Avoid Litigation Surprises With A Trusted Lawyer By Your Side: How Francis S. Ryu Empowers SMB Owners

Starting a business is a blend of passion, courage, and perseverance. But behind this idealistic layer is a nuanced landscape of legal risks. In fact, studies show many businesses spend millions of dollars fighting litigation annually, underscoring the crucial need for nearly 34 million US-based small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to understand licit frameworks and avoid sanctions and legal defense costs.

Approximately 20% of all SMB owners are immigrants. Drawn to America, many settle in California, accounting for 38.6% of the state's share of entrepreneurs—the highest in the US. While all enterprises are at risk of litigation, cultural nuances position expat-owned entities as the most vulnerable ones, and with 5.9 million cases filed annually, the Golden State is one where informed decisions and proactive measures are paramount.

According to Francis S. Ryu, the founder of Ryu Law Firm with more than 30 years of litigation experience, "being sued as a business in California is likely unavoidable." As regulations vary between countries, states, and even counties, ensuring all company aspects align with ordinances is both necessary and taxing. These intricacies urged the rise of small claims lawsuits, with many SMBs being sued even for innocuous infractions.

For many immigrants, litigation is more than an expensive inconvenience; it's an affront to their dignity. "Oftentimes, after the CEO or owner protests their innocence, they frequently phone me, asking if the case is over yet. What they often don't realize is just how long a process it can be, and that really, it has only just begun," elucidates Francis. "The worst part is, by choosing a proactive, not reactive approach, most of them could have escaped litigation in the first place."

Through first-hand experiences working with immigrant clients, Francis, 1st generation Korean-American, identified awareness gaps, practices detrimental to long-term success, and simple actions that help businesses avoid the courtroom. According to this expert, a trusted lawyer is central to a successful entrepreneurial journey. With a knowledgeable professional by their side, SMB owners gain insights into the labyrinth of laws they must abide by, including the delicate landscape of implementing strict compliance regulations, ranging from asset protection, all the way to getting handicapped parking measurements correct.

Before picking a lawyer, Francis recommends thorough research, relying on referrals from trusted acquaintances, and interviewing multiple professionals.

By inquiring, asking insightful questions, and gauging the lawyer's values, individuals maximize their chances of finding the right fit for their goals. While this advice applies to all entrepreneurs, it's even more crucial for people from countries where legal processes are different from those in America. This approach also eradicates the risk of value-shopping, ensuring clients trust professionals based on their confidence and expertise, not their price point.

Francis also emphasizes the importance of seeking legal advice before it's necessary. By building a stable legal foundation from the business' nascent days, owners increase their chances of staying ahead of complex and ever-changing regulations. This proactive strategy minimizes the risk of unexpected legal expenses, which often exceed thousands of dollars.

Francis determined two extremes of non-compliance, with genuine oversights like installing a handicapped bathroom stall an inch too low on one side, and deliberate rule-bending on the other. "Some people work hard their entire lives, and a single mistake can ruin years of effort. Others find loopholes to save money in the short term, later finding themselves overwhelmed with legal ramifications," he adds. "This spectrum is complete with everyone in between, some more informed than others. Regardless of the situation, the mess people find themselves in could have been avoided with the right guidance."

Leveraging the founder's extensive experience in forensic accounting and finance, Ryu Law Firm focuses on commercial and business litigation and intellectual property. With a 'no surprises' policy as one of its core values, this focused law firm strengthens clients' positions in even the most intricate cases. Enriched with a human-centric approach, Ryu Law Firm empowers solopreneurs, family businesses, and immigrant-owned entities trying to live the American Dream, often reducing its rates for hard-working individuals who can't afford passionate, dedicated, and erudite attorneys.

Francis recounts a story of a client who owned a small shoe repair shop for over 40 years:

Years ago, he bought a 250-square-foot building slot where he has been polishing and repairing shoes since. The plot doesn't have handicapped parking, and now this 76-year-old Korean immigrant is being sued and is at risk of losing his only source of income for an unintentional mistake. Through his business, he was able to put two sons through medical school. And even though his sons offered to cover the cost, I wasn't going to strip this family of their savings. I told the father that everything will be okay and that he isn't a bad person. I told the sons that, though I appreciate their offer, I will figure out a different way to help. For these clients, I reduced my rate by 90%, knowing that goodwill always comes back.

For Francis, cases like this are personal. In the humble cobbler, he saw his father, a lawyer who, after immigrating from Korea to the US, became a janitor. With that modest position, he provided for his family and put Francis through law school. Now an accomplished attorney with a successful practice, a loving wife, and a son who makes him proud, Francis always remembers the values instilled in him by his father.

These values and Francis' approach to life are best encapsulated in words his father shared over 30 years ago, on the day he passed the bar exam:

No one goes to a lawyer when they're happy. It's because they have a need or a problem. It's not your job to create more problems but to fix what went wrong.