Echelon Professional Magazine Q1 2021

Professional

ECHELON

Q1.21

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

A FEW

DESPERADOS

RIDE AGAIN!

Winning

THE WEALTH RACE Catching A NASCAR Ride

SILVA LININGS:

Finding The Good In Criminal Law The

LEARNED LAWYER

About and By Echelon Professionals

Meet One Well-Read Guy

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Q1.21

CONTENTS COVER STORY 10

26

The Learned Lawyer

Terence M. Sternberg is one smart attorney. And friends know him as one interesting, well-read guy.

BIOGRAPHIES 16

The Desperados Ride Again!

22

Silva Linings

26

Winning The Wealth Race

10

What does one bunch of professionals do to let off a little steam? They hit the trail for a real life “City Slickers” adventure!

Criminal defense attorney Silva Megerditchian shares how she has found the good in life and criminal law.

Avalan’s Rich Schuette has used auto racing to reinvent wealth management.

22

FEATURES

32 HELP! I’m Being Sued Because of My Website!

Is your website ADA compliant?

Can you be sure?

16

CONVERSATIONS

35 ONE-ON-ONE with Marlo Van Oorschot

Family Law Attorney

36 ONE-ON-ONE with Jennifer Felten

Real Estate Attorney

38 ONE-ON-ONE with Jay Rubin

Commercial Real Estate Broker

DEPARTMENTS

4 FROM THE CHAIR 6 CHECK IT OUT: QUICK BITS 34 NETWORKING: What Is Echelon Business Development?

Cover Photo: Brian Hemsworth

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Professional

ECHELON

FROM THE CHAIR

Echelon Professional Magazine is a publication written exclusively by and about the members

ECHELON PROFESSIONAL

Premier Issue!

From the front lines of professional

I

and business services providers!

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to this, the first ever issue of Echelon Professional!

Each issue will profile Echelon members, bring to you articles on important topics, and help showcase the incredible expertise our members possess. We hope our prospects, clients and other professionals gain insight into the wealth of resources Echelon members bring to the business world.

Echelon Professional is another business development and marketing tool for the membership of Echelon. From videos to SEO, blogs to magazines, meetings to seminars, Echelon is all about helping professionals build their practices so that they can provide the very best services for their clients.

So whether you are reading this in print, on EchelonProfessional.com, or on the digital newsstand, I hope you enjoy!

Matt Coletta Chair, Echelon Business Development P.S. To learn more about Echelon Membership, visit echelonbizdev.com

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of Echelon Business Development Network.

ECHELON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NETWORK Chair Matt Coletta, M&A Business Advisors Managing Members Jim Cagle, Allegent Group Jerri Hemsworth, Newman Grace Echelon Advisory Board Davis Blaine, The Mentor Group Mark Fishman, Actuaries Unlimited Andy Goodman, Goodman Law Offices Adam Grant, Alpert, Barr & Grant Brian Hemsworth, Newman Grace De Ivett, 5D Spectrum Renee Jacobs, Echelon Business Development Robert Klein, The Law Offices of Robert M. Klein Robin McConnell, R2 Law Group Rich Schuette, Avalan Wealth Management Robert Sniderman, HR Focus Terry Sternberg, Law Offices of Terence M. Sternberg Steve Weber, HW Premier Publisher Newman Grace Inc. Editor Brian Hemsworth Assistant Editor/Social Media Taryn Gray-Delahunty Design Direction/Production Jerri Hemsworth Brian Herbst Contributors William Colinas Taryn Gray-Delahunty Curtis O’Shaughnessy Editorial/Advertising Offices Newman Grace Inc. 6133 Fallbrook Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 P: 818.713.1678 Volume Q1 2021. Copyright ©2021 by Newman Grace Inc. and Echelon Business Development Network LLC. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Advertising rates and information sent upon request.

Acceptance of advertising in Echelon Professional in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by Newman Grace or Echelon Business Development Network of products or services advertised. Echelon Professional Magazine, Newman Grace or Echelon Business Development Network reserve the right to reject any advertising. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and not necessarily those of Newman Grace or Echelon Business Development Network. Echelon Professional Magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

This periodical’s name and logo along with the various titles and headings therein, are trademarks of Echelon Business Development Network LLC. PRODUCED IN U.S.A.

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USE EMOJIS Emojis help you send feedback to others without interrupting with your voice. Send a thumbs up or a clapping emoji to show approval.

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LIGHT IT UP Simply shining more light on you is a great way to improve picture quality. Facing a window is an easy way. Or, consider a small and simple LED light. A quick search online will show you dozens of low-cost options. We recommend one with variable power and color temperature (which will vary from soft and warm to bright and cold light).

EYELINE Another simple way to improve your video is prop your computer camera or webcam up to be

about equal with your eyes.

Below, and people will be looking up your nose. Too high, and it makes you look smaller as you look up.

SOUNDS GOOD Consider a small microphone for your Video Confs. Some headsets and earphones have microphones built in, which are usually better than computer mics. Another upgrade is to consider an external microphone, such as the easy-to-use Blue Snowball USB mic, also available on online.

IMPROVING YOUR LinkedIn Image USE A HIGH-RES IMAGE The ideal size for your LinkedIn profile picture is 400 x 400 pixels. Larger file sizes are okay, but 8MB is the max. If the picture looks a blurry when you upload it, try another pic.

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esearch using “heatmaps” shows us that people almost always look at your picture first when checking you out on LinkedIn. Here are a handful of tips from LinkedIn to help you post a picture that will get you noticed...and remembered!

PICK A PHOTO THAT LOOKS LIKE YOU It might sound pretty obvious, but your photo should let others know what you’d look like if they met you or Zoomed with you tomorrow.

HAVE YOUR FACE TAKE MORE THAN HALF OF THE FRAME Aim to have your face filling about 60% of the space.

Crop the picture from the top of your shoulders to just above your head so that your face call the frame area.

AVOID BUSY BACKGROUNDS You don’t want this to distract or take away from your face. A simple makes sure people keep focus on you.

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HABITS OF

High Growth Firms What strategies do high-growth firms (those growing at 20%+ per year) use that is different from slower growing firms? You might be surprised.

D

r. Bill Saleebey has written not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE books on networking. He is a business networking guru!

His most recent book, just out, is Networking In The Virtual Age: Connecting With No Limits. Bill actually interviewed some of the Echelon Business Development Network founders in researching material for this book. It’s an easy read with lots of short but info-packed chapters (more than 50!).

Among the topics: networking on Zoom, having impact while online, group dynamics, great networking questions, and harnessing social media, to mention a few. Bill has also included several short but informational case studies chronicling people’s experiences with networking online.

Networking In The Virtual Age is available at Amazon. com.

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Hinge Marketing, a research and marketing consultancy on the East Coast, has done exhaustive research on this topic. In fact, they interviewed more than 1000 firms around the country.

