Commercial Lease Tips for the Business Owner (the unrequited lease)
Here is an overview of some common issues that arise when a
small (or any) business owner negotiates with a landlord over a lease
agreement. Routinely, landlords write
leases and tenants sign them without negotiating, changing language, or having
their attorneys read over them. Having
an attorney spend a half hour reading a lease can save you tens of thousands of
dollars in losses down the road. Keep in
mind as you read that this is a negotiation and some landlords may not be
willing to budge on some of these issues.
The idea is not to have the upper hand, but for things to be fair
between the parties. Most leases are
written by landlords and are pretty slanted in their favor. Here are some common commercial lease snafus
and how to deal with them.
- Exclusivity
Almost every commercial lease has an exclusivity
clause. However, these clauses are rarely,
if ever, mutual. You move into a retail
shopping center. You operate a smoothie
business. There is a CVS drug store in
the center. You sign a covenant “Not to
compete with, sell, display, or sublease to any business selling or displaying
health, beauty, vitamins, dietary supplements, prescription drugs, or over the
counter drugs.” Sounds fair, right? The problem is that most exclusivity clauses
protect the “Anchor” tenant, but fail to give you protection.
An acquaintance recently ran into this problem. He agreed not to compete with any retail
business currently in place at the date of his lease agreement. However, the covenant was not mutual. The landlord never promised not to lease
space to another tenant competing with him.
A competing smoothie business moved in two doors down from him. Did he have any recourse? Probably not.
He may have a breach of good faith and fair dealing claim, but that’s
tenuous as best.
Make the feeling mutual.
Something like:
“Tenant, and any successor,
assignee, or sublessor covenants not to compete with any other business
occupying the premises, while Landlord covenants not to allow the operation of
any business that would compete with tenant, successor, assignee or sublessor
operating a _______ business.”
- Commencement Date
So many leases set commencement upon, “Substantial
completion of tenant improvements.” What
does that mean? What are
substantial? Which tenant
improvements? Avoid ambiguous language. Set guide-posts that are concrete and in your
control. Lease commences upon grant of
certificate of occupancy? Lease
commences upon clearance with Department of Health? Lease commences upon completion of flooring,
signage, and certificate of occupancy?
Give the commencement date clause something to hang a hat on. Make sure that you don’t pay rent until
improvements are complete—or that rent is reduced at a calculable rate.
- Operating Expenses
Most commercial leases require tenants to pay a percentage
of operating expenses. Many times this is
called “Additional Rent.” Review the
expenses that the landlord will pass on and make sure that they are reasonable
and directly related to the building’s operations. Certain costs should not be passed on to the
tenant. Determine whether the allocation
of expenses is based upon a fully occupied building or, if not, that they are
properly adjusted. You may want to
negotiate a cap on “Additional Rent/Operating Expenses.”
- Common Area Maintenance Charges
Yes, there is rent, additional rent, and now common area
maintenance fees. Sure you want to be a
tenant? Common area maintenance charges (CAM)
are similar to “Additional Rent” except it commonly covers items such as
security costs, painting, maintenance of common areas, etc. You need to review records to determine what CAM
charges are been historically and whether or not they are based on full
occupation or adjusted. If a number of
tenants move out, you don’t want to be stuck with the whole CAM bill. Similar to operating expenses, it’s advisable
to negotiate a cap on CAM charges.
- Attorney Fees
Almost any lease contract is going to mention attorney
fees. Don’t get too hung up on it. California Civil Code 1717 ensures that any
contract provision about attorney fees has to be reciprocal even if it doesn’t
say so. That’s great. However, lawyers have become savvy and write
clauses like, “Any attorney fees or costs incurred in collecting rent or
commissions are payable by the losing party.”
Uh oh. Even if § 1717 demands reciprocal
fees, the clause only applies to actions regarding the collection of rent or
commissions. Tenants are not going to be
collecting rent or commissions, landlords are.
