Business Lawyers Real Estate Attorneys Creditors Rights Poniatowski

Poniatowski Leding Parikh Law Corporation Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary

We are proud to be celebrating thirty years of serving as legal advisors to businesses and individuals in Alameda County and Northern California.

Thirty Years of Handling Client Legal Matters in Northern California

Castro Valley Business Lawyer, Pleasanton Landlord lawyer, real estate attorneyFrom the day we opened our doors in a small office in Castro Valley dedicated to business law and real estate law, our mission has been to provide prompt, quality, results oriented representation and practical advice to our clients. We are proud to have stayed true to this objective over these three busy, challenging decades. Continue reading

commercial lease negotiation agreement terms Ponlaw

Seven Key Commercial Lease Terms to Examine Before Signing

When negotiating a commercial lease, every clause in the agreement must be examined to see how it defines your rights and responsibilities as a tenant, and the rights and responsibilities of the landlord. Here are some of the many common lease terms you should look for that corporate real estate tenants need to negotiate:

Clearly Defined Premises

Many leases do not clearly describe what you are renting. Your lease should clearly define your space, its size, and whether the size is on a rentable or usable basis. If your lease refers only to your usable space, get an explanation regarding the difference and include that language in the contract. Continue reading

Contract Terms Statute of Limitations Poniatowski Leding Parikh

The Statute of Limitations on a Contract May Be Different Than You Think

Most business and real estate attorneys assume that the statute of limitations on an oral contract is two years, and on a written contract is 4 years. These are boilerplate assumptions that can trap a businessperson or a landlord; they do not always hold true once we delve into the specifics of a case. Continue reading

Commercial Lease Negotiation Client PLP Law

There is No Such Thing as Boilerplate Language in Commercial Real Estate Agreements

As we start work in 2019 in earnest, the commercial leasing market remains very active. We find ourselves representing a number of commercial landlords and tenants in connection with long-term commercial leases.  One area in which we are adding great value is in the examination of “boilerplate language” within a proposed agreement that actually needs customization to protect our clients’ interests.

Great Commercial Lease Agreements Contain No Boilerplate

Most recently we represented a well-established auto body shop that sold its business to a national auto body and collision repair chain. As part of that transaction, the new owners leased the building that our client, the seller, owned to become the client’s tenant.  Continue reading

Open Credit to Foreign Corporations legal issues

Extending Credit Terms to Out-of-State Corporations

We are often asked by credit managers in California if there are any additional credit approval criteria to consider when a proposed customer and credit applicant is an out-of-state (“foreign”) corporation. While each case is fact-specific, there are some general factors for credit managers to consider that uniquely apply to extending open account credit terms to foreign corporations doing business in California.

Working with Foreign Corporations in California

The first step is to confirm that the corporation has registered with the California Secretary of State as a foreign corporation doing business in California. Continue reading

How hold title real estate property

How You Hold Title to Real Estate Property Has Legal and Tax Consequences

The method you choose for holding title on your real estate property in California can have unexpected legal and tax consequences, especially years from now when death or disagreement brings change to the relationship between the co-owners.

Given these distant, hard-to-imagine impacts, choosing how title is vested by the co-owners is often an afterthought (or even overlooked)! But the consequences of improper vesting can be devastating. Typically, problems do not arise until many years after the recording of the grant deed that includes the improper vesting. Then, the improper vesting suddenly becomes a problem upon the attempted sale or refinancing of the property, or upon the death or dissolution of marriage of one (or more) of the owners.

The method of holding title is particularly important in partnership and co-ownership situations to make sure that the business agreement of the partners or co-owners is enforceable.  Continue reading

Women Divorce Lawyer Parikh Leding

Why Would Women Facing Divorce Prefer a Woman as Their Lawyer?

When you decide that you must pursue a divorce, the best first step is to hire an attorney to represent you. Selecting an attorney is harder than most people think, though, because you want to work with a lawyer that treats you and your case effectively and respectfully. There has to be a great deal of trust between you, and a comfort level in your day-to-day working relationship, as you will be working closely with your lawyer for many months and sharing very personal information.

This may be why women make up a higher percentage of attorneys in family law practices than in other areas of the law. Given that most divorces still involve a man and a woman, the desire for many women to work with a lawyer of the same gender creates a natural demand for women attorneys in this practice area. Continue reading

Poniatowski Leding Parikh Family Law Practice

PLP Law Corp. Establishes Family Law Practice Group

Poniatowski Leding Parikh Law Corporation announces the formation of its Family Law Practice Group.  Beginning July 1, 2018 PLP Law Corp. now offers representation, counseling and advice across the full spectrum of Family Law matters, such as:

  • Dissolution, Legal Separation and Annulment
  • Parentage Rights
  • Child Custody and Visitation
  • Child Support
  • Spousal Support
  • Property Division
  • Premarital Agreements
  • Stepparent and Domestic Partner Adoptions
  • Independent Adoptions

Continue reading

Meera Parikh Serving as Family Law Legal Advisor for Low Income Families

Parikh community service family law legal services

Poniatowski Leding Parikh partner Meera Parikh worked with the staff of the non-profit All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. for a year in a pro-bono capacity. We were pleased to have been able to support the work of this clinic, based in Castro Valley, serving low-income families in Alameda County and the wider Bay Area.

The Non-Profit offers Legal Services
to Low-Income Families in Alameda County

The clinic is a non-profit, public benefit corporation which is dedicated to providing low-cost legal assistance to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer privately. It charges for its services at a reduced rate, with the fee for legal aid calculated on the client’s ability to pay. Continue reading

Written Co-Ownership Agreement Poniatowski Leding Parikh

The Risks of Co-Ownership Agreements

Co-ownership of properties is a very common financial arrangement in real estate. With two or more persons involved in a purchase, their combined buying power can expand the number of properties that they can pursue. One party involved may also provide a higher credit score or more substantial assets that could win better loan terms.

Co-ownership lowers the business risk for both partners because it becomes a shared risk, rather than one which must be borne by a single person. However, these are long-term business relationships (even those between family members), and time can change the motivations of the people involved. Indeed, one partner may decide they wish to exit, and has the legal right to do so (more on that below.) Much can go wrong in a co-ownership partnership, if the possibility of these future issues arising is not accounted for in the initial partnership agreement.

How co-ownership can become problematic  Continue reading