Brokers, businesses, investors, homeowners and commercial property owners know that when they need local real estate law expertise, they can come to John S. Preston. No one knows the real estate market or legal issues in The East Bay, California in more depth and no other attorney is a stronger advocate for his client’s rights, interests and investments.
No matter where you live, whether in Contra Costa, Alameda County, California, or anywhere else in the world, one fact pertains to any legal action that threatens to go into a courtroom: It is always worth attempting mediation first. Mediation is less costly, less time-consuming and less combative, and often solves disputes long before they clog up the local resources of the court system. When conducted by an experienced and knowledgeable professional such as John Preston, mediation is not only a better solution than litigation; it is also often mutually satisfactory.
Most third party neutrals prefer mediation: However, John Preston prefers conducting arbitrations. Even in straightforward legal situations, disagreements over fees, practices or other decisions can lead to accusations of malpractice, bad faith and other disagreements. When these issues occur, the first thought is often a lawsuit to both punish the alleged transgressor and obtain relief from the court. But lawsuits – in any field – are never simple matters. They are costly, with attorney’s fees piling up, sometimes eclipsing the original fees being disputed, they are lengthy, and their outcome is never guaranteed even if the issues appear clear-cut.
Having acted as a panel member as arbitrator and mediator for both NYSE and PSE, a private mediator, and as an expert witness on cases large and small, John S. Preston has the experience and tools to settle any attorney fee dispute in Oakland and Alameda County, California. He has an intimate knowledge of the workings of California law and law firms, and can utilize that knowledge to help determine the reasonableness and necessity of all attorney fees in a wide variety of situations.
The cost of doing business in Contra Costa and Alameda County, California – or anywhere else in the country – is attention to detail. The details of any contractual agreement between your business and another entity can be advantageous and profitable if carefully crafted with full knowledge of all aspects of the law, or costly if the contracts you negotiate do not fully protect your interests. As a lawyer in practice for more than three decades, John S. Preston has deep connections to the local business community and an encyclopedic knowledge of the law as it pertains to local businesses.
