Are you searching for attorneys with proven experience with disputes between San Diego corporate shareholders? How are disputes between shareholders in a corporation resolved in California? What legal alternatives and leverage does a shareholder possess?
Key Takeaways Regarding Disputes Between San Diego Corporate Shareholders:
- California has unique additional laws on the books to protect minority owners and shareholders. Corporate documents such as the bylaws and shareholders agreement, or LLC operating agreement, must be expertly tailored.
- Aggrieved shareholders in California have multiple options to assert their rights, protect their investment, and hold majority interests accountable in order to protect the shareholders’ investment in the company.
- Look for a law firm with extensive experience and a proven track record of success representing shareholders and minority interests in disputes and lawsuits here in San Diego and across California.
Protections for Investors and Minority Shareholders
California law provides additional protections to minority owners and shareholders, but the corporate documents, by-laws and shareholder agreements will contain the ultimate answer to your legal question. The bottom line is you need sound counsel, advice and support to stand up for your interests, and the Watkins Firm is uniquely positioned to provide the experienced insight and legal muscle required to assert and protect your position.
There are several potential alternatives for resolving disputes between San Diego corporate shareholders, and those across the State of California. Our unique approach to litigation is designed to help you to accomplish your objectives in the shortest possible timeframe, and in a cost-effective manner. Business litigation in San Diego will take several months (usually more than a year) and can be quite expensive. Often, effective leveraged negotiation is the best strategy to resolve a dispute between shareholders in a corporation. This is how the Watkins Firm resolves the vast majority of shareholder dispute cases we manage. It is also the fastest and least expensive path to protect your investment and assert your rights as a shareholder.
In some cases mediation or arbitration may provide the type of venue and legal relief that our clients seek. However, there are cases and matters of principle that require the Watkins Firm to bring the case before a Court, and our track record of success at trial provides our clients with confidence and peace of mind.
A derivative lawsuit is another alternative. If you are concerned about the leadership and direction of the corporation, we are able to bring a derivative action on behalf of the corporation against the officers, directors and other shareholders. While any damages which result from a derivative action belong to the corporation itself, a derivative action is a powerful tool to protect the interests of our clients.
Pro-Tip: “We’ve had so many investor or shareholder fights where a company takes a group of friends, or a group of friends who know friends, maybe 30 people to invest in a company and it’ll be doing well, but not great. And the investors, the shareholders won’t be receiving disclosures, or they will be receiving them, but they sort of don’t add up. And then they do an investigation and they come to some law firm like ours and they say, ‘well, let’s, let’s get in there seeing the books and records’ and you get some pushback from the company. And that’s when all the hairs in your neck stand up and you come to the Watkins firm and we file a motion.
And we discover through our due diligence that the company’s doing very good and that they also formed an offshore corporation of the same name. And they’ve taken all the assets and they’re all driving Rolls-Royces. So this has happened more times than I can say, because it just does happen. Nobody fights over anything unless there’s money involved. If it’s just doing okay, they would tell the truth and say, ‘it’s all great.’ But if that big money offer comes in the door and they have a way of, of keeping it for themselves, it’s very tempting for human nature to turn that down.
Obviously not all shareholders need legal advice, but many of them do. When should a potential shareholder seek the advice of the Watkins Firm?
Well, if you’re investing $500, no, but if you’re making a substantial investment in a company, you are a buyer of that company. Are you having trouble getting answers and information from majority interests? Should you be able to access and review the books, but feel like you are being ignored or frozen out? So all the same thought process that we go through when we acquire a company or we sell a company and we do our due diligence should come into play. And law firms have resources that average people don’t. We have computer databases, we can do background searches, we can pull up, or request disclosures. We can actually help you ask certain questions of the corporation. We can literally even hire our CPA to review the financial documents to make sure it adds up.” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner
Successfully Resolving Disputes Between San Diego Corporate Shareholders for More than 38 Years
The Watkins Firm has extensive experience successfully resolving disputes between San Diego corporate shareholders and those throughout the State of California for more than 38 years. The issues in these cases can be quite complex, and the majority of these cases come down to one central concern: money. Your money. If you are involved in disputes between corporate shareholders or are concerned that your position is not being given fair consideration we invite you to review our podcast Episode 14 – Shareholders’ Rights as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today.
Meet Daniel Watkins:
Daniel W. Watkins is a true people person who sincerely listens. He cares deeply about what others are going through. Dan enjoys digging into the facts and finding creative solutions to problems. He contributes his insights candidly and constructively.
Dan’s interest in people make him deeply invested in every relationship and his exuberant personality makes him a true litigator. Dan fights for his clients with a fierce and calculated commitment.
Dan has practiced in the areas of business, medical practices and healthcare business, high tech/science, real estate and employment defense law since 1987. He is a trusted litigation strategist and true trial attorney with over 50 jury and bench trials to his credit. Dan has successfully represented both large companies and individuals and achieved substantial victories in well-publicized trials throughout California and the U.S.
He is experienced in business and corporate formation and administration, as well as all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including binding arbitration and mediation.
THE ROAD TO BECOMING A BUSINESS LAWYER AND LITIGATOR
Dan has almost 40 years of experience working with, for and against some of the largest insurance companies in the country. He has successfully tried and litigated cases in the areas of Healthcare Compliance, Commercial Litigation, Unfair Business Practices, Fraud, Breach of Contract, Battery, Premises Liability, Product Defect, Medical Malpractice, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Construction Defect, as well as Unfair Competition, Defamation, and Trade Secrets.
In December 2003, Dan commenced litigation against Health South Surgery Centers-West, Inc and its’ subsidiaries, exposing the company’s extensive mismanagement and misconduct of its’ surgery centers. Dan has also been asked by some of California’s largest municipalities and corporations to conduct legally required investigations into matters involving alleged employment discrimination and harassment.