So, although § 1717 demands that if a tenant sues the landlord in an
action regarding commissions, they can also get attorneys fees—the chances are
they would sue about something other than the collection of commissions or rent. Make sure that any attorney fee provision is as
broad or narrow as you want it to be.
Like, “Any costs or attorney fees that arise from this contract
or its enforcement are payable by the losing party.”
- Use Restrictions (and subleases)
Use restrictions are common and are another means of
creating exclusivity. That’s well and
good, but they may be extremely restrictive and prevent subleasing. Common use restrictions sound like, “the
premises may be used for the operation of a retail shoe store and for no other
purpose without the prior written consent of the landlord.” You may want to negotiate a broader clause
like, “the premises may only be used for operations of any lawful retail
business,” or “any lawful professional business practice.” The less restrictive, the greater chance you
will have of subleasing if you have to in the future.
- Recapture/Relocation
Most tenants have trouble understanding recapture. That’s because its economically
ludicrous. Here you have promised to pay
rent, completed improvements on the lease space, for some reason you inquire
about assignment or subleasing and the landlord comes and pulls the rug out
from underneath you, kicking you out.
Permitted? Yes, if there is a
recapture provision. Common recapture
provisions sound like:
“Landlord retains the right of
termination and recapture upon tenant’s inquiry into assignment or sublease or
any other event that gives Landlord reason to believe that due performance will
be impaired.”
The point is that they don’t want you subleasing for a rate
lower than the lease amount. Having a
below-par tenant brings down the value of the property or makes the
anchor-tenant nervous. That makes
sense. That’s why there is probably a
clause that requires any sublease to be commercially reasonable. But, holy cow. Under the language above, if you simply ask
whether or not you can assign the lease to an affiliate-- they can terminate
the lease. Make sure there is no
recapture provision.
- Exit Strategies: Vacancies, Retail Mix, and More
Have an exit strategy.
What happens when operating expenses and/or common area maintenance
charges exceed what is reasonable for your bottom line? What happens with the anchor-tenant leaves
and you are leasing space in a dead retail shopping center? We have all seen those shopping centers where
there is one lonely video rental store and ten empty units with weeds growing
in the parking lot. Have a clause that
allows termination electable by tenant upon certain events. It can sound something like the following:
“Landlord agrees that tenant and
any successors in interest may terminate this lease without penalty if any one of
the following events occur:
i.
Retail occupancy falls below 65%;
ii.
The Anchor-tenant Ralphs Supermarket terminates
or otherwise fails to occupy retail space within the complex;
iii.
Combined monthly Common Area Maintenance fees
and monthly Additional Rent equate more that 33% of monthly lease rental
payments;
iv.
Landlord fails to accept a commercially
reasonable assignment or sublease;
v.
Landlord leases space to another business who
competes with tenant named on this lease or any successor in interest in a
similar line of business.
vi.
The Retail Mix of the complex is significantly
altered from the Mix at the commencement of the lease. Significant alteration is defined as a change
of more than 25% in any given business category. At the date of this agreement, the Retail Mix
of the complex is 50% professional, 40% consumer retail, 10% industrial.”
Sanctions, Sanctions, Sanctions! (Family code 271)
All too often in family law parties stonewall one
another. They make frivolous requests. They inundate the other side with faxes,
emails, messages, letters, useless interrogatories, and more. They refuse to accept a very reasonable
settlement offer.
What can a poor spouse do, but go to trial or cave and take
a low-ball settlement offer? Family Code
§ 271 is here to help. Basically, § 271
says that if the other side doesn’t play ball or doesn’t play nice the court
can make them pay the other side's attorney fees. Awesome.
It applies even if the paying spouse doesn’t have a lawyer
themselves. Here is the text of § 271:
(a) Notwithstanding any other
provision of this code, the court may base an award of attorney's fees and
costs on the extent to which the conduct of each party or attorney furthers or
frustrates the policy of the law to promote settlement of litigation
and, where possible, to reduce the cost of litigation by encouraging cooperation
between the parties and attorneys.