High-growth firms

are 3-times more likely to do frequent research on their target market. Half of the high-growth firms conduct this type of research annually.

High-growth firms are more than 2-times likely than slow growth

firms to post blogs on their website or publish case studies about their work.

And finally, professionals from high-growth firms are 78% more likely to network with peers and prospects.

UCLA ANDERSON Economic Forecast

I

t will likely be a challenging Winter, but the economy should begin to warm come Spring or Summer, according to the most recent quarterly UCLA Anderson Economic Forecast, as reported by the L.A. Times.

The forecast does make the assumption that a large percentage

of vaccinations will occur by Summer.

It predicts that annualized growth in the nation’s GDP will accelerate from a slow 1.2% to 1.8% in the first quarter of this year, then to a begin to accelerate to 6% in the second quarter and consistent 3% growth each quarter from there into 2023.

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the

Learned

Lawyer Terence M. Sternberg is one smart attorney.

And friends know him as one interesting, well-read guy.

A

ttorneys come in all different styles. Some are the “always wanted to be a lawyer” type. They studied political science, ran for student office in school, and knew what a tort was before most kids even knew what a law was. For others, it’s in their genes. Perhaps their mom and dad or aunt and uncle paved the way. Law was discussed, even encouraged while at home. Maybe they dabbled in business or psychology while in college, but law school was never far from the educational equation.

Terry Sternberg doesn’t fit either of these molds. In fact, one could argue he was an outlier, whose path to practice was less than traditional. There are many things Terry could have been great at. Students would love to have had a teacher like Terry.

Patients would have loved a doctor or therapist like Terry. Frankly, if Terry delivered your mail, you’d invite him in for milk and cookies. He’s just that great.

IMMIGRANT BEGINNINGS— ONCE REMOVED TO L.A. Terry grew up locally in Southern California.

He boasts he’s “so L.A. that I was born next to the 101 freeway!” One of four boys, he was reared in home of conservative Jewish parents, who themselves were the children of immigrants.

“As a matter of tradition,” tells Terry, “I had to be a CPA, a doctor, or a lawyer. I’m

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not big on the sight of blood; I don’t faint, just not big on it! I’m not good at math. I was out of options, so law school it was.”

From that bit of family history, one may bet they know the rest of the story, but that wouldn’t be such a smart bet.

When conversations today turn to which college or university people attended, Terry is quick to say, “Hell, I didn’t complete the semester I enrolled in at Pasadena City College!”

Terry’s father operated quite a successful business, which Terry had high hopes of taking over some day. Stepping into the family business might have been a fast track for him right out of high school.

Unfortunately for Terry, but fortunately for his future clients, Terry’s father told him he would have to earn a professional degree (law, medicine, or CPA) before he came to work at his business.

the

Learned

Lawyer And the plot thickened. Shortly after high school, Terry and his sweetheart learned they would soon be parents, so life took a seriously unexpected turn. Terry would have to begin working and making money... immediately.

Things weren’t very promising for Terry to be able to go to college, and then to law school all while supporting a new young family. But back then in the 1970s, things were slightly different than they are today. It turns out that one was able to take the LSAT without any college, but just having passed a college equivalency test, which Terry did with flying colors.

He then went on to take the LSAT, and scored in the 94th percentile. As a result, Terry was accepted to Whittier Law School as a “special student”.

In addition to this, to put himself through school and to support his new family, Terry worked as a paralegal. From there, Terry was able to complete his legal education and go on to pass the Bar Exam.

COUNSELOR STERNBERG Terry’s tenure as a paralegal served several purposes. First, he earned a paycheck, which was paramount. He also got to witness the law in action.

Paralegals typically work on many functions related to law such as legal research, document preparation, case and deposition summaries, etc. Terry also got to see how a law firm runs: learning about the people, positions, functions, duties, etc.

But possibly the most important thing Terry learned as a paralegal had absolutely nothing to do with the law. He learned that he was not cut out for a lifetime job at a large firm.

So, after law school and the bar, Terry looked for a smaller more intimate firm to work at.

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“My first job as an attorney,” tells Terry, “was with an attorney who’d left a very prestigious law firm to start his own practice. The training I received from him was critical to my success.”

Through his learnings, partly through his paralegal experience, partly through his first job as an attorney, and partly through his “thrill of

“

I think that one of the many ways I was blessed was with a still undiminished love of learning. ...A love of what an artist can do with language naturally followed.”

battle,” Terry developed his specialties as a real estate and trust litigator.

Today, Terry is recognized as a top litigator with not only outstanding skills as an attorney, but one who is masterful with client management.

“The trust cases are most taxing,” says Terry, “because the family dynamics that often come into play are very much like those in a divorce case.”

Terry’s clients come almost exclusively through referrals. He’s liked as a person, respected as a litigator, and given much praise by his clients.

“Terry can be kind in a brotherly or fatherly way,” tells one client, “or pretty tough like a Dutch Uncle. He

can be fun and cordial when chatting, and a truly buttoned-up professional when he needs to be.”

Has his practice changed a lot over time? Not as much as one might think, but more like it’s evolved with time.

“The kind of real estate litigation I handle is relatively stable and the economics haven’t changed much,” tells Terry. “Trust litigation, by contrast, has for some time now been undergoing fairly significant and rapid change. It’s all a reflection of the societal changes we’ve seen driven by the graying baby-boomers, the less prosperous following generations, and the changes in family dynamics.”

While Terry gets referred smaller cases, he’s had his share of big ones too.

“My biggest case, in terms of the damages at stake,” said Terry, “involved a battle between two infertility practices followed by a battle between the two lead doctors, covering 5 years of litigation. We had court appearances and depositions here, in Nevada, Missouri, and Manhattan. We won the first round without a full trial but then my co-counsel on the first case became my opposing counsel on the second.”

Terry is quick to add, “We won the second case after a 3-week arbitration.”

A LAWYER’S LAWYER Respect for Terry is not limited to his clients or family. Colleagues recognize the brains behind the beauty and are quick to volunteer comments like, “He’s very precise,” and “He’s a great lawyer!”

Gary Barr of Alpert, Barr & Grant is a fellow litigator and has found himself on both sides of the aisle from Terry. While they litigate the same type of cases, they have found themselves referring to each other consistently over the past 20 years.

“We make each other better lawyers.

We each bring our A-game and learn a lot from each other. If one of us likes the style or language the other uses in a case, we adopt it.” When asked how they keep their friendship intact when on opposing sides, Gary offers, “We could become bitter like our clients can get. But we will fight like hell for each of our clients, then leave it at the door. We never take it personally.”

“Terry never gets ruffled in court.

He gets frustrated when other attorneys use sharp tactics or are disingenuous. But he never lets that show in the courtroom.”

