Fried & Williams LLP

Legal excellence and dedication to clients. We are the law offices of Fried & Williams.

We are a real estate law firm providing mediation, arbitration, trial and appellate services. With offices in San Francisco and Oakland, we have easy access to the courthouses on both sides of the Bay.

Our philosophy is to provide high quality legal services at affordable rates. We do this by coming up with creative solutions to difficult problems.

Areas of Practice

We pride ourselves in representing the rights and interests of real property owners and specialize in a variety of areas of real estate law.

Residential Landlord and Tenant

From the initial tenant application until the tenant vacates and the security deposit is returned, property owners may encounter various legal challenges, particularly in rent and eviction control jurisdictions.

  • Evictions: We advise owners throughout the eviction process. Evictions may include:

    • Nonpayment of Rent
    • Breach of the Rental Agreement
    • Owner Move-in
    • Relative Move-in
    • Remove Property from Rental Market (Ellis Act)
    • Temporary recovery to make repairs or improvements to the property
    • Nuisance
    • Illegal use of Premises
  • Buyout Agreements: We advise, negotiate, and draft tenant buyout agreements.

  • Rent Increases: We help owners maximize their rental income by giving lawful rent increases

  • Refusal of Access: There are many reasons a landlord may be entitled to enter a tenant occupied unit.

  • Unapproved subleasing: A landlord should promptly respond when discovering that a tenant has subleased in violation of the rental agreement.

  • Rent and Eviction Control: We counsel owners through the many legal obstacles imposed on them by local rent and eviction control ordinances.

  • Rent Board Claims: We defend petitions filed by tenants at the Rent Board.

  • Habitability, Lead, and Mold Claims: We help owners respond to adverse tenant claims about the condition of their units.

  • Wrongful Eviction: We defend tenant lawsuits.
Purchase and Sales

We can prepare all the paperwork needed to purchase or sell property thereby eliminating the real estate commission. We also advise clients concerning legal issues arising during the purchase/sales transaction. Some of these legal issues may include the following:

  • Disclosure/Failure to Disclose

  • Warranties

  • Timely Performance

  • Contingencies and their removal

  • Breach of Contract
Commercial Leasing

We draft and negotiate commercial leases and counsel clients on the various legal issues that may arise throughout the commercial tenancy.

Discrimination and Americans with Disabilities Act Violations

Property owners may not discriminate in housing. Property owners may face housing discrimination claims in a variety of forums. For instance, discrimination claims may be filed with government agencies and lawsuits may be filed in State and Federal courts. We defend these discrimination claims.

Neighbor Disputes

We counsel owners regarding legal disputes and issues that may arise with their neighbors. These disputes and issues may involve the following:

  • Property Lines

  • Encroachments

  • Trespassing

  • Noise and Nuisance

  • Easements
Foreclosures

We help owners with post-foreclosure related legal issues including removing occupants who remain after the foreclosure.

Co-Ownership/Condominiums/Tenancies-in-Common

We help co-owners of property understand their legal rights and obligations. We advise clients regarding CC&R and Tenancy-in-Common documents.

Temporary Restraining Orders
Title Issues

We assist real property owners in resolving title disputes concerning their property. We have successfully litigated:

  • Partition and Accounting Actions

  • Adverse Possession Claims

  • Disputes Over Ownership
Types of Practice
Transactions

Transactional law is the body of law that governs transactions between two or more parties. We advise and assist real estate owners with various types of transactions, including negotiating, reviewing, and preparing contracts, purchase/sales agreements, and leases.

Mediation

Mediation is a negotiation between two or more parties conducted by an impartial person, typically a judge or attorney. Parties participate in mediation to try to resolve disputes between them and often to avoid costly litigation. We help clients prepare and represent their interests at mediation.

Arbitration

Arbitration is a proceeding heard by an impartial person, typically a retired judge or attorney, to resolve a dispute between two or more parties outside the court system. The impartial person conducts the arbitration proceeding and then renders a decision. Arbitration is an alternative to the court system. We aggressively represent clients throughout the arbitration process.

Litigation

Litigation is the process of taking a dispute through the court system. The litigation process can be lengthy and complex. We counsel our clients throughout the process and ensure that they are well informed so that they can make well reasoned decisions.

Appeals

An appeal is a legal process to challenge a court's decision. We have successfully appealed and defended appeals of court decision.

Administrative Hearings

An administrative hearing is a hearing that takes place outside the court before a government agency, such as the rent board. We regularly represent clients before various government agencies.

Explore our website and learn more about our law firm and how we can help you.