STRAIGHT FORWARD, RESULTS ORIENTED, PRAGMATIC LEGAL ADVICE

Consistent, Personal Attention

Phyllis Alden Truby is a solo practitioner who provides consistent personal attention to your needs. Phyllis herself will personally answer your calls and do your work unless a particular task does not require the attention of a lawyer, then to reduce cost and increase efficiency that task will be handled by a qualified legal assistant whose work will be reviewed by Phyllis personally. You will not pay multiple lawyers to learn about you and your work.

Focused Practice

Phyllis Alden Truby practices in only three interrelated areas: business and commercial; franchising, licensing, and distribution; and real property law. Doing a limited number of things creates concentrated experience in those areas.

Solid Experience; Quality Reputation

Phyllis has more than 33 years of experience doing deals. She has negotiated and worked with lawyers from some of the most prominent firms in Los Angeles and the nation as well as with a firm of over 100 lawyers that includes some of Los Angeles’ most experienced trial lawyers. She has worked with many in-house lawyers and lawyers in half a dozen foreign countries. The quality of Phyllis’ work has brought kudos from reviewing counsel at the California Department of Corporations, opposing counsel in disputes, and counsel for others in numerous transactions. Lawyers and clients with whom she has worked have praised her good judgment, advocacy on behalf of her client, innovative and creative approaches to problem solving, and ability to understand the perspective of others, as well as her attention to detail while not losing sight of the big picture and the long-range goal.

Pragmatic, Results Oriented Advice

Phyllis’ starting point is determining what you want to accomplish. Her next step is to advise you how your goal can be reached: what is the safest, easiest, simplest way to achieve the result you want? The focus of pragmatic legal advice is to accomplish your goals while minimizing risk, without introducing unnecessary complication that may become a roadblock. Good judgment, tenacious but respectful and courteous advocacy, and savvy negotiating skills are the foundation of successful representation of your interests. Identifying what is important, knowing what it makes good sense to do, and avoiding unnecessary expense or long paths to nowhere are the keys to getting you where you want to go.

Some recent transactions include:

  • Creation of a template for trademark licensing transactions for an international manufacturing client
  • Exempt offering of a franchise using a mini-disclosure document to reduce risk of subsequent claims and a franchise agreement tailored to the nontraditional location
  • Creation of a purchase order form for a distributor client
  • Creation of purchase order templates for manufacturing and distribution clients
  • Conversion of a limited partnership to a limited liability company to eliminate liability exposure for the general partner
  • Negotiation of the lease of a 66,000 square foot property for a residential rehabilitation facility
  • Negotiation of an easement agreement with reversionary rights to protect indemnity obligations
  • A nearly $5,000,000 cash residence purchase in which we found a way to eliminate an encroachment exception from the title policy at the seller’s expense and close escrow on time

Some professional accomplishments include:

  • Named a Best Lawyer in the Franchise Law category by The Best Lawyers in America in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009
  • Certified Specialist, Franchise and Distribution Law California Board of Legal Specialization
  • Member of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising 2004-2007
  • Presenter of more than 10 programs on franchise practice issues
  • Author of the California Franchise Investment Law chapter of the first edition of The Franchise Deskbook
  • Chair of California State Bar Franchise Law Committee for two terms
  • Member and then Vice Chair of California State Bar Business Law Section Executive Committee

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Phyllis received her initial law practice training at a Los Angeles firm under the tutelage of four former partners from one of Los Angeles’ largest firms. She received big firm training in a small firm setting and brought that quality of practice and habits of excellence to the solo practice she has operated for nearly 30 years.

CLIENTS

Phyllis’ practice includes start up entrepreneurs as well as seasoned executives; individually owned small businesses and multi-owner small to medium sized businesses, as well as multi-national conglomerates, start up entrepreneurs as well as seasoned executives.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

A Los Angeles native, educated at UCLA, where she received both Bachelor’s of Arts and Masters of Journalism degrees, and Loyola Marymount University School of Law

Active in the Children’s Nature Institute, a local nonprofit organization for which she served as volunteer legal counsel and a member of the Board beginning with its formation

Supporter of numerous local charities ranging from Tree People to the California Science Center to the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law