The RegistryLos Angeles · California
Business Law Lawyers in Los Angeles, California
Searching for a business lawyer in Los Angeles? Counsel for businesses: forming the company, contracts and deals, and the disputes that follow. This page indexes Los Angeles's business law coverage from the State Bar of California's official roll, with identity-verification markers where available.
Venue matters. Business law cases from Los Angeles are ordinarily heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court: Stanley Mosk Courthouse, downtown, serving home to more than 3.8 million people. Los Angeles County Superior Court is the largest unified trial court in the United States, with dozens of courthouses spread across the county and dedicated personal injury, complex civil, family, and probate operations.
The law also keeps time: four years to sue on a written contract; two years on an oral contract (§ 339) under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337. Fraud claims run three years from discovery (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 338(d)); unfair competition claims under Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 run four years (§ 17208). Contractual limitation clauses can shorten these periods. The plaque below carries the citation; the roster and questions that follow carry the rest.
This page is the Los Angeles chapter of the registry's statewide record · Business Attorneys in California collects every county and city.
The clock & the craft
Four years to sue on a written contract; two years on an oral contract (§ 339).
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337
Fraud claims run three years from discovery (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 338(d)); unfair competition claims under Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 run four years (§ 17208). Contractual limitation clauses can shorten these periods.
Reading the roster in Los Angeles
Business law is two crafts: transactional work (forming the company, negotiating and drafting contracts, raising money, buying or selling a business) and dispute work (suing or defending over a contract, a partnership falling-out, a trade secret). Say which you need. For a transaction, ask whether defined tasks can be done at a fixed fee and how the attorney works with your accountant. For a dispute, weigh whether the attorney has tried or arbitrated cases of your size and subject matter, and their read on venue: county superior court, a complex-litigation department, or contractual arbitration. Bring the contract, the formation documents and the correspondence trail to the first meeting.
Business Law · Los Angeles County roster
Business Law matters in Los Angeles
The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.
- forming a corporation or LLC
- drafting and reviewing contracts
- buying or selling a business
- partnership and operating agreements
- raising capital and securities offerings
- mergers and acquisitions
- corporate governance and compliance
- breach of contract
- partnership and shareholder disputes
- business fraud and misrepresentation
- trade secret misappropriation
- unfair competition
- commercial lease disputes
- collections and unpaid invoices
- franchise agreements and disputes
- corporate dissolution and buyouts
Have a business law matter? Submit your case for review.
Open a free case file, choose how attorneys may contact you, and review any terms they send. You decide whom to contact and whether to proceed.
Submit your case for reviewLegal information, not legal advice · The AI reception identifies itself
Business Law questions, cited
How long do I have to sue for breach of contract in California?
Four years for a written contract (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337) and two years for an oral one (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 339), generally running from the breach. Fraud claims run three years from discovery of the facts (§ 338(d)). Many commercial contracts shorten these periods or add mandatory arbitration, so the agreement itself is the first thing to read.
What damages are available for breach of contract in California?
The amount that will compensate the injured party for all detriment proximately caused by the breach, per Cal. Civ. Code § 3300: typically expectation damages, plus consequential damages that were reasonably foreseeable. Punitive damages are generally unavailable for pure breach of contract (Cal. Civ. Code § 3294 requires an independent tort such as fraud).
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in California?
Almost never against employees. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600 voids contracts restraining anyone from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business, and § 16600.5 (effective 2024) makes out-of-state non-competes unenforceable against California workers and creates employee remedies. Narrow statutory exceptions exist for the sale of a business (§ 16601) and partnership dissolutions (§ 16602).
What can I do if my business partner breaches fiduciary duties?
Partners owe each other duties of loyalty and care under Cal. Corp. Code § 16404. Remedies for breach include damages, an accounting, expulsion or dissociation, and judicial dissolution of the partnership (Cal. Corp. Code § 16801) or of an LLC (Corp. Code § 17707.03). Breach of fiduciary duty claims generally carry a four-year limitations period (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 343).
Where are business disputes heard in California?
Most are filed in the superior court of the county tied to the contract or the defendant's residence (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 395); claims of $35,000 or less proceed as limited civil cases. Several large counties, including Los Angeles, operate complex-litigation departments for qualifying cases. Contracts frequently route disputes to arbitration instead, which California courts enforce under Code Civ. Proc. § 1281.
What does it take to form an LLC in California?
Filing Articles of Organization with the California Secretary of State (Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01), then a Statement of Information within 90 days and every two years after (§ 17702.09). Most LLCs owe California's $800 annual minimum tax regardless of income (Rev. & Tax. Code § 17941). The operating agreement is not filed with the state, but it governs how members share control, profits and exits (Corp. Code § 17701.10), which is where most later disputes start.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Related counsel in Los Angeles
Business Law nearby
Read the record. Then decide.
Describe your matter once, review the verified records, and place the call; the choice is always yours.
Find Your Counsel278,688 attorneys · 58 counties · Official State Bar records