From the beginning of the opening of the law offices of Steven H. Wilhelm, APC (January 1980) there was always a substantial mix of what is styled corporate work, i.e. agreements; merger documents; dissolution documents; annual upkeep documents; and multiple different types of business agreements; real estate agreements; and most things imaginable in the business spectrum which call for agreements and/or negotiations, as part of the firms core practice. In many years depending on the litigation load, the percentage of the overall business that was actually within the category of corporate business and real estate agreements, would vary from anywhere as low as 35% of the gross billing business to as high as 65% depending on a given year. This mix of business has continued throughout the time frame the office has been open; however from about year 2000 prospectively there was a serious increase in corporate contracts and agreements by as much as 10% to 15% over the first 25 years of practice.

Notwithstanding the serious increase in corporate business, the firm continued to handle numerous cases primarily ones involving complex litigation; complex facts; and large financial damages of one type or another. Highlights of negotiations that took place during this time frame of corporate increase, particularly from 2000 forward were multiple agreements with various restaurants and bars; buyers and sellers thereof; involving such well known companies as The House of Blues and Live Nation, having to do with certain concert venues; ongoing contractual review of negotiations for local companies of many different varieties, whether it be a construction company on the one hand, a fireworks company on the other hand, clothing manufacturers and the like. A good deal of agreement drafting took place during that same time frame with various buy out agreements; merger agreements; dissolution agreements; as well as hundreds if not thousands of structuring of corporations; limited liability companies; limited partnerships and other business associations.

Also, as part of this same corporate drafting were multiple lease reviews; lease re-structures; lease negotiations and lease agreement drafting. From anything from simpler leases to very complex 40-50 page leases.

Additionally, included in this same group of highlighted projects were large real estate contracts involving millions of dollars in purchase prices, along with a smaller portion of international work having to do with helping international accounting and law firms negotiate corporate compliance for US companies that were also involved with these international companies. The trend toward more and more corporate work is a trend that the firm believes will continue to grow on a prospective basis, trying to fully implement the firms concierge business approach in practicing law, that is if we don’t particularly handle a given area, then we will handle helping you and your clients find the most trusted lawyers in San Diego to help with the problem that might be out of our area of expertise.