John A. St. Clair has said, “Companies do not always need a large firm to provide strategic legal advice in international transactions, corporate structuring and securities law areas. They may need an experienced trusted advisor, which I have trained myself to be. When the client's situation requires a large or specialized law firm, I can advise the company in the selection and management of the firm or firms as needed.” John’s acceptance of new clients is premised on the following practice principles, which also guide his assisting clients to select and make efficient use of specialized law firms for problems needing the resources of those firms.
• Corporate counsel should advise clients based on an internationally focused perspective and strategy. Businesses today are international, regardless of where the corporation is based. Growing markets are geographically dispersed; competitors and innovative products and services arise quickly on a worldwide basis and are marketed globally; governmental and regional regulations affect businesses across national borders; M&A and investment banking, and the capital markets in which transactions are financed, are increasingly centered in cities around the globe and managed on a 24x7 worldwide basis.
• Early-stage entrepreneurial growth companies need sophisticated legal counsel from the start to enable management to focus on the business without tripping legal landmines that will distract them from that focus and divert the company’s resources to solving legal problems that could have been avoided. Growth brings increasingly complex legal needs and company counsel needs to manage how those needs are met in order to provide cost-effective solutions within budget and without delay.
• Boards of directors need corporate counsel to advise their decision-making process on a privileged basis, with full knowledge of the corporation’s history, business outlook and financial capabilities. That advice requires a trusted advisor to work with the board on a continuous basis, not specialists brought in on an assignment-by-assignment schedule.
• Corporate counsel should advise clients based on an internationally focused perspective and strategy. Businesses today are international, regardless of where the corporation is based. Growing markets are geographically dispersed; competitors and innovative products and services arise quickly on a worldwide basis and are marketed globally; governmental and regional regulations affect businesses across national borders; M&A and investment banking, and the capital markets in which transactions are financed, are increasingly centered in cities around the globe and managed on a 24x7 worldwide basis.
• Early-stage entrepreneurial growth companies need sophisticated legal counsel from the start to enable management to focus on the business without tripping legal landmines that will distract them from that focus and divert the company’s resources to solving legal problems that could have been avoided. Growth brings increasingly complex legal needs and company counsel needs to manage how those needs are met in order to provide cost-effective solutions within budget and without delay.
• Boards of directors need corporate counsel to advise their decision-making process on a privileged basis, with full knowledge of the corporation’s history, business outlook and financial capabilities. That advice requires a trusted advisor to work with the board on a continuous basis, not specialists brought in on an assignment-by-assignment schedule.
Practice Philosophy
Admitted to practice in California
Office: 626-872-0125--- Mobile: 323-788-2557
2275 Huntington Drive, Suite 375; San Marino, California 91108