Business Transactional Work

Services include structuring and closing of business transactions, including private placements, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic alliances, sales, tender offers, leveraged recapitalizations and restructurings; real estate transactions: whether purchase and sale, leasing, or financing and in connection with a wide variety of property types, including office buildings, wineries, industrial buildings, vineyards, agricultural land and mixed-use projects; and drafting and negotiating contracts. Lee, Lawless & Blyth is prepared to handle every facet and detail of a business transaction from the term sheet through closing.
> Attorneys in practice: Richard J. Lee, Maria Lawless, Stan Blyth

Entertainment Law

The practice provides counsel for all phases of film and video production, releases, private placement memoranda, distribution contracts and contracts with crew and cast members. Other entertainment-related services include business formation, registering and protecting copyrights, and preparing title, copyright and fair use reports.
> Attorneys in practice: Richard J. Lee, Justine Jacob

Estate Planning

The essence of our trust and estate practice is helping clients to preserve their personal wealth, while minimizing tax liabilities. Lee, Lawless & Blyth provides advice to individuals, families, and business owners on tax issues relating to wealth preservation and management. Additionally, our expertise includes counseling clients on financial, retirement and personal planning matters, including wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney (durable, limited or general); estate planning and administration; preparation of revocable and irrevocable trust agreements (both domestic and foreign) to hold life insurance, personal residences, and other assets; business continuity planning, charitable giving, preparation of buy-sell agreements for closely-held businesses, and the formation of  family limited partnerships.
> Attorneys in practice: Richard J. Lee, Stan Blyth

“WHAT CAN ESTATE PLANNING DO FOR ME?”

Formation and Operation of Organizations

Services include establishing and operating nonprofit corporations, limited liability companies, corporations, partnerships and limited partnerships. Lee, Lawless & Blyth advises clients regarding how to structure their investment and business entities, including choice of entity advise regarding the appropriateness of C corporations, S corporations, general and limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and limited liability partnerships.  The rules which apply to LLCs, LLPs, partnerships and S corporations are notoriously complex, and the attorneys of Lee, Lawless & Blyth possess extensive experience in this complex area of the law to advise clients regarding alternative structures that will achieve a more tax-favored result, while still attaining their business or personal objectives.
> Attorneys in practice: Richard J. Lee, Maria Lawless, Justine Jacob, Stan Blyth

Intellectual Property

The firm focuses on transactional matters such as contracts, copyrights, trademarks, permissions, licenses and service agreements.
> Attorneys in practice: Richard J. Lee, Justine Jacob, Stan Blyth

Probate Litigation and Elder Abuse Actions

Services include general civil litigation, trust actions, will contests, accounting actions, claims against fiduciaries, conservator and guardian appointments.
> Attorneys in practice: Maria Lawless

General Civil Litigation

Lee, Lawless & Blyth is known for providing high quality litigation services at reasonable rates because of our cost-effective, ethical, and pragmatic approach in resolving client conflicts. Our litigation attorneys are licensed to practice before state, federal and administrative courts in the State of California. Our emphases include real property issues, commercial disputes, including partnership and corporate dissolution issues, business torts, employment disputes, and trust and estate disputes.
> Attorneys in practice: Maria Lawless, Stan Blyth

Tax Controversies

Tax controversies arise in many different forums, from audits to administrative appeals, to trial and appellate courts. Services include representing individuals and businesses in tax controversies, whether at the local, state or federal level, including handling California income, property and sales tax matters. Lee, Lawless & Blyth handles all facets of tax controversies and litigation, having successfully handled audits, fast-track (and standard) Appeals before the Appeals Division of the IRS, and trial and appellate litigation.
> Attorneys in practice: Stan Blyth

Private Equity

Through an extensive knowledge of partnership and limited liability company law, tax, ERISA, securities, investment companies, and current market conditions and trends combined with experience in establishing private equity funds, Lee, Lawless & Blyth has carved out a special niche in the legal community, as the members of our firm are regularly involved in structuring and negotiating the placement of investment funds. We also work with clients from the beginning to establish clear exit strategies, whether by private sale, initial public offering, merger or acquisition.
> Attorneys in practice: Stan Blyth

Venture Capital

Lee, Lawless & Blyth represents emerging growth companies seeking venture capital financing, as well as venture capital fund sponsors regarding investment activities and capital raising. Our expertise makes us an authority in the structuring and closing of venture capital investments. From the structuring of bridge loans through the sophisticated negotiation of later-stage financings, we effectively advise clients to ensure transactions close smoothly and timely.
> Attorneys in practice: Stan Blyth

Bankruptcy

Lee, Lawless & Blyth can assist you in finding a way to resolve overwhelming debt that works best for you. We handle Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 bankruptcies for individuals, small business owners, corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. We also have the experience and knowledge to represent you in bankruptcy-related litigation and appeals. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy, sometimes referred to as "debt liquidation," is a simple and inexpensive way to free you of debt. Filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition will stop creditor harassment and discharge most debts, permanently prohibiting creditors from enforcing claims against you. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you to reorganize debt through a court-authorized payment plan. Filing for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy stops harassment from bill collectors and prevents foreclosure of your home, and allows you to pay creditors over an extended period of time according to a court-approved plan. After approval of a plan, a Chapter 13 debtor makes monthly installments over a three to five year period and all remaining debts are "discharged." A Chapter 13 bankruptcy may also be able to discharge debts which a Chapter 7 bankruptcy cannot discharge. Debtors who have too much disposable income to qualify for a Chapter 7 discharge, or have assets they would lose under Chapter 7, may choose instead to proceed under Chapter 13. Chapter 11 bankruptcies allow businesses and individuals to reorganize debt under a court-authorized repayment plan. The moment a debtor files a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, bill collectors must cease all collection activity and any repossessions or foreclosures must cease.
> Attorneys in practice: Stan Blyth