GETTING PERSONAL OVER WORDS So what makes this guy tick? He’s a young L.A. kid from a conservative family with immigrant history, and a guy who didn’t pick his path but was able to power through obstacles with not a lot of trouble.

One clue is his love of words and language. While it’s not clear if he liked school, it’s very apparent that Terry has always loved learning. And it’s not been learning to boast or brag, but rather to better understand the world around him.

“I think that one of the many ways I was blessed was with a still undiminished love of learning,” says Terry. “My parents did everything they could to encourage and support my love of reading. A love of what an artist can do with language naturally followed.” Gary Barr concurs.

“He’s one of the most well-read ­people I’ve ever met.”

Books have had a significant and lasting impact on Terry from an early age. He was 13 when he read Profiles In Courage by John Fitzgerald Kennedy, whose story and charisma made him a likely hero for Terry. “He was young, ECHELON PROFESSIONAL

Q1 2021

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the

Learned

Lawyer

bright, and brimming with optimism,” just as Terry himself was.

Today, Terry refers to other favorites books, such as The Great Gatsby,

by F. Scott Fitzgerald which he first read in junior high school and has read numerous times since; The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, one of the most translated books in history, which he loves “for its sheer beauty and overwhelming power;” and the remarkable multi-volume biography The Years of Lyndon Johnson, by multi-time Pulitzer Prize winner Robert A. Caro.

Literature is not lost on his

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offspring, and now grandchildren.

“I read a lot of books to them when they were younger. My older grandson devours a book in a day…or two if he’s moving slowly. The younger ones can’t compete with that, but all read and—amazingly—my son reads them historical fiction with life lessons.”

And that’s the final clue on what makes Terry not only a “learned” lawyer, but a loving husband, son, father, grandfather, and friend. Family means so much to Terry, and uncovers a soft underbelly, not always found on successful courtroom warriors.

Away from court and the office,

Terry seeks a milder, simpler existence.

He’s devoted to his wife, Ani. He’s a loving parent and grandparent. He is even servant to the king of their residence—their beloved Yorkie, Romeo.

He is just as likely found in the garden as he is curled up with a book or watching an old movie.

“The older I get the fewer things really matter,” Terry tell us, “but those that do, matter that much more. For me today, it’s all about family: my 97 year-old mother, my four wonderful children, my three fantastic grandchildren, and my incredible wife.

Everything else is window dressing.”

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WINTER 2018

1

s p e e D r a E d o H s RI T

What does one bunch of professionals do to let off a little steam?

They hit the trail for a real life “City Slickers” adventure!

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IDE AGAIN!

“I

think you’ve had enough, partner,” said the cowboy with mix of gravel and grit in his voice.

“Well maybe I’m just getting started,” replied the other.

Another couple cowpokes at the card table looked up, their ears tuned to the possibility of action.

“We’ve got a big day on the trail tomorrow,” said the first cowboy. “Probably a good idea for all of us to get some shut-eye.”

“Well who died and made you trail boss?”

The next thing heard was the unmistakable clicking of a Colt single action peacemaker. All eyes were on the two as they squared up.

“You talk pretty tough...for a CPA!” No, that wasn’t actual dialog. The real thing was much saltier and laughter certainly followed. You see when The Desperados get together, it’s a tough crowd to hang with. Jokes are more prevalent then flies on cow pies. But these guys wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, the first adventure they took was such a success, it’s now an annual escape for this group of otherwise buttoned-up professionals.

“The whole concept of these trips began at a networking meeting,” tells Jim Cagle of the now infamous City Slicker-style trips. “The question that day that sparked our interest was ‘what is your favorite John Wayne movie?’ Mine, for the record was “The Quiet Man.” As they took turns sharing their favorite Duke movies, a bond began to form over the shared love of John Wayne movies, most of which were Westerns.

ECHELON PROFESSIONAL

Q1 2021

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“It turned out that a bunch of us were really closet cowboys at heart,” says Jim, “and we made a vow that night to do a cattle drive. Eventually, the group of guys who were interested were whittled down to a smaller group now known as The Desperados.”

And so, being men of their word, five hard-working professionals from Southern California put their plans in motion.

Soon they were heading out for their first adventure. Jim became known as “Abacus.”

Eric Hawes became “Dusty.” Robert Feldman became “Indy.” Aaron Belliston became “Durango.”

And Jeff Baum, unable to come up with his own handle, was dubbed “Side Saddle.”

“We proudly wore our cowboy hats all through LAX,” tells Jim of their first trip, with the destination being a remote ranch in the mountains of Colorado. “Once we landed in Colorado Springs, we immediately stocked up on booze and cigars, then headed up to our rendezvous high up in the Rockies.”

Cut loose from the shackles of their successful businesses back in California, the boys took to having fun their very first night. And more than one of the participants admitted that their excitement got the better of them. Way more of the official beverage of The Desperados was consumed than should have been, especially at high altitude. You see the fellas, in addition to choosing nicknames, also decided bourbon would be the official beverage of the Desperados.

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“Our orientation that night was loud and raucous,” recalls Jim, “and I know that by the end, the ranch hands thought they made a huge mistake letting us participate.

What they did not realize was how committed we were.

We were up and helping early the next morning, horses groomed, bridled, and ready to go. The ranch hands admitted they enjoyed our stay, but I am sure 2 or 3 more rules were added to the safety lecture after our stay.”

To understand why these trips have become so popular (they’ve now taken several trips in the past few years, and plan to every year from now until the cows come home), one needs to dig a little deeper. We picked on Jim, er, Abacus, to shed some light on why these guys love doing it.

“Growing up, my father was a huge fan of Westerns,” tells Abacus. “Bonanza, The Rifleman, Rawhide, and Wagon Train were always acceptable TV viewing. And, of course, any movie starring John Wayne.”

Abacus grew up bouncing along what is now the 118 freeway in north L.A. County, with various homes throughout his childhood in Van Nuys and Simi Valley.

If you think about it, he grew up in the area that is arguably the most filmed area for westerns in the world: Big Sky Movie Ranch, Corriganville, Lasky Ranch, Iverson Ranch, and Paramount Movie Ranch are all filming sites of many great western movies or television shows.

Gunsmoke, The Cisco Kid, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, Fort Apache, The Lone Ranger, They Died With Their Boot On, and hundreds of others were shot nearby.

Upon graduating from high school, Jim looked to the Air Force Academy for schooling. His original plans were more about engineering, but that didn’t stick. He eventually found himself back in the Valley.

“I never had a grand plan to become a CPA,” he recalls. “In fact, until I switched my major from engineering to business, I did not even know what a CPA did. As an aftermath of the

Vietnam War, jobs in engineering and design were non-existent. A friend from high school suggested switching to business and that I should major in accounting. Oddly enough the orderliness of accounting suited my engineering mind and the rest is history.”

