to help people maintain their businesses and livelihoods. A file is more than just paper, it is my client's hard work and often a significant portion of their lives. I enjoy working with my clients to empower them to take control of their tax, estate planning and business issues." Frank Huerta Jr. Esq. Frank Huerta Jr. has 19 years of experience as an attorney and law clerk working in government and tax law issues. He has a successful record of representing taxpayers before the IRS, Franchise Tax Board, Board Of...

Scott Sheldon is a Civil Law Attorney serving clients in the Inland Empire. He represents individuals and small businesses with Civil and Probate disputes including but not limited to: business litigation, business transactions, trust administration disputes, elder financial abuse, estate litigation, and probate administration. Before becoming an attorney, Scott Sheldon completed a BA in Business and an MBA. He uses his business knowledge and experience to better represent his clients and their interests.

I bring a unique approach to business matters and complex business litigation through my years of hands on personal experience in the business of construction and other business ventures. This experience allows me to advise business clients about real world problems and the solutions that really work in today's business climate. Timely settlement of business litigation and other legal problems will further the businesses goals and work to rid the business of wasted time and money. Documenting the actions that resulted in these legal problems will work to make the business more profitable and knowledgeable in the...

Mr. Blevins is a graduate of the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law (JD, 2007) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (BA, 2002).

Mr. Blevins has over a decade of legal experience providing estate planning services to families and strategic business counsel to small corporations and Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Blevins' unique background of serving as both corporate in-house counsel for various corporations and as a private litigation counsel makes him uniquely poised to quickly and effectively resolve your legal needs. Our clients include individuals, families, start-ups, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies.

Mr....

With exceptional experience in securities dealings and business, I am a corporate and transactional attorney focused on helping business owners succeed. My professional journey encompasses significant roles on both the lender/underwriter side and the company side, allowing me to navigate complex legal landscapes effectively. I provide legal guidance on every aspect of starting, maintaining, and expanding a business. My clients include small startups with ambitious goals to established companies with global headquarters. I also dedicate part of my time to academia as an adjunct professor of securities regulation at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California, where I teach on Monday...

Founded under the direction of Attorney David V. Luu, our offices are centrally located in the cities of Santa Ana and Irvine to better serve the residents of Southern California, which includes Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles County. We are best known for helping people from all walks of life throughout Southern California to prevent, resolve, and litigate issues relating to their debts, personal injuries, and business or real estate transactions It is our mission to give you clear and understandable advice concerning legal matters. We listen to what you have to say...

What makes me unique is that I am both a Business Owner and a Corporate & Business Law Attorney. I actually started my first business at age 8 when I launched “Dan’s Bird Farm.” As the owner of the Kehr Business Law PC, I provide business, corporate general counsel, technology, Internet, e-commerce and tax law, as well as trust, will, estate and succession planning legal services. I founded, managed and have run my own law firm for over 17 years. My experience as a business owner makes me uniquely suited to approach legal representation from the business owner’s perspective. I...

CPA AND TAX ATTORNEY ON YOUR SIDE Jayson Aquino "Atty Jay" can do both. There are some tax attorneys do not have an adequate background in accounting and lack the proficiency to thoroughly offer bookkeeping services. Alternately, certain certified public accountants (CPAs) may not be familiar with how to resolve a person’s unpaid back taxes, tax lien or tax levy. As a CPA and licensed tax attorney, Jayson has helped individuals and businesses throughout Huntington Beach and Orange County with a wide range of tax matters. Jayson takes pride in offering affordable rates. Many clients have found that his rates are competitive and even...

Cindy Nguyen is the managing partner at Amity Law Group and has had extensive experience in estate planning, probate, employment law and business litigation. Ms. Nguyen loves to work with families to help them create an estate plan that will avoid taxes and protect them against probate.

Ms. Nguyen also provides preventive counseling to employers regarding claims of discrimination, harassment, disability accommodation, wage and hour violations, ADA violations, misclassification, and other alleged claims of employer misconduct. She represents employers in state and federal courts, and before administrative agencies such as the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the U.S....

Court Admissions:

United States District Court, Central District of California, May 30, 2007
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, October 26, 2009
United States District Court, Southern District of California, November 16, 2009
United States Tax Court, November 19, 2009
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, January 10, 2010
United States District Court, Eastern District of California, June 3, 2010
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, July 13, 2010
United States Court of International Trade, January 2, 2014
United States Court of Appeals For The Federal Circuit, June 30, 2015
United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, May 3, 2017
United States...

Michael Hassen's litigation practice spans over 30 years and emphasizes general business and commercial litigation, including class action defense and matters involving intellectual property and unfair competition.

James H. (Jim) Gulseth was born and attended high school in Devils Lake, North Dakota and graduated with an A.B. degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Jim earned his JD degree at the University of California Hastings School of Law in San Francisco and is admitted to practice in the State of California and before the Federal District Court, Northern District of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. He is a member of the Corporations, Business Transactions, Securities and Tax and Intellectual Property Sections of the State Bar of California. Jim’s reported cases include...

J.R. Richards' practice focuses on developing long term client relationships representing their interests in both transactional matters and in civil litigation. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants primarily in real estate and business disputes and has successfully litigated cases through dispositive motion, trial and settlement in state and federal courts. J.R. prepares each case to achieve a favorable judgment by trial or before trial, and when in the best interest of the client leverages a favorable settlement. Community Involvement: * Coach/Manager for Pre-K/K softball team the Purple Puppies 2016. * Coach/Manager for the Danville...

