The RegistryCounty Record · California
Business Law Lawyers in Santa Barbara County, California
Searching for a business lawyer in Santa Barbara County? Counsel for businesses: forming the company, contracts and deals, and the disputes that follow. This page indexes the county's business law coverage from the State Bar of California's official roll, with identity-verification markers where available.
South Central Coast county whose 1929 Anacapa Street courthouse still hears live calendars; branch courts in Santa Maria serve the north county. The court of record is the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara · counsel who appear there regularly read the local calendar better than any brochure.
Before comparing counsel, note the clock. Under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337, the governing period is four years to sue on a written contract; two years on an oral contract (§ 339). 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.
This page is the Santa Barbara County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Business Lawyers in California collects all 58 counties.
The clock & the court
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.
Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara.
County seat: Santa Barbara
Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.sbcourts.org
Business Law · Santa Barbara County roster
296 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list business law among their practice areas with an address of record in Santa Barbara County.
280 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.
The roster concentrates in Santa Barbara (218), Santa Maria (22), Goleta (20) and Solvang (12).
6 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.
13 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.
Admission years on this roster run from 1964 to 2025.
The employers most represented here are Mullen & Henzell LLP (6), Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP (5) and Schley Look Guthrie & Locker LLP (4).
The full Santa Barbara County roster · 420 attorneys with an active license and a business law practice area: is listed by surname in the 2 sections below.
Business Law matters in Santa Barbara County
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
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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
Every business law attorney in Santa Barbara County, by surname
Business Law by city in Santa Barbara County
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Business Law in nearby counties
Source: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.
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