Category: Business and Real Estate

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” That quote is attributed to famed American author Mark Twain, who supposedly uttered it following a false report of his death. It seemingly rings true now more than a century later concerning the country’s vast retail universe, which has been under siege from stiff competition offered by…

The above query in today’s blog post can be answered in a single word: carefully. Some thorny issues with a contracting entity or other third party can ultimately be resolved in relatively civil fashion, of course, without the need to move forward and invoke a legal process. Others resist that solution, though. They demand a…

We note on our website at the Southern California business law firm of Larson & Gaston the complex, multiple and interwoven challenges that company principals face as they go about their daily planning. Issues range widely from contract drafting/compliance and asset purchases to the exploration of transactional opportunities with other entities and worker-related matters. Our overriding goal…

What is the state of merger-acquisition activity in the United States and internationally? Just take a look at this number, say researchers at the Harvard Business Review: For the third consecutive year, more than 50,000 M&A transactions have been concluded across the globe. That surge of combination-linked commercial activity has likely never before occurred. That…

There is likely no busier or preoccupied person on earth than a business entrepreneur engaged in multiple tasks relevant to launching a new and exciting enterprise. Truly, the list of considerations is long, ranging from corporate form and decisions central to business products/services to employee hiring and regulatory approvals. And then there is financing, of…

Starting a new business has the potential to be a lot of fun, and it’s probably a major dream of yours. There are things you should know as you begin. There are many planning steps that could help you on the path to opening a successful business. To start with, every business should have a…

We noted in our immediately preceding blog post that a materially high percentage of businesses across the United States cease operations within a handful of years owing to various challenges that company owners either failed to perceive or simply did not adequately prepare for. And, having noted that, we pointed to a silver lining linked…

The glass “has to be half full.” In making reference to that in an article on entrepreneurialism and entity start-ups, the publication Business Insider means this: Any new commercial enterprise seeking to enter, profit and endure in the business world must have at least a modicum of well-placed hope for success. Entering America’s rough-and-tumble commercial…

OK, it finally passed. Now, here’s the uppercase question: What next? A federal rule declared last week by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has understandably enthused — even enthralled — scores of millions of consumers across the country and principals with advocacy groups promoting the public’s rights against big financial institutions. Yet its fate seems…

Diverse businesses across Southern California contemplate and sometimes pursue commercial activities across a nearly limitless universe of potentially profitable opportunities. And proven business and commercial law attorneys help them explore those opportunities wherever they emerge, crafting sound legal strategies that both minimize risk and promote optimal outcomes. On any given day, commercial entities in the…

You live with the contractual terms you knowingly agreed with. Although there are certain limited exceptions to that dictum (select permutations, if you will; public policy restraints come readily to mind), most adults who execute contracts in California and nationally know that they are tasked with abiding by the material terms and conditions stated therein.…

If you’re a business owner in an acquisition stage or, alternatively, contemplating a company sale, there is certainly a lot to think about. The direction your industry is trending in — if that is discernible through close analysis of relevant variables and factors — is something you’re certainly looking at. Is your business in an…

If you’re a proven California business owner or principal, no one needs to tell you that your enterprise must be absolutely focused on state and federal tax rules and policies at all times. That means every day of the year. And, of course, every year. Business-related tax implications are decidedly a big deal. Company managers…

Hartford Life principals argue that they’re simply trying to inject some common sense and boundaries regarding reasonable parameters germane to a key contract provision in select life insurance contracts inked with California policyholders. State class action plaintiffs advance an alternative position, grounded in a quote from one claimant that he and fellow class members were…