ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Testimonials
  • Demographics & Advertising Rates
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Search
    Generic filters
    California Business Journal
    58 °f
    Los Angeles
    61 ° Fri
    61 ° Sat
    60 ° Sun
    58 ° Mon
    60 ° Tue
    66 ° Wed
    • Front Page
    • Business
      • Insurance
      • Real Estate
    • Finance
      bitcoin of america

      The power of Bitcoin of America intensifies

      venture-capital-investment

      Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv Firm NextLeap Ventures Rising To The Next Level

      Bitcoin

      Big Changes May Be Coming For Cryptocurrency

      bitcoin2

      What the average person needs to know about Bitcoin

    • People
    • Featured
      lights, camera, action2

      Lights, Camera, Testing!

      Dennis Weiss Lead Gen

      Commentary: Preventing Lead Generation Fraud

      yacht fishing sunset1.1

      J. Douglas Hines has shaken up the food industry with a plant-based seafood alternative product

      stock-market-3

      How the Inflow of Retail Traders is Changing Stock Market Dynamics

      Dr. Chris Harts4

      Oventus Medical Is Revolutionizing the Treatment of Sleep Apnea

    • Technology
      Higher Education Adapts to Covid Using IT

      How Higher Education Has Adapted to Covid-19 Using IT Tools

      NEC X Figure 3_Shige Ihara

      Fast Tracking Technologies … To The World

      Welcome to the construction industry’s automated augment

      Tech Future Healthcare1

      Technology and the Future of Health Care

    • Law
      Doctor getting second opinion on patients x-ray

      Improper Medical Treatment: What To Do Next?

      Mediation-For-Couples (1)

      What is Mediation and How It Can Help?

      Legal obligations of businesses: What happens when these duties are breached?

      Nicole Kuklok-Waldman Headshot

      Commentary: How to Bounce Back from a Canceled Career 

    • News
      blockchain2

      Blockchain.com Value Reaches $5.2 Billion

      Negative Google reviews1

      How to Handle Negative Google Reviews

      SleepScore Labs

      The Final Score

      Passports on a map of the world

      If Your Employees with U.S. Passports are Traveling in 2021, Start Planning Now

    • Human Interest
      • Food
      • Art & Culture
    • Education
      Take care of Mind-Body-Soul

      4 Steps to Taking Better Care of Yourself in 2021

      Health insurance claim form

      How to file an insurance claim: Everything you need to know

      safe workplace

      9 Essential Steps for a Safer Workplace

      trust3

      7 ways to build trust on your business website

    • Health & Fitness
      Take care of Mind-Body-Soul

      4 Steps to Taking Better Care of Yourself in 2021

      Woman climber on a Klettersteig (Via Ferrata)

      6 Unique Ways to Stay Fit Outdoors This Summer

      WOMAN WORKING OUT

      Taking the Gym Home: Hot Selling Items During the Pandemic

      silhouette-of-man-and-woman-running

      3 Reasons to Start Working Out … This Month

    California Business Journal
    • Front Page
    • Business
      • Insurance
      • Real Estate
    • Finance
      bitcoin of america

      The power of Bitcoin of America intensifies

      venture-capital-investment

      Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv Firm NextLeap Ventures Rising To The Next Level

      Bitcoin

      Big Changes May Be Coming For Cryptocurrency

      bitcoin2

      What the average person needs to know about Bitcoin

    • People
    • Featured
      lights, camera, action2

      Lights, Camera, Testing!

      Dennis Weiss Lead Gen

      Commentary: Preventing Lead Generation Fraud

      yacht fishing sunset1.1

      J. Douglas Hines has shaken up the food industry with a plant-based seafood alternative product

      stock-market-3

      How the Inflow of Retail Traders is Changing Stock Market Dynamics

      Dr. Chris Harts4

      Oventus Medical Is Revolutionizing the Treatment of Sleep Apnea

    • Technology
      Higher Education Adapts to Covid Using IT

      How Higher Education Has Adapted to Covid-19 Using IT Tools

      NEC X Figure 3_Shige Ihara

      Fast Tracking Technologies … To The World

      Welcome to the construction industry’s automated augment

      Tech Future Healthcare1

      Technology and the Future of Health Care

    • Law
      Doctor getting second opinion on patients x-ray

      Improper Medical Treatment: What To Do Next?

      Mediation-For-Couples (1)

      What is Mediation and How It Can Help?

      Legal obligations of businesses: What happens when these duties are breached?

