CounselCraft Guides

The $12,500 Case You Can Win Without a Lawyer — If You File It Right
By Matthew P. Krupnick A few years back, a man came to my office with a slam-dunk case and a face like he'd swallowed something sharp. A contractor had taken a $9,400 deposit for a kitchen remodel, demoed half the kitchen, and disappeared. Photos, a signed contract, a canceled check, a trail of unanswered texts — the kind of evidence file most lawyers would frame. He'd done everything right except one thing: he'd filed in small claims court against "Dave's Kitchen Pros" instead of the actual licensed entity, David R.... Read more...
No Operating Agreement? Then a Judge Will Write One for You.
By Matthew P. Krupnick The most expensive document in small business isn't the one you sign. It's the one you never wrote. A few years back, two partners came to see me about an LLC they'd formed online in an afternoon. One owned 90%. The other owned 10%. They'd shaken hands, filed the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, and gotten to work. They never wrote an operating agreement. It seemed like paperwork they could do later. "Later" arrived when the 90% partner wanted to sell a piece... Read more...
Dying Without a Will in California Means the Court Decides — and It Charges by the Hour
By Matthew P. Krupnick A few years ago, a family sat in my office after their father died. He was a good man. He owned a modest condo in the Valley, had two adult kids from his first marriage, a wife of six years from his second, and — this is the part that mattered — no will. He'd meant to get around to it. Everyone does. Within an hour, I watched his widow realize something that genuinely shocked her: the court was about to divide her husband's estate using... Read more...
The Billable Hour Was Built to Bill You. Fire the Meter.
The average California lawyer bills $422 an hour — up 23% in two years. A 20-year litigator's case for flat-fee, attorney-created legal tools, and an honest account of what they can and can't do. Read more...
California's Security Deposit Overhaul Is Tripping Up Landlords — Here's the One Fix That Matters
New California security deposit rules require landlords to photograph units before and after a tenancy to support any deposit deduction. Here's what changed, who gets hurt, and the one fix that matters — in plain English. Read more...
California Contractor Disputes: Organize Your Evidence
Contractor not finishing the job or demanding more money? A California litigator explains how to organize your evidence — payment records, photos, and communications — so your claim is ready whether you negotiate, mediate, or go to court. Read more...