Tepper & Associates, PC

Beverly Hills Estate Planning & Business Attorney,Beverly Hills General Business & Transactional Attorney,Beverly Hills Real Estate & Leasing Attorney

This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association.*

Firm Overview

Tepper & Associates is a small law firm located in the heart of Beverly Hills, California. We provide high quality cost effective legal services to individuals, families, closely-held businesses and large companies across a number of industries, including general business operations, real estate transactions, estate planning, family wealth preservation, and dealing with the disputes and challenges that come up in everyday life.

Tepper & Associates was established in April 1991 by Foster Tepper, who was admitted to the State Bar of California in June 1962. Prior to establishing Tepper & Associates, Foster was a partner in the national law firm Shea & Gould.

Many of the firm's clients have been with Foster for years, including a large multigenerational family with multiple business lines and personal interests and a hospitality group with multinational operations and several hotel properties in Los Angeles.

Example cases

Estate Planning:
We advised an unmarried couple with young children on special issues and considerations for non-traditional families and customized "essential estate plan" including wills, powers of attorney, health care directives and revocable trusts for each.

We prepared complex estate plans for various members of multigenerational family client, including wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, marital deduction planning in revocable trusts and life insurance planning in irrevocable life insurance trusts. Oversaw subsequent transfer of assets, funding and administration of trusts.

We represented client/beneficiary in multi-year administration of complex grandparents' trust, involving bitter family disputes, acquisition by client of another beneficiary's interests in assets used by client in unrelated business operations, and property tax reassessment exclusions for transfers of real estate from grandparent to grandchild.

We advised clients on establishing conservatorship for incapacitated loved ones, subsequent care of cnservatee's physical person and administration of conservatees' financial estate while acting as conservator.

We advised clients on family wealth preservation and asset protection planning, including private placement life insurance.

We advised clients on use of life insurance in business succession planning for closely-held business and joint venture partnerships.

We prepared an estate plan for single individual client; including a third-party special needs trust for client's sibling.

Business Law:
We represented a consumer products manufacturer client in licensing transaction with a well known international personal care brand for the development, manufacturing and global distribution of new products to complement brand's existing product line.

We are outside counsel to hospitality client with multinational operations and several hotel properties in Los Angeles, advising on acquisition and renovation of properties, mortgage financing, high-end retail leasing, licensing, employer-employee matters, guest relations, unlawful detainer, eminent domain and ADA compliance.

We represent individual clients in entity formation and negotiation of joint ventures for new business lines and special projects.

We represent clients in the fashion industry in protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights and claims of trademark and copyright infringement.

Real Estate:
We represent real estate investment groups in purchase, sale and financing of commercial real estate, § 1031 like-kind exchange and subsequent renovation and leasing of medical tower and office space.

We represented a landlord client in an unlawful detainer action with hostile tenants threatening the physical safety of landlord and landlord's family, and petitions for restraining orders.

We represented client in contentious reorganization of joint venture property owner entity and buy-out of joint venture members.

We served as outside counsel to a hospitality client with multinational operations and several hotel properties in Los Angeles, advising on acquisition and renovation of properties, mortgage financing, high-end retail leasing, licensing, employer-employee matters, guest relations, unlawful detainer, eminent domain and ADA compliance.

Main Office

Main
9454 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite M-16
Beverly Hills CA 90212

Phone

(310) 859-9754

Fax

(310) 859-9751

Websites

http://tepperlawgroup.com

Fees

Free Initial Consultation?

We offer a free consultation for all new clients and matters.

Services Offered For Fixed Fees?

Tepper & Associates has flexible pricing arrangements ranging from preset flat fees for limited engagements like our "Essential Estate Planning Package", negotiated flat fees and ongoing representation at hourly rates.

Hourly Rates

For matters priced at hourly rates, my billing rate is $300 per hour.

Office Information

Office Hours

Our office staff is generally in the office Monday through Friday between 8:30 a..m and 5:00 p.m. Attorneys do not have set hours but are usually in the office between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Office Manager

Our office manager is Lupe Gonzalez.

Emergency After Hours

Yes

Languages Spoken

I am a bilingual native Spanish speaker. My volunteer work with monolingual Spanish speakers helps me keep my technical legal Spanish sharp.

