Practice Areas and Success Stories

School Expulsion and Suspension

 
If your child is facing a suspension or expulsion hearing, you and your child have an absolute right to have an attorney present to protect your student from losing valuable instruction time and receiving negative marks on their record. In some situations, your attorney's fees may even be reimbursable by the school district.

In November 2024, Chelsea represented a fifteen-year-old high school student and his family before the administrative panel tasked with determining whether he should be expelled from high school which would risk his dreams of becoming a healthcare practitioner and close doors of opportunity for the rest of his life. With Chelsea there to represent the interests of the child and the parents, the student was readmitted to school after skilled questioning and argument revealed inconsistencies in the allegations, the ineligibility of his case for expulsion, and violation of his rights to due process in the expulsion notices.

Delinquent Taxes, Penalties, and Escape Assessments

If your business has received a notice from the taxing authorities of California or the Federal Government, or you have faced levy of bank accounts due to delinquent income, sales and use, or property taxes, you do not have to correspond with these agencies alone and you should consult with a qualified attorney before responding to any coercive attempt to make you pay exorbitant penalties; even if you do owe on your taxes, a qualified representative can guide you through relief from penalties, development of payment plans on owed amounts, and even negotiate a settlement of delinquent payments to pay only what you are able.

In August 2024, Chelsea assisted a taxpayer in developing a payment plan with the California Board of Equalization, relieving the taxpayer of certain penalties imposed, and negotiating the amount of tax owed to an amount the taxpayer could reasonably pay after facing severe economic strife.

Trust Beneficiary Representation and Negotiation

If you are a Trustee, Beneficiary, or other interested person in a trust instrument, experienced counsel can assist in ensuring your rights and responsibilities are honored, you are protected from liabilities, and administration is completed in a timely and cost-effective manner. No matter what position you hold in relation to the trust and its settlors, you have rights that must be respected; ensure they receive the due respect they are afforded by law by retaining qualified counsel today.

In October 2024, Chelsea represented three beneficiaries in achieving a settlement with their trustee to put an end to a trust that had gone on seven years since both settlors had passed. With Chelsea's assistance, the beneficiaries saved upwards of $140,000 in the settlement, achieved timely distribution of their interest in the trust, and were able to sign a release of the trustee and her advisors with the assurance their interests were protected. Through a co-operative negotiation style, Chelsea's assistance provided the beneficiaries the peace of mind of competent legal counsel, while giving the trustee the peace of mind needed to close up the trust's affairs and allow everybody to move forward without being concerned about future liabilities.

Personal Representative Guidance

The probate process is long, drawn out, and notoriously difficult in California. Experienced legal counsel can ensure you cross your ts and dot your is, thus protecting you from liabilities, and providing a hand to hold in a time full of confusing legal requirements and trouble personal issues. 

Estate Planning

Estate planning is a complex area of law that calls on understanding of probate, property, family, taxation, and more. Many people think a Last Will and Testament is all they need to ensure their interests are protected; experts in the field know that a Will is just a ticket to Probate Court. California Probate is notorious for being costly, time-consuming, and difficult; not to mention, a Will only comes into effect at death. If you want to ensure your wishes are protected during and beyond life, a competent estate planning attorney can guide you through the many different instruments that comprise an effective estate plan.

Petitions for Protection

There are many types of restraining orders, including for Domestic Violence, Civil Harassment, Elder Abuse, Workplace Harassment, Gun Violence, and School place Violence. You deserve to feel safe from intimate partner violence, harassment by neighbors and strangers, exploitation of your unique needs arising out of aging, free from harassment at work and school, and peace of mind that you can live your life without free from the fear that someone around you owns firearms. Although the Courts provide self-help resources, your request can be denied without experienced counsel to guide you through the many obstacles in the petition and in showing the high standard required.

Responding to a Temporary Restraining Order 

You also deserve the freedoms that can be lost if a restraining order is wrongfully granted against you. Restraining orders are extraordinary remedies that the Courts do not take lightly. If you have had an emergency restraining order served on you, you may feel that if you just leave the other person alone, you don't need to fight it. This is a common mistake that can prevent you from enjoying your full constitutional rights under the law and result in your arrest and imprisonment merely from the person requesting the order initiating contact. If you have been served with an emergency restraining order, it is crucial to consult with competent counsel in determining the best way to respond. These matters move quickly; secure your counsel today.

