Business

Corporate Law and Finance

Downey Brand’s corporate attorneys provide counsel from inception through the many unique and multi-faceted stages of business growth. In addition to handling complex business transactions for companies ranging from family-owned businesses to publicly traded companies, our corporate law team often serves as outside general counsel, providing strategic and proactive guidance. Our attorneys understand the lean and nimble assistance required by entrepreneurs and investors with emerging companies and venture capital as well as the specialized requirements of non-profit and tax-exempt organizations.

Our corporate finance attorneys undertake a wide range of public and private finance transactions, both equity and debt, and assist businesses as they grow, restructure, or seek new capital. Downey Brand attorneys also represent financial institutions in the provider side of transactions, as well as assistance through a constantly changing regulatory environment. A benefit of Downey Brand’s comprehensive suite of practices is that should disputes arise, the firm’s litigation team has extensive experience in both prosecution and defense of complex financial matters.

Companies in the region frequently come to Downey Brand to handle mergers and acquisitions, and related transactions, benefitting from the firm’s expertise in working with startups to Fortune 500 corporations.  As a full-service law firm, Downey Brand is able to provide specialized counsel tailored to the unique needs of each client and industry.

For decades, Downey Brand’s bankruptcy attorneys have represented clients in both state law litigation and in bankruptcy courts around the country. They bring a depth of specialized expertise to debtor representation in insolvency-related matters in a wide range of industries and assist companies and individuals with corporate reorganization and restructuring.

Information Technology and Intellectual Property

From IT and procurement agreements to technology licensing and distribution, Downey Brand’s technology group represents clients in the increasingly vital area of information technology transactions. Our privacy and data integrity attorneys assist companies in proactively addressing and minimizing the risk of data loss or breach, as well as managing liability should a breach occur.

Downey Brand’s trademark and copyright practice is well-known in the region for its strength in registering and protecting trademarks and copyrights, both domestically and internationally.  The Firm’s Intellectual Property group represents clients in securing and then protecting their intellectual property, from highly technical software and technology to agribusiness processing. When disputes arise, our specialized intellectual property litigators prosecute and defend claims involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and more.

Employment Counseling and Disability Access

Downey Brand’s employment group assists businesses and public entities as they navigate California’s increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Our attorneys work with clients to manage the critical asset of their employees by developing employee handbooks, training staff, providing guidance on employee discipline and sexual harassment investigations, as well as assistance with FMLA, ADA, OSHA, and the host of other acronym agencies with which employers must comply. When disputes arise, our employment defense litigators are able to join the team for seamless representation. 

Our disability access attorneys work with employers to comply with the complex requirements of the California Disabled Persons Act and the Federal American Disabilities Act (ADA) and other regulations in order to provide equal access to public accommodations for persons with disabilities.

Taxation, Business Succession, and Wealth Transfer

Almost every business transaction or litigation settlement has a tax consequence for companies and/or individuals. Our taxation attorneys assist clients with tax planning as well as representation in administrative and court proceedings before state and federal agencies, appeal boards, and courts.

Our wealth transfer attorneys work in the intersection of business, tax, and estate planning. They counsel and assist clients to identify and clarify their estate goals, and then structure plans to meet those objectives. Downey Brand attorneys help businesses, families, and individuals plan business succession to protect asset transfer as well as the long-term health and viability of the business.

Real Estate, Regulatory Law, and Permitting

Downey Brand’s real estate group assists developers, property owners, and investors with every phase of their real estate projects. Our real estate attorneys have worked on some of the largest and most complex development projects in the area, and can call upon Downey Brand’s extensive natural resources department when projects involve water rights or supply, environmental compliance, and/or land use issues.

In its more than 90 years of legal service in Northern California and beyond, Downey Brand has formed relationships with and earned the respect of agencies that are a part of doing business in California. The Firm’s attorneys regularly represent clients before almost every state agency. Our regulatory law and business permitting attorneys work with companies that are producing goods or services to comply with the dizzying array of permits and regulations, and are on hand to assist when regulators call.

Food and Agriculture

Downey Brand’s food and agriculture group provides an unmatched array of services to one of the most important – and most regulated – industries in California. Our food and ag attorneys have extensive experience in a wide range of highly specialized services as well as corporate legal services with specific expertise unique to the needs of food and agriculture businesses. Our food and ag group is at the forefront of today’s hot-button issues, such as food labeling, agricultural cooperatives, and food safety. Our food and agriculture litigators are actively representing clients in pesticide drift, crop damage, intellectual property, and Proposition 65 disputes.

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