Practice Areas

• Overview
• Business and Finance
• Construction Law
• International Trade
• Labor and Employment
• Litigation
• Real Estate
• Technology and Licensing
• Trademark and Copyright
• Wealth Management

Litigation

Kasem Ko has a diverse litigation practice encompassing many different areas of the law. Our attorneys are admitted to appear before the state and federal trial and appellate courts in California, Massachusetts and various other jurisdictions. We have experience in all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation. We also have experience appearing before the International Trade Commission and the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

At Kasem Ko, our clients' business interests are paramount. Our attorneys possess the intellectual depth and creativity to successively resolve any type of legal dispute. We are committed to working with clients to avoid litigation whenever possible. Should litigation ensue, we vigorously represent client interests while always staying mindful of the costly aspect of litigation. Our attorneys represent corporate, small business, and individual clients in all sectors of the economy.

Commercial Litigation

Kasem Ko strives to achieve our clients' litigation and business goals, regardless of the controversy: contract disputes, distribution & franchising, trademark, copyright, antitrust, banking, corporate dissolutions, professional liability, construction, real estate, collections, fiduciary issues, dilution, business torts, or any other type of business dispute. We protect the business activities of our clientele from competitors that may engage in various forms of unfair competition, which may result in economic injury to our clients through deceptive or wrongful business practices.

Litigating the expectations, rights and obligations of contracting parties is a cornerstone of commercial litigation. Contract disputes arise in an infinite number of contexts. Our attorneys represent a wide variety of clients in litigation arising out of contract disputes. Fraud, interference with prospective business relations, business disparagement, unfair competition, theft of trade secrets and the like are also common forms of commercial disputes. Whether these claims form the heart of a case or merely supplement a contract claim, a risk of punitive damages is present. Kasem Ko also represents clients in disputes involving software ownership and use, technology-related contract and licensing issues, copyright protected technology, trade secrets, and technology-related patents.

Often times, claims may arise on an emergency basis, with parties seeking temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, or attachments. Other times, claims may involve confidential information requiring a protective order. Our attorneys always remain cognizant of these situations and implement the necessary steps to protect our clients' financial interests and confidential information.

Employment Litigation

Kasem Ko represents and advises clients across the spectrum of labor and employment matters, including wrongful termination, employment discrimination, wage and hour issues, and non-competition violations. Clients include employers in a wide array of industries. In addition, the firm advises employers on compliance issues under various labor and employment laws, helping clients to conform workplace practices and procedures to current law with a goal toward litigation avoidance.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Our goal and commitment is to always to achieve the best result for our client. Regardless of how a dispute may initially arise, we work with the client to find the most cost-efficient and cost-effective means of resolution. We evaluate each case to determine whether alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") would provide a faster and more economically efficient result than litigation, while taking into account whether ADR would provide for better preservation of confidentiality if necessary. ADR procedures include mediation, early neutral evaluations, and arbitration. Managing and resolving disputes outside of, or as a supplement to, traditional court litigation is an important part of our practice. While this practice builds upon our traditional litigation practice, it also requires special advocacy, case management, and strategic skills. We assist clients in framing and evaluating settlement options and ADR procedures for facilitating settlement.

In today's legal environment, arbitration and mediation often supplement traditional litigation in state and federal courts as preferred mechanisms for the resolution of disputes. While arbitration and mediation are sometimes encompassed within the concept of ADR, in many instances, contractual or other legal requirements restrict the assertion or resolution of claims to these processes. In other instances, however, clients retain the option of selecting the most effective and economical means of resolving disputes.

Consistent with our commitment to ADR, Kasem Ko has executed the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution Firm Policy Statement on Alternatives to Litigation. The statement acknowledges that "for many disputes there may be more effective methods of resolution than traditional litigation" and that the use of ADR procedures "can significantly reduce the costs and burdens of litigation and result in solutions not available in court." We recognize that effective advocacy comes in many forms, and that clients are best served when retaining the option of selecting the most appropriate means of resolving a dispute from an array of available options.

Pro Bono

Kasem Ko attorneys routinely represent individuals and organizations of limited means in a wide variety of pro bono matters. Our attorneys are dedicated to contributing time equivalent to at least five percent of annual billable hours to such matters. The firm is willing to represent those of limited means in pro bono matters that involve:

• Civil rights claims;
• Battered women issues;
• Political asylum and immigration matters;
• Social Security disability claims;
• Guardianship and adoption proceedings;
• Housing issues;
• Unemployment matters;
• Uncontested divorces;
• Representation of non-profit organizations;
• Children's issues;
• Senior citizens' issues.