Our core mission: a practical, collaborative approach to efficient business legal solutions. We specialize in internet, e-commerce, data privacy, technology, corporate law, and commercial transactions.
Traditional corporate and commercial legal solutions will always be crucial to any successful business. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you need a purchase agreement, we have you covered. But we add other elements to the equation. Internet, e-commerce, social media, digital talent, data privacy, and technology. We guide your business through the old and new legal demands of the 21st century.
SONA LEGAL APC, it’s not the typical law firm name (“some last name, another last name, and one more last name”). What is “SONA,” you might say? Adapted from old Irish, the word “SONA” means “prosperous.” That’s what we are about here at SONA – helping you prosper.
We’re not your parents’ law firm – but we do have your parents’ values: integrity, hard work, and experience. We are innovators but we never lose sight of the traditional responsibilities of our profession.
Read more below to get detailed information on some of the services we provide – and of course, feel free to contact us anytime.
SONA LEGAL APC is a practice built in and around the digital era. As a technology driven business, we have adapted many of the same digital systems as our clients and we understand the nuances of this constantly evolving field. Over the past few decades, the internet and e-commerce have grown exponentially, and with this growth has come an entirely new set of legal demands for clients as they adapt to life in the digital realm. Our A to Z approach covers all of your legal E-commerce and internet needs. For example, we can help you with your web development agreements, your website terms and privacy policies, software development deals, advertising, online shopping and subscriber agreements, data privacy compliance, and much more. Of course, if you need to trademark your online brand, copyright your content, or license your proprietary software for your e-commerce platform, we have you covered there too.
We live in the age of social media. There are billions of social media users in the world, and consequently business are driving billions of dollars in profit to their firms through social media. While social media brings great opportunities, it also brings unique legal challenges. We protect you in the ever-evolving social media legal landscape by ensuring compliance with Facebook or Instagram terms of services and privacy laws, and drafting appropriate agreements with your influencers, digital talent, and content managers. If you yourself are an influencer we can license your name and image rights. We also make sure that your posts do not run afoul of disclosure laws and protect you from those that do. And if someone misappropriates your trademark or copyright on social media, we help you take it down before it harms your business.
Data privacy is here to stay. Historically, companies have been subject to a patchwork system of industry-based data-privacy laws, but this all changed with the advent of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) The first of its kind, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides data subjects an array of substantive rights, regulates conduct, and has already doled out penalties to U.S. companies with European ties. The CCPA kicks into gear into 2020 with a similar but distinguishable approach. Other regimes working their way through Congress include the Consumer Data Protection Act, the Data Security and Breach Notification Act, the MY DATA Act, the CONSENT Act, and the BROWSER Act. While some of these bills will invariably fail, they herald things to come – and we can ensure that you are prepared.
Technology has always been both a disruptor and a driver of growth, and with the advent of digital technology the 21st century has been no different. Mobile applications, digital health technologies, blockchain – they all have two things in common: zeros and ones and the ability to change the world. One of the best ways to monetize technology is by licensing it out and that’s where we come in. We help you license your tech out for a fee out your tech and protect it as a trade secret. And, where appropriate, we are proud to associate with and refer to some of the best independent patent attorneys in the business (they actually have to take a separate “patent exam!”). From cell phone games to life-saving digital medical monitors, we have the required experience to protect and monetize your tech.
SONA LEGAL APC offers a full range of corporate services at a fraction of the cost of a mergers and acquisitions firm, including assistance with choice of business entity, business entity formation, investor due diligence, securities issuance, SEC compliance, regulatory filings and compliance, business licensing, mergers, dissolutions, and sale and succession.
Every company needs commercial contracts to protect their operations. The experienced attorneys at SONA LEGAL APC draft and negotiate all types of commercial contracts. Some common examples include purchase agreements, licensing agreements, vendor agreements, commercial leases, joint ventures, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, contractor agreements, trade secrets, trademarks, and services agreements.
Client Testimonials
SONA LEGAL APC helped me recently with some transactional work for my business. They were extremely knowledgeable and helped with my requests very quickly. I was pleased their work and I would not hesitate to recommend SONA LEGAL APC for any business legal needs.
Michael S. Overland & Shanahan Wealth Advisors, Inc.
"SONA LEGAL APC has helped with numerous contracts and worked through potential litigation with me. They have always promptly responded to my inquiries and have been able to explain the law in terms that I can understand. I have certainly had some "aha" moments and feel much better about the quality of agreements I enter into. Highly recommended as an on-hand resource for any small business!"
"I contacted SONA LEGAL APC when my business was in a need of a licensing agreement relating to an exclusive line of sunglasses we were developing for a professional athlete. With time in short supply, SONA LEGAL APC provided us with a complete agreement tailored to our needs so that we were able to execute the contract with time to spare. SONA LEGAL APC has been our go-to firm for commercial transactions ever since."
"My organization provides corporate social responsibility training and consulting on several different continents. Among other things, SONA LEGAL APC assists us with compliance issues as well as contract drafting and review. Their attention to detail and accuracy has saved us on many occasions. They are one of the most trustworthy and punctual teams I have ever worked with. I would recommend SONA LEGAL APC for all your businesses law needs."
Stay ahead of the curve and read the SONA BLOG, covering the latest legal developments in internet & e-commerce, social media and digital talent, data privacy, technology, corporate law, and commercial transactions.
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and S-corporations – a Perfect Match?
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (“ESOPs”) are a means of attracting and retaining employees, growing your business, and providing for the future succession of your company. At its basic level, ESOPs use financial incentives that allow a company to grow while maintaining a control structure more typical of a family-owned business. According to a Rutgers study,
How California’s Online Privacy Law Affects your Business
No business owner enjoys opening the mail and finding a letter from the Attorney General notifying them they are in violation of the law – and threatening civil penalties. However, in 2012, this is what hundreds of mobile app operators received from the California Attorney General’s Office. It’s understandable that the operators would be surprised.
MCCUAIG LAW FIRM IS NOW SONA LEGAL APC
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” Loosely translated from an old Irish saying, fannann fear sona le sean, this is a motto both our firm and our clients live by: the opportunity to capitalize on preparation. In concert with our Irish heritage, the McCuaig Law Firm is now SONA LEGAL APC. “Sona” is the Irish