In November 2024, Chelsea represented a defendant against a civil harassment restraining order brought against her wrongfully. With competent guidance and representation, the defendant had the order against her dismissed, relieving her of troubling and completely wrongful allegations of misconduct against children, as well as preventing a five year order that could have allowed her accuser of causing her arrest and further trauma. With Chelsea's assistance, the defendant was not only able to have the order dismissed, but was able to consult with competent counsel as to future actions to protect her from her wrongful accuser.

Sometimes you just aren't really sure whether your claim has any teeth; other times, you know you're ready to bite, but your relief can be achieved through the use of alternatives to litigation. If you think you might have a claim for relief, but need to discuss whether it's actionable under the law, or if you know you have a claim for relief, but want to see if a strongly worded letter could achieve the same result with 1/4 of the cost, competent counsel can provide low-cost advisory and drafting services for either evaluating whether you should move forward, or drafting and sending a letter demanding the relief you deserve under the law.

In February 2024, Chelsea counseled a tenant in first evaluating her claims against her landlord for the conditions she was subject to, and second in sending a letter to her landlord providing notice that his retaliatory actions had not gone unnoticed and that any further action toward evicting her after agreeing to an extension of rent due to hardship would be taken as a wrongful refusal of rent. The tenant was able to secure remediation of her living conditions, prevent future retaliatory action taken against her, and secure the extension of rent she was promised without further threats of eviction.

Small Businesses

If you've recently started a business, you've probably realized that it is a lot of paperwork; from vendors to clients and landlords to licensees, you'll need competent counsel to draft, review, and negotiate the terms of the many agreements you get into.

In March 2024, Chelsea advised and assisted a Digital Marketing Company in drafting their base Client Services Agreement, ensuring their protection from the many liabilities that can arise when operating any business, and providing them a base template for use to be adjusted for each oncoming client; Chelsea was able to provide the business owners the peace of mind that their interests were protected, while saving them time and money for future agreements by counseling them in the many different clauses that could be used and changed over time.

Landlords and Tenants

Whether you're leasing out your property, or looking to lease your new home, it is always advisable to get a second pair of experienced eyes on a legally binding agreement; ensure your interests are protected, whether you need to draft the agreement, or just make sure the paper you sign doesn't risk your rights.

Throughout 2024, Chelsea has advised multiple clients in entering lease and eviction agreements. With Chelsea's advice, clients could ensure they acted within their rights and obligations under their lease agreements and make sure they weren't the victim of a housing scam. When other clients have been evicted and became subject of an unlawful detainer suit, Chelsea has been able to negotiate with the landlord to achieve a stay and ultimate dismissal of the action against them,. ensuring no permanent mark of unlawful detainer to prevent them from securing future housing. 

Warranty Review for Large Assets

When you purchase a car, a house, or other major asset, many purchases come with warranties - both written in a contract and unwritten in the contract, but secured under the law. If you have a concern arising out of your purchase of a large asset, want to make sure your purchase agreement provides for the warranties you need to protect your interests, or need clearer understanding of a contract for purchase that you think the selling party breached, experienced counsel can help navigate the confusing legal language those contracts are written in.

In January 2024, Chelsea helped two purchasers of a defective vehicle understand the rights they had under their purchase contract and under the California Song-Beverly Act (Lemon Law*); with Chelsea's consultation, the purchasers were able to evaluate whether their usage precluded them from bringing a claim under the Lemon Law, as well as understand the warranty provided under their purchase agreement. Together, Chelsea assisted them in developing an understanding of the steps they needed to take before filing a claim and the timelines associated with securing their rights.

*Chelsea Olsen is not an experienced Lemon Law attorney and did not represent these clients in an action against the manufacturer; the above success story is intended to demonstrate competence at evaluating warranty claims and the statutory scheme that affords purchasers relief when warranties are broken