For more than a decade, our team of personal injury, civil litigation, and business attorneys has been recognized for the positive results we achieve in helping people resolve their injury claims, navigate corporate legal transactions, and prosecute or defend their cases in court. Our unique collaborative approach to legal services means you benefit from the perspectives and experience of multiple attorneys assigned to your case – as well as the assistance of paralegals and investigators – all covered by fees that are about half of what larger downtown firms charge. Voted one of San Diego's "Top Attorneys" by "The...

Gene Takagi is the managing attorney of NEO Law Group, contributing publisher of the Nonprofit Law Blog, and a part-time lecturer at Columbia University. At NEO, Gene has represented over 800 nonprofit organizations on corporate, tax, and charitable trust law matters. Gene is a popular writer on nonprofit legal topics and has been published by The New York Times, The Nonprofit Quarterly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Nonprofit Times, Taxation of Exempts, EO Tax Journal, and ALI-ABA. He is also a popular speaker who has presented at conferences for Independent Sector, BoardSource, NAAG/National Association of State Charity Officials, CalNonprofits, the...

Erik Christensen litigates, and provides counsel on, corporate and employment issues in California and the District of Columbia. His experience includes working as a senior associate at top-ranked global law firms, including Littler Mendelson and Greenberg Traurig. Before this, Erik externed at the California Supreme Court and the First District Court of Appeal, two of the most prestigious opportunities provided to law students in California. Erik also served as a law clerk for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Victim Impact Program (sometimes referred to as the “Special Victims Unit.”) His experience includes years of service with the 101st Airborne’s...

Attorney John Martin advises individuals, families, and businesses in the areas of legacy planning, wealth preservation, estate & business succession planning, and estate administration. Our law firm focuses exclusively on legacy planning, wealth preservation, estate and business succession planning, and estate administration. Our trust and estate planning services enable clients to protect their spouse's or child's s inheritance from creditors and predators, maximize control over their assets during their lifetime, benefit charities, and effectively transition their business to the next generation. Through an ongoing client maintenance program, we provide peace of mind that a client's goals will not...

May Harris (she/her) serves as CEO and Managing Attorney at FPLG. She chairs the firm’s transactional practice group, working with an outstanding team of FPLG attorneys and professionals in service to clients of all sizes, including museums, schools, churches, medical organizations and other charitable tax-exempt entities. Serving in the roles of nonprofit founder, board member, corporate counsel and executive director over the course of her career, Ms. Harris has been instrumental in the development of each of the organizations she has led, and she understands the challenges facing nonprofit executives every day. Over her two decades of legal practice, Ms. Harris has...

Karen Sloat has a career spanning over 30 years in many practice areas, and in three states – California, Colorado and Hawaii. Her reputation as a specialist in employment law for many years has given her the expertise to handle claims of complex wage and hour violations, discrimination and harassment, employment contracts, trade secret violations, fraud and all other employment-related issues. As a zealous litigator and trial lawyer, Ms. Sloat has a vast knowledge of professions, occupations and business issues that enhances her valuable legal advice to all of our clients – whether employees, employers or nonprofits.

After graduating from Loyola...

Jenny L. Doling is a Certified Bankruptcy Specialist and is the founding member of J. DOLING LAW, PC, a bankruptcy and insolvency firm serving Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, with its main office in Palm Desert, California. Ms. Doling represents trustees, creditors and debtors in chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy matters. In addition, she will be representing clients under the new SBRA - Small Business Reorganization Act (aka Sub Chapter 5) which takes effect February 2020. Ms. Doling is a serious advocate for her clients.

She is an active member of the bankruptcy bar. She...

Michael Malter is an accomplished California attorney, advocating for clients in Bankruptcy, Business, Intellectual Property, Landlord Tenant, Real Estate and Tax Law matters. With over 40 years of experience, he has been recognized as a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the California State Bar. Michael is committed to providing comprehensive and personalized representation focused on attaining the best possible outcomes.

Michael, a native of Long Island, New York, has been a resident of California since 1977. He currently lives in Saratoga with his two daughters and labradoodles. Outside of work, Michael can be found hiking and traveling. Additionally, he deems...

William Markham received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1987 and has practiced law in California for the past thirty-one years. He is an accomplished, successful trial attorney who has tried dozens of matters, including several significant matters. He has obtained jury verdicts and bench verdicts in difficult trials of highly contentious matters. He has also handled several appeals that arose from his trial work, obtaining a reversal of a dismissal and various affirmances of his pre-trial and trial work.

Mr. Markham devotes most of his practice to litigation, particularly the litigation of claims for antitrust offenses, false...

N. Mauricio Reznik, Esq. is the principal and an attorney at Reznik Law Group. Mr. Reznik has extensive experience in the areas of civil and business litigation, corporate formation and cross border disputes.

Mr. Reznik has successfully represented a wide array of clients from inception of a case through trial. He has extensive experience in motion practice and has resolved numerous matters through motions for summary judgment and other dispositive motions. He has also negotiated complex settlements of litigation and has moved cases to resolution through mediation. With Mr. Reznik’s vast experience as to common corporate issues and pitfalls, he...

Attorney Craig McClellan has secured more than 125 settlements and verdicts in excess of $1 million over the course of his career. He has received numerous honors and awards recognizing this success, including Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, and more. He is also a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group of the top 100 plaintiff’s attorneys in the United States.

For over 30 years, Mr. Sparer has successfully represented individuals and businesses in litigation involving securities, contract, insurance, real estate, probate, and trust matters. Sparer Law Group (SLG), Mr. Sparer has obtained over $200 million in settlements, judgments, and recoveries on behalf of securities investors. Mr. Sparer also leads an SLG team that has successfully defended financial professionals and investment funds under investigation by the SEC, FINRA, and the California Department of Business Oversight.

SLG regularly helps resolve sensitive and confidential family disputes involving claims of elder abuse or financial misconduct. In the process, Mr. Sparer has successfully...