Practice Areas
From your first contract to your next expansion, we help businesses of every size operate on a solid legal foundation.
Running a business in Glendale means making countless decisions, and many of them carry legal consequences that are easy to overlook until a problem surfaces. The agreements you sign, the way you structure your company, how you treat your employees, and how you resolve disagreements all shape your success for years to come. At Nalbandian Law, we serve as trusted counsel to entrepreneurs, owners, and established companies throughout Glendale and across California, helping them protect what they have built and pursue new opportunities with confidence.
Sound legal footing is not a luxury reserved for large corporations. Small and mid sized businesses often face the same legal risks as bigger companies but with fewer internal resources to manage them. A single poorly worded contract, an unclear ownership arrangement, or a misunderstanding about wage rules can create liabilities that take years and significant money to untangle. Addressing these matters early, with clear and enforceable documents, keeps your company stable and lets you focus on serving your customers.
We take a practical, business-minded approach. Rather than burying you in legal complexity, we focus on clear advice that supports your goals, manages risk, and keeps your company moving forward. Whether you are just starting out or managing a growing operation, we tailor our guidance to your industry, your size, and your plans. The result is a steady legal foundation that supports the decisions you make every day.
One of the earliest and most important decisions a business owner makes is choosing how to structure the company. The entity you select affects your personal liability, how you are taxed, how you raise money, and how much paperwork you must maintain. There is no single answer that fits every situation, which is why it helps to understand the tradeoffs before you commit.
Choosing among these options means weighing liability exposure, tax treatment, administrative burden, and your long-term plans for growth or bringing on investors. We help you understand how each structure would work for your specific circumstances, then handle the filings and internal documents needed to set it up properly. Just as important, we help you keep the structure intact over time, since failing to observe basic formalities can put your liability protection at risk.
Contracts are the backbone of nearly every business relationship. A well written agreement sets clear expectations, allocates risk fairly, and gives you a reliable path forward if something goes wrong. A weak or vague agreement, by contrast, invites disputes and leaves you exposed. Understanding what makes a contract enforceable helps you appreciate why careful drafting matters.
For a contract to be enforceable, it generally needs a few core elements: a clear offer, acceptance of that offer, consideration (something of value exchanged by each side), the legal capacity of the parties to enter the agreement, and a lawful purpose. Beyond these basics, a strong contract spells out the responsibilities of each party, the timing and terms of payment, what happens if either side fails to perform, and how disputes will be resolved. Ambiguity is the enemy of a good contract, because gaps and unclear language are exactly where conflicts take root.
We draft, review, and negotiate the contracts that govern your relationships with customers, vendors, employees, and partners. When you bring us an agreement someone else has prepared, we explain the risks in plain terms and suggest changes that protect your interests. When you need a document from scratch, we write it in clear, enforceable language tailored to your business, so it works the way you expect if it is ever tested.
When a business has more than one owner, the relationships among those owners deserve careful attention from the start. Many disputes that damage companies could have been avoided with a clear written agreement setting out how decisions are made, how profits are shared, and what happens when an owner wants to leave. Handshake arrangements tend to feel sufficient in the beginning and prove painfully inadequate when circumstances change.
For LLCs, an operating agreement governs how the company runs, including voting rights, capital contributions, distributions, management authority, and procedures for admitting or removing members. For corporations, bylaws and shareholder agreements serve a similar purpose, addressing governance, the roles of directors and officers, and the rights attached to shares. In both cases, buy-sell provisions are among the most valuable terms, because they establish in advance how an owner's interest will be valued and transferred if that person dies, becomes disabled, wants out, or is bought out.
We help owners put these foundations in place before problems arise, and we step in to resolve conflicts when they do. Disagreements over strategy, money, or control can threaten the entire business if they are not handled carefully. Our goal is to protect your interests while preserving, when possible, the working relationship and the value of the company you have built together.
Beyond the big milestones, a business faces a steady stream of legal questions in the ordinary course of operating. Buying or selling equipment, extending credit to customers, taking on financing, entering distribution arrangements, or acquiring another company all involve terms that deserve a careful eye. Small details in these transactions, such as warranty language, payment timing, and default remedies, can have a large impact if a deal does not go as planned.
Having a knowledgeable attorney who already understands your company means you can get practical answers quickly, without starting from scratch each time a question comes up. We serve as a steady resource for the day-to-day decisions that keep your business running, from reviewing a new vendor agreement to helping you understand your obligations under an existing contract. This ongoing familiarity allows us to give advice that fits your operation rather than generic guidance.
