Legal Services
Transactional counsel for the whole life of your business
From the day you choose an entity to the day you sell the company or the building, this office handles the documents that decide who is liable, who gets paid, and what happens when a deal goes sideways.
Legal Services
Five areas, one throughline: the documents that decide who carries the risk
Every service on this page is transactional. Nothing here happens in a courtroom. It happens in the operating agreement, the purchase contract, the lease, the loan file, and the closing binder.
That is deliberate. After five decades in law and business, the pattern is clear. The moments that determine whether a San Diego business owner keeps their money are almost always moments where a document was signed, and almost never moments where a case was argued. Get the document right and the argument never happens.
Below is what this office handles, how each engagement works, and what it typically costs to find out whether you need help. Every service page has its own consultation form so your inquiry arrives with the context already attached.
Business Formation
Choose the right entity the first time. LLC, S corporation, partnership, or nonprofit, structured to protect what you own and keep your tax bill sane.
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Business Transactions
Buying, selling, or merging a San Diego company. Diligence, deal structure, and closing documents handled by the attorney you actually hired.
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Contracts
Agreements drafted to be enforced, not just signed. Vendor, employment, licensing, and distribution contracts that hold up when money is on the line.
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Loan Purchase Transactions
Distressed debt and note acquisitions reviewed by a former bank counsel who worked the Resolution Trust era from the inside.
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Real Estate Transactions
Commercial purchases, sales, leases, and development deals across San Diego County, reviewed line by line before you are locked in.
Explore This ServiceChoosing a Service
Not sure which one you need?
Most matters touch more than one area. Here is the plain language version of who calls about what.
Starting something
Business formation. You are launching, adding a partner, splitting equity, or setting up an entity to hold property. Call before you file anything, because the structure is far cheaper to choose than to change.
Buying or selling a company
Business transactions. There is a letter of intent, a broker, a purchase price, and a closing date. Call while the terms are still moving, not after the definitive agreement is drafted by the other side.
Someone sent you paper
Contracts. A vendor, distributor, landlord, employer, or client has put an agreement in front of you, or you need one written. Call before signature, because after signature you are negotiating from behind.
Buying debt
Loan purchase transactions. A bank, fund, or broker is offering a note, a pool, or a secured position. Call inside the diligence window, because your protection is your own review, not the seller's representations.
Buying, selling, or leasing property
Real estate transactions. Commercial, industrial, multifamily, land, or a complex residential deal. Call while contingencies are open, because that is the last point at which the deal can still change.
Still not sure
Just call. Describing the situation in five minutes is faster than diagnosing it yourself. The consultation is free, and if the matter belongs with a different kind of attorney I will tell you that instead of opening a file.
San Diego County
Local counsel, on the ground where you do business
My office sits at 2366 Front Street in downtown San Diego, minutes from the county recorder, the courts, and most of the lenders and title companies my clients use. That proximity is not a marketing line. It means documents get signed, recorded, and closed without a week of shipping delays.
Communities Served
Each community has its own page covering the local commercial corridors and the issues that come up there most often.
Do you offer free consultations on all of these services?
Can one matter involve several of these areas?
Do you offer flat fees?
Do you serve clients outside the city of San Diego?
What if I need litigation?
Free Consultation
One conversation will tell you what you need
You should not have to diagnose your own legal problem before you are allowed to ask about it. Describe the situation and get a straight answer about which service applies and what it will take.
- Free initial consultation on any of these services
- Flat fees available on defined work
- One attorney across every area, so nothing falls between the cracks
- Serving all of San Diego County
2366 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101-1414
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Which service fits your situation?
Describe what you are dealing with. If it belongs in one of these areas, you will hear what the path looks like. If it does not, you will hear that too.
Your details go straight to Donald Schiffer. Most inquiries receive a reply the same business day. Prefer to talk now? Call (619) 699-4860.