So,
remember to play nice, or else you be paying for your ex’s legal fees.
Domestic Partnership Summary Termination (Cheaper than divorce with a 6 month rescission period)
California changed domestic
partnership law drastically in 2005.
Many code sections related to domestic partnership were revised, including
the one regarding terminating domestic partnerships. Post-2005 there are two tracks that domestic
partners can take when they want to “divorce” one another. If they qualify and want to, they can
participate in summary termination procedures.
Track One: Summary termination procedures are free to file, there are no
hearings, and it’s relatively easy (yes people—you are getting jealous). Track Two:
Full judicial dissolution of the domestic partnership in a process that
mirrors dissolution of marriage in almost every way (more complicated, more
expensive, more time consuming).
Do I Qualify For Summary
Termination?
Under Family Code § 299, there is
a list of requirements to summarily terminate a domestic partnership. They are incredibly similar to Family Code §
2400, which covers summary dissolution of marriage. Here are the qualifications set out in § 299:
1.
Both Parties Agree;
2.
Neither Party Wants Spousal Support (yes you can
get spousal support as domestic partners);
3.
The Length of the Partnership Was Under 5 years;
4.
Neither Party Owns Real Property or a Lease On
Property Greater Than 1 year;
5.
The Community as a Whole Doesn’t have more than
$4,000 in debt (not counting automobiles);
6.
The Community Doesn’t have more than $25,000 in
assets(not counting automobiles);
7.
The Parties have signed a community property
settlement agreement;
8.
Neither party is pregnant;
9.
Neither party had a child during the
partnership; AND
10.
Neither party adopted a child during the
partnership.
What Next?
If you qualify and have a written
agreement, then you file a simple form with the Secretary of State’s Office. However, and this is a big however: either
party can cancel within 6 months before the summary termination is effective
(it’s like a 6-month rescission period).
That’s right. Five months and 29
days later one of the parties can file a Revocation of Termination with the
Secretary of State. Then it’s off to
court to have the partnership dissolved just like a marriage.
What’s The Big Deal?
The big deal is that California is
making domestic partnership more and more similar to marriage. Now, Federal law hasn’t quite caught up yet,
so the tax and medical benefits aren’t necessarily there yet. So now domestic partners get the protections
offered by the California Family Code (like custody and support provisions),
but at the end of the relationship-- a pair of partners might be looking at a
divorce process very similar to a married couple.
Fatty liver, discrete trial training, salvaged cars, and tattoos (New state laws starting July 1, 2012)
California state laws always start in January or July. This year’s laws going into effect the other
day on July 1 are a strange mix. If you
ever wondered what your state assemblymen were talking about in the green
carpeted hall (that really is some ugly carpeting) in Sacramento—its foie gras, autism, tattoos, and bullying. Of the new laws, I think the bullying law is
my favorite, in that it expands the definition of bullying to include online
behavior. I think there is probably more
bullying on facebook than on the school bus these days.
- SB1520 bans the sale of foie gras, duck or goose liver that has been fattened by force feeding the animals with tubes shoved down their gullets (I don't care how gourmet it is or how depressed your resident gastronome is, foie gras is cruel and wrong);
- AB1215 requires used car dealers to put bright red stickers labeling salvaged or junked cars;
- AB300 requires tattoo artists to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B, get basic first aid training, and follow statewide standards on sanitation (about time!);
- AB1156 provides training for school employees on bullying prevention and expands the definition of bullying to include posting material on social media websites; and
- SB946 requires health insurance carriers to cover behavioral therapy for those with autism, such as discrete trial training, which can be very costly when paid out-of-pocket.
Triple threat (tenants rejoice and landlords beware!)