California maintains detailed rules governing the relationship between employers and workers, and businesses of every size are expected to follow them. General areas that owners should keep in mind include proper classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, wage and hour requirements such as minimum wage and overtime, meal and rest break rules, and the paperwork required when hiring and separating employees. Mistakes in these areas are common and can lead to significant liability.
Sound compliance also involves clear internal policies. A well drafted employee handbook, consistent documentation of performance and discipline, and written agreements covering confidentiality and company property all help reduce risk and set expectations. While every situation is different, building good practices into your operations from the beginning is far easier than correcting problems after a dispute or claim arises. We help business owners understand their general obligations and put practical policies in place, and we work alongside your other advisors where specialized questions call for it.
The value of a business often lies as much in its intangible assets as in its equipment and inventory. Your brand, your proprietary methods, your customer relationships, and your confidential information can all be central to your competitive position. Protecting these assets requires both the right legal tools and consistent internal habits.
We help you identify which of your assets deserve protection and put the right agreements and practices in place. Just as important, we help you enforce those protections when someone misuses your confidential information or infringes on your brand. Taking these steps early makes your position far stronger if you ever need to defend what belongs to your company.
Even well run companies sometimes find themselves in conflict. A customer refuses to pay, a vendor fails to deliver, a former employee competes unfairly, or partners reach an impasse they cannot resolve on their own. When these situations arise, how you respond in the early stages can shape the entire outcome. Acting thoughtfully and with good counsel protects both your interests and your resources.
Our approach is to resolve disputes efficiently whenever we can, through direct negotiation, mediation, or other practical means that save time and expense. At the same time, we prepare every matter as though it may go to court, so you are never negotiating from a position of weakness. If litigation becomes necessary, we are ready to advocate for your interests with careful preparation and clear strategy.
The most cost-effective legal work is usually the work that prevents a problem from ever occurring. A clear contract avoids a costly lawsuit. A sound corporate structure protects your personal assets. A well drafted operating agreement keeps a disagreement among owners from spiraling into a dispute that threatens the company. Preventive legal counsel is an investment that pays for itself many times over when it stops a small issue from becoming a large one.
We encourage business owners to think of legal review as a regular part of running the company rather than something to reach for only in an emergency. Reviewing key contracts before signing, keeping corporate records current, and revisiting agreements as the business grows are simple habits that reduce risk. Having a trusted attorney who knows your business makes these habits easy to maintain and gives you a reliable place to turn when questions arise.
We begin by learning about your business, your industry, and where you want to go. From there, we identify the legal issues that matter most and address them in a way that fits your budget and priorities. When you need documents prepared, we draft them in plain, enforceable terms. When you are negotiating a deal, we help you understand the risks and secure favorable terms. And when a dispute arises, we work first to resolve it efficiently, while remaining fully prepared to litigate if that becomes necessary.
Business owners value responsiveness and straight talk, and that is what we deliver. We communicate clearly, respond promptly, and treat your goals as our own. We believe the strongest client relationships are built on trust and consistency, and we work to become a long-term partner you can rely on as your business evolves. Our experienced and dedicated team brings careful attention to every matter, large or small, so you always know where things stand.
The earlier the better. Speaking with an attorney before you choose your entity, sign your first major contract, or bring on a co-owner helps you avoid mistakes that are difficult and expensive to fix later. Early guidance sets your business on a stable footing from the start.
Yes. Clear written agreements protect small businesses just as much as large ones, and often more, because a single dispute can have a serious impact on a smaller company. A good contract prevents misunderstandings and gives you a reliable remedy if a relationship goes wrong.
Many disputes are resolved through negotiation or mediation without going to court, which saves time and expense. When a fair resolution cannot be reached, litigation may be necessary, and we prepare every matter with that possibility in mind so your position stays strong throughout.
Absolutely. We regularly review contracts drafted by other parties, explain the terms and risks in plain language, and suggest changes that protect your interests before you sign.
Whether you are launching a new venture, formalizing an agreement, structuring ownership, or facing a dispute, the right legal guidance can make all the difference. The ideal time to address a legal issue is before it becomes a problem, so it pays to plan ahead and put a solid foundation in place while things are going well.
Contact Nalbandian Law to schedule a consultation. Tell us about your company, your goals, and any challenges you are facing, and let our experienced and dedicated Glendale team help you protect and grow your business with practical, straightforward counsel you can rely on.
Let our experienced Glendale team provide the practical counsel your company needs.
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