Abacus took to accounting, and even though he interviewed with the big firms, he knew they weren’t his style. He was turned off by them immediately. He went to work for a small firm in Beverly Hills for 10 years to gain experience at his craft.

“My time there was spent working with clients who owned their own businesses. This gave me tremendous insight into the skill set that is necessary to make a small business successful. I listened to their problems, observed their mistakes and passed on what I learned from others. I soon discovered that this was way more fun than just doing taxes and filling out financial reports.”

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But he felt the “great wild beyond” calling his name, and like any real cowboy, he just couldn’t be corralled any longer. He left the firm and headed out on his own.

Jim is now a partner at Allegent Group in Woodland Hills, Calif., with a mix of individuals, families, and small to mid-sized businesses as clients. The firm offers a broad range of services, from tax prep and planning to full-service accounting and bookkeeping, estate planning, strategic business planning, and fiduciary accounting.

Which brings us back to the trailhead. As most successful professionals have found, balancing a busy and successful work life and a personal life is not always easy. And since that first trip with The Desperados to Colorado, Jim and the boys have found something that helps them unwind, have fun, and have it all wrapped in outdoor adventure. As he

says, “Accounting can be emotionally exhausting, which is why completely disconnecting from the world on a cowboy vacation is so attractive.”

Since Colorado, other Desperado trips included rafting down the Snake River through Hells Canyon (dubbed “riding a snake through hell”) and a working ranch out of Bozeman, Montana. These trips all had one thing in common that the guys had not initially planned on, which was the lack of any electrical connection to the outside world for an extended period of time, and they all found it was very therapeutic.

“This disconnect plus the camaraderie make for some great adventures,” says Jim with a smile. “Like Ronald Reagan said, ‘There is nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.’ “ Happy trails, Desperados. Hope you can be back in the adventure saddle real soon!

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Silva LININGS Criminal defense attorney Silva Megerditchian shares how she has found the good in life and criminal law.

L

et’s face it, attorneys practicing criminal law are cut from a special cloth. It takes legal expertise, tenacious commitment, mental fortitude, and the ability to work with challenging people on difficult cases.

When clients speak of attorney Silva Megerditchian, they don’t hold things back and are quick to sing her praises. They use words like meticulous, caring, fierce, passionate, and exceptional. When she walks into the room, Silva has one of the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen and a warm hug for those around her. She also oozes gratitude: gratitude for what she does and gratitude for where she is in life.

Echelon Professional Magazine recently caught up with Silva to chat about what makes her such a well-respected criminal defense attorney, and how she is able to balance her life with this challenging area of law.

Q: Tell us a little about your background, your upbringing, and where you went to school.

I was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. My parents were Armenians from Syria and Lebanon and immigrated to the United States in 1969.

After I graduated from New Rochelle High School, I moved to

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California and graduated from California State University, Northridge with honors. I studied Political Science with a minor in Journalism. I received an internship at Premiere Radio Networks in Sherman Oaks.

I worked my way to become a Producer for a Nationally Syndicated Talk Show, “The Michael Reagan Talk Show.” I was the youngest female

syndicated radio producer in the country at the time.

Q: When did law school come into play?

At the age of 28, I realized I had to go after my dream of becoming a lawyer and went to Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles. I had a serious medical condition and it made me realize that life is so short, so I wasted

no time and worked hard to make my life’s dream become reality. Upon graduating in 2007, I was employed by the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office where I was a deputy public defender for more than 7 years.

Now I am the President and CEO of my own law firm, SLM Law. I represent adults and children in all aspects of criminal and federal law. I represent

anyone who has been arrested—for any crime.

From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a criminal defense attorney. I found the practice fascinating and understood the desperation that some people face when they violate certain laws. Most of my clients become close friends because I represent them as I would a family member. Being able to

give a voice to those who feel injustice by the system is extremely rewarding and is what motivates me everyday.

Q: Who have been your mentors and your idols? Who would you say has most influenced you as an attorney?

My mentors have always been people who stood for what they believed in and fought to achieve their goals ECHELON PROFESSIONAL

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Silva LININGS despite their trials in life. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk. Also, a major influence in my life has been female criminal defense attorneys I saw in court—they gave me the confidence that I, too, can start my own law firm and be successful. Blair Burke, Shawn Holley, and Leslie Abramson are just some of the incredible attorneys who made a reputation of excellence and gave me the confidence to leave the Public Defenders’ Office and start my own firm.

“

T he law is finally at a place of understanding the need to treat the mentally ill—and not just ‘throw them away’ into jails and prisons.”

Q: How did you find yourself in the criminal defense area of practice as an attorney?

I had a paid senior law clerk position with the L.A. County District Attorneys’ office. While I was there, I realized there that I cared more about the people accused of crimes and WHY they did what they did—rather than just the punishment given to them. I always believed that by trying to understand the underlying issue that led to the person committing the crime, we could prevent future crimes from happening. This is when I realized I was a criminal defense attorney in my soul.

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Q: What are some of the trends you are seeing in this area of law?

California is becoming rehabilitative—meaning it’s less about punishment and more about rehabilitating the person to prevent crime in the future. We can see this for people who have been convicted. They are more able now than ever to get those cases expunged or even pardoned.

Governor Newsom has been very supportive of rehabilitation of criminal convictions.

Also, there is finally an awakening of using therapy, treatment, and rehabilitation for mentally ill people who commit crimes as a result of their illness. There are amazing alternatives to imprisonment now, which we never had before—alternatives

that have changed lives and have prevented future crimes from occurring.

The law is finally at a place of understanding the need to treat the mentally ill—and not just “throw them away” into jails and prisons.

Q: What inspires you?

Passion and hope inspire me.

I have a lot of passion for everything I do and hope that things, no matter how bleak, will eventually always be better.

Q: Tell us about your client base.

I represent children, adults, and corporations all over the State of California. Clients are in cities like Los Angeles, Indio, Orange County, and Ventura to name a few.

Q: There’s a lot of stress in criminal law as well as long hours. How do you balance work and life?

I believe it is imperative to have a balance between my personal life and work. I am reachable 24/7 for my clients, but I do not accept every case. I can only maintain balance by keeping my hours reasonable. I always take yearly vacations and can be found unwinding at a local coffee shop, or yes, even a bar. There is nothing a good glass of wine cannot alleviate!

Q: What are some of your favorite non-work activities?

I love working out. I actually was a certified trainer while in law school.

I love to travel, be with animals and nature, and watching reality TV shows on Bravo!

Q: Your area of law can be highly emotional. How do you personally deal with the highs and lows?

I wish I could say I found a way to not feel the emotional highs and lows of my profession. I am still trying to learn how to deal best with the emotional toll this job has on me. It is called the practice of law for a reason…the best lawyers always learn. For me, I am always trying to find ways to separate myself from the emotional drain of my cases— I will say my husband helps a lot with perspective and keeping hope.