It's a classic story. You lease an apartment. Everything is wonderful. You move out and are supposed to get your deposit in the mail. What you get back wouldn't buy you a large popcorn in the movie theater. Accompanying your measly check is an ambiguously worded explanation and a checklist which includes: paint, carpet, carpet padding, cleaning fee, processing, supplies, etc. The place looked spotless or at least copacetic when you left it.
They have your money. They have a team of lawyers. You have a check worth a large popcorn, need the deposit for a new apartment and are up a creek without a paddle. What is a tenant to do? Guess what? California Civil Code Section 1950.5 comes to the rescue! It's a triple threat!
Section 1950.5 says that if your landlord in bad faith retains your deposit, you can be awarded statutory damages equal to twice the deposit amount, in addition to whatever real damages are awarded. That means if your real damages are the full deposit, you can be awarded up to three times the deposit amount in all. Pretty awesome huh?
So next time you get that B.S. list of new paint and carpet don't cash that check! File a breach of contract suit and ask for real and statutory damages under Section 1950.5. It might buy a whole lot more than popcorn.
They have your money. They have a team of lawyers. You have a check worth a large popcorn, need the deposit for a new apartment and are up a creek without a paddle. What is a tenant to do? Guess what? California Civil Code Section 1950.5 comes to the rescue! It's a triple threat!
Section 1950.5 says that if your landlord in bad faith retains your deposit, you can be awarded statutory damages equal to twice the deposit amount, in addition to whatever real damages are awarded. That means if your real damages are the full deposit, you can be awarded up to three times the deposit amount in all. Pretty awesome huh?
So next time you get that B.S. list of new paint and carpet don't cash that check! File a breach of contract suit and ask for real and statutory damages under Section 1950.5. It might buy a whole lot more than popcorn.
Writs of execution (sounds like $$$$)
I was recently asked online whether or not someone's former spouse could, in his words, "attack my damn pension" because of spousal support arrears. Many times payee spouses (those who are supposed to be receiving support) feel like there is nothing they can do when the other spouse fails to pay. They feel powerless.
That is why we have the writ of execution and wage garnishment. Under California Family Code Section 5100 et seq. the payee can get a writ of execution against the other party's property and have the sheriff collect it for them. In addition, section 5103 goes on to specifically include employee benefit plans such as 401k plans. Cars, bank accounts, boats, 401k's, etc. are all fair game. One limit is a hardship exception, but that exception does not usually apply.
In addition to writs of execution, spouses can garnish future wages. Now, wage garnishment is subject to Federal limitations. The lesser of the following can be garnished.
Now, your former spouse may sell their car, hide the cash under the mattress, get an illegitimate cash under-the-table job, not own a boat, or a retirement plan and avoid any susceptibility to your collection efforts. But here's hoping they didn't read this blogpost. If they are hiding everything at least you get to enjoy the fact that you are making them live life on the run.
That is why we have the writ of execution and wage garnishment. Under California Family Code Section 5100 et seq. the payee can get a writ of execution against the other party's property and have the sheriff collect it for them. In addition, section 5103 goes on to specifically include employee benefit plans such as 401k plans. Cars, bank accounts, boats, 401k's, etc. are all fair game. One limit is a hardship exception, but that exception does not usually apply.
In addition to writs of execution, spouses can garnish future wages. Now, wage garnishment is subject to Federal limitations. The lesser of the following can be garnished.
- The amount by which a debtor’s weekly income is greater than 30 times the minimum wage. The current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, making the 30 hour weekly total $217.50. This leaves the debtor with something to live on, though it clearly can be less than is needed to meet minimum obligations.
- 25% of disposable income. Disposable income is defined as the income that is left after all legally required deductions are taken from a person’s paycheck. This include Federal and State Taxes, FICA, State Unemployment and Disability Taxes , with “disposable income” defined as income left after legally required deductions from a person’s paycheck, such as FICA. Other obligations, such as voluntary contributions to retirement accounts, deductions for medical, dental or vision insurance, or contribution to a Medical Savings Account are not exempt and will be considered part of the disposable income.
