Sound Business Insights

Dan Watkins brings more than 40 years of perspective to the topic of Artificial Intelligence or AI.  This isn't something to be feared - it's something to be embraced.  It makes us better at our jobs, saves our clients time and money.  Saves our attorneys time, allowing us to spend more time with our clients and getting to know the nuances, the facts, the details surrounding the events in question...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 44 - Neighbor Disputes Dan Watkins discusses the nuances of helping neighbors to resolve their challenges while protecting their rights to the "quiet enjoyment of their property" as well as their property boundaries.  The discussion starts with boundary disputes and why it is important to seek the advice of one of our experienced San Diego real estate attorneys i...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 43 - Real Estate Disputes Dan Watkins shares common issues and challenges associated with real estate disputes and how the Watkins Firm is able to help to resolve these challenges.  This substantive conversation covers a wide range of topics including hidden defects, failure to disclose, mold issues, cracked slabs, failure to perform and other real estate related...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 42 - Employer Updates for 2024 Part 2 Dan Watkins continues to explain changes in California employment laws that will affect employers in the coming year.  Part 2 of the conversation picks up where part 1 left off.  If you have not listend to part 1 you may wish to go back and review it after you complete this podcast.  SB 553 implements additional workplace vio...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 41 - Employment Law Updates for 2024 (Part 1) our founder, Dan Watkins, discusses all of the important changes a San Diego or California employer must know going into 2024 and beyond.  The only constant in the life of a California employer is change.  How can you keep up with all the changes in California law as it relates to an employer?  How do you protect your...

In Episode 40 - Stock Purchase Agreements Dan Watkins discusses one of the most complex legal and financial transactions a business can undertake: a stock purchase.  What makes the stock purchase such a risk and how can the 40+ years of experience at the Watkins Firm in literally thousands of these transactions increase the likelihood of success in your acquisition or sale? The Harvard Business Re...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 39: What Keeps Employers Up at Night, Dan Watkins discusses many of the challenges a California employer faces and what our firm can do to help not only manage what is happening in real time, but to establish the right policies, processes, employee handbook and other aspects of daily documentation and work to prevent issues, disputes and lawsuits from ever arisin...

In Episode 38 - What is a General Counsel Dan Watkins helps to explain why every business  should have access to an experienced business attorney - a general counsel.  If you're a company owner and you are trying to do everything right in the best way you can for your company, you're going to have general counsel, and that attorney or couple of attorneys or law firm will advise you on things that...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 37 - Healthcare Governance and Compliance Dan Watkins provides insight into the complicated world of corporate governance and compliance in the setting of a medical practice or healthcare-related business.  There are so many Federal and State agencies and entities that regulate, oversee or control a medical practice or healthcare business.  What are the issues an...

In Episode 36 – Best of Sound Business Insights Volume 1 we revisit some of the most important, insightful and entertaining moments of the podcast so far.   The episode begins with a few clips about why it is so important to have an experienced, proven business attorney.   This includes Dan's genuine insight that any business should have 3 crucial advisors: an experienced business attorney, a CPA/...

In Episode 35 - Crazy Things You Didn't Know Were Covered by Insurance Dan provides insight into commercial and residential insurance policies and the types of things most people wouldn't know about the denial of claims which, perhaps, should be covered.  Dan Watkins begins the episode with a bit of a lesson about a Supreme Court Justice, Learned Hand, who decided that insurance was part of the fa...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 34 - Business Formation Dan Watkins shares from more than 40 years of experience the reason it is so important to work with an attorney during business formation if you are serious about your business.  If you don't intend to make money, you can download forms and go on the cheap.  If you intend to conduct serious business, especially if there is going to be more...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 33 - Misclassification of Independent Contractors, Dan discusses changes in California law based upon the Dynamex decision and the impact this is going to have on employers in California with independent contractors.  In this lively and candid conversation, Dan covers all of the draconian penalties which an employer will face if they misclassify a worker.  

