Gray Matters January 2014
January 2014
2013 Year In Review
As we start a new year, the attorneys and staff at Gray·Duffy, LLP would like to thank our clients and colleagues for being instrumental in making this year a success. We are eager to reflect on a year of growth for our firm. Not only did we add three new attorneys, we also broadened our scope of services to include a real estate transactions & litigation
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Gray·Duffy, LLP Featured as “Trusted Advisors”
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| Pictured from left to right: Front – Co-founders: Gary Gray and John Duffy. Back – Attorneys Michelle MacDonald, Michael Eisenbaum, David Fisher, and Wendy Lin Suh.
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Ventura Blvd magazine featured Gray·Duffy as one of the “Top Advisory Law Firms” in the Los Angeles Valley community. The profile highlights the firm’s work with a variety of business, commercial, and real estate clients, especially contractors in construction litigation matters. With a rich tapestry of experience, Gray·Duffy handles matters from inception through resolution and provides personalized attention throughout the entire process.
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Unlicensed Gold Buyers Hurt California Economy
Historically high gold prices coupled with a general economic decline has recently exerted pressure to sell scrap gold and unused jewelry. High gold prices have propagated the proliferation of unlicensed gold buyers which generally operate in three forms of business: gold parties, hotel events, and brick-and-mortar stores.
Gold Parties.
Gold parties are the Tupperware parties of yesterday. Parties involve a social setting and are less intimidating than walking into a jewelry store and selling gold jewelry to a stranger. The gold buyer at these parties is typically not interested in the jewelry itself; rather, they sell the items to gold refiners to be melted down. The gold party host gets approximately a 10 percent cut.
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1) A party can waive its right to enforce an arbitration agreement contained in a contract by participating in litigation concerning the subject contract. True or False ?
3) Parties to a contract can agree to make a binding arbitration award non-appealable before a civil court. True or False ?
For any questions regarding arbitration, please contact Kevin Cruz at (818) 907-4000 or [email protected] .
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Real Estate Corner
Gray ·Duffy provides the following summaries of recent real estate laws which may impact our clients. If you have any questions, please contact David Fisher at (818) 907-4000 or [email protected] .
Landlord-Tenant and NODs
A new law requires landlords to give prospective tenants certain notice when the property is going into foreclosure. If a landlord receives a notice of default (NOD) on a one-to-four unit residential property, the landlord must comply with new Civil Code Section 2924.85, which requires tenants who are contemplating renting such property to be given notice that the property could be going into foreclosure. Failure to provide the notice subjects the landlord to monetary penalties.
Landlord-Tenant and Abandoned Property
The threshold in Civil Code Section 1984 has been increased from $300 to $700 of what may be considered by the landlord to be “abandoned property.” If the landlord follows the proper notice requirement to the former tenant, and the abandoned property is reasonably determined to be less than $700, the landlord may dispose of the property without liability to the tenant.
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Hear What Our Clients Have to Say…
“We hired Gray·Duffy through our insurance company for a litigation matter. Attorneys Mike Eisenbaum and Pat Roberts handled my case in a competent and efficient manner. I was particularly impressed with Mike’s skills as a litigator and the results he delivered, and therefore have continued to retain them for my various legal needs. My experience working with the firm has been great and I would certainly recommend their services to others.”
-Jeh Meher, President, USA Fitness
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Did You Miss Our
To read past issues of Gray Matters and test your knowledge with “So You Think You Know The Law,” please visit our newsletter archives .
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Please Note : This article is necessarily general in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice with respect to any particular case. Readers should consult with an attorney before taking any action affecting their interests.