Now, your former spouse may sell their car, hide the cash under the mattress, get an illegitimate cash under-the-table job, not own a boat, or a retirement plan and avoid any susceptibility to your collection efforts. But here's hoping they didn't read this blogpost. If they are hiding everything at least you get to enjoy the fact that you are making them live life on the run.
The SUV tax loophole (let’s just write the whole thing off)
The internal revenue code allows business to deduct the
expense of vehicles, but puts restrictions (a cap) on the total amount
businesses can deduct. The idea was that
dentists and lawyers (those damn lawyers) were buying luxury cars, and then
writing off the cost as expense and depreciation deductions. Congress changed the code (26 U.S.C. §280F)
to limit deductions taken for vehicle expenses.
The code section limits deductions to around $12,000 total spread out
over the life of the vehicle. However,
the limitation only applies to passenger vehicles. The code goes on to define passenger vehicles
(see § 280F (d)(5)) as any vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds or less. Uh oh.
So, if you want to depreciate the entire cost of your
vehicle it is not going to happen if you buy a Prius. However, if you choose to buy a tank to
deliver flowers in—well then by all means, please depreciate the whole
thing. I would love to drive to the
courthouse in a Marauder
myself. The intent of this exception was
to allow farmers and construction workers to depreciate their necessary expenses. The result is that small business owners have
a huge incentive to buy gigantic SUVs.
The auto industry knows about the tax loophole and designs
most of their SUV’s to be 6,000 pounds or greater. You can even find helpful lists
online of cars you can choose from in this weight category. I can image the meeting in Detroit where General
Motors executives say, “Why do these hippies want us to make the Navigator
smaller? Don’t they realize they will
lose their tax benefits? Let’s make a
smaller one for people who don’t own a small business and we’ll call it the
Aviator!” Most car companies now sell a
6,000+ pound version and a smaller than 6,000 pound version of the same
car. The BMW x5 (tank), x3 (not a tank);
the Dodge Traverse (tank) Nitro (not a tank); the Lincoln Navigator (tank), the
Aviator (not a tank); the Nissan Armada (tank), the Nissan Rogue (not a tank),
etc.
California tried to eliminate this tax loophole in 2004 with
Assembly Bill 848. The bill failed
miserably as noted in the press release
here. So, carry on my fellow
Californians. Buy solar panels for your
home and business. Use tax money to
invest in renewable energy. Institute a
cash for clunkers program to get those SUVs off the road! Then buy tanks for your business so that you just
call write the whole thing off.
You can’t have a key to my place and I don’t want that promotion (Status quo or else my ex will file an OSC)
As dreary as
economics have been in recent times, one benefit derived from the “Great
Recession” has been an increase in labor mobility. Labor mobility—geographic and occupational,
describe the ebb and flow of workers from place to place and job to job. If all workers in the United States stayed in
the same area and at the same job, there would be little growth. When workers move around and change locations
and jobs it increases competition and stimulates the economy. So, what the heck does this have to do with
family law?
The spousal support scheme in California (and many other states)
dictates that support will remain the same unless there is a material change in
circumstances. In re Marriage of Terry, (2000) 80 Cal.App.4th 921, 928. A material change in circumstances includes
anything effecting the payee’s spouse’s needs or the ability of the payor
spouse to pay, including pay increases.
So, if the payor spouse changes jobs, gets a raise, etc. then there has
been a material change in circumstances.
In addition, spousal support stops when the payee spouse
remarries. Although the public policy of
California is to support marriage, the law has the perverse effect of creating
a disincentive to remarry since payee spouses may be cut-off from support once
they remarry. In fact under California
Family Code § 4323, they may even see a reduction in support if they have a
cohabitant living with them. Under
§4323, once a payee spouse has a cohabitant living with them, there is a
rebuttable presumption of a decreased need for support since their cohabitant
should help shoulder some of the expenses.
