PRACTICE AREAS

The attorneys in our law firm have handled a variety of project matters for our clients affecting real estate and land use matters. These projects include real property purchase acquisitions, long-term leases, litigation quieting title when there is a dispute as to inheritance issues and boundary issues, and transferring title in closely held corporations. 

We have represented cities concerned with how neighboring real estate matters will affect residents and handled complex CEQA issues on behalf of the public. As to the latter we were awarded a Sierra Club community service award for our pro bono work in preserving open space in the County of Los Angeles. 

We have also represented conservation groups in creating land conservancies and non profit organizations in creating affordable housing opportunities.

Our law firm has represented numerous clients in complex litigation to arbitration disputes.  Because of Mr. Vera’s prior experience as a civil rights litigator in Federal Court matters, he is qualified to serve as counsel in class action matters and has appeared in ever federal court district in California and argued several cases in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in addition to two successful California Supreme Court cases.

We have handled numerous jury and court trials in matters ranging from employment, to civil rights, to construction disputes, to personal injury cases.  Mr. Vera has also served as a trial teacher for the Legal Services Corporation and taught trial advocacy at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

Some or our representative clients include school districts, cities and counties. We also have handled inverse condemnation cases and eminent domain litigation. 

Our experience in this area is multi-faceted.  We have been asked to prepare and review Executive employment agreements, severance agreements, personnel issues tied to mergers and acquisitions of corporations, and wage and hour compliance issues.   Some of our notable work in this area was serving as lead counsel for Safeway Food Stores in the acquisition of Vons Food Stores as it pertained to the merging of their respective employee associations.

We also assist tax exempt organizations in handling executive compensation issues under IRS rules.

We have broad experience in all aspects of employment litigation, including individual discrimination claims, workplace whistleblower and harassment claims, individual wage and hour litigation, employment contract issues and wrongful discharge lawsuits.  We also have represented employers in fiduciary duty claims, employment tort litigation claims, and hybrid employment/business litigation matters involving covenants-not-to-compete, theft of trade secrets and misappropriation of confidential/proprietary business information.

As result of our experience, our lawyers have handled administrative proceedings before the California Labor Commissioner, California State Personnel Board, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In representing businesses, we help employers achieve and maintain compliance with evolving federal, state and local employment laws such as hiring and disciplinary matters, issues arising under the Family and Medical Leave Act and other leave laws, workplace violence, privacy issues, workforce restructuring and downsizing, and reasonable accommodations for persons who have disabilities.

We handle a select few trust and estate matters for our clients.  This work includes creating estate planning documents for small to medium size estates.  This includes preparation of wills and revocable trusts and advice on charitable giving through donor advised gifts.

In the last few years we have also handled litigation matters for our clients involving family or business disputes as to the proper distribution of trust assets, and elder abuse actions that affect trust and estate distributions.

Our law firm has represented school districts, colleges and universities on a variety of matters.  As to school districts, our attorneys have been engaged on major projects for the Los Angeles Unified School District involving school testing procedures, special education, and consultation regarding governance and education foundations.  We have also represented over fifteen school districts on a variety of economic development and governance issues.

We also have represented colleges and universities including the Glendale Community College District, MiraCosta Community College District, University of La Verne, Claremont Graduate University and the Keck Graduate Institute.  Additionally, Mr. Vera has served as a consultant to the Ford Foundation, the College Board, and the American Association of Colleges on issues pertaining to access to higher education. He is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys Association.

We routinely advise a number of tax exempt organizations including housing corporations, education foundations, retirement communities, colleges and their affiliated foundations, non profit retirement communities, and organizations that provide charitable work in local communities such as local community foundations.

Our work in this area runs the gamut from start-up advice, to qualifying for tax exempt status under 501(c)(3), (c)(4), (c)(5), (c)(6) and (c)(7) tax status.

We have been called upon to handle compliance issues, reorganization, merges of tax exempt entities, prepare donor advised agreement, joint ventures, and dissolution of such entities.

Mr. Vera has served as special counsel to ten cities on matters ranging from eminent domain, to environmental issues, to labor and civil rights issues.