Contracts and Agreements
We help protect your business, your relationships, and your bottom line through clear, effective and enforceable contracts. Whether you are starting a new business, entering into a service agreement, or updating existing contracts, our firm provides precise and practical legal drafting to help you avoid future disputes and strengthen your legal position.
Contracts and Services Agreement Drafting
Every successful business relationship begins with a well-drafted contract. Our goal is to create agreements that protect your interests while maintaining clarity and fairness for all parties. A carefully written contract can help prevent misunderstandings, reduce risk, and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
We assist our clients across industries with common issues:
- Business Contracts and Commercial Agreements
- Services Agreements
- Partnership and Operating Agreements
- Client Engagement and Professional Services Contracts
- Non-Disclosure (NDA) and Confidentiality Agreements
- Employment and Consulting Agreements
- Contract Review and Risk Assessment
- Contract Negotiation and Revision
- Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and Statements of Work (SOWs)
- Terms and Conditions for Websites and Online Platform Services
Our legal and business experience allows us to identify issues such as limitation of liability, ownership rights, termination issues, and dispute resolution provisions. We focus on drafting contracts that are legally sound and practical for real world use.
Whether you need a single agreement reviewed or a complete set of contracts to support your operations, we can help you build a solid legal foundation for your business.
Reach out to us at contact@abclegalpartners.com for more information.
Special Education &
School Discipline
Our Education Law practice focuses on helping you navigate the school system with Special Education and School Discipline issues.
Special Education
Partner Carmen Cave earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Stanford University and is uniquely qualified to help you and your student get the quality education that you are entitled to under the law. She is able to analyze your student’s assessments, learning goals, and curriculum goals to help determine whether the school is making the correct offer for services
via a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and whether their educational goals for your student are legally compliant.
We can help you if your child has been diagnosed with, or shows behaviors similar to, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), emotional disturbance, anxiety, or depression, or has a physical disability such as blindness, deafness, or mobility challenges. These characteristics and the accompanying behavior and learning challenges should qualify your students for accommodations to their education, and/or special education services to help them achieve curriculum goals.
School Discipline
If you have been notified that your student is being suspended or expelled, you have to act quickly, as these matters are extremely time sensitive and require immediate action and advocacy for your student.
We can help you and your elementary school, middle school/jr. high school, high school, or college-aged student to understand the infraction, review the procedures followed by the school, and either proceed to hearing or attempt to negotiate a settlement that protects your student from any future stigma or roadblocks to their future educational career. Not every complaint against your student is valid, and not every disciplinary procedure is flawed, and we are here to help you obtain the best possible outcome for your student.
Contact Attorney Carmen Cave at ccave@abclegalpartners.com.
Elder & Disability Law
Elder law is a specialized area of legal practice focused on the needs and rights of older adults. It encompasses a wide range of issues including estate planning, wills, trusts, guardianship, long-term care planning, Medicaid and Medicare issues, and social security benefits.
Contact Attorney Carmen Cave about your elder law concerns at ccave@abclegalpartners.com.
Long Term Care
Planning for long-term care, either at home or in a licensed facility, can involve qualifying for benefits. In many cases, people find that they must spend down most, if not all, of their income and assets before they are able to take advantage of help from government programs they have paid into over a lifetime of employment. In other cases, surviving family members may be faced with a bill from the government for reimbursement of funds spent on the long-term care of a recently deceased family member.
Estate Planning
While our clients may have already prepared a will and/or trust to provide for family in the event of death, those documents may need to be supplemented by new documents tailored to specifically address long-term care needs for emerging health and mental decline challenges such as decreased mobility, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
We help our clients protect hard-earned assets, ensure they have the best possible care, and help identify and secure resources including social services, financial advisors, and long-term care providers.
Family Law
We are here to help you protect yourself and your property before marriage, and to help you find your way to a new life after your marriage has ended.
Typical Issues for Family Law
Family law is not only about divorce and child custody, or alimony and child support. Our goal is to obtain the best outcome for you and your family so that you can move forward. However, we are prepared to fight hard for you and to ensure that you receive the appropriate custody, visitation, support and property under the law.
California uses slightly different language than most people are used to hearing and seeing, and we are able to help with the issues commonly associated with a “divorce lawyer”:
- Prenuptial Agreements (Pre-Marital Agreements)
- Legal Separation
- Divorce (Dissolution)
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Alimony (Spousal Support)
- Child Support
- Enforcement of Divorce Decrees (Post-Judgement Enforcement)
- Modifications to support, custody, and property division
- Property Division and Marital Settlement Agreements
Our personal and professional experience provides us with the ability to review your case for issues that commonly are missed by other attorneys, so that we can address those issues and help prevent future problems and conflicts.
Contact Attorney Carmen Cave with your family law issues at ccave@abclegalpartners.com.
General Counsel Services
We provide your business with access to experienced, practical legal guidance without the cost of a full-time, in-house attorney. As your fractional general counsel, we act as a trusted partner and strategic advisor, providing ongoing legal support tailored to your company’s size, industry, and goals.
Fractional General Counsel Services
Every business encounters legal challenges, but not every business needs (or can afford) a full-time legal department. Our goal is to deliver the same quality of counsel that large corporations enjoy – flexibly, affordably, and with a deep understanding of your business operations.