So, although there are valid reasons for changing spousal support
upon changes in circumstances, terminating support upon remarriage, and reducing
support upon evidence of cohabitation, all of these policies create
disincentives to participate in both the economic and social marketplace.
The Tax Ramifications of Divorce (buy a car in december, get divorced in january)
During the
tumultuous end of a marriage, spouses seek counsel from therapists, friends,
family, and ministers. Few spouses think of asking their CPA about their
divorce. Divorce has several tax consequences. I recently spoke
with a man who received a $40,000 tax bill following his divorce (ouch) at the
same time he started paying spousal and child support. So, what are the
tax ramifications of divorce?
- January is a Beautiful Month for New Beginnings (and divorce)
When you marry, the IRS gives you this great new
deduction. Few people think about the flip-side of that deduction at the
end of marriage. The IRS doesn’t care if you were married for part of a
year—they only grant you the deduction for being married if you are married the
entire year. The significant date is the finalization of the
divorce. The problem with that date is that it is somewhat hard to
predict. In California, divorces become final six months after judgment.
However, especially when issues are contested it can be
uncertain when things will get finalized. The worst thing that can happen
is that a spouse claims their dependent spouse all year long, a divorce is
finalized in December, and come April that spouse gets a big tax bill.
Attorneys can help their clients by working slowing or expediting the process
to help avoid finalization of the divorce at the very end of the year (like
December).
- Sell the House Fast or First (what’s better than capital gains?)
Generally speaking, capital gains are long term investment
gains that are taxed at a lower rate. Capital gains are your
friend. However, the IRS has something even better in store for taxpayers
who are married and sell real estate. Under the tax code (28 USC § 121)
if you use real estate as your principal residence for over two years, you can
exclude $250,000 of gain if you are single, or you can exclude $500,000 if you
are married filing a joint return. Exclusion means just that—you don’t
have to pay taxes on that gain at all.
So, if you get divorced, then sell the house you only get to
exclude $250,000 from gain. If you are lucky enough to be looking at
gaining over $250,000 from the sale of the property, couples should consider
selling the property before finalizing a divorce. The difficulty is that
given the harsh real estate market, couples may have the property sitting on
the market for some time before the property can be sold. However,
avoiding tax liability on another $250,000 worth of gain may be worth the wait.
- Goodbye Tax Deduction (children as dependents)
The IRS helps families by giving deductions for children (a
policy that I think is ridiculous and unfair to those without children like me,
but I digress). Post-divorce, the spouse whom the court designates as the
custodian of the child gets to claim the deduction. So, the noncustodial
spouse loses the deduction. If a spouse had been claiming that deduction
all year long, then loses custody in December, that can hurt come April.
But, it gets more complicated: what happens when parents
share custody 50/50? It’s up to parents to figure out who gets to claim
the child as a dependent. If there are 2 children, most parents
agree to each take one of the children as a dependent. If there is one
child or an odd number of children, parents usually switch use of the claim
each year. The parents simply need to be careful not to both claim the
same child as a dependent, as the IRS will notice and will not be happy.
Whenever parental custody will be shared 50/50, parents should negotiate the
claim of children as dependents on taxes as a part of the divorce settlement.
- Spousal Support Payments (the double-edged sword)
Spousal support is a double-edged sword for both
parties. For the obligated party (payor), they have to pay support, but
can claim spousal support as an above-the line deduction. That means
spousal support does not need to be itemized. Above the line deductions
are better than below the line deductions as the deduction is taken before
arriving at one’s adjusted gross income. So, although the breadwinner may
have lost several tax deductions (ouch) and is obligated to pay support (ouch),
at least they get to claim spousal support as a deduction.
However, for the payee, things aren’t all cheery.
Although they are receiving support, spousal support is taxable income.
- Child Support Payments (hear no evil see no evil)
For whatever reason, child support is a non-taxable
event. It is not deductible for the party paying. It is also not
claimed by the person receiving the child support. It is completely
tax-neutral. This is one of the few transactions that the IRS doesn’t
care about.
