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Whether you are just getting your business started or a seasoned business owner, Francine’s 30 years of experience in business and intellectual property law will provide the expertise necessary to give you peace of mind by protecting your content, your brand, your business structure, and your estate.

Francine is Of Counsel at Monty White, LLP, a full service law firm in San Rafael, CA. She heads its Business and Intellectual Property Law Group, as well as managing its Palm Desert, CA office. Francine is a 1989 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and admitted to practice in California, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Francine D. Ward
Attorney-At-Law

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Contract Mistakes

Contract Mistakes

Contract Mistakes Contract Mistakes. No Written Agreement.Probably the number one contract mistake people make is not having written agreements with everyone they do business with. I am always amazed by the reasons they give. Yet, regardless of how...

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How to Survive Inflation

How to Survive Inflation

Surviving High Inflation How to Survive Inflation. With inflation at a forty-year high, the rising cost of living is affecting everyone. While you may feel some distress as you watch the steady decline in your purchasing power, you do not have to...

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31 Days of Estate Planning

31 Days of Estate Planning

Estate Planning Blogs Estate Planning Blogs. Have you ever wished there was one location to find basic information about estate planning? One location where you could get some definitions for concepts e.g., what is a trust? What is a Trustee? What...

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Listen To What My
Clients Have To Say

Gwen W.

Rated 5 out of 5
September 3, 2022

“Francine is exceptional in the field of Intellectual Property Law. I had the pleasure of meeting her after attending one of her workshops on Intellectual Property/Copyright matters. The workshop was tailored to nonprofit executive directors and was truly excellent. It was interactive, fun, and had a great deal of useful information that we could immediately apply to work in our agencies. I learned so much that day. After the workshop, I asked Francine about possibly representing the nonprofit I lead in protecting/copying righting some of our training materials. Francine not only agreed, her fees were affordable and she was generous/responsive with her time from start to finish. I knew I was in good hands! We received copyright approval for our Kitchen Table Talk facilitator training guides a few months ago thanks to Francine. Getting that copyright was a huge milestone achievement for our small nonprofit, and the information from the workshop will gave us so much to think about as nonprofit leaders and how to protect ourselves and our ideas, etc. I can’t recommend her enough. You’ll be very pleased with her services.”

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Gwen W.

Dan H.

Rated 5 out of 5
April 28, 2022

I have been working with Francine since 2017 and she is an absolute professional who knows her trade very well. She assisted with obtaining a Registered Trademark for my financial planning process and continues to monitor it for me during the renewal process. In addition, she recently assisted in another Registered mark pertaining to my customized retirement planning as well. She is extremely qualified, easy to work with, very organized, and I am extremely happy I was referred to her by another colleague. I highly recommend Francine without hesitation!

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Dan H.

Susan R.

Rated 5 out of 5
September 21, 2021

“As a person with intellectual property, Francine Ward has made sure I had reg marks in additional categories so that I am protected. She had to deal with a recalcitrant infringer who (mistakenly) thought she could throw around the name of a big firm as proof she could use my reg mark. Francine quickly and brilliantly shredded the infringers defense. Francine also educated me as to how to initially address infringers so we avoid costly court procedures. “It’s always better to start on a note of information ie: I’m sure you didn’t know USPTO awarded How To Work A Room for my exclusive use and that you wouldn’t want to infringe on my reg mark.” BRILLIANT legal advice from Francine Ward.”

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Susan R.

John R.

Rated 5 out of 5
August 20, 2021

“It was time, at long last, to put together a living trust. Soliciting a trusted friend, I had the good fortune to be given Francine’s name.

I’m pleased to share of what became our very professional, deliberative, and always positive experience. Of particular appreciation