Business General Counsel Services

The attorneys of the Pedersen Law & Dispute Resolution Corporation have unique experiences and abilities to assist businesses and individuals with many non-litigation aspects of their needs.

Mr. Pedersen's experiences blend a substantial litigation practice with actual in-house counsel and human resources department experience, making his skill-set particularly unique. Teresa McQueen's and Dan Heck's backgrounds and experiences additionally add different facets to the firm's offerings.

Many companies look to the firm to act as an outside General Counsel, whereby we are asked to advise and counsel on a wide range of issues. If needed, our attorneys are quick to identify areas where a legal specialist may be needed, and we assist in the identification, engagement and management of such specialty legal assistance, much in the same way an in-house general counsel would do. In short, the firm can provide your company with the same personalized care as an inside General Counsel, without the substantial expense of keeping an attorney "on staff."

In addition to general counsel services, our attorneys often assist in-house general counsel with special needs as well. Whether you have an attorney on staff or not, we can be a valuable tool for you and your company.

A sampling of the general counsel work for which our attorneys can provide able assistance follows:

• Contract drafting, revision and negotiation for a wide range of business needs, including, but not limited to:
  
  
  • Product sales agreements
  • Business purchase and sale agreements
  • Distribution agreements
  • OEM agreements
  • Product and service vendor agreements
  • Non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements
  • Independent contractor agreements
  • Commercial leases and related documents
  • Operating agreements
  • Real estate sales documentation
  • Specific and general releases
  • Joint venture agreements
  
  
• Employer advice and documentation, including, but not limited to:
  
  
  • Human Resources policies, procedures and forms
  • Creation, review and/or modification of employee handbooks
  • Employee agreements
  • Compensation packages
  • Payroll procedures
  • Hiring and termination procedures and forms.
  • Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation prevention programs
  • Creation and implementation of legally appropriate document retention and destruction policies and procedures.
  
  
• Compliance with state and federal land use laws and the laws governing your real property, including
  
  
  • Drafting & review of lease agreements
  • Formation and counseling of LLC real estate entities
  • Counseling on commercial landlord/tenant disputes
  • Counseling and assistance on rent control compliance
  • Representation before many administrative boards
  • Research and advice on proposed, new and existing Laws
  
  
• Insurance procurement and coverage advice, including risk avoidance strategies for businesses and individuals.
  
  
• Formation of California domestic stock and nonprofit corporations and limited liability companies and the creation and maintenance of all required documentation formalities thereafter.

In addition to our General Counsel Services, Pedersen Law & Dispute Resolution offers a wide array of services related specifically to our agricultural and wine industry clients. In order to better serve these specialized industries clients we offer the following services specific to the needs of these industries:

• Representation before all State and Regional Water Administrative Boards
• Regional Water Quality Control Waste Discharge Compliance Assistance
• Negotiation and Collaborative Efforts