He gives me the faith that tomorrow is a new day, and to not feel overwhelmed and desperate. I always say that sometimes walking away and relaxing the mind is the best therapy around.

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Avalan’s Rich Schuette has used auto racing to reinvent wealth management

t

he race isn’t over. Work needs to be done. The crew jumps into action to keep the machine in tip-top shape. A light tightening here. Fuel there. And in what seems like a blink of an eye, the competitor roars away and is back in the race until the finish.

A car race? Not really. An entrepreneur looking to grow his or her business, maximize earnings, minimize tax, and find the balance between hard work and relaxation? That’s right. Rich Schuette has not only learned racing from the world’s top racing teams, but he’s learned how to apply their high-performance teamwork to his own wealth management practice.

“There is an old saying in racing,” says Rich, “that you have to slow down to go fast. Our clients are entrepreneurs, and as such, they are always on the gas. Our job is to slow them down, to let them see the big picture, and to see what there is out there to get if you take the time to properly prepare. You can’t race everyone around you. To win, you have to race the track, and in life, you have to race the situation you are navigating.”

WINNING THE

Wealth

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h Race

Rich Schuette chats it up with his idol, retired NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, in the garages at Fontana. Burton is currently a race commentator for NBCSN.

HOT RODDING EARLY ON Rich grew up on Camarillo, Calif., not too many miles from either of his current Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks offices.

“My grandfather bought me a subscription to the Wall Street Journal when I was 6,” tells Rich of his childhood, “and he would call every day for me to read him the stock quotes for what he owned in his portfolio.

He was my hero and the ultimate entrepreneur. He is who inspired my desire to do what I do today.”

Rich recalls his first trip to watch cars race at the same age he stared reading the Journal. “It was the 1973 Indy Car race at Ontario Motor Speedway. I was six. Sitting on the top of my dad’s Winnebago on lawn chairs in the infield. I loved Bobby Unser.”

“The next year we went to Riverside for the NASCAR opener,” tells Rich, “and I watched Cale Yarborough lead almost the entire race and win. It was in that moment that I was hooked on NASCAR and

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Time to qualify—Rich sits on the pit road wall overlooking the Number 8 car of Tyler Reddick, as he gets ready to qualify.

on Cale. After losing interest in NASCAR as a young adult, when Penske built Fontana, my cousin bought seat licenses and I knew I needed a driver to get back into it, so I picked Jeff Burton because I had read that Cale was a boyhood hero to him, too. Jeff eventually drove for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and I had an opportunity to get to meet him the year before he retired.”

“I used to sit in the driveway in my dad’s Jeep shifting gears with the clutch when I was 7. I can’t tell you how many cars I would wash just so I could move them around the driveway or in and out of the garage. I’ve helped friends restore some pretty cool cars over the years (a ’65 Vette and a ’56 Nomad were my favorites).”

SALES SOLUTION Upon graduating high school, Rich attended California Lutheran University. After graduating with a degree in Business Finance, he

worked in insurance. His intention was to find a way to become a stock broker, but learned it involved sales.

His desire was to help people, not sell to them, so he took a mundane desk job. After a couple years, he came to realize he would have to learn to sell if he wanted to move into financial services. No matter how good of an advisory he became, without clients he couldn’t help anyone.

So, Rich set out to learn how to sell. He was told the hardest thing to sell (and the best education he could get) was office equipment.

He took on a copier sales job which he held for 5 years while independently studying to get his financial services licenses.

Sales took to Rich, or Rich took to sales. Either way, he was a top performer for the copier company.

Learning what he could and practicing business sales, he had the opportunity to work for a wealth management firm. He was a natural at working with clients, and

Living the dream—Rich and a couple of his race guests happen to catch team owner, Richard Childress, at the hauler during qualifying. RCR is the owner of the Number 3 and Number 8 cars.

he developed a strong record as an advisor. After a more than a decade at that firm, he decided it was time to branch out on his own.

“I built Avalan from the ground up. I incorporated all of my best ideas as well as those of my most admired industry peers.” And so in 2011, Avalan Wealth was born.

“I needed a name that was scalable and not one that limited other advisors or the ability to eventually exit when I’m too old to work.

Schuette Wealth wasn’t going to cut it, so I took the first 2 letters of each of my daughters names (Ava, Aliz, and Ana) and put them together to create Avalan.

“Now 9 years later,” Rich continues, “we are recognized in the Pacific Coast Business Times as a leading wealth management firm and consistently in the top 20 in the tri-counties. My business partner Kathryn and our entire team make up the best group of people that I have ever worked with. Our clients

are business owners that are likeminded and the greatest people ever to be blessed to work with.”

HEADING FOR VICTORY LANE Hang around Rich for long, and you realize there are age-old adages a-plenty in your discussion, Rich has learned a lot from good teachers, and he takes it to heart.

He talks easily about the parallels of car racing and his firm’s way of working with clients. “Auto racing is the ultimate team sport. Without a great team, the best drivers in the world would run last in their races. A great driver can’t win in a 10th place car. He can’t win in junk. Without a team, you don’t have a great car. You need the engineers, the fabricators, the strategists. You need the management and the ability to spot the talent to put it together and manage the players, as well as the marketers and client support people. Pit stops don’t happen until the behind-thescenes team gets everything ready to

hit the track. And when they do—if you have ever witnessed an actual racing pit stop—you will understand just what the teamwork is for. You see all the small parts of the equation to need to happen. Eighteen gallons of fuel, four new tires as well as a clean windshield and a few chassis adjustments. Throw in some body bends. And it all happens in 12–16 seconds.”

And that’s where Avalan really pulls ahead in providing a different customer experience. Assembling a powerful team of experts to not only protect their businesses and holdings, but actually provide proactive business advisories to help them grow their business and assets. It’s all about the team at Avalan, and teamwork with the precision of a NASCAR pit crew.

“This is exactly what Avalan does when we work with our clients,” tells Rich. “We work as a team in what we call the Avalan Total Return process.

Instead of just referring our clients for ECHELON PROFESSIONAL

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The Avalan team hosted clients and friends at the 2020 NASCAR race in Fontana, Calif.

Driver Tyler Reddick (front row, second from left) and his crew chief Randall Burnett, spoke with the group about the importance of communication on a winning team.

BELOW: Rich at the team hauler.

the things they need outside of our skillset (tax prep, trust documents, business management, key insurances to name a few), we include best-in-class industry experts as part of the team and work together to slow down to go fast. Just like in racing, we leave no stone unturned.

We have extensive checklists and the best players in the country assisting in every aspect of our clients’ lives… from building the plan (or car), to preparing it to compete, to then putting the strategy together to win.”

