Criminal Law

• Fraud
  Decertified class and obtained summary judgment in favor of accounting firm in securities fraud class action suit arising out of Sambo’s Restaurants, Inc. security offering.

Business and Corporate Law

• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Joe Howell is a business/transactions lawyer whose practice includes business entity formations, mergers and acquisitions and serving as general counsel to a wide range of individuals and business entities.
• Business Disputes
  The attorneys at Howell, Moore, & Gough have collective experience in a wide variety of practice areas, ranging from Business Law to Employment Law to Public Agency Law and Civil Litigation.
• Business Transactions
  Brian Gough is a civil litigator and trial attorney in the area of complex business transactions, including contracts, real property, construction, easements, partnerships, closely held corporations, trade secrets, unfair competition and professional malpractice defense.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
• Unfair Competition

Employment Law

• Wrongful Termination
  Ed Thoits assists business owners, executive and human resource professionals with employment law matters.  This includes help with overtime issues and other wage and hour claims, wrongful termination claims, discrimination complaints, harassment allegations, and leaves of absence.  Ed also regularly provides in-house training for clients and their supervisors on various employment matters.

Property Law

• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  When you need legal advice, talent and experience are critical factors in choosing the right counsel.  Formed in 1996, the law firm of Howell Moore & Gough, LLP brings together the talents of six outstanding and well-experienced attorneys, each of whom has been practicing in their respective areas of expertise for many years.  The firm offers sophisticated legal advice and services in corporate and transactional matters, entity formation, employment law and counseling, real estate, land use, construction, landlord-tenant, intellectual property and technology transactions, copyright and trademarks, public agency law, and complex business litigation.  With a substantial and diverse client base, the firm is one of Santa Barbara’s premier specialty practice law firms.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  James P. Griffith is an experienced practitioner in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and complex trust and estate litigation.