      Nicole Kuklok-Waldman Headshot

      Commentary: How to Bounce Back from a Canceled Career 

    • News
      blockchain2

      Blockchain.com Value Reaches $5.2 Billion

      Negative Google reviews1

      How to Handle Negative Google Reviews

      SleepScore Labs

      The Final Score

      Passports on a map of the world

      If Your Employees with U.S. Passports are Traveling in 2021, Start Planning Now

    • Human Interest
      • Food
      • Art & Culture
    • Education
      Take care of Mind-Body-Soul

      4 Steps to Taking Better Care of Yourself in 2021

      Health insurance claim form

      How to file an insurance claim: Everything you need to know

      safe workplace

      9 Essential Steps for a Safer Workplace

      trust3

      7 ways to build trust on your business website

    • Health & Fitness
      Take care of Mind-Body-Soul

      4 Steps to Taking Better Care of Yourself in 2021

      Woman climber on a Klettersteig (Via Ferrata)

      6 Unique Ways to Stay Fit Outdoors This Summer

      WOMAN WORKING OUT

      Taking the Gym Home: Hot Selling Items During the Pandemic

      silhouette-of-man-and-woman-running

      3 Reasons to Start Working Out … This Month

    Search
      Generic filters
      California Business Journal

      In Focus: FocusLawLA

      Attorney Tony Liu mastered representing clients in court, but gradually realized this was not always in their best interest. Today, less than two percent of his cases go to trial, while the rest are either arbitrated or settled.

      by Scott Smith, Staff Writer, California Business Journal
      A A
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

      There are times when Tony Liu of FocusLawLA feels more like a marriage counselor than a litigation attorney. He says a business dispute, when you peel back the layers, is more like a bad divorce than a purely legal matter. His first job is to calm down the client, so that the goals and how to best get there can be thought about clearly.

      “The biggest mistake most new partnerships make is that the individuals are good friends outside of the office, so they think they should work together, but they don’t really know each other well,” Liu says. “They start out with good intentions about making a lot of money together, but haven’t communicated their expectations on the details of who will contribute what, who will work the long hours during client crises, or what to do if their initial plans don’t work out.”

      When things fall apart, the personal ramifications can extend to your family, such as how to explain that the investment you made is gone because you trusted someone too much or you indulged in wishful thinking about how the business was doing, Liu notes.

      One of his recent cases involved a large commercial real estate company started by two childhood friends. When the founders decided to retire and pass on the business to their children, the fights between the families were so bitter that the managing partner was ready to destroy the firm and transfer the money overseas.

      “I advised them about the consequences of what they could and could not do legally,” Liu says. “We were able to work out a solution by buying the shares of the other partners through leveraging the existing equity of the property, but it was an expensive lesson for all of them.”

      Liu grew up in Taiwan and his family came to Los Angeles when he was 11. In 1995, he got his B.A. in finance at California State University, Fullerton. Having worked as a realtor in college, he specialized in real estate. He aspired to work in the industry at a higher level, but that required an advanced degree. His wife told him that if he was going to keep studying, it would be better if he chose a profession that would not have him working every weekend and dependent on occasional sales in a volatile sector.

      Liu was in the first graduating class at the Chapman University Fowler School of Law in 1998, spent a year earning a master’s in taxation at Golden State University, and passed the bar in 2003. While studying law, he had externed in a bankruptcy court in Santa Ana.

      “I realized that the glamour of being an entrepreneur had a downside that rarely gets talked about in the media, which is that so many startups end up becoming less about dreams and more about damage control,” he says.

      Liu mastered representing clients in court, but gradually realized this was not always in their best interest. Today, less than two percent of his cases go to trial, while the rest are either arbitrated or settled. Yet it is important to be able to try cases when necessary, so during a slow period in 2008-09, Liu earned an advanced law degree at Chapman in trial advocacy. As part of the curriculum, he served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Orange County D.A.’s office prosecuting misdemeanors. He has also volunteered in the City of Anaheim’s City Attorney’s Criminal Division to keep his trial skills sharp.

      “Most lawyers dealing with civil matters have no real trial experience,” he says. “I’ve found that if the other side knows you have no fear of going to trial, it creates leverage in negotiating a settlement.”

      About 60 percent of his cases involve disputes between partners or shareholders over charges of mismanagement or breach of fiduciary duty. The rest are about resolving disputes with manufacturers or vendors, trade secrets and intellectual property, commercial landlord-tenant issues, and similar matters.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      In addition to the standard hourly arrangement small companies can afford (most clients have 3 to 20 employees), he offers several types of  Outsourced General Counsel programs, the equivalent of having  an in-house legal department at a fraction of the cost. Clients who opt for this pay a monthly retainer and a get a discounted hourly or flat fee estimate for litigation. Since the typical small business lawsuit runs $50,000 to $90,000, this option is increasingly popular.

      “When someone comes to me in a partnership dispute, I first assess the situation to make sure they understand whether the business is really worth saving,” he says.

      One such miscalculation involved three partners who bought a building. They began using its value for their own personal purposes and one of them eventually claimed he was entitled to 80 percent of the ownership. Liu represented one of the defendants. Arbitration took 20 days and ended in a decision against the partner who brought the suit. He filed for Chapter 7 to avoid having to pay the others’ legal fees. He and one of the defendants had spent a total of $1.5 million, while Liu’s client spent about $250,000 to prove he had done nothing wrong.

      Liu is a strong believer in strategic prevention, by way of assessing what the legal risks to a company could be and helping clients to take steps to be prepared. But no one was ready for COVID-19.

      Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, his workload has increased 20 percent, though with much less travel. He used to have two chairs in front of his desk, now replaced by two 32″ monitors. He has clients in San Diego, yet most are in the L.A./O.C./Riverside area, allowing for in-person meetings as needed.

