About Furton Legal

My Practice Philosophy
My practice philosophy is focused in providing the preventative tools my clients need to protect their legal interests, the flexibility to efficiently function and the understanding needed to assess and weigh risk. Together, we make legal services work for you.

My Approach
My approach to a client’s legal needs is different than lawyers who have spent their lives within the cocoon of a law firm. Working every day as part of an internal business team has given me a unique understanding of the needs of the business and the task of drafting legal documents to meet those needs. In-house legal services are my life’s work, defined by the need to balance the legalese with a business’ practical needs.

My Experience
My clients & employers have ranged from prominent Fortune 500 companies to large Southern California real estate developers, individual franchisees and major franchise systems. This variety of clientele has made my practice nimble and versatile.

My Accomplishments
Work I am particularly proud of:

• Served as lead in-house counsel on the largest 2018 single asset refinance in the State of California.
• Supported the development, leasing, and management of over 20,000,000 square feet of commercial properties, including big box/anchor, office, medical, industrial, marina, retail, QSR, ground leases.
• Supported the development, leasing, and management of over 5,000,000 square feet of residential leased properties.
• Integral part of the team completing the acquisition, finance, construction, lease up and property management of multiple Los Angeles mixed-use developments, typically comprised of 350-400 residential spaces and 50,000-100,000 rsf of retail and commercial space.
• Part of the legal team responsible for one of 2004’s largest IPOs.
• Developed interactive online “Build-A-Contract” program for a health care client.

A typical work day for me runs the gamut of corporate legal services and might include drafting a confidentiality agreement, negotiating financing for construction of a major development, drafting shareholder voting notices, refining and revising a commercial lease or reviewing a subcontract.

If there is a legal issue or element to your business transaction, I’ve probably seen, drafted it, negotiated it or studied it!  If you’d like to know more, please contact me or visit my linkedin page.

Furton Legal offers select legal services strictly focused in transactional law: document drafting, preparation, review and negotiations.

                                   COMMON QUESTIONS          

Q: What is a “Digital Law Firm” or “eLawyering”?
A:            A digital law firm is a legal practice without a traditional brick & mortar office and can take many different forms: attorneys may work from a home office or they might work in satellite offices. They might work in a different city or state.  Simply put, “elaw” means you hired your attorney on the web and those legal services are provided electronically, viaemail, phone, video meetings. Meetings typically occur over conference call or teleconference. I live and work in California, but am also licensed in Michigan.

Q:           What is “Limited Scope Representation”?
A:            Sometimes called “unbundling”, “discrete task representation” or “Limited Scope Representation”[1], an attorney that offers some legal services, while excluding offering others, is offering Limited Scope Representation. Typically, these terms refer to an attorney that will provide minimal help with a lawsuit, but not provide all the traditional case or lawsuit services. They may answer your questions, or review a form you prepared before you file it with the court, but not attend hearing or manage your case schedule, or draft a complaint, or appear on your behalf.

Although primarily referring to lawsuit situations, another example of “Limited Scope Representation” might be when a client hires Furton Legal to negotiate a set of loan documents, the loan closing occurs and that marks the end of the attorney’s work.  Future negotiation of loan extensions or modifications will be excluded from the initial terms of agreement, but can be hired separately. Your engagement letter will set forth the parameters and boundaries of the representation. 

Furton Legal does not offer any sort of litigation, mediation or arbitration services, filing a lawsuit, or taking on a client whose primary legal need is, or is likely to involve, a lawsuit. Furton Legal does not even provide unbundled or Limited Scope Representation for any service relating to a lawsuit, such as reviewing court filings or forms or advising on a litigation strategy.

Q:           Why Don’t I Offer Litigation Services?
A:            Because that is not what I’ve spent 25 years doing. I have focused my practice on preventative maintenance, drafting, negotiating and transacting. I have only been in a court room a handful of times and haven’t ever drafted a full pleading set. Simply put, there are many, many litigators out there who have vast amounts of experience beyond mine, and if you need to handle a matter related to a lawsuit, you should look for an experienced litigator.

Q:           What Do Attorneys Do if They aren’t Representing Clients in Court?
A:           Transactional work, primarily. My work is focused on preparing documents designed to avoid disputes. Well-crafted transactional documents form the basis of a good bargain and are the goal of my preventative law practice. 

[1] “Limited Scope Representation” is defined as “a relationship between an attorney and a person seeking legal services in which they have agreed that the scope of legal services will be limited to specific tasks that the attorney will perform for the person.”  [California Rule of Court, Rule 3.35 (a)].