Hunt Hunt & Winterbottom LLP

Hunt Hunt & Winterbottom LLP Hunt Hunt & Winterbottom LLP 2026-07-22T08:50:26Z https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/feed/atom/ WordPress /wp-content/uploads/sites/1104462/2024/09/cropped-site-icon-32x32.png On Behalf of Hunt Hunt & Winterbottom LLP <![CDATA[Do not just renew: Renegotiate your OC lease for better terms]]> https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/?p=47887 2026-07-22T08:50:26Z 2026-07-22T08:46:39Z

When your Orange County office lease nears its end, you might find it easier to sign the renewal and move on. But that renewal option usually opens the door to a conversation, not a simple formality. Landlords often expect some back and forth and staying silent on key terms could mean giving up options you did not know you had.

Reading the current Orange County office market

Orange County's office numbers tell a nuanced story, and current conditions may work in your favor:

Vacancy rates vary by source, ranging between 12% and 15% for direct space, with overall availability running higher depending on building class and submarket.
Landlords continue offering concessions in many cases, even as rents shift.
Construction of new office space has slowed considerably, which may lead property owners to focus on keeping reliable tenants rather than searching for new ones.

These trends do not guarantee any particular outcome, but they may support a stronger position depending on your location and building type.

Raising key terms before you sign

A renewal conversation can cover several parts of your tenancy beyond base rent. This may include:

Tenant improvement allowances, which landlords sometimes offer to attract new tenants and may extend to keep existing ones.
Caps on annual rent increases, which can offer more predictability for tenants in established or non-premium buildings.
Flexible lease terms, since many businesses now prefer shorter or more flexible commitments that match changing space needs.

How well these options apply depends on your lease language and your landlord's priorities, so outcomes will differ from tenant to tenant.

Reviewing the fine print that governs your renewal

Under California Civil Code, courts generally rely on the plain language of a contract to interpret it, provided that language is clear and does not create an absurd result. Vague or outdated terms in a renewal clause can lead to confusion later. Reviewing your option language, notice deadlines and proposed changes with an attorney before you respond can help your agreement reflect what your business actually needs today.

Read your lease before the deadline passes

Your renewal window may close sooner than you think. Reviewing your real estate deadlines now and deciding which terms matter most to your business can help you walk into that conversation prepared, rather than signing something you have not fully considered.]]> On Behalf of Hunt Hunt & Winterbottom LLP <![CDATA[Selling your California business: A legal roadmap to exit value]]> https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/?p=47882 2026-07-21T10:12:25Z 2026-07-21T09:51:38Z

a business often marks the end of years of planning, effort and growth. For many California business owners, the process involves more than finding a buyer and signing paperwork. You may need to prepare your company, review important agreements and address legal issues that could affect the value of your sale. Starting the process early could help you organize your records, identify possible concerns and make choices that support a smoother transition.

How can a sale structure affect your business exit?

One of the first decisions you may consider is how to structure the sale. Many owners choose between an asset sale and a stock or entity sale. Each option could affect what the buyer receives, how the parties handle liabilities and how tax authorities may treat the transaction. An asset sale usually involves selling specific parts of the company. These assets may include equipment, inventory, customer agreements, real estate or intellectual property. A stock or entity sale generally involves transferring ownership of the company itself. The buyer may take over the existing business, including its contracts, operations and certain obligations. The better option may depend on your company’s structure, financial goals and the buyer’s expectations. Reviewing these choices early could help you understand how each approach may affect your plans.

How does California law affect sale agreements?

California business sales often require careful review of the agreements that shape the transaction. One important consideration involves restrictions on competition after a sale. Under California Business and Professions Code, noncompete agreements generally cannot prevent someone from working in a lawful profession, trade or business. However, California law provides limited exceptions for certain business sales involving the transfer of ownership interests or goodwill. When a business owner sells a company, the parties may be able to include reasonable terms that protect the value of the transaction. The details may depend on what ownership rights, assets or goodwill transfer as part of the sale. Other parts of a purchase agreement may also affect the future of the deal, including:

Statements about the company's financial condition and operations
Agreements about responsibility for future claims
Provisions about payment arrangements that may delay or adjust part of the purchase price

Clear terms could help both sides understand their roles and reduce disagreements after closing.

How could preparation protect your company’s value?

Before completing a purchase, buyers often review records to learn more about a company’s finances, operations and risks. This process may reveal issues that could affect the buyer’s decision or the value of the offer. Preparing your records before a sale could help you find concerns sooner and present a clearer picture of your business. You may want to review areas such as:

Trademark, copyright and other asset ownership records
Customer and supplier contracts
Employee agreements and workplace policies
Business licenses and required filings
Financial records and tax documents

Organized records could make the sale process easier and help show the strengths of your company.

How can early planning create a smoother exit?

A business sale often involves decisions that require time and careful legal review. Planning months or years before a potential sale could give you more time to address issues, improve organization and prepare for discussions with buyers. Your company may represent a major financial and personal investment. Taking steps to understand your options and prepare your records could help protect the value you built and support a more organized transition when the time comes.

Building a stronger path toward your next chapter

Selling your California business can involve many decisions that may shape your financial future. A thoughtful approach could help you prepare for negotiations, protect what you have built and create a clearer path toward completing the commercial sale.]]> On Behalf of Hunt Hunt & Winterbottom LLP <![CDATA[California slip-and-fall: A store owner’s 48-hour checklist]]> https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/?p=47879 2026-07-21T08:37:36Z 2026-07-21T08:13:51Z

customer falling inside your store can create a stressful situation, especially during the first few hours after the incident. The steps you take soon after a slip and fall may help you preserve important details about what happened and how your business responded. A careful response could help you keep accurate records, address safety concerns and prepare for questions that may come later. Under California premises liability rules, store owners may need to show that they took reasonable steps to keep their property safe. Having a clear process for documenting the scene, gathering information and protecting evidence could help you manage the situation more effectively. The following checklist outlines steps you may consider during the first 48 hours after a customer injury.

