Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal LLP

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Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal LLP We represent small businesses and business owners as general counsel and handle their trademarks. We practice what we call preventative law. Ms.

At Mayfield Bustarde, LLP, we help businesses and individuals with their litigation and day-to-day legal needs. By setting up your paperwork correctly initially, whether it is forming a corporation or LLC or drafting a master contract for the products/services you provide, drafting a revocable living trust or a lease for your rental property, you minimize the amount of legal trouble you can get into in the future as well as your legal costs. For our business services, we serve as general counsel to San Diego businesses by providing entity related services (forming corporations, LLCs, and partnerships, as well as annual maintenance, such as preparation of annual minutes or consents), drafting and reviewing contracts, trademark and copyright registrations, employee issues, as well as resolving disputes with vendors, customers and competitors. We provide full estate planning and probate services, including drafting revocable living trusts, wills, financial Power of Attorneys, Advanced Healthcare Directives (aka Healthcare Power of Attorneys), and handling trust administration or probate once your loved one passes away. Although it is our goal to keep our clients out of litigation, as litigation is almost never the best option for a business, from both a financial and a time perspective, if your business is in a dispute that we cannot help you resolve, then the attorneys at Mayfield Bustarde, LLP will aggressively represent you in litigation to get you the best result for you and your business. In addition, we also provide real estate related services, including lease reviews, property disputes (including ownership, boundary lines and buyer/seller/sales disputes), and landlord/tenant matters. The origins of Mayfield Bustarde, LLP reach back to 1991 when Partner Gayle Mayfield-Venieris started her business practice with another partner. Mayfield-Venieris split from that partner in 1997 and continued the firm as Mayfield & Associates. In 2012, long-time employee Melissa Bustarde was made a partner and the firm changed its name to Mayfield Bustarde, LLP. Although the name of the firm has changed over the years, the core principals of the firm have not: providing quality representation to businesses and individuals in San Diego. We look at each issue you bring us from a business perspective to help you make the best business decision.

10/05/2026

Planning to grow and sell your company someday? Only C-Corporation stock can qualify for the federal QSBS exclusion, which can shield $15 million or more of your gain from federal tax, so weigh that before you default to an S-Corp.

09/23/2026

You Know It, You Love It: The Em Dash "—"

The em dash, "—", is that long, dramatic dash AI tools love. It's handy for an aside, but in a contract wrongly placed dash can change who a clause covers or what it requires. Use punctuation with purpose, know what each one is doing. For contracts:

Comma: Separates list items. Placed before a qualifier that follows a list, it signals the qualifier covers the whole list.
Parentheses: Set off defined terms and asides, like (the "Buyer"), without changing the obligation.
Semicolon: Separates list items that already contain commas, or related obligations that should stand alone.
Em dash: Save it for emphasis in explanatory text, like recitals. Keep it out of language setting who does what, when, or for how much. If a dash sits right after a list, slow down and decide whether you want the words that follow to covered or only the last one.

09/11/2026

Tip of the Week:

Before you sign that LLC operating agreement template, check: does it say what happens if a member wants out, dies, or won't cooperate? If not, you don't have a plan — you have a ticking clock.

09/04/2026

Tip of the Week:

Don't be too quick to pick a date.

We’re not talking about marriage. But, the same type of thought and care that many people put into a wedding date is the type of thought that should be applied when drafting terms regarding dates in contracts. California's default rules on calendar days, holidays, and "reasonable time" fill in any delivery date you leave undefined, and the fill may not match what either side actually wanted.

Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal LLP (BMBR) is pleased to announce that its Of Counsel, David Branfman, is an Asso...
08/10/2026

Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal LLP (BMBR) is pleased to announce that its Of Counsel, David Branfman, is an Associate Producer of the recently released feature film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, now playing in theaters. The film is a reboot of the classic 1970s comedy spoof Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and returns the Killer Tomatoes franchise to the big screen for a new generation. (See: https://killertomatoes.com/releases/organic-intelligence). Dave has been associated with the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes film franchise for more than 25 years by providing a variety of intellectual property, trademark and branding advice to the franchise owners. For the new film he served as an Associate Producer, assisting the producers in developing a comprehensive licensing and merchandising program for the Killer Tomatoes® brand and its characters. BMBR is pleased to recognize Dave’s decades of experience in intellectual property and entertainment law and his continued involvement in the development of this long-running franchise. Dave’s experience with the new Killer Tomatoes® follows his role in developing and acting as an Executive Producer of the award-winning short film Leave ‘Em Laughing (2020) starring Matthew Glave and Pete Gardner, about the final live theatrical performance of the legendary actor and comedian Dick Shawn - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10477948/

-Dave

07/20/2026

Tip of the Week:
Standard forms exist so you're not drafting from scratch. Addenda exist so you can fit the deal. Write them to read together, or you haven't really finished either one.

07/08/2026

Tip of the Week:
Selling your California business? You can still require a noncompete — but only if it's tied to the sale itself, not stapled into a separate employment agreement. Get that part wrong and it may not hold up.

06/19/2026

Tip of the Week: The most common reason a trademark is rejected is likelihood of confusion with an existing registered mark or prior pending application. This occurs when your proposed mark is too similar in sight, sound, or meaning, and is used on goods or services that are related enough to confuse consumers.

05/27/2026

Tip of the Week: “Business succession planning sits where your estate plan meets your small business. Here are questions to ask your advisors: Do you own your membership interest or shares through your trust (should it)? Is a buy-sell or shareholders agreement right for my business and family, and co-owners?”

05/11/2026

Tip of the Week: Watching and reviewing Trademark filings is an easy way to gain competitive business intelligence and see what your competitors are up to.

Address

2011 Palomar Airport Road , Suite 306
Carlsbad, CA
92011

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+18587938090

Website

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