Michael Jonathan Leonard

Michael Jonathan Leonard

5.0
Rating: 9.9

Licensed for 17 years

Corporate and incorporation Lawyer at San Diego, CA
Practice Areas: Corporate & Incorporation, Contracts & Agreements, Securities Offerings, Intellectual Property

4655 Cass Street, STE 407, San Diego, CA

About Michael

Biography

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Corporate and Incorporation 50%

We regularly form limited liability companies (LLC), corporations, subchapter "S" corporations (S-Corp), non-profit corporations, professional corporations. We are also available to assist in the formation of general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, benefit corporations, and flexible purpose corporations.

16 years | 400 cases

50%
Contracts and Agreements 35%

Contracts are legally enforceable agreements between two or more parties who agree to a mutual exchange of obligations. Written contracts, signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought, are not only infinitely easier to enforce in court, but when well written are also valuable tools in avoiding mistakes, ambiguities, and other common sources of contractual dispute. We draft strong, written agreements to enforce our clients rights and protect our clients from excess liability.

16 years | 1,500 cases

35%
Securities Offerings 10%

The offer or sale of any ownership interest or evidence of indebtedness should be carefully reviewed by an attorney to ascertain whether or not a security is present in the transaction. If a security is present, we assemble the required disclosure documents and find an exemption from the registration/qualification requirement. We handle securities offerings from Section 4(2) offerings to founders to Rule 504, 505, 506 private placements t

16 years | 150 cases

10%
Intellectual Property 5%

Our clients turn to us for the protection of valuable intellectual property rights. The primary forms of intellectual property rights we work with are trademark, copyright, and trade secrets. These protections allow for the security of words, names, symbols, and devices used to identify a business, original works of authorship such as software code, graphics, images, and writings, and proprietary information such as client lists, vendor lists, and manufacturing processes.

16 years | 60 cases

5%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 60 minutes

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 17 years

State: California

Acquired: 2008

Active

No misconduct found

Location

San Diego Corporte Law, A Professional Law Corporation

4655 Cass Street, STE 407, San Diego, CA, 92169-2834

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Michael Jonathan Leonard's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

9 Client Reviews

5 star (9)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Tsion | July 9, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Highly competent, efficient and responsive attorney and staff.

Attorney Michael Leonard and his staff assisted us with our corporate needs. Mr. Leonard is highly knowledgeable in guiding law firms and provided me with all the information and assistance I needed. He and his team responded to all my questions immediately and worked diligently and efficiently. They... also gave me excellent referrals for other services. I highly and unreservedly recommend Attorney Michael Leonard and his team.

Posted by Darya | December 23, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Great Service!

It has been a pleasure working with San Diego Corporate Law! They handled everything very quickly. When I started to work with them, I had no idea what I was doing and had many questions. They were patient with me and answered all of my questions. They made the whole process very nice and smooth. I h...ave also learned a lot from them!

Posted by Jessica O'Neill | April 19, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Honest and Awesome!

Michael and his staff have been our go-to corporate law group since we started our moving company about 4 years ago. They are very knowledgeable and honest with their expert advice. Reasonably priced, and gets the job done in a very timely manner. They put my mind at ease knowing I can go to them ...with any questions. I will continue to recommend Jonathan and his team to anyone seeking a corporate lawyer.

Posted by Hannah | August 2, 2021 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Incredible Lawyer

Michael is an incredible lawyer who understands how to fix businesses that have been filed inaccurately from places that don't understand the differences between LLCs and Corporations. Michael and his client relationship manager, Malia fully supported me throughout the process of forming my corporati...on. I highly recommend Michael at San Diego Corporate Law to form your business using the highest expertise, timely service, and customer support. The San Diego Corporate Law is not only a Corporation that will meet your legal needs, it's a family.

Posted by Mary | July 21, 2021 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Great experience!

I loved my experience with San Diego Corporate Law. Michael took his time from the initial consultation to understand my needs and what I expected from his services. He was gracious throughout the whole process but made sure to guide me in a direction to best protect myself financially. Meeting my co...mpany's guidelines to purchase my business felt like a whirlwind but Michael gave me the confidence I needed to know I was making the right financial investment. He and his staff were very friendly, respectful, and always addressed my concerns in a timely manner. I'm so grateful that I was referred to him!

See All Client Reviews

Michael Jonathan Leonard's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michael
Irina Sherbak headshot
Irina Sherbak

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Dec 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michael is a wonderful corporate attorney, who is very personable and knowledgeable in his field. I trust Micheal and will continue to refer all of my family, friends and clients to his office knowing they will receive quality advise and service."

