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Happy (early) New Year! Every year, January 1 brings with it a slate of new laws, and 2026 is no different. My criteria as to what constitutes a “top new law” are: what I find interesting, what will impact Heckman Law, PC clients the most, and how broad the change will be. These are focused largely on construction and real estate, but also with an eye toward business generally. Unless otherwise stated, these laws went into effect on January 1, 2026.   And I have done the same

Happy (early) New Year! Every year, January 1 brings with it a slate of new laws, and 2026 is no different. My criteria as to what constitutes a “top new law” are: what I find interesting, what will impact Heckman Law, PC clients the most, and how broad the change will be. These are focused largely on construction and real estate, but also with an eye toward business generally. Unless otherwise stated, these laws went into effect on January 1, 2026.   And I have done the same

The construction industry if complex, full of risk, and highly regulated. Contractors must know how to navigate tight timelines, how to handle changing cost of supplies, labor shortages, and difficult clients. Despite those difficulties, contractors are expected to deliver quality work efficiently and safely. But often, legal issues are at the bottom of contractors' minds, at least until something goes wrong. By then, damage control can be expensive and time-consuming. If con

Several states require contractors to provide a preliminary notice to certain parties prior to filing suit. In California, this...

Texas's and California's mechanic's liens provisions are almost identical, but only Texas has what can be called a "constitutional mechanic's lien." Why is that?

Happy New Year! Thank you for bearing with me as I complete my review. Every year, January 1 brings with it a slate of new laws. My...

Happy New Year! Thank you for bearing with me as I complete my review. Every year, January 1 brings with it a slate of new laws. My...

Happy New Year! Sorry that this post is coming in late. As always, January 1 brings with it a slate of new laws. My criteria here are:...

Happy New Year! Sorry that this post is coming in late. As always, January 1 brings with it a slate of new laws. My criteria here are:...

Happy New Year! California has a number of new laws going into effect in 2022. This is my ranking of the top new business laws going into...

More often than not, my clients have a specific entity in mind before they contact me. That's fine; they're often right. And they usually request a limited liability company (LLC). California LLCs, as compared to corporations, are often cheaper to form, maintain, and wind up. However, this is not true for all industries. In particular, contractors licensed by California's Contractors State License Board (CSLB) should consider forming a corporation instead of an LLC. Why shoul