You've built something worth protecting.
Most small business owners and real estate investors don't learn their legal protection has gaps until someone tests it. We find those gaps and close them first, then guide you through the contracts, partnerships and deals that come with growth, so you can keep building with peace of mind.
For established businesses with $750,000+ in annual revenue, and for real estate investors and rental property owners.
Book a Free Discovery Call 15 minutes with our team to see if we're the right fit.What we see put owners at risk
These are the issues we find most often when a business owner or investor sits down with us for the first time. Most have at least one. Many don't know it.
- No entity at allOperating as a sole proprietor means the business's debts and lawsuits are your personal debts and lawsuits.
- The wrong type of entityAn entity chosen years ago, or by default, that no longer fits how you operate, earn or plan to grow.
- Company documents never prepared or never updatedOperating agreements, bylaws, minutes and ownership records that were skipped at formation or never changed as the business did, leaving your protection open to challenge.
- No personal liability protectionNothing standing between a claim against the business and the assets you've worked a lifetime to build.
- Everything owned in one placeProperty, equipment and savings held alongside day-to-day operations, without a holding company to keep them apart.
- No contracts, or outdated onesHandshake deals, borrowed templates and agreements that no longer match your business.
- Signing contracts no one reviewedAgreements drafted by the other side or their attorney, with terms that quietly favor them and work against you.
- Unprotected intellectual propertyA brand name never trademarked, content never registered, and trade secrets shared without the agreements that keep them yours.
- Relying on DIY and AI for legal protectionOnline forms and AI tools produce documents. They can't tell you what's missing for your situation.
What those gaps can cost you
The cost rarely shows up on the day the mistake is made. It shows up later, when you have the most to lose.
Lawsuits are a real cost of doing business today, and the owners who come through them best are the ones who planned before anything happened.
How we help
Protecting what you've built is the goal behind everything we do. It's also not the only reason clients call us. We advise on the decisions that come with running and growing a business.
Asset protection & business structuring
Holding companies and multi-entity structures designed to shield your personal and business assets and support growth.
Contracts & transactions
Drafting, reviewing and negotiating the agreements your business runs on, including the ones the other side hands you to sign.
Partnerships & ownership
Partner and operating agreements, buy-sell terms, and bringing in investors or new owners.
Buying or selling a business
Structuring the deal, preparing for due diligence, and the purchase and sale agreements that close it.
Intellectual property
Trademark and copyright filings, trade secret protection, and patent strategy for what makes your business different.
Real estate holdings
Entity structures for rental and investment property, so one property's problem stays with that property.
Need something not listed here? Tell us in the form below. If it's not something we handle, we'll point you in the right direction.
Who we work with
Established business owners
You've grown well past the startup stage, and your legal setup hasn't kept up with what you have at stake now.
Real estate investors & rental property owners
Every property you add increases what one problem could reach. Your portfolio deserves a plan, not just a deed.
Contractors & licensed professionals
You carry real liability every day on the job. Your personal assets shouldn't have to carry it with you.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran
An attorney in your corner
California Business Formations is a California law firm for business owners and investors who want to protect what they've built and keep building it.
The firm is led by David Shoup, a California attorney and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. We bring the same discipline to your protection that you bring to your business, and we work alongside your CPA and advisors so everyone is pulling in the same direction.
What our clients get
- A clear picture of where they stand today
- A plan built around their business, family and goals
- Contracts reviewed before they sign, not after there's a problem
- Their brand, content and trade secrets secured as the business grows
- Guidance through partnerships, deals and the sale of a business
- Ongoing counsel when new questions come up
How it works
- Free Discovery CallA 15-minute call with our welcome team to learn about your business and goals, run a conflict check, and make sure we can help.
- Reserve your Strategy SessionOnce we've confirmed we're the right fit, you'll pay the session fee to hold your time with an attorney.
- Send us your documentsEntity records, agreements, contracts and a list of your properties and major assets. We'll send a checklist so nothing gets missed.
- Prep call with your attorneyA 15-minute call, at no charge, so your attorney can ask questions about your documents and goals before the session.
- Your Strategy SessionYour attorney has reviewed everything and already knows your situation, so you get advice from the first minute.
A Strategy Session is not a consultation
A typical consultation is an introduction. Your Strategy Session is a working meeting. Your attorney has already reviewed your documents and spoken with you, so the hour is spent advising you, not gathering information.
- Your documents, reviewed before you meetYour attorney comes in knowing your entities, agreements, contracts, properties and IP.
- A prep call with your attorneyA 15-minute call before the session to fill in gaps and understand your goals, so no session time is spent catching up.
- Your exposure, identifiedWhere your personal assets, business assets and ideas are protected today, and where they aren't.
- Your questions, answeredA deal on the table, a partner issue, a contract waiting for your signature, a sale you're planning. Bring it.
- A prioritized planWhat to fix first, what can wait, and how it fits with your CPA's tax strategy.
- Clear next stepsIf you'd like us to carry out the plan, you'll know exactly what's involved before you decide.
Asset protection has to come before a problem
Asset protection planning is done in advance, while there are no pending claims. If you're currently facing a lawsuit, judgment or creditor claim, we can't put new protection in place around it, but we may still be able to help with other matters. Call us at 951-594-9456.
Questions
Do you only handle asset protection?
No. Asset protection is part of everything we do, but clients also come to us for contracts and transactions, partnership and ownership planning, buying or selling a business, intellectual property, and ongoing counsel as their business grows.
Are you an LLC filing service?
No. We form LLCs and corporations regularly, but clients don't come to us for the filing. They come for the strategy behind it: entities structured to shield assets and support growth, coordination with their CPA and advisors, protection for their intellectual property, and a complete plan that we prepare and carry out with them. Online filing services file a few forms and hand you generic templates that aren't connected to anything else.
Can't I just use an online service or AI?
You can use them to fill out forms. What they can't do is look at your whole situation, spot what's missing, and stand behind the advice. Many of the problems we fix started with a document that looked fine and wasn't.
Why start with a call instead of booking a session?
Before we can advise you, we need to run a conflict check and make sure your needs are something we handle well. The Discovery Call is free, takes about 15 minutes, and means you only pay for a Strategy Session once we know we can help.
What happens on the Discovery Call?
Our welcome team coordinator learns about your business, your goals and what prompted you to reach out, confirms we're the right fit, and walks you through scheduling your attorney prep call and Strategy Session.
What is the attorney prep call?
After you send your documents, your attorney schedules a 15-minute call with you, at no charge. They'll ask about anything the documents don't answer and what you most want from the session, so they arrive prepared to advise.
Why is there a fee for the Strategy Session?
Because it's real legal work. Your attorney reviews your documents ahead of time and spends the session advising you on your specific situation. You leave with a plan you can act on, whether or not you hire us to carry it out.
What documents should I send?
Formation documents for each entity, operating or partnership agreements, bylaws and minutes, key contracts, a list of the properties and major assets you own, and any trademark or IP filings. Our welcome team will send a checklist.
Will you work with my CPA?
Yes. We regularly coordinate with clients' CPAs and financial advisors so the legal and tax pieces fit together.
Do you work with clients outside California?
We advise California businesses and California owners, including on structures that use entities formed in other states where that makes sense.
Book your free Discovery Call
Answer a few quick questions, then pick a time for your free 15-minute Discovery Call with our welcome team. We'll learn about your situation, run a conflict check and confirm we can help. There's nothing to pay today.