Despite the fact that it remains the better and safer practice to put all contracts in writing, many important business and partnership agreements are still made orally.  While oral contracts are enforceable in California in many circumstances, the California Civil Code specifically requires that certain agreements be put in writing to be enforceable. Specifically, California law requires that the following contracts be in writing in order to be enforced: A contract in which performance will necessarily exceed...

Whether you are buying or selling real estate, it is important to determine whether any easements encumber the property, and, if there are, what effect the easements will have on the deal. First, an easement is generally defined as a right to cross or use someone else's land for a specified purpose. For example, your neighbor may have a small easement over your land to access the closest main road. The easement does not allow...

In California, Close Corporations are creatures of statute. They are not judicially created as they can be in other states. Therefore, in order to benefit from the legal protections of a Close Corporation, it must be properly formed and meet all statutory requirements. A Close Corporation is designed to give its shareholders more control over the operations of the business and allow for a flexible management model. A California Close Corporation may not have more...