Practice Areas

The Grunsky Law Firm PC represents clients from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties in a variety of practice areas. Having practiced in the Central Coast of California for more than 70 years, we have considerable experience in general civil, trial and transactional practice including the following areas of the law:

• Business Transactions
• Construction Law and Litigation
• Corporate
• Court Appointed and Private Arbitration and Mediation
• Employment Law
• Estate Planning
• Estate & Trust Litigation
• Family Law
• General Civil and Trial Practice
• Governmental Agency Practice
• Insurance Coverage Advice & Litigation
• Insurance Defense Litigation
• Land Use, Zoning, Home Owners Associations
• Medical Malpractice Litigation
• Municipal Law
• Personal Injury
• Probate
• Real Estate, Landslide and Subsidence Law
• Subrogation
• Taxation
• Transactional law

Personal Injury

The attorneys at The Grunsky Law Firm PC have extensive experience representing Watsonville and Hollister personal injury clients who have suffered serious injuries or the loss of the loved one as the result of:

• Automobile, truck, bus or motorcycle accidents
• Accidental Death
• Boating accidents
• Dangerous/defective/unsafe products (products liability)
• Slip and falls (premises liability)
• Nursing home abuse or neglect
• Dog bites
• Wrongful Death
• Workplace or construction site accidents

Our attorneys have developed a thorough understanding of the complexities of medical conditions involved in cases of spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, birth injury, fractures, back injuries, burns and organ injuries. The firm’s attorneys also have significant experience in representing families who have lost a loved one in wrongful death actions.

Family Law

Family law matters are often emotionally charged and contentious for the parties involved. We represent clients in a variety of family law matters, including the following:

• Dissolution and divorce (including complex issues and substantial assets)
• Divorce
• Child support and child custody matters
• Alimony and spousal support
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
• Separation
• Marital settlement agreements

Our experienced and highly qualified divorce attorneys work tirelessly to protect the rights of our clients and to ensure that all agreements, property divisions, and custody arrangements are fair to our clients.

Business and Real Estate Transactions

Our firm has significant experience representing a variety of companies and individuals in both business and real estate transactions.

We have the expertise to serve businesses in formation, sales, mergers or dissolution, complex negotiations or re-structuring. Our clients rely on our sound legal and business judgment to help them take advantage of new opportunities and confront problems that develop in the course of business. We constantly protect our clients in various transactions while serving as general counsel for companies in many different industries. The attorneys at The Grunsky Law Firm PC represent a diverse array of clients, including hospitals, physician groups, builders and developers, educational institutions, and agricultural clients, including local farm bureaus.

Our firm provides experienced legal representation to property owners and developers facing various real estate transaction issues, including the following:

• Property development
• Breach of sales contracts and leases
• Fraud and misrepresentation
• Tenant-landlord disputes
• Easement and boundary disagreements
• Property purchases, sales, options, exchanges, leases, secured transactions and foreclosures
• Zoning, variances and development of subdivisions
• Financing and structuring of joint ventures and partnerships

Estate Planning, Probate, Estate and Trust Litigation

The Grunsky Law Firm PC provides comprehensive, tax-sensitive estate planning, trust and estate administration, and probate administration services. We utilize advanced estate and tax planning strategies to maximize our clients’ tax savings while accomplishing their desires and objectives. We carefully craft comprehensive estate plans that accomplish the goals of our clients while minimizing their tax implications. Our attorneys have significant experience in business succession planning, including estate planning involving farms and interests in agricultural property. Our areas of representation include:

• Wills
• Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts
• General Durable Powers of Attorney
• Advance Medical Directives
• Bypass or Family Trusts for Surviving Spouses
• Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) or Marital Deduction Trusts
• Generation Skipping Transfer (GST) Trusts
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs)
• Special Needs Trusts
• Qualified Domestic Trusts for non-citizen spouses (QDOTs)
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)

Our attorneys have extensive experience in the area of probate administration, and have handled estates of all sizes and complexities, ranging from simple estates to large estates comprised of farm or business interests, real estate and assets located in more than one state.

In the event a dispute arises regarding an estate, we have the knowledge and advocacy skills to successfully resolve such disputes. We represent clients in will and trust litigation, including contests, lawsuits concerning the interpretation of estate planning documents, trust termination proceedings, and trustee removal proceedings.

Employment

The attorneys at The Grunsky Law Firm PC are experienced in handling employment law cases.  Our attorneys who have successfully represented clients in the following areas of employment law:

• Drafting employee handbooks
• Employment contracts and agreements (including confidentiality and non-competition agreements)
• Wrongful termination
• Discrimination (including age, race, religion, national origin, disability, gender/sex, and pregnancy)
• Equal employment opportunity matters

Insurance

Our firm provides a high caliber of insurance, subrogation and coverage-related services. We have considerable experience with complex litigation and pre-litigation matters, including:

• Construction defects
• Professional liability
• Complex fraud
• Contractual liability
• Defamation

We represent clients in all phases of bad faith and insurance litigation, ranging from trial to appeal.

Construction

Construction law is a highly specialized area of law. We have experience successfully representing clients in the following types of construction disputes:

• Bidding and negotiating contract preparation and review (in both commercial and residential settings)
• Construction defect litigation
• Financial claims
• Mechanic’s liens
• Stop notices

Our firm represents owners, contractors and suppliers in all aspects of the construction litigation process.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice can result in serious and debilitating injuries or death, and such cases often involve complex legal and medical issues. Medical malpractice cases generally require retaining medical experts to establish negligence. At The Grunsky Law Firm PC, we have considerable experience successfully litigating medical malpractice cases. Our established record of success provides us with the financial strength necessary to properly prepare a medical malpractice case.

Municipal and Governmental Law

Municipal and government law is a very complex area of the law which demands the ability to work with both public and private entities. Our attorneys understand the rules and operation of these different agencies. Combined with our extensive experience in business and commercial litigation, we have the knowledge to effectively represent businesses in inquiries from governmental agencies, as well as representing our clients in matters concerning zoning, land use, eminent domain, annexation and public construction. The firm’s wide range of relevant experience in transactional, legislative and regulatory matters make it ideally suited to serve the needs of our clients.

Arbitration and Mediation

Alternative dispute resolution offers an expedient and cost-effective resolution to a dispute. Our attorneys are at the forefront of understanding how to help clients resolve their disputes during an arbitration or mediation. Many of our attorneys have served as pro-tem judges, settlement judges, mediators and arbitrators for Superior Courts or as Court Appointed or privately selected arbitrators. Consequently, because of our diverse experiences with both arbitration and mediation, we are able to recognize and effectively resolve issues through both of these alternative dispute resolution forums.