Rich doesn’t just sit back and hope things work out. He has continued to develop new ways for Avalan to help customers build their business and holdings. And Rich has also kept up his relationships in auto racing.

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“I met Torrey Galida, the current president of RCR (Richard Childress Racing) in 2010 when I was in Daytona working on the pit crew of my friend’s amateur entry.

Torrey and I became friends and we stayed in touch as both our careers advanced. I came from an entrepreneurial family and have always been an outside-of-the-lines kind of thinker. I had been talking with Torrey for years about how we could figure out a way to work together.”

Last year, after discussions about shared goals, it was determined that Rich Schuette and Avalan Wealth would become an official sponsor of a Richard Childress Racing car and driver.

“It was a chance to align with a pretty special up-and-coming

NASCAR talent,” tells Schuette.

“Tyler Reddick was absolutely the best fit for Avalan. He is bright and highly focused. A polished young man whose passion is 2nd to none.

We started the relationship with RCR at the beginning of 2020.

Immediately, we saw the alignment between Avalan and RCR. Both organizations are committed to excellence and share the same goals of winning for our teams.”

“For us, it’s not the trophy on Sunday,” Schuette tells of integrating the team spirit into Avalan, “but instead, we celebrate watching our clients meet milestones in their lives and businesses that they never thought possible. Our clients and key partners share that commitment to excellence and as we have come to know RCR, our clients are getting to know them as well. Richard Childress celebrated his 50th year in NASCAR last year. He has built one of the premier auto racing teams in the world and is the most down-toearth genuine human you could ever meet. In my partnership with RCR with Richard and Torrey leading that organization, I have two of the greatest role models and mentors possible. Having them on my team to add to my success as partners is a highlight of my career to date.”

When asked about how his lifelong passion for both serving clients and for race cars, Rich simply had this to say. “What we do is the ultimate team sport, and being associated with a sport that lives and dies from the quality of the team helps remind us every day the importance of bringing it all together to get to the finish line.”

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DESPERADOS

RIDE AGAIN!

Winning

THE WEALTH RACE Catching A NASCAR Ride

SILVA LININGS:

Finding The Good In Criminal Law The

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WEBSITES

HELP! I’m Being Sued Because of My Company’s Website!

Is your website ADA compliant?

Can you be sure?

BY CURTIS O’SHAUGHNESSY, VP—Commercial Lines, Leavitt Group and TARYN GRAY-DELAHUNTY, VP Digital Marketing, Newman Grace

T

his cry for help is one we are hearing much too often these days, and more often than not, from a victim of a plaintiff’s lawyer looking for an easy payday. From restaurants, retail stores, art galleries, and banks, it seems no company is off limits from legal action over failure to meet ADA compliance standards. According to the Wall Street Journal, “The number of website-access lawsuits filed in federal court reached 2,250 in 2018, almost three times the 814 filed in 2017.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawsuits-surge-over-websites-access-for-the-blind-11550415600

So what is this all about?

Complaints usually detail the problems visually impaired individuals have when using the “screen reader” tools that will help them read the website aloud. The American Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against the disabled in all places of public accommodation, but doesn’t explicitly say websites. In fact, the ADA was passed in 1990, before the “commercial” internet even began.

Despite this, courts around the nation have interpreted the ADA to include websites connected to a physical business.

The cost of these claims can be significant. Companies face legal fees in responding to the demand or lawsuit, the cost of updating their website to be ADA compliant, occasionally

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liabilities for the claimant’s attorney fees, and finally the cost of settling the case. One national retailer settled a suit for $6 million, but on average, cases are coming in around $20,000 or less in attorney fees and costs, plus an agreement to improve websites within two years.

Companies often purchase an employment practices liability policy to protect them from discrimination, sexual harassment, or wrongful termination suits, but this will not protect them from cases of discrimination from non-employees.

What’s the best way to avoid being the next company hit with a lawsuit?

Conduct a compliance and preven-

tion audit of your organization and create a plan for website accessibility.

Speak to your employment counsel to understand how these rules apply to your business. Consider purchasing an employment practices liability policy with third party coverage. While the cost of making your website ADA compliant would not be covered, your defense expenses, plaintiff fees, and settlements generally are covered.

What are some ways I can begin to make my website ADA compliant?

Now that you’re prepared should someone come after you with a lawsuit, here are some steps you can take to begin to bring your site up to ADA compliance.

• Install a plugin or that works to help make your site ADA friendly.

For example, Wordpress plugins such as Userway, WP Accessibility, WP Accessibility Helper can work as readers, assist with navigation, change the visuals to be high contrast, and/or make text larger and

From restaurants, retail stores, art galleries, and banks, it seems no company is off limits from legal action over failure to meet ADA compliance standards.

easier to read. Do NOT consider a plug-in to be a “fix all” solution. It’s only a beginning.

• Make EVERYTHING readable!

Include alt-text your images (these tell the readers what the image is).

Alt-text prompts should describe the image in a simple but complete way, such as “woman laughing while holding a yellow coffee cup.” Additionally, if you upload any PDFs to your website, make sure they have an accompanying HTML (a.k.a. textonly) page where the it can be read by a digital reader. While much of the emphasis seems to be on those who have vision impairments, consideration also needs to be paid to consumers with hearing impairments.

If you have audio files on your site, be sure to include transcripts. If you have videos on your site, be sure to include subtitles on all videos.

• Add an Accessibility Statement page. We highly suggest adding an Accessibility Statement page to your site, ideally with a link to it in the footer menu or via the contact page.

This page is a place where your company can announce its commitment

to accessibility.

Be sure to include any measures you have or are taking to support accessibility, clearly state where your site ranks according to the Web Contact Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and have a designated spot for feedback and contact information.

• Stay current on the WCAG guidelines. The Web Contact Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (https://www. w3.org/TR/WCAG21/) is a list of recommendations put out by the Web Accessibility Initiative’s Accessibility Guidelines Working Group at w3.org. These guidelines detail out a comprehensive list of ways to make your site more accessible to people with disabilities. Be sure to follow the most recent version when implementing WCAG guidelines. This list is long and filled with technical detail. If you aren’t a web programmer, we highly suggest having an experienced web programming team handle site edits beyond the basics listed here.

While these four steps above are a great move in the right direction for compliance and company protection, they are not guarantees in protecting you from a lawsuit. Unfortunately, these lawsuits are becoming much more common which is why we suggest doing what you can to strengthen your company website’s ADA compliance, and getting the appropriate insurance coverage should any legal action come about.

Taryn Gray-Delahunty is the Vice President of Digital Marketing at Newman Grace, a creative branding and marketing firm in Woodland Hills, Calif. She works with businesses on all of their digital marketing needs including social media, websites, advertising and emails.

