Business and Corporate Law

• Mergers and Acquisitions
  George helps clients with the formation and operation of business entities, ownership transition and succession, family transfers, purchases and sales of businesses, mergers and acquisitions and the resolution of disputes among owners. He has represented many small and medium size companies in a wide array of tax and business matters.
• Business Formation
  We advise clients on a wide range of business, tax, ERISA and estate planning matters, including business formation and succession, operations, mergers and acquisitions, tax-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation (including 409A compliance),equity and severance pay plans and tax controversies.
• Business Disputes
  Laurie Cross specializes in employee benefits, tax law and business law. Laurie provides guidance to individuals and entities primarily in personal services businesses, including attorneys, engineers, physicians, consultants, architects, retirement plan service providers, law firms and sales organizations.
• Limited Liability Companies
  George Buffington has a broad tax and business practice. He provides guidance to corporations (both C Corporations and S Corporations), partnerships, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships and individuals primarily in the personal services businesses, including architects, engineers, attorneys, accountants, physicians, real estate brokers, investment managers, consultants and sales organizations.

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
• Severance Agreement
  George also advises clients on compensation and retirement planning matters, including deferred compensation arrangements (409A), executive compensation plans, equity compensation plans, stock option plans, supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs), severance pay plans, owner-oriented pension, profit sharing, cash balance and other retirement plans with the objectives of optimizing benefits for owners and minimizing costs and complexity.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Buffington & Aaron is a boutique law firm with AV 5.0 Peer Review Rated partners specializing in employee benefits, tax, business law and estate planning. Diane Aaron and George Buffington have been working together for over 30 years and take pride in their ability to find creative solutions to difficult problems. As a firm, we are responsive, accessible, efficient and cost-effective. Our expertise is enhanced by our relationships with other attorneys across the nation who are tax, employee benefits and business law specialists.
• Wills
  Laurie graduated in May 2017 with Highest Honors from Golden Gate University School of Law, which she attended on a full tuition Dean’s Merit Scholarship. While at GGU Law, Laurie won the appellate advocacy moot court competition, was a member of the Moot Court Board and was on the Dean’s List. Laurie also was one of five graduating students to win the Scribes American Society of Legal Writers Award. As a member of GGU’s Environmental Law & Justice Clinic, Laurie argued and won a motion for attorneys’ fees in California Superior Court. Laurie was awarded five Witkin Awards for Academic Excellence and three Cali Excellence for the Future Awards in a range of subjects, including Writing & Research, Contracts, Wills & Trusts and Constitutional Law.
• Trusts
  George helps clients plan for transfers of businesses, real property interests and other assets to family members, prepare customized estate plans, including revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills and powers of attorney and beneficiary designations for retirement plans, IRAs and insurance policies.
• Power of Attorney

Finance Law

• Tax Law
  George helps clients defend and resolve audits of income tax issues by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), employee and independent contractor controversies with the California Employment Development Department (EDD), sales and use taxes with the California State Board of Equalization (SBE) and reassessment of real property taxes with California County Assessors’ offices.