      “The crisis will pass, but many of the problems we’ve been dealing with will require fresh approaches,” he says. “After the first months, clients now realize they need to think about not just the legal issues, but how to keep their bank accounts healthy, how their business model might need to keep changing, new ways to get the work done, and protecting their reputation.”

      (Lead Photo: Tony Liu)

      Copyright © 2020 California Business Journal. All Rights Reserved.

      This article was edited and published by Rick Weinberg, California Business Journal’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief. Click here for Rick Weinberg’s biography.

      TO READ THE MAGAZINE VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE, click here.

      s1

      s2

       

      Tags: AdvancedAnaheimattorneybankruptcybest litigation attorneys in californiabest orange county law firmsCaliforniaChapman Universitychildrencollegecommercialcommercial real estateCovid-19DiegodiscounteddivorceemployeesentrepreneurEstatefiduciaryfinancefocushealthyintellectual propertyinvestmentlawlaw firmlawsuitslitigationlitigation attorneyLos AngelesOrange Countyreal estateriversideSan DiegoSanta Anaskillssmall businessstartupsTony Liu of FocusLawLAtrade
      ADVERTISEMENT
      Scott Smith, Staff Writer, California Business Journal

      Scott Smith, Staff Writer, California Business Journal

      Scott S. Smith has written for an array of publications including Investor's Business Daily and Angeleno. He is the author of Extraordinary People: Real Life Lessons on What It Takes to Achieve Success.

      WHAT TO READ NEXT

      Take care of Mind-Body-Soul
      Health & Fitness

      4 Steps to Taking Better Care of Yourself in 2021

      April 22, 2021
      Health insurance claim form
      Education

      How to file an insurance claim: Everything you need to know

      April 22, 2021
      safe workplace
      Education

      9 Essential Steps for a Safer Workplace

      April 22, 2021
      trust3
      Education

      7 ways to build trust on your business website

      April 21, 2021
      lights, camera, action2
      Featured

      Lights, Camera, Testing!

      April 21, 2021
      speeding
      Education

      Here’s Exactly What To Do After Getting Fined With A Speeding Ticket

      April 21, 2021
      Next Post

      A Quick Lesson on Manufacturing Equipment: Common Tools of the Trade

      Follow Us

      ADVERTISEMENT

      Categories

      • Art & Culture
      • Business
      • Editor's Choice
      • Education
      • Featured
      • Finance
      • Food & Dining
      • Health & Fitness
      • Human Interest
      • Insurance
      • Law
      • Marketing
      • Medical
      • News
      • People
      • Popular
      • Real Estate
      • Social Media
      • Technology
      • Uncategorized

      CBJ Partner Firebrand Media

      Laguna Beach Independent Newspaper

      Laguna Beach Magazine

      Laguna Beach City Guide

      On The Menu Laguna Beach

      Newport Beach Independent Newspaper

      Newport Beach Magazine

      Newport Beach Country Club Magazine

      Coastal Real Estate Guide (NB,LB, CDM)

      Montage Magazine

      Monarch Beach Resort Magazine

      Pacific Coast Magazine (SoCal)

      Omni Escapes Hotel Magazine

      Sea Island Life Magazine

      Salamander Hotel & Resorts Magazine

      Bespoke Concierge New York

      Evans Hotels

      View our entire portfolio here

      ADVERTISEMENT
      1REALTOUR-SAN DIEGO-WEB DESIGN
      ADVERTISEMENT
      Facebook Twitter LinkedIn LinkedIn Instagram
      C B J   LOGO  SVG-01
      • About
      • Contact
      • Testimonials
      • Demographics & Advertising Rates

      Newsletter

      Most Viewed

      • Judge gavel, scales of justice and law books in court

        Lawsuit Basics: How Much Does It Cost to Sue Someone?

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • THE ONLY WAY

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • REPORT: TECH GIANT CISCO ABOUT TO LAY OFF 14,000

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0

      Latest Articles

      Take care of Mind-Body-Soul

      4 Steps to Taking Better Care of Yourself in 2021

      April 22, 2021
      Health insurance claim form

      How to file an insurance claim: Everything you need to know

      April 22, 2021
      safe workplace

      9 Essential Steps for a Safer Workplace

      April 22, 2021

      California Business Journal | California Business News, California News Media, California business articles | Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Inland Empire, Northern California, San Francisco | Huntington Beach CA 92649 | (949) 648-3815
      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY CALIFORNIA BUSINESS JOURNAL.
      Site Design by 1REALTOUR

      Search
        Generic filters
        • Front Page
        • Business
          • Insurance
          • Real Estate
        • Finance
        • People
        • Featured
        • Technology
        • Law
        • News
        • Human Interest
          • Food
          • Art & Culture
        • Education
        • Health & Fitness

        California Business Journal | California Business News, California News Media, California business articles | Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Inland Empire, Northern California, San Francisco | Huntington Beach CA 92649 | (949) 648-3815
        ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY CALIFORNIA BUSINESS JOURNAL.
        Site Design by 1REALTOUR