Curtis O’Shaughnessy is a Vice President of Commercial Lines at Leavitt Group’s Los Angeles location in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Curtis specializes in insurance for technology, wholesaler-distributors, logistics firms, and manufacturers.

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NETWORKING

What Is Echelon Business Development?

Introducing a new and powerful marketing and network co-op for professional services providers.

BY BRIAN HEMSWORTH, Newman Grace

F

or decades, business networking consisted of drinks at a private club, lunch out with friends, or time on the golf course with potential clients.

Then local business groups began to pop up, like Toastmaster and chambers of commerce. Members got to know others, and hopefully they would refer each other business. But things are different today. The business world has changed. Marketing has changed. And how we connect with others has changed dramatically. We now have cell phones, the Internet, LinkedIn, SEO, email, YouTube, and Zoom. So doesn’t it make sense that networking groups should change? Echelon Business Development Network believes the answer is “YES!”

Business Development At Its Core Let’s face it, we can say networking is for resources and comradery, but for most of us it boils down to it being an important way to market ourselves.

It’s a way to get our names and firms’ names out there. But “out there” is a much bigger place than it used to be.

Most networking organizations revolve around meetings, and that’s it.

With Echelon, meetings are just one component of networking. Echelon has built a robust portfolio of marketing tools to help members make powerful connections with other professionals and potential clients.

Echelon does this by integrating a powerful member website, were most of the information is “in front” of firewalls, which means search engines can find it. That also means internet search engines will help others find you! And if that’s not enough, Echelon’s member bios live on a second

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website, TopTrustedAdvisors.com, for even more search-engine optimization (SEO) power.

Echelon shoots video introductions of every member, which makes it easier to get to know each other.

It’s also great for sending links to potential clients who are looking for introductions to other top professionals. And of course, video creates even more powerful SEO. Other Echelon business development and marketing tools for members include the Echelon Podcast, Echelon Professional Magazine, broadcast emails, and special events.

Quality Over Quantity Another trend in networking has been creating larger groups. Many organizations now look to have 30, 40, even 50 members per group. The downside to that is that not everyone gets to be heard (or seen) at every meeting.

It’s also more difficult to cut through clutter and create deep, meaningful relationships with tons of members.

That’s why Echelon groups are smaller. Echelon uses 20 as a target size for each group, making meetings less about trying to get a word in, and more about meaningful conversations involving everyone.

Echelon is very particular about its members. Every member has been personally referred into the organization. To become an active member, each person is then carefully vetted by a 5-person membership committee, which reviews applicants’ experience.

Only professionals with significant experience, in senior positions, and who serve as trusted advisors in professional, financial, and business services are admitted into the organization.

Want To Learn More?

Visit EchelonBizDev.com, click onto membership, then fill out the Membership Interest Form, and one of the managers will contact you.

Brian Hemsworth is the President of Newman Grace, a creative branding and marketing firm in Woodland Hills, Calif. He is also a co-founder of Echelon Business Development Network.

CONVERSATIONS

ONE-ON-ONE with

Marlo Van Oorschot

M

arlo Van Oorschot went from working at top law firms in L.A. to opening her own practice in 2001. She has a very successful career as a family law attorney, been published in many publications, and even published a book on “grey divorce.” She has received many accolades, include her AV® Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubble, nine years as a Super Lawyer (Los Angeles Magazine), seven years as a Top Rated Lawyer (L.A. Times), and seven years as a member of Top Women Attorneys in Southern California (Los Angeles Magazine).

Tell us a little about your practice, your practice areas, and typical clients.

For the entirety of my 26-year legal career, I have been practicing family law.

As I grew as a lawyer and established my practice, I started focusing on who my typical client is. That client is a business owner, professional or executive who seeks a business-minded approach to their legal issues. My clients typically own a business or hold a business interest, complex real estate or other investment holdings. Many have complex compensation packages such a stock options, deferred compensation, and other executive benefits.

Our firm is a boutique family law practice. We are strategic litigators in a field where litigation is usually the worst path to resolution for a family. We are acutely aware of the destruction litigation can bring to a family, so we work with our clients on how best to approach the litigation. We are always prepared for the potential of litigation but work diligently to avoid it and work to find a path to an early and peaceful resolution. Our work involves

property division, child and spousal support and child custody issues in a divorce; the custody and child support issues in a paternity case which involves unmarried parents; and, the work of modification of support and custody orders after a divorce or paternity case has concluded.

You are known as an expert in the area of “grey divorce.” What is grey divorce, and what makes it different or unique from other areas of family law and divorce?

“Grey divorce” is a divorce proceeding of individuals over the age of 50. I’ve become very sensitive to the unique financial, retirement and employment issues facing the older divorcing individual, and made a major professional commitment to educate this group about the complexities they face in divorce.

My book, How To Survive Grey Divorce, helps spouses understand and manage the difficulties surrounding divorce after age 50. The issues in these cases fit squarely in my wheelhouse of working on financially complex divorces and my commitment to employing strategy on our cases. People getting divorced late in life have a lot of lose, little time to financially recover as compared to their younger counterparts and do not want to spend their golden years in courtrooms.

What is happening in general in the area of family since Covid-19 hit?

Besides the chaos of court closures and the stress of families navigating the movement of children between homes, schooling their children in a new way and the financial strain many people have experienced during this time, the big shift

Marlo Van Oorschot Attorney at Law

VAN OORSCHOT LAW GROUP, P.C. www.mvolaw.com mvo@mvolaw.com (310) 820-3414, ext. 201

in the practice area is how we work with our clients to get their issues resolved.

Typically, courts are thought of as a place where a judge—a stranger—will make decisions for a family. The courthouses were a hub where issues got resolved by having access to mediators, resources and a place to meet up to discuss a case knowing that if we could not resolve an issue, the judge was there to do so. This also created a feeling of a day of reckoning, so to speak, that usually brought compromise to the table out of the fear of what the stranger in the black robe would decide. This is all lost with COVID-19. The courthouse is no longer a place of gathering with social distancing enforced and strict rules of entry into the courthouse. The leverage of “going to court,” the opportunities of gathering and resolving the case “on the courthouse steps” is gone. For those cases where litigation is necessary, in-person litigation is few and far between; replaced with audio and video hearings and trials.

There is much to say about video trials, but video trials for complex matters is not ideal and, in fact, increases risk for complex cases, which opens the opportunity to seek alternatives.

ECHELON PROFESSIONAL

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CONVERSATIONS

ONE-ON-ONE with

Jennifer Felten

J

ennifer Felten is well known as a real estate attorney and the principal at RELAW, APC. But that just doesn’t really tell the story of how she got to where she is today.

After graduating from UCLA, and armed with a real estate broker’s license, Jennifer began her career in customer service at a title company.

