Derek K. Yu

Practice Areas | Derek specializes in the practice areas of business formation and transactions, employment, real estate, and estate planning.   Derek began his legal career in litigation and trial work, which has given him a distinct advantage in performing transactional work for his clients.   Derek understands the hidden contractual “time bombs” that often gets litigated over years later.  He takes a holistic view in evaluating the liability and potential risks of a business, and creates a comprehensive plan to efficiently resolve such issues and avoid the costs and stress of litigation that can often wipe out a business. 

Some recent engagements include:  

• Represent various IT companies in negotiating complex consulting and service agreements with Fortune 500 companies such as Deutsche Bank, Northwest Airlines, Palm, American Express, VMware, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche, Network Appliance, and Siebel.
• Designed and implemented stock option, restricted stock, and phantom stock plans for various technology companies to retain valued employees and consultants while preserving capital for future growth.
• Represent surviving company in the merger between a Nevada and California IT Consulting company with combined revenues of over $20 million.
• Represent both buyers and sellers in the purchase and sale of various nationally recognized franchise businesses in the restaurant and education industries.
• Represent buyer in the acquisition of a regional biotech company.
• Successfully defended hiring company from a wage claim alleging over $100,000.00 in overtime pay.
• Represent builders in joint development construction project valued over $25 million.
• Represent landlord owning 70,000 square feet of office space in Mountain View, California.

Education |  Derek graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995 with an emphasis in Political Science. Thereafter, Derek earned his law degree in 1999 from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.  Derek was admitted to practice law in California later that same year in 1999.

Personal & Professional Affiliations |  Derek grew up in the ethnic melting pot of Queens, New York.  After passing the California Bar on his first attempt, Derek worked with the law firms Tyre Kamins Katz & Granof (Los Angeles) and Schofield & Schiller (Walnut Creek & San Ramon). 

Derek is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, and is also on the Advisory Board of Directors of the Chinatown Community Children’s Center (www.childrencenter.org).  CCCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality childcare and other social services to meet the needs of new immigrant and bilingual/bicultural families in San Francisco.  Founded in 1972, CCCC is one of the oldest existing non-profit Chinese Bilingual-Bicultural childcare centers in San Francisco.

In addition, Derek has a California Real Estate Broker's License, and speaks Chinese (Cantonese).   Derek enjoys traveling, painting, cooking, and taking walks with his dog.

Harpreet S. Walia (Of counsel)

Practice Areas | Harpreet's practice areas include, business and intellectual property litigation, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate law, franchise law and business transactions.  He represents business clients in a wide variety of industries such as software development, consulting services, manufacturing, franchise, and real estate development.  A partial list of some recent transactional engagements include, representing high-tech clients in a merger with a publicly traded company, and in the acquisition of another company; drafting a joint venture agreement for the development of proprietary software; and representing a client in the development of multi-residential property.

Education | Harpreet received his B.A. in Political Science in 1991 from University of California, Los Angeles where he graduated with honors.  He received his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1994.  Harpreet was admitted to practice law in California in 1995, and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts of California.