Law Office of Brent P. Collinson
(530) 587-9233
lobc@bcollinsonlaw.com
If you are seeking experienced and effective legal representation from a long-standing Truckee law firm, you are in the right place. We have been in practice for more than 30 years serving local residents with personal, family and business law issues.
While legal problems and court may seem like life-changing and emotionally charged experiences, understand that having a competent and experienced attorney on your side can make all the difference.
Further, having a law firm that works with you to resolve problems with expediency and efficiency will allow you to put your legal challenges behind you and move on with your life. Our commitment to being strong advocates for you, our court-room experience and background will ensure that you have the best legal advice and team on your side.
We provide various types of legal services. If you are uncertain if we can represent you, please call our office to determine if we can assist you. The common areas of law we practice are below.
Family Law Unfortunately, many marriages or non-marital relationships do not work out. In that event, issues of child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, division of property, restraining orders, attorneys fees, and the like must be addressed. Many times, conditions have changed since an earlier agreement or court order and a review and modification is needed. We assess each situation on a case-by-case basis to see if the matter can be resolved through a mutually agreeable settlement. If not, we proceed with litigating the matter. For those planning on entering into a marriage or non-martial relationship, we can also provide necessary written agreements, such as a pre-martial agreement.
Adoptions Whether independent, step-parent or agency adoptions, we can assist adopting parents or birth parents from locating birth or adopting parents through the completion of the adoption process (and the issuance of a new birth certificate). Mr. Collinson has successfully completed more than 100 cases for clients starting (or expanding) a family.
Wills, Trusts and Probate Ultimately, everyone will be at a point where it is necessary to pass their property to loved ones or perhaps a charitable organization. Pre-death planning includes not only who will receive property, but also who will be in charge of gathering the assets, paying proper claims, distributing the property, and who will look after any minor children. This may be done either through a Will or Living Trust. It is also a good time to direct who should make decisions for you in the event of a mental or physical infirmity. By planning for the inevitable, not only can property be passed more effeciently, but estate taxes can also be reduced or eliminated. We emphasize the small to medium-sized estate (one million dollars for a single person and two million dollars for a married couple).
Business and Corporations Whether starting a new business or expanding an existing one, many legal issues arise. We can draw up the paperwork for partnerships, corporations and limited liability companies. As a business operates, legal advice and intervention may be needed for both internal matters as well as matters impacting the business from customers, clients and suppliers. In the event it is time to sell a business or dissolve a business with multiple members, legal assistance is needed to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Real Estate We can assist clients when they are buying or selling their house, commercial or investment property, or if the sale has not gone as planned. Perhaps there is a dispute with an adjoining landowner regarding the extent of a landowner's rights and their impact on a neighbor, or an issue over financing or refinancing. Due to our representation of public agencies and their imposition on conditions on developments, we normally do not represent property developers in order to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Construction Issues arise before, during and after a construction project. We have represented owners whose structures have not been built properly, on time or within budget, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers that have not been paid, and architects who have been questioned about their plans and drawings.
Civil Litigation In civil courts, litigants are usually concerned about protecting or recovering their money or property rights. We have represented plaintiffs who have been injured due to no fault of their own, and defendants who are forced to defend against claims to their property. Past and current cases involve contract and real property disputes, and mechanic's liens.
Landlord/Tenant Both landlords and tenants have rights. A landlord is required by a contract to provide property for the tenant. Likewise, the tenant has agreed to pay rent to the landlord. For landlords, a common problem involves non-payment of rent. Tenants on the other hand frequently face problems caused by unscrupulous landlords. Even though evictions are simple in concept, evictions have many procedures which must be strictly followed by a landlord who is trying to evict a tenant. A tenant who is being wrongfully evicted also has rights, but the tenant must follow the same procedures or they will be evicted.
Bankruptcy In today's world it is more important than ever to know your rights when it comes to bankruptcy. Our office assists clients with determining if they can file for personal bankruptcy using the new means test, and assist those qualifying to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which helps eliminate dischargeable debts. Note that under Chapter 7 bankruptcy there are certain non-dischargeable debts including, but not limited to student loans, child support, and criminal restitution. Our office also assists creditors with filing appropriate credit claims in bankruptcy actions.
Public Agency We currently represent three public agencies as general counsel, the Truckee Fire Protection District (since 1979), Truckee Cemetry District (since 1984) and Truckee Tahoe Airport District (since 2004). We previously represented, as general counsel, the Squaw Valley Water District, Truckee Sanitary District, and Fallen Leaf Lake Community District. We have provided special counsel to Sierra County, Tahoe Forest Hospital District, Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District, and Alpine Springs County Water District.
The representation of these entities are similar to running any business (contracts, land acquisition and management, labor issues), but also involves ensuring compliance with laws specifically for public agencies (Brown Act, Public Records Act, and Conflict of Interest). Accordingly, our continuing education for our private entity clients assists us in representing these agencies and vice versa.
This web site is presented for information only and is not intended to offer legal advice or be a solicitation for clients. Neither the presentation of the information on this web site, nor a communication to this office, by itself, constitutes the creation of the attorney-client relationship, and any such communication will not be considered a privileged attorney-client communication.
Website designed and hosted by Lake Tahoe On Line.