While she was good at the work, she noticed the women who worked down the hall in an escrow office had nicer shoes, purses, and dresses. Before long, she worked her way into the escrow side of the business, where she worked as an escrow officer, manager, and trainer. She obtained a Certificate of Achievement from the California Escrow Association as well as the ­professional designations of both Certified Escrow Office and Certified Bulk Sale Specialist.

Jennifer went back to school at Southwestern University School of Law, and in 2006, received her Juris Doctorate. She began her legal practice working in real estate law. She worked her way up from associate to partner, and in 2015, she launched her own firm, RELAW, APC. Jennifer has worked to resolve numerous matters including real estate litigation, loss mitigation, title insurance matters, bad faith matters, and probate cases. As a transactional attorney, she handles numerous matters for her real estate clients including subdivision formation, incorporation and business entity management and control. She is a frequent speaker on real estate law, and has written and taught on real estate– related topics for years.

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Your firm is involved in real estate law, but you seen to have a focus in some unique areas that go far beyond transaction law practices. How did you zero-in on working with people such as title companies and escrow officers?

My background led me to the niche we’ve built for our firm of representing real estate professionals. Before going to law school, I worked as an escrow officer for 15 years. The knowledge I gained from that real-world experience is now utilized in representing those same professionals. Our firm provides a unique and practical perspective on problem solving and risk management that is invaluable to our clients.

Has COVID-19 changed the type of clients you see or the types of cases coming to your firm?

The real estate industry is currently on a roller coaster as a result of COVID19. At first there were questions regarding whether the industry was essential, who could continue to work, and in what capacity. RELAW consulted with clients on these matters and helped wade through the confusion, publishing daily updates to keep the industry apprised of new developments. In time it became very clear that both housing and commercial tenancies were both essential and directly impacted by COVID-19. The result has been an increased demand for assistance, such that we are as busy as the rest of the real estate industry managing the current volume of business.

What are some of the most unique or even obscure types of real estate cases you see?

Jennifer Felten Attorney

RELAW, APC www.relawapc.com jennifer@relawapc.com (805) 265-1031

The most creative cases we see involve fraud. There is so much value and money involved in transactional real estate that, unfortunately, the industry is a target for scammers. When you think you’ve seen it all, some new creative scam comes along. We had a case with two sisters, one better off than the other. The wealthier sister was letting her sister live rent-free in a property she owned. In a “no-good-deed-goesunpunished” set of circumstances, upon the death of the tenant sister, it was discovered that she had secretly falsified a deed to the property and sold it to a third party prior to her death. My client had done the escrow transaction and was sued for conspiracy for accepting the fraudulent deed. We successfully defended the case. In another situation, we discovered, after completion of a refinance of the property, that the true owner was deceased and his estate bound up in probate. A third party had recorded a forged probate order transferring title to himself. In a twist of fate, a good portion of the funds were still in escrow upon discovery, so our firm initiated an interpleader to determine the rights of the claimants to the funds.

Reserve Your Ad Space in Q2 2021 ECHELON

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Reservation Deadline: March 31, 2021 Art Deadline: April 5, 2021 Media Kit:

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A Lawyers’ Lawyer in Every Sense The three things to look for when selecting counsel are competence, integrity and shared values. Terry Sternberg brings all three to the table.

The Law Offices of Terence M. Sternberg has been delivering efficient and effective trust, real estate and business litigation counsel for more than 35 years. Terry represents individuals and a variety of businesses throughout all phases of Trust, Business and Real Estate Litigation, including trials and appeals, mediation and arbitration.

21700 Oxnard Street, Suite 350 | Woodland Hills, CA 91367-7531 (818) 710-7801 | tsternberglaw.com

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CONVERSATIONS

ONE-ON-ONE with

Jay Rubin

J

Jay Rubin is a Principal of Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura Inc., a full-service commercial real estate company and member of the Lee & Associates group of companies.

He specializes in representing landlords, tenants, business owners and investors in the leasing and sale of professional and medical office properties in the West San Fernando and Conejo Valleys.

Throughout his career, Jay has built a client-focused business centered upon customizing real estate solutions to the particular needs of each client, whether Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial firms or private or public equity investors.

Along with considerable expertise in marketing and transaction management, he provides in-depth knowledge of the office sector offering clients real-time intelligence to assist with decision making.

Jay’s considerable transaction expertise has resulted in the successful completion of well over 5,000,000 square feet of sale and lease transactions.

Among his recent notable transactions, he has sold a seven-story hotel development site in Warner Center, Calif. and executed 60,000 sq. ft. of leases on behalf of Life Alert Medical Response Inc. Jay has been recognized as one of his firm’s Top 10 Producers nine times in the past dozen or so years. And in fact, in 2016, he was Broker of the Year.

Covid has turned the idea of offices, workspace, and leasing on its ear. What do you see from your perspective as to the current state of commercial real estate in the North Los Angeles area?

The office market is still trying to find its footing in the Covid era. Many

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companies have still not yet gone back into their offices and some have been able to work successfully from home.

Vacancies and Subleases have been increasing steadily during the last 7 months. We anticipate this trend continuing until mid 2021. As some sectors like travel have completely shuttered their offices, others have sent their work force home to deal with the perils of working from home and often facilitating their children’s education.

We have all seen challenges that we never thought possible before. Clients across the board are fatigued with working from home and I am seeing a great deal of interest in getting their workforce back in a professional environment.

When it will be safe is the question, we are all wondering. It appears this will be a scaled-up effort, bringing back some employees and increasing that count as things become safer.

What are some of the things you are counseling leasing clients with right now? What kind or strategies are you looking at with them?

Each client has different needs and requirements thus, we take a customized approach to their needs. We begin with evaluating each client’s short term and long-term goals. Currently, we find that Landlords are increasingly open to flexibility. Furthermore, for our many clients that want to or are required to being physically present, we take proper protocol to ensure safety and currently these protocols are working.

Opportunities are available to downsize current premises or find relocation opportunities that meet tenant’s needs.

Jay Rubin

Principal LEE & ASSOCIATES-LA NORTH/ VENTURA INC. www.jayrubin-re.com jrubin@lee-re.com (818) 223-4385 Tenants in the market have an abundance of opportunities from fully furnished suites to flexible Lease Terms.

We are seeing clients signing new leases with Commencement dates late in 2021 based on optimism we will get back to a more normal environment and locking in lower lease rates.

Conversely, what are the conversations like with owners and landlords?

Most Landlords are being proactive in assisting their tenants that are in distress. Every landlord/owner has different expenses, debt and business plans, which they based on the leases that were signed previously. Most landlords are open to flexible terms, downsizing tenants and putting attractive terms for new transitions.

There is momentum in the market as companies need to have a base and lease space. A lot of the landlords we work with have space that is conducive to the current situation, offering private access, new filtration systems and controlled environments. Landlords want to assist in creating safe environments that lead to more people back into their offices.

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