How did your firm decide on the primary area of practice(s)?

My practice today is not limited to one area of law or any specific industries. Tax law was my primary area of practice out of law school and remains a principal consideration in a lot of my work today. I took an uncommon route in law school by pursuing a Master of Business Taxation dual degree and taking my first job as a lawyer at a major accounting firm, and it proved to be invaluable training in the fundamental elements of business and personal financial decisions. My technical training, drafting skills and constant development of personal interests make me very versatile and have enabled me to become competent in multiple areas of law.

What is your firm's point of view regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?

It is always helpful if clients have an understanding of the legal issues underlying their matters, it helps with the strategy and decision making process and gives the client insight on the legal nuances of what can sometimes appear to be simple issues. A willingness to learn is most important, since how the law applies to a particular matter depends on the facts and circumstances.

Is your firm willing to review documents prepared by clients?

We are always willing to review a client's existing documents or documents prepared by clients. Depending on the type of engagement, a document review is billed at either a pre-negotiated flat fee or at standard hourly rates. Clients who prepare their own documents must also be aware that their documents may need a little fine tuning (or sometimes a complete overhaul) to accomplish their intended goals.

Is your firm willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?

I have a lot of experience preparing clients to represent themselves in court through my volunteer work with the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, although this usually does require substantial attorney time to prepare filings and court documents and supervision of the matter. In private practice, I regularly suggest self-help tools and legal aid resources to clients and potential clients who wish to learn more on a particular area of law, need access to specific information or need to minimize attorney involvement in certain matters.

Iran Hopkins

I began my legal career as a tax attorney in KPMG LLP's international corporate tax practice, where I advised on structuring multinational transactions and business operations for a variety of institutional clients, and later with Wealth & Tax Advisory Services, Inc., a subsidiary of HSBC Bank, advising high net worth clients on estate, gift and trust tax planning and compliance. I subsequently represented clients in corporate, entertainment and real estate transactions and high net worth individuals in their personal and business affairs. Immediately prior to joining Tepper & Associates in 2009, I was in the Real Estate Group at Duval & Stachenfeld LLP, focused on private equity joint venture investments in real estate and complex commercial real estate transactions, financing and business operations.

I've also been an Attorney Volunteer and Pro Bono Translator at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law since May 2006, where I work with monolingual Spanish speaking clients to prepare documents and court filings in English so they can represent themselves in court in family law matters ranging from dissolution of marriage, paternity, domestic violence, custody, visitation, child and spousal support.

Professionally, I am fortunate to have developed expertise working with both individuals in their personal and family affairs and with complex business and real estate matters. Personally, I am a bilingual native Spanish speaker and grew up living between the United States and Latin America. This personal background and my professional experience as a tax and transactional attorney give me tremendous flexibility and the technical skills to serve in multiple roles and examine situations and legal issues from a variety of perspectives.

I am a creative problem solver who provides practical guidance and objective, real-world advice. I have excellent drafting and negotiation skills and on an interpersonal level, I connect easily with others.

Personal interests:

Outside of work, I am involved with a number of volunteer and social organizations dedicated to the arts, working with the poor, public policy and community enhancement, organizations like the Junior League of Los Angeles, LACMA's President's Circle Avant Garde, LACMA's Costume Council and the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. On a personal level, I am a home chef, a yogi, an avid reader, a wine enthusiast, an environmentalist, a dedicated photographer, and to a certain degree, a fashionista who dabbles in sewing.

License

Bar Number: 217597
California , 2001

Education

University of Southern California, School of Law
Juris Doctor , 2001
Los Angeles, CA
Tax Law Society, Co-President; International Law Society, International Liaison; Criminal Law Society, Mariel Cuban Detainee Representation
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
Master of Business Taxation , 2001
Los Angeles, CA
Research/Teaching Assistant, 2000-2001, Professor Henry Cheeseman, Finance and Business Law, Marshall School of Business; Assistant Instructor/Volunteer, VITA Program, 1999-2001
Texas Christian University
Bachelor of Arts , 1998
Fort Worth, TX
Majors: Latin American Studies and Spanish, Minor: Geography; cum laude

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