Law Office of Douglas A. Bordner, a Professional Corporation

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A STANDARD COMMERCIAL LEASE? Over the years I have had clients tell me when they are entering into a commercial lease for office space, that they have been told by their broker that it is a Standard Commercial Lease and that they do not need an attorney to review the lease. Although many commercial brokers in California use the AIR Standard Industrial and Commercial Leases which do contain standard terms and conditions found in almost all lease...s, each lease when negotiated has different terms and conditions, and often have addendums attached to and made part of the lease. Just because a lease contains standard conditions according to your broker, does not mean that specific terms and conditions cannot be modified or removed from the lease. An experience real estate attorney will know what terms and conditions can usually be negotiated, as well as what terms and conditions landlords are not usually willing to negotiate on. If you are going to be spending thousands of dollars over the term of the lease, it is a good idea to consider having an attorney review the lease to make sure it says what you have agreed to and that you are protected. If you have questions regarding a commercial lease, need a lease reviewed, or need help negotiating a commercial lease, do not hesitate to call our office. See more

Have you worked hard to develop your business and your business name? Do you have a website to advertise your business? If you do, and you have not trademarked your business name, you may want to consider trademarking your business name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. By having a website and advertising your business over the internet, you may be entitled to trademark protection. If you are interested in protecting your business name, do not hesitate to call me. For over 20 years I have been helping clients trademark and protect their business names.

ARE YOU REALLY SAVING MONEY WHEN YOU USE ONLINE LEGAL SERVICES SUCH AS LEGALZOOM TO FORM A CORPORATION OR LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY? You may save money in forming the entity, but do you know what you are getting? Do you know that you have formed the correct type of entity for your business? Do you know if you have done all of the required paperwork? Have you properly issued stock if you formed a corporation, or properly issued membership interests if you formed a limited... liability company? You will only know this if you consult an attorney first. On numerous occasions I have seen clients that have formed a corporation or limited liability company and not properly issued the stock or membership interests, or not completed the bylaws of operating agreement if an LLC. I have also found on numerous occasions clients who did not know what they were forming and formed the wrong type of entity. There can be major tax ramifications if the wrong business entity is formed. Whenever you are looking at forming a business, you should always consult with an attorney and accountant on the type of entity that you should form for your business. By using online legal services, you may pay less now, but you will in most cases pay more to clean up the paperwork. Attorneys can guide in forming your business so that it is set up properly the first time, See more

Client Allert: Every year a corporation must file a "Statement of Information" with the California Secretary of State listing its officers ad directors. They used to send out the document to fill out and return. Now they only send out a post card. If you have a corporation watch for the post card. If you fail to file this document on time, your corporation can be suspended and fined.

Client Allert: Many of my corporate clients are receiving letters advising them that they must do Board of Director Minutes and Shareholder corporate minutes or face a fine. These notices are from companies that have letterhead "Corporate Compliance Department" or "Annual Business Renewal Center". They make it sound like they are from the State of California, but it is not. Don't let yourself be fooled by these letters. .