Are you searching for San Diego and California corporate attorneys?  The Watkins Firm brings 40+ years of experience, providing a broad range of corporate legal services.

Key Takeaways of What to Look For in San Diego and California Corporate Attorneys:

• California is one of the most challenging states in which to be a company, and the most complex and litigious state in which to be an employer.
• Your corporate attorney should offer a broad palette of services to cover every aspect of corporate life, from business formation through mergers and acquisitions, and ultimately dissolution.
• An effective corporate attorney must be able to protect the corporate veil, and resolve any dispute or lawsuit that threatens your corporate entity.

California is the The Most Challenging State in Which to be an Employer, and One of the Most Heavily Regulated in Which to Operate as a Corporation

California is one of the most challenging states in the Union in which to conduct business, and absolutely the most regulated and litigious state in which to be an employer.  Watkins Firm contributes 40+ years as experienced California corporate attorneys, based in San Diego who provide sound counsel to protect and grow your business.  As your corporate attorneys, the Watkins Firm will be a valuable business partner in every stage of your corporation’s operations including, but not limited to:

• Corporate formation
• Selection of the best corporate entity (LLC, S-Corporation, C-Corporation, California Professional Corporation or PC, Management Services Organization or MSO)
• Corporate governance
• Bringing in new investors
• Mergers and acquisitions (Asset Purchase, Stock Purchase)
• Business disputes and business litigation
• The sale of your position as a shareholder or the sale of a corporation
• Corporate dissolution

Protecting the Corporate Veil

One of the primary reasons for your corporation to work with the San Diego and California corporate attorneys at Watkins Firm is the protection provided by the corporate veil.  The corporate veil separates the owners of the company (personally) from the debts and liabilities of the corporation itself.  The shareholders, corporate executives and the Board of Directors each have substantial responsibilities associated with corporate compliance as well as conducting annual meetings, corporate meetings, board meetings and maintaining accurate corporate books and records.

The experienced corporate attorneys in San Diego help you to manage every aspect of your corporation from formation to merger or acquisition or dissolution.  Compliance with all federal, state and local laws and regulations is required to preserve the corporate veil and the viability of the corporation itself.  The company and its representatives must conduct themselves according to a high standard of legal obligations including, but not limited to compliance with OSHA, Sarbanes-Oxley, securities regulations as well as employment notices and wage and hour laws.  California is the most challenging state in which to be an employer.  The Watkins Firm provides expert employer defense in any dispute or lawsuit, and works with our clients to develop and implement strategies to prevent employment disputes and lawsuits from ever having an opportunity to develop.

We represent clients and work to quickly and efficiently resolve all disputes and lawsuits, including negotiations, the filing or defense of a lawsuit, settlement conferences, mediation, arbitration, and at trial.

Pro-Tip: “So why are the shareholders agreement and bylaws such critical documents?  Nobody fights unless there’s money to be made or lost. And if you have an agreement that identifies what everybody’s rights and obligations are ahead of time, then you won’t have a fight because everybody will know, but if there’s no agreement, then you’re going on people’s understanding. And when money is involved, emotions are involved and they’re understanding changes to fit what they want. Right. But if there’s an agreement there, that’s already covered all these, what ifs, then their emotions won’t run wild and they’ll realize they’ll be bound by what they agreed to before. And so you’ll end up without a big dispute.

We have an extensive, proprietary library of contracts, and we ensure they are updated to reflect changes in the law every month. And then we also have templates that we input into agreements based on different factual circumstances.  So once we get the entire picture of the corporation and it’s individual transactional needs, and we get into the details, that’s when we draft things up to uniquely fit the client and their business at hand.

Contracts determine how much you pay for materials and labor and everything else. And also contracts determine how much you charge and how much you can collect. If you don’t have an understanding and detailed description of what you’re going to pay other people and what you’re going to get paid written down and thought about, you’re going to have a much greater challenge running your corporation.

We’ve had individual corporate clients for decades. And when our clients do well, our attorneys feel like they’re doing well outside of whether they’re getting paid a whole bunch of money or not or fees or anything. We have long term clients. And our attorneys really feel good when things turn out for them because a, on the litigation side, they go through stress and we go through stress. And when we resolve a dispute and our clients are happy, we’re happy. And we’re relieved transactions. Our clients have owned their company for years and years and years, and they want to sell it. They believe they have a good deal on the table and we want to do everything we can to make sure that goes smoothly. And our client gets all of their benefits of the bargain, everything they wanted. We want to do our best to make sure they get that. And if it happens and they’re happy, then we are proud. We’re very proud and we’re happy for them. So this combined knowing someone for 30+ years, their highs and lows, their difficult times, their good times, you can imagine, you really feel a bond for your clients.

Real corporations have general counsel that they can call on, and they usually call on them in advance before trouble happens to avoid trouble, and they utilize that council with a team of other professionals to make sure that they’re doing everything in the most proficient and profitable manner as possible. If you’re a California corporation, and you are trying to do everything right in the best way you can for your company, you’re going to have general counsel. You probably already do, and that attorney or couple of attorneys or law firm will advise you on things that have to do with your business, your field specifically, and in general.

We have transactions and litigation attorneys. We have experience from both sides of the aisle. We have the deal makers and we have the “watch out; Don’t do that; You can get sued” lawyers! And we all work together so we all can spot the same issues and provide good advice. And that’s what every business owner needs. It’s the least expensive form of insurance you can buy. We just know you have a business relationship with your business lawyer who knows you and you got a problem, shoot them an email and they get an answer. And that’s why it’s so much less expensive than not. And then having trouble and having people try to get in and undo mistakes that you might’ve made because you’re not an attorney or you don’t generally practice this’s kind of law. That’s why we like the whole business relationship thing. And you’ll sleep better at night knowing when you have one. When you have a Watkins Firm attorney behind you, many of our clients believe its one of the best business decisions they’ve ever made.” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner

Are You Searching for Experienced San Diego and California Corporate Attorneys?

The Watkins Firm are experienced San Diego and California corporate attorneys who provide sound advice and counsel and a broad, comprehensive range of legal services to serve your corporation.  We have 40+ years of experience serving the business, science and tech, real estate and medical / healthcare communities here in San Diego and across California.  We work to protect our clients and employers against business disputes, lawsuits and litigation and to quickly and efficiently resolve these challenges should they arise.

We invite you to review our podcast Episode 10 – The Importance of a Strong Corporate Attorney as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today. Learn more about the corporate general counsel and supporting legal services we provide to ensure the success and growth of your corporation.

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.