Blog

  1. Protecting Your Trade Secrets in San Francisco

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    If you are a business owner who has a product or service that is different than anyone else, you may have a legally protected “trade secret.” These are the secret sauce that makes your product or service unique and different than anyone else’s in your industry. Officially, a trade secret is legally protected intellectual property that is owned by the business and can include processes of pro…Read More

  2. Retaliation Liability Law for San Francisco Business Owners

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    As a business owner, you must ensure that your workplace is free from any discrimination or harassment. Employees have the right to work in a safe environment, and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits workplace harassment and discrimination of employees based several factors including race, religion, and sex. California law clearly states that employees have the right to…Read More

  3. Fiduciary Duty of a San Francisco Entrepreneur

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    Fiduciary duty is the relationship between two parties and the obligation of one to act in the interest of another. Knowing your fiduciary duties to others and under what circumstances you could breach that duty is important for any of your current and future business transactions.  Entrepreneurship in San Francisco can be exciting and challenging, and keeping up with all the complex laws can be …Read More

  4. How to Avoid the Greatest Legal Risks of Financing Your Startup

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    You’ve got a great idea and a dream. You’re ready to start your new business. But before you can reach the sky, you need the funds to get off the ground. Raising money is one of the biggest and most common hurdles that entrepreneurs face. In fact, a huge number of businesses rely on “bootstrapping”—using the founder’s savings to get started. In many cases, this money can only go so far…Read More

  5. NDAs – What They Are and Why You Might Want One

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    Have you ever watched a show like Shark Tank and thought to yourself, “I thought of that (product/process/etc.) years ago! Why does this guy get to profit from it?” The answer to that may be a patent, but more likely, it’s because of a Non-Disclosure Agreement. You may have come up with that idea years ago, but if you talked about it with friends while out to dinner, there isn’t anything s…Read More

  6. 3 Steps To Entering Into Vendor Contracts

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    For many businesses, working with contract attorneys is an afterthought. Worse yet, many small business owners make the mistake of believing that legal advice is something one must wait until after a certain level of scale has been reached to implement, and this is just untrue. By partnering with an experienced contract attorney often and early through the formation or expansion of your business, …Read More

  7. Types of Business Contracts

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    Whether you are starting a new business or thinking of altering the one you already have, the contracts you use are of vital importance for shaping your business. Because these legal documents can have a major impact on your business and your livelihood, it’s imperative that you know which will best fit your needs General Business Contracts This subset of business contracts is the group that wil…Read More

  8. When To Call Your Lawyer

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    We’ve all seen the TV shows that show alleged criminals in handcuffs demanding to speak to their lawyer. Of course, the business world is exciting in entirely different ways from imaginary crime shows; therefore, it may be less clear in the general day-to-day shuffle of things as to when you should get your business attorney involved. Times You Will Need Your Business Attorney As a business owne…Read More

  9. Founder disputes

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    When you first sit down with your business partners to come up with your business plan, everything is typically rosy. Like any relationship, the story usually begins with the joy and excitement over creating a new business. But, like any relationship, it takes two to tango. Eventually, every team will run into disagreements or differing opinions on how best to grow the business. Some teams will be…Read More

  10. Choosing a Name for your Corporation

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    The first step in preparing to set up a corporation is choosing a name for your company It is important that the name is not the same or deceptively similar to another already existing company’s name. The California Secretary of State (SOS) will not grant a name reservation if your company name is not distinguishable from an already existing company. Names that may mislead the public – for exa…Read More