Advising New Businesses in California

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Planning & Preliminary Matters
   9:00 — 9:45, Gayani Weerasinghe
   1. Gathering What You Need from the Client
   2. Who's Doing What: Accountant, Attorney & Client Roles
   3. Licensing & Name Registration
   4. Insurance Concerns
   5. IP Considerations
   6. Jurisdiction & Interstate Issues
   7. Purchasing an Existing Business vs. Building "From Scratch"
2. Entity Selection (with Case Studies)
   9:45 — 10:30, Jeffrey Kahn
   1. Tax Considerations
   2. Liability Protection
   3. Capital Needs & Structure
   4. Convenience & Flexibility
   5. Entity Selection Case Studies
      1. Small Family Businesses
      2. Real Estate
      3. Multiple Investors
3. Drafting Formation & Operation Documents (With Sample Documents)
   10:45 — 12:00, Gayani Weerasinghe
   1. Ownership Agreements
   2. NDAs and Non-Competes
   3. Contributions & Financing
   4. Effective Management & Voting Structures
   5. Compensation Structure
   6. Transfer Rights & Restrictions
   7. Allocations & Tax Issues
   8. Dispute Resolution
   9. Sample Operating Agreement Review: Spotting Mistakes
4. Family Business Succession Planning (With a Sample Buy-Sell Agreement)
   1:00 — 1:45, Bhashini Weerasinghe
   1. Reviewing Governing Documents & Contracts
   2. Valuation
   3. The Anatomy of a Buy-Sell Agreement
   4. Family Trusts
   5. Estate Planning During Life
   6. Planning after Death
5. Top Tax Issues You Need to Know When Advising a New Business
   1:45 — 2:30, Jeffrey Kahn
6. Employment Law Basics for the Non-Specialist
   2:45 — 3:30, Christopher Nichols
   1. Independent Contractors vs. Employees
   2. Common Traps in the Hiring Process
   3. Post-Hiring Legal Requirements & Areas of Concern
   4. Discrimination Basics
   5. Employee Handbook Must-Haves
   6. Select Employment Issues for Family Businesses
7. Closely Held Ethics
   3:30 — 4:30, Bhashini Weerasinghe
   1. Engagement Agreement Tips & Traps
   2. Avoiding Accidental Clients
   3. Conflicts of Interest & Affiliated Entities
   4. Advising in Multiple Capacities
   5. Accepting Stock & Doing Business with Clients

Accreditation Details:

Jeffrey B Kahn is the principal of Law Offices of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. The firm has five offices in the San Francisco Bay area, and three offices in Southern California. Mr. Kahn practices in the areas of tax planning, tax controversies, estate planning, probate, guardianship and business transactions. He is a State Bar of California Certified Tax Specialist and is a board-certified tax lawyer by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. Mr. Kahn is also a licensed Florida CPA. He is a member of the State Bar of California, The Florida Bar, the American Association of Attorney - Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Kahn earned his B.B.A. degree from the Florida International University School of Accounting, and his J.D. and LL.M. degrees from the University of Miami School of Law.

Christopher E Nichols is an attorney with Webb Law Group, APC. He represents employers and employees involved in class action lawsuits, breach of contract disputes, and various other business-related matters. Additionally, he has experience in representing both employees and businesses in class action lawsuits, in both CLRA (Consumer) and wage and hour claims. Mr. Nichols is experienced in all phases of civil litigation, including depositions, evidentiary hearings, and he has acted as lead trial counsel in numerous matters. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of San Diego and his J.D. degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. Mr. Nichols is admitted to the State Bar of California and the United States District Courts for the Central and Eastern Districts of California. He is a member of the American, San Diego, and Fresno County bar associations.

Gayani R Weerasinghe , Esq., M.A., is a sole practitioner with the Law Offices of Gayani R. Weerasinghe. She is a business law and intellectual property (IP) attorney with both law firm and in-house experience. Her practice focuses on helping businesses with their transactional needs, including their business partnership agreements, setting up entities, confidentiality, strategic alliance agreements, licenses, and procure trademarks, copyrights, and patents. Ms. Weerasinghe earned her bachelor's degree in Molecular Cell Biology from California State University at Northridge, California. She has six years of Ph.D. training, and received a terminal masters degree in Biological Sciences from Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Weerasinghe received a Diploma in European Intellectual Property and Biotechnology from Hassen International Summer University in Giessen, Germany, linking law, business, and science. She earned her J.D. degree from California Western School of Law, with honors in IP concentration. Ms. Weerasinghe is a member of the California State Bar, and registered to practice as a patent attorney with United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She is highly involved with different organizations, including being the current vice-chair of Women In Bio (WIB) Southern California Chapter, being a strategic advisor to WIB Female Founders Forum, contributing author and a member of the editorial board for San Diego Lawyer Magazine, former vice president of South Asian Bar Association of San Diego (SABA-SD), and former director of Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego (PALSD) board.

Bhashini Weerasinghe is a solo practitioner with the Law Office of Bhashini Weerasinghe, where her practice areas include estate planning and business law. Ms. Weerasinghe is admitted to practice in California. She is a member of the State Bar of California. Ms. Weerasinghe earned her B.A. degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. degree from New England School of Law in Boston. Since 2015, she has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star.