In Sound Business Insights Episode 32 - Business Fraud Dan Watkins discusses five areas of business-related fraud as well as remedies and real-life stories to illustrate appropriate examples of this complex topic. The five types of fraud we will cover are: Consumer Fraud Business Fraud / Unfair Competition Business Partner Fraud / Shareholder Fraud Sale of Business Fraud Criminal Fraud (Note: the...

In Episode 31 - ABCs of What to Do If You are Sued Dan Watkins discusses the steps to take if you learn you have been sued (served with papers) or have heard through witnesses or other parties that a lawsuit may be coming your way.  "If you're in business, it's not really a question of if, but when your going to face a dispute and potentially a lawsuit." The first and most obvious step is to speak...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 30 – Management Service Organization or MSOs Dan discusses one of the most effective ways to improve a medical practice or healthcare-related business: the Management Service Organization or MSO.  What is an MSO and how can it help a medical practice or healthcare business to improve operational profitability, increase revenues, reduce expenses, all while increas...

Episode 29 - Recent Big News in Arbitration begins with an overview of the Supreme Court ruling in Chamber of Commerce v Bonta.  On February 15, 2023 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals  decided that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preempts California AB 51, rendering it literally unenforceable.  We, the Watkins Firm, represent employers, people who hire people.  They need to know what the law is a...

In Sound Business Insights Episode 28 - Common Employer Disputes and Defenses Dan Watkins shares many of the types of disputes that San Diego and Southern California employers find themselves in as well as insight into the strategies for defending them from allegations and in agency and plaintiff's lawsuits. Risks facing California employers have doubled in the past 10 years alone from Dan's persp...

In Episode 27 - Changes in CA and Federal Law for Employers 2023 Can Watkins provides insight into how recent changes in the law will affect San Diego and Southern California employers.  The first question out of the gate is "how does an employer in San Diego get sued?" The answer is basically "by being an employer."  So the next question and discussion focuses on "So, how do you prevent or limit...

In Episode 26 - Wage and Hour Employer Updates for 2023 and Beyond we are joined once again by Katya Adams, Office Administrator for the Watkins Firm.  We discuss minimum wage rates for 2023 which are $15.50 for California, $16.30 for the City and County of San Diego, as well as the new white collar exemption in California that the individual must earn $1,240 weekly or $64,480 annually.  Katya goe...

Sound Business Insights Episode 25 - Unfair Business Practice Overview begins with Dan Watkins summarizing the types of cases which might fall under the umbrella of an unfair business practice.  Dan quips "A better question is what would not be an unfair business practice!"  It seems every business lawsuit we defend and many we initiate include allegations of unfair business practices.  Examples o...

Sound Business Insights Episode 24 - Corporate Governance addresses one of, perhaps, the most overlooked aspect of owning and running a busines: corporate governance.  Dan Watkins begins with the perspective that a corporate entity, under the law, is essential an entity of its own, like a person.  The corporation provides an important protection known as the "corporate veil."  The corporate veil i...

We welcome back Katya Adams, Office Administrator of the Watkins Firm, for a substantive conversation on San Diego employers and the questions they most have about managing employees in San Diego and Southern California.  The conversation begins with the documents, the framework needed to manage employees in Southern California.  This includes policies and procedures, the employee handbook and tip...

In this episode of Sound Business Insights we speak with Katya Adams, the Office Administrator for the Watkins Firm.  Kat works with our employer clients to answer any questions they may have, set up new employee practices as well as consulting on the employee handbook, policies and procedures and best practices for managing employees and associated documentation.  The majority of the conversation...

Sound Business Insights Episode 21 - War Stories Part 2 continues the conversation with Dan Watkins about genuine scenarios the firm has worked through in the past which might be valuable to any business professional, executive, employer, member, shareholder or investor.  This episode begins with the fact that the best thing any employer can do at the first hint of an employee dispute is to contac...