1. Preserve surveillance footage and store records

Security footage may provide important details about the conditions before, during and after a slip and fall. Many businesses use systems that automatically delete recordings after a certain period, so saving relevant footage quickly could help prevent the loss of information. You may also want to collect and preserve:

Surveillance footage from all relevant camera angles
Cleaning logs and maintenance records
Employee schedules and safety reports
Photos of the area where the fall occurred

Keeping these records organized could help you create a clearer timeline of the incident and your store’s response.

2. Identify witnesses and collect their information

Customers, employees and nearby visitors may have seen what happened. Their observations could provide details about the floor condition, lighting, warning signs or other factors connected to the fall. You may want to record witness names and contact information while the details remain fresh. Written notes about what each person saw could also help maintain accurate records and avoid confusion later.

3. Document the hazard and surrounding conditions

The condition of the store area may become an important part of any later review of the incident. Photos and videos could help capture details that may change over time, such as a spill, damaged flooring or missing warning signs. California businesses generally have a duty to take reasonable care to maintain safe property conditions. Under California Civil Code, liability may depend on whether a business acted reasonably under the circumstances. California also follows comparative negligence rules, which means a customer’s actions may affect a claim if those actions contributed to the injury.

4. Complete an incident report with clear facts

An incident report could help you organize important details without adding assumptions or opinions. A useful report may include the date, time, location, people involved and steps your business took after the fall. You may want the report to focus on facts such as:

What happened before and during the incident
What employees observed at the scene
What actions the store took afterward

Accurate documentation could help provide a consistent record if questions arise later.

Keep the first 48 hours focused on facts

A slip and fall can raise questions about store conditions, safety practices and responsibility. A calm and organized response during the first 48 hours may help you protect important information while showing that your business takes customer safety seriously. California premises liability rules can involve several factors, including the condition of the property and the steps a business took to address potential hazards. Learning how these premises liability rules may apply to your situation could help you make informed decisions after an incident.]]> by Hunt Hunt Winterbottom LLP <![CDATA[How Law Firms Can Protect Sensitive Intra-Firm Communications Re: Potential Malpractice Liability]]> https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/?p=47803 2025-02-15T08:54:28Z 2025-02-15T08:54:28Z

Internal Law Firm Communications May Not Be Protected by Attorney-Client Privilege The privileged status of intra-firm communications was addressed by the California Court of Appeal in Palmer v. Superior Court, 231 Cal.App.4th 1214 (2014). The court found that internal communications with a law firm’s designated in-house or ethics counsel can remain privileged—if all of the following factors are satisfied:

Segregated Role: The in-house counsel or ethics counsel must have a genuine attorney-client relationship with the firm or its lawyers, separate from the client matter at issue.
Confidentiality: The content of the communications must be for the purpose of obtaining or providing legal advice, and kept confidential within the firm.
No Double Duty: The in-house lawyer shouldn’t also be working on the client’s case in question or billing the client for that time.
No Disclosure to the Client: If the conversation is deemed part of the firm’s own legal representation (and not the client’s), it needs to stay confidential to maintain privilege.

Palmer reaffirms that a firm’s internal consultations can be protected, but makes it clear the fine line that firms must walk to keep those sensitive, intra-firm communications privileged from disclosure to the client. If a court later decides that the firm’s in-house consultation was not truly segregated from the client’s representation or that no genuine attorney-client relationship existed with the internal counsel, those communications could be discoverable in malpractice litigation. Worse, the client may seek sanctions against your firm for not turning those files over when they demanded the client file. Why Outside Counsel Matters For small or mid-sized firms, it’s often simpler and clearer to consult outside counsel when significant ethical or malpractice-related issues arise. Doing so avoids many of the privilege challenges that can arise when relying purely on internal resources. Outside counsel is by definition a separate entity, so the communications are more likely to be protected from discovery, and the risk of inadvertently waiving privilege is substantially reduced. When legal or ethical questions arise—particularly those that could lead to malpractice claims—consulting with qualified outside counsel is often the safer approach to preserve the confidentiality of crucial communications and shield your firm from committing the unforced error of inadvertently admitting liability when trying to strategize internally. You must remember that the attorney-client privilege, as between members of your firm discussing protecting the firm or evaluating the firm's liability, must be formalized in order to protect those communications from discovery in the malpractice case that hopefully never comes. Why Tyler Cares Tyler is fascinated by the rules that the legal profession has imposed on itself relating to ethics. Tyler started his career at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and represented a Vault 100 law firm and one of its partners in their defense against a claim of legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty. Since starting his own law firm, Tyler has advised lawyers on the board of a public company on California ethics questions and regularly discusses ethical matters with other attorneys. He offers Outside Counsel services to companies and to law firms.]]> by Tyler Hunt <![CDATA[So You Received A Demand Letter. What now?]]> https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/?p=47804 2024-08-18T18:35:01Z 2024-08-18T18:35:01Z

tyler@hhwlaw.com or give me a call, and we can start talking about what to do next. When you call, please be prepared to leave a brief voicemail in the event that I am attending to another matter. If it is something I can help you with, I am happy to help. If not, I can help point you in the direction of lawyers who can help you.]]> by Tyler Hunt <![CDATA[So You’ve Been Served with a Summons and a Complaint. Now what?]]> https://www.tylerhuntlaw.com/?p=47805 2024-08-07T18:35:01Z 2024-08-07T18:35:01Z