Our Practice

Business formation and organization

It is important that your business start off with the right formation, structure, and governance. We will help you determine the type of entity that best fits your business goals, whether a corporation, limited liability company, or partnership. Nave & Cortell will then help you create the structure appropriate for the type of entity chosen, including LLC operating agreements, limited and general partnership agreement, corporate bylaws, and shareholder agreement. We can also work with you on establishing employment plans, such as stock option plans, equity programs, and employment contracts. In addition to the structure and governance, we will advise you concerning the financing of your business through equity and debt, angel and venture capital, loans, leases, mezzanine and subordinated financing, or asset-based financing. Looking longer term, we provide advice for business planning, joint ventures and other critical relationships, and exit strategies.

Business/corporate law

Just operating a business day-to-day is hectic enough without having to worry about legal issues. With our business and corporate experience, Let Nave & Cortell help you navigate issues such as:

  • Customer and vendor agreements
  • Sales contracts
  • Purchase order terms and conditions
  • Licensing agreements
  • Distribution agreements
  • Website design and development agreements
  • Technology, SAAS, and software development agreements, E-commerce and internet-related business agreements
  • Employment and independent contractor agreements
  • Non-compete, trade secret and confidentiality agreements
  • Stock purchase, repurchase and redemption agreements
  • Non-disclosure agreements
  • Joint venture agreements
  • Subscription agreements
  • Buy-sell agreements
  • Loan and lease agreements
  • Real estate-related agreements

General Counsel

Every day shareholders and management teams make important business decisions that can benefit from informed and targeted legal advice. However, they may not call their lawyer, leery of spending time and money for vague, unhelpful responses. Nave & Cortell was created to specifically overcome these concerns. As outside general counsel, we take the time to understand our clients and their businesses. We understand that this approach facilitates a level of communication with our clients as if we were located down the hall, and results in tangible value. We make it our responsibility to know our clients’ histories, understand their business objectives, and proactively collaborate with their other business advisors. This approach helps us successfully advise middle market and early stage companies on operational and governance issues throughout their lifecycles. Our practice covers the following areas:

  • Business planning and strategy
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Contracts and Agreements
  • Licensing, joint venture and strategic partnership agreements
  • Transition, succession, and exit planning
  • Bonus plans and stock option agreements
  • Employment Law
  • Real Estate purchases, sales, leases, and financing
  • Shareholder, member, and partnership disputes

Public Entities

Nave & Cortell represents a number of local public entities, including Airport Districts and Healthcare Districts. The scope of our services include board governance, transactional matters, business agreements, public works contracts and projects, and joint powers authorities. We advise our clients on issues involving the Brown Act, Public Records Act, Political Reform Act, and conflict of interest laws. The Firm also conducts AB 1234 ethics training for its clients. Our health care practice includes advising hospitals and rural clinics amidst a continually changing landscape of legal and regulatory issues. We provide advice/legal services to general acute care hospitals in the following areas: contract review and drafting, health facility licensure and accreditation, federal regulatory (such as EMTALA and HIPAA), Medicare and Medicaid (such as Stark and Fraud and Abuse), medical staff matters and patient care issues (such as informed consent, end-of-life decision making, risk management and medical ethics). As a result of our depth of attorneys and breadth of experience, Nave & Cortell can serve virtually all of a public agency's needs for legal services. Some of the principal areas in which our public lawyers practice include:

  • Assessments, Taxes and Proposition 218 Compliance
  • Brown Act, Conflicts of Interest and Ethics and Public Records Act
  • CEQA
  • Civil Rights and Constitutional Law
  • E-Documents and Public Records
  • Elections and Political Law
  • First Amendment
  • Public Works, Construction and Contracting
  • Transportation, Aviation-Airport Law
  • Water Rights and Water Law
  • Eminent Domain
  • Environmental
  • Labor and Employment
  • Litigation
  • Real Estate
  • Water Rights and Water Law