As your outside general counsel, we provide proactive and responsive legal services designed to prevent problems before they arise and resolve them efficiently when they do.
- Contract Drafting, Review, and Negotiation
- Employment and Independent Contractor Matters
- Compliance with State and Federal Regulations
- Business Formation and Corporate Governance
- Intellectual Property Protection (Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets)
- Policy Development and Risk Management
- Vendor and Client Policies and Disputes
- Contract Enforcement and Litigation Advice
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Business Transitions
- Ongoing Strategic Legal Advice and Business Planning
Our experience working with startups, small businesses, and growing companies enables us to provide practical, business-minded legal solutions. We integrate with your team – learning your operations, anticipating your needs, and providing consistent legal support on a part-time or as-needed basis.
Whether you need help managing day-to-day legal matters or guidance on complex strategic decision making, we offer the flexibility and experience to help your business thrive.
Reach out to us at contact@abclegalpartners.com to discuss your business needs.
Litigation
We are here to help you protect your rights and your business when disputes arise. Whether you are seeking to enforce a contract, recover damages, or defend against a claim, our firm provides strategic and results-oriented representation designed to resolve conflicts efficiently and effectively.
Civil Litigation
Civil litigation encompasses a wide range of disputes between individuals, businesses, and organizations. Our goal is to help you reach the best possible outcome through negotiation, mediation, or trial so that you can move forward with confidence. When a lawsuit becomes necessary, we are prepared to advocate vigorously for your interests in court. Our attorneys understand both the letter of the law and the practical realities of business relationships.
- Breach of Contract (Written and Oral Agreements)
- Business Disputes
- Fraud and Misrepresentation
- Landlord and Tenant Disputes
- Trademark Infringement
- Unfair Competition and Business Practices
- Contract Drafting and Risk Management to Prevent Future Disputes
Our experience in California and Federal courts allows us to identify key issues early, develop a tailored litigation strategy, and position your case for success. We focus on clear communication, thorough preparation, and proactive representation reaching a favorable settlement or taking your case to trial.
Contact us at contact@abclegalpartners.com to discuss your case.
Trademarks & Intellectual Property
We help protect your brand, your business identity, and the goodwill you’ve worked hard to build. Our attorneys advise on trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. From trademark and copyright filing and registration to enforcement and defense, we can assist you through every stage of the process so that your brand remains strong and secure.
Trademark Law in the US and Internationally
Trademark law is not just about registering a brand name or logo – it’s about protecting your business’s reputation and ensuring that competitors and counterfeiters cannot profit from your success. Our goal is to help you safeguard your intellectual property so that your brand continues to grow with confidence.
Trademark laws can be complex, and we are experienced in handling issues that arise before and after registration at the state, federal, and international level.
Obtaining and Protecting Your Trademarks
- Trademark Search and Clearance Opinions
- Trademark Applications
- Office Actions and Refusals
- Trademark Renewal and Maintenance Filings
- Oppositions and Cancellations (TTAB Proceedings)
- Licensing and Assignments
- Enforcement and Infringement Litigation
- Brand Protection and Portfolio Management
- Website Domain Name Disputes (UDRP Litigation)
- Online Brand Enforcement
Our expertise ensures that your trademarks remain valid, enforceable, and aligned with your business goals. We provide insights to protect the value of your brand for years to come.
Contact Attorney Jennifer Abma about your intellectual property needs at trademarks@abclegalpartners.com.
Landlord-Tenant Law
Our attorneys have represented both landlords and tenants, providing us with a comprehensive view of landlord/tenant disputes. We have years of experience in code enforcement and are able to objectively gauge issue of habitability, which can help pursue an action against a landlord, or defend against improper allegations by a tenant.
For landlords, we can write leases, help evict non-paying tenants, and defend against tenant claims.
For tenants, we can help protect you from discrimination, substandard housing, failure to make repairs, and wrongful eviction actions.
For help with your housing disputes, reach out to us at contact@abclegalpartners.com.
Mediation & Negotiation
Our attorneys are skilled mediators and negotiators in both business and family-oriented situations.
We have negotiated business contracts before the contracts are signed and after disputes arise. We help business owners assess risk and reach mutual agreements that allow them to focus on their business, and not obstacles to their success.
In family law, we negotiate marital settlements agreements (MSAs) during the divorce process, helping our clients receive their fair share of the marital estate and provide a well rounded view of the practical reality of life after divorce. We ensure the short and long-term financial and emotional needs of our clients are met.
In education law, we have negotiated enhanced services for our special education clients, including private and non-public school placement and tuition, enhanced family and student support services, and setting more robust goals for the student that provide a higher change of grade-level academic achievement.
For more information about your mediation and negotiation options, contact us at contact@abclegalpartners.com.
Development & Land Use
We can assist you with navigating the steps required to plan and develop your land. With over 30 years of experience in local government and private land use consulting, we are able to help guide you through the political and technical process of developing raw land or redeveloping your existing, built property.
Services include entitlement and permitting assistance, zoning analysis, and facilitating the process with neighbors and local agencies.
For assistance with your land use and redevelopment needs, contact Attorney Carmen Cave at ccave@abclegalpartners.com.