If you can’t say anything nice…
We live in a digital age where social media connects us
all. Our friends have access to our
pictures and sometimes our innermost thoughts.
Combine this landscape with divorce or custody issues and disaster can
ensue. All too often Facebook and
texting become platforms to vent against the other spouse or parent. What recourse do you have when you spouse
goes off on Facebook or via text messages?
Defamation
Defamation ( i.e. slander, libel) covers any published or
oral statement made to other parties that is false. So, if your spouse goes on Facebook and tells
everyone you slept with the postman, this would be defamation. The trouble is that even if you win, damages
are hard to establish. You can get an
injunction preventing similar posts in the future, but your reputation has
already been harmed. Defamation actions
are usually not the best recourse.
Protective Orders
California Family Code §§ 6203 and 6320 describes the
circumstances that can give rise to protective orders and they include much more
than physical abuse. They include
verbal, telephonic or other harassment or disturbing the peace of the other
party directly or indirectly.
Protective orders (also called restraining orders) are a
helpful tool, which slap someone on the wrist and tells them to knock it
off. The court will enjoin the party
from acting in a similar way in the future.
If protective order is granted, the court can also award attorney’s fees
and costs of receiving the order—making bad behavior very expensive. If the other party violates the order, they
can be held in contempt of court, have to pay fines, and depending on the order—end
up in jail. Some protective orders can
do other things, like order the custody of specific property, kick a party out
of a house, change the custody of a pet, order one party to pay specific bills,
or stay away from other family members. However,
just like defamation actions, protective orders do little to make up for past
harm. There are no money damages and
what is done is done. There are four
main types of protective orders and you need to choose the right one to apply for
based on the circumstances.
Don’t Say Anything At
All
Even if your spouse is a horrible person, saying bad things
about them online or harassing them by text or phone can be considered abuse
under FC § 6320. These comments can
result in attorney’s fees, costs, loss of firearms, loss of a job, etc. So, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say
anything at all.
If you are victim to domestic
violence and are in danger, please call 911 right away.
For help finding a safe place to live in Ventura County
please contact the Ventura County Coalition Against Household Violence at 805-656-1111
If you would need legal guidance regarding a restraining
order, feel free to contact me at 805.876.4LAW
Cameron Joins the Law Office of Gary W. Norris
I’m excited to announce that Cameron Norris has
joined the Law Office of Gary W. Norris in Camarillo, CA. The firm practices in the areas of Divorce,
Support, Custody, Wills, Trusts, Contracts and Business law issues including
business formation.
About Cameron:
Cameron Graduated from Southwestern Law School at the top of
his class. While a student he worked on
the Hollywood Legal Legacy Project detailing the history of entertainment law
in Los Angeles—which resulted in a published article. Cameron also worked with the Firm of Dickstein
Shapiro LLP to facilitate adoptions of foster children in Los Angeles
County. He also received several
academic awards at Southwestern including three Dean’s Merit Scholar awards,
four Witkin Academic Excellence Awards, eight CALI Excellence for the Future
Awards, and the Gary and Pearl Cooperman Memorial Scholarship. Cameron also maintains the popular blog Norris Ex Curia, which discusses practical
legal issues with a focus on family law. Before attending Southwestern, Cameron developed
extensive experience in the finance industry.
In their spare time, Cameron and his long-term girlfriend enjoy
horseback-riding and spending time with their five dogs.
About the Firm:
The Law Office of Gary W. Norris is headed by Gary who has
practiced law in Ventura County since 1976.
Gary Norris is a member of the California State Bar, numerous Federal
District Courts in California, as well as the Federal District Court in
Arizona. The firm practice is primarily
focused on the areas of: divorce and family law disputes and court actions
involving business, real property and contract matters. The firm is a member of the Ventura County Collaborative
Family Law Professionals group.
Please feel free to contact me.
Cameron Norris, Esq.
805-876-4LAW
Norrislaw.blogspot.com
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