Joshua David Franklin headshot
Joshua Franklin

Contracts and agreements lawyer | Dec 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michael is a trusted corporate and transactional attorney who is well-prepared to handle a wide variety of transactions and entity formations for both small businesses and large corporations. I highly recommend Michael."

John Francis Mccarthy headshot
John Mccarthy

Contracts and agreements lawyer | Nov 16

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Michael is a terrific lawyer, who understands the ins and outs of start-ups and established companies alike. He's also a friend and great guy."

Timothy Joseph O'Leary headshot
Timothy O'Leary

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Oct 26

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Mr. Leonard is a great resource for my clients needing assistance with business and corporate matters. I know that these clients will receive excellent advice and guidance from Mr. Leonard."

Joshua Dean Maxwell headshot
Joshua Maxwell

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Oct 26

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Michael assisted a client of mine forming an LLC. His work was very professional and efficient. Highly recommend his services for these matters."

Ashley Ellen Teague headshot
Ashley Teague

Business lawyer | Oct 18

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I strongly endorse this lawyer. Michael is an incredibly knowledgeable and detailed attorney. I have sent many clients to him for business law matters, and have never been disappointed -- to the contrary, I have receive glowing reviews from referred clients. Highly recommended!"

Jeff Mark Bennion headshot
Jeff Bennion

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Oct 18

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I've known Michael for years and he is the first person I refer business clients to for questions about business formation and incorporation."

John Mark Rogitz headshot
John Rogitz

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Oct 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michael stays current on the law which is important. He's also a hard worker and certainly fights for his clients. If you're looking for help with starting your business or help moving forward with it, Michael is a great choice."

Jeremy M. Evans headshot
Jeremy Evans

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Oct 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michael is a trusted colleague. I have consulted and referred Michael on various business formation matters. Michael is engaging and responsive."

George Christopher Miller headshot
George Miller

Securities offerings lawyer | Oct 14

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse Michael without hesitation. He is an excellent attorney, and I take great comfort in referring clients who need help with transactional matters, as I know he and his firm will take great care of them."

Jeffrey Thomas Petersen headshot
Jeffrey Petersen

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Jun 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Mike is an excellent corporate attorney who understands business very well, and uses his practical knowledge to bring efficient, top-notch legal services to his corporate clients. I recommend him highly and, as we work in similar areas, view him as a trusted resource on conflict of interest matters, or when his skill set would be the best particular fit."

Robert Hill headshot
Robert Hill

Contracts and agreements lawyer | Apr 22

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Mr. Leonard is highly experienced in all manners of transactional corporate and business law matters. I not only refer friends and clients to Mr. Leonard but also consult with him on my own cases when complex business or corporate issues arise."

Nadia von Magdenko headshot
Nadia von Magdenko

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Apr 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michael J. Leonard is a true business lawyer. Not only does he know the ins and outs of business law, he is actually a skilled strategist in the field of growing and refining your business. As a business owner himself, Michael knows what to do to take your business to the next level and make sure that you are well informed along the way."

Puja Arun Sachdev headshot
Puja Sachdev

Corporate and incorporation lawyer | Apr 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have recommended friends and clients to Mike because I know he will provide superior service for what they need and he is knowledgeable. I know he will not oversell any products/services that they do not need and they will be taken care of."

View All Endorsements
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Cynthia Freeland

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Rodney Hatley

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Timothy O'Leary

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Nasteran Parvizi

Estate planning lawyer

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Anne Wenger

Tax lawyer

Adam Andrew Shipley headshot
Adam Shipley

Corporate and incorporation lawyer

Sam Sherman headshot
Sam Sherman

Employment and labor lawyer

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William Small

Business lawyer

Irina Sherbak headshot
Irina Sherbak

Estate planning lawyer

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Gino Serpe

Corporate and incorporation lawyer

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David Rausa

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Experience

Rating:  9.9 (Superb)

Honors

2018

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2018

Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal

2017

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2017

Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal

2016

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2016

Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal

2016

San Diego's Outstanding Young Lawyers, Top Attorneys

2015

Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal

2015

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2015

Semi-Finalist Top Corporate Transactional Attorney, San Diego Daily Transcript

2013

Top Young Attorneys, San Diego Daily Transcript

2013

Semi-Finalist Top Corporate Transactional Attorney, San Diego Daily Transcript

2013

5th Anniversary, Martindale-Hubbell

Work Experience

2009 - Present

Attorney at Law; Founder, San Diego Corporate Law, A Professional Law Corporation

Associations

2015 - Present

San Diego County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service

Member

2012 - Present

San Diego County Bar Association

Member

2012 - 2015

American Bar Association

Member

2010 - 2017

SCORE San Diego

Counselor

2009 - 2013

La Jolla Golden Triangle Regional Chamber of Commerce

Board of Directors

Education

2008

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Juris Doctor

1998

University of San Diego

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2015

Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching Event in San Diego All About Legal

2015

Accion Academy for Entrepreneurial Success Legal Business Structures

Publications

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog San Diego’s New Minimum Wage Ordinance

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a “Unilateral Contract”?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Insurance Basics for New Business Owners

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Can I Use Electronic Signatures on a Contract?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Out-of-State Corporations in California

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog California Law on Non-Competition Agreements

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Fair Use of Copyrighted Material

2017

2017

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Introduction to Privacy and Business Ownership

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Professional Corporations in California

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Advantages of Limited Partnerships

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Conflicts of Interest in Small Businesses

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Intellectual Property for California Companies

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog California Business Contract Basics

2017

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is the California Franchise Tax?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Are You an Accredited Investor?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Six Good Reasons to Sell Your Business NOW

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Bad Actors Under Rule 504 of Regulation D

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Pros and Cons of Buying a Franchise

2017

2017

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Fictitious Business Name?

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a California General Partnership?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog A Checklist for Hiring Your First Employee

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Breach of Contract?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a California Limited Partnership?

2017

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Release?

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Duty to Mitigate Damages

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a “Security” Under California Law?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a California LLP?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Letter of Intent?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog E-Commerce and the Need to Incorporate

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog How are Government Contracts Different?

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Brief History of the LLC

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a San Diego Joint Venture?

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is Vicarious Liability?

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is the Parol Evidence Rule?

2017

2017

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Legal Characteristics of the Corporate Form

2017

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Importance of Shareholder’s Meetings

2017

2017

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Non-Solicitation Agreement; Why Use It?

2016

2016

2016

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What Should be in my Employee Handbook?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Dissecting the Software Licensing Agreement

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Personal Services Contract in California

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog An Overview of the Copyright Law

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What Material is Protected by a Trademark?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Should I Use an Incentive Stock Option Plan?

2016

2016

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog SCOTUS Extends the Sarbanes-Oxley Protections

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Private Placement Memorandum?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Patent?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Should I Incorporate my Business?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Subordination Agreement?

2016

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Tips for the Product Development Agreement

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a 501(c)(3) Corporation?

2016

2016

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog How to Write Your Business Plan

2016

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Contract of Adhesion?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Requirements Contract?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Certificate of Limited Partnership?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Must I Register my Delaware LLC in California?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Fictitious Business Name Statement?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is a Registered Agent?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Tips for Forming the California Joint Venture

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog What is “Consideration”?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Do I Have to Incorporate my Architecture Firm?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Can I Assign my Contract in California?

2016

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog How long will it take to form my corporation?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog he Defense of Duress – What is it?

2016

San Diego Corporate Law Blog When can I revoke an offer in California?

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog New California Sick Pay Requirements

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Classifying Workers: Are They Employees?

2015

2015

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog IP Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Have You Considered IP Insurance?

2015

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Acquisition: Structuring a Stock Purchase Deal

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Acquisition Due Diligence: IP Infringement

2015

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog CGL Insurance: The Basics

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Private Placements: The Advantages of 506(c)

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Choice of Entity for Biotech Startups

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Rise of Tender Acquisitions

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog One-Step Mergers

2015

2015

2015

San Diego Corporate Law Blog The Value of Registering Trademarks

2015

2014

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Overtime Law Small Business

2014

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Use Social Media to Improve Business

2014

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Business Start-Up Strategies

2014

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Digital Marketing for Small Business

2013

San Diego Corporate Law Blog General Solicitation Rule 506(c)

2013

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Small Business Obamacare

2013

San Diego Corporate Law Blog CyberSecurity Threats to Small Businesses

2013

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Proposed Equity Crowdfunding Rules Released

2013

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Equity Crowdfunding Legal

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Equity Crowdfunding Fundamentals

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Preparing for Equity Crowdfunding

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Avoid the Crowd

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Equity Crowdfunding "No Fund"

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog LLC versus Corporation for Equity Crowdfunding

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Rule 506 General Solicitation

2012

San Diego Corporate Law Blog 2013 Changes for California Businesses

2011

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Increase Net Income by Reducing Costs

2011

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Determining Worker Classification

2011

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Business Disaster Planning

2011

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Choose a Business Name

2011

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Pursue Investors

2011

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Avoid LLC Pitfalls

2010

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Buy a Franchise

2010

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Sell an Existing Business

2010

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Selling Franchises

2010

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Start a Biotechnology Business

2010

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Expand a Business Online

2010

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Start an Internet Business

2009

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Starting a New Business

2009

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Buy an Existing Business

2009

San Diego Corporate Law Blog Grow an Existing Business

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution