Lawsuits, Land Use & Real Estate

Avoiding Litigation

Diligence is the key to avoiding litigation in business and real estate matters. Time is almost never on your side. Delayed action on a claim or debt can result in your being barred by statute from collecting. Given time, a trespass can ripen into an easement. When issues arise, it is essential that you move quickly to resolve them.

Oftentimes, a simple phone call, email or demand letter can set matters straight. Misunderstandings in business relationships are generally more common than intentional acts or omissions.

Real Estate and Property Issues

RESIDENTIAL • MULTI-FAMILY
COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURAL • OPEN SPACE
PUBLIC PROPERTY

Underpriced residential or commercial property could include unseen problems:

• Reason the Property is Underpriced
• Structural Problems, Mold & Pests
• Clearing Clouds on Title
• Liens & Encumbrances
• Adjacent Issues, Drainage, Support
• Undesirable Local Trends
• Neighbor Issues and Red Flags
• Proximity to Local Nuisances
• Crime in the Community
• Physical Deterioriation of the Area
• Obsolescence
• Infrastructure Problems
• Transit Deficiencies
• Parking Availability and Conflicts
• Traffic at Various Times and Days

Vacant Land

Why is it Vacant?

• Zoning & Permitting Limits
• Dedications and Public Easements
• Overlay Areas and Specific Plans
• Buildability Issues and Lot Situation
• Geological Issues
• Access to Public Roads
• Rights to Use or Build Driveways
• Utilities Adjacent to the Site
• Water Connections/Well Rights
• Electricity Hookups and Agency
• Natural Gas and Gas Resources
• Sewers or Septic Feasibility/Limits
• Percolating Soil
• Flood Plane and Drainage Issues
• Encroachments
• Ongoing Trespass
• Express Easements
• Prescriptive Easements*

* Easements may be claimed even if they are not obvious or included in the documentary chain of title.

The tendency to sieze opportunity may prompt corners to be cut, and issues to be overlooked—but beware of what problems might be lurking in the weeds.

Serving the San Fernando Valley,

Ventura County and Santa Barbara County

How We Will Help You

• Personalized Service by Seasoned Professionals

• Strategies for Business and Non-Profit Organizations

• Corporations, LLCs, Partnerships

• Startups, Ventures, Enterprise Law

• Real Estate, Easements, Disputes

• Construction, Zoning & Permitting

• Contracts, Breach & Fraud

• Non-Profits & Charities, Formation & Operations

Preeminent Rating

Our firm provides personalized guidance, litigation and lawsuit services. We are experienced in formation and the operating aspects of business, real estate and non-profits.

Areas of interest include real estate, land use, permits, entitlements, trespass, quiet title, easements and boundaries. Construction and real estate development are also of particular interest.

Having founded and managed numerous local and regional organizations, we assist our entrepreneurial clients in business formation, operations, and disputes. We have unique experience with non-profits and foundations. Areas also include trademarks, trade secrets, licensing, franchises, intellectual properties and Internet issues.

Accessory Dwelling Units

The New Gold Rush

Flat

Effective January 1, 2017, new laws in the State of California permit the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), or "Granny Flats" as they are commonly known. This means that those who own a home, and have sufficient space in their yard, or accommodating structural area, are able to invest in a second residential unit on their existing premises. As an investment, this could mean several thousand dollars in easy monthly income—a welcome addition to anybody's retirement fund, or even to help defray the exorbitant mortgage payments on today's housing.

Small Lot Subdivisions

City of Los Angeles

Established in 2005 in LAMC Section 12.22-C,27, the Small Lot Ordinance allows for the subdivision of underutilized land in multi-family and commercial areas into fee simple homes. Intended as infill development and a smart-growth alternative to traditional, suburban style single-family subdivisions, small lot homes would have smaller lot areas with compact building footprints and reduced yard setbacks, street frontages, passageways between buildings, and open space. As such, small lot subdivisions create a unique set of design challenges and spatial complexities with regards to massing, height, circulation, and transitional areas from adjacent properties.

Small Lot Design Guidelines provide an opportunity to address these complexities while also promoting the design and creation of small lot housing with neighborhood compatibility for consistency with applicable General and Specific Plans and addressing site organization and urban form, setbacks and building transitions, parking and driveways, building design and materials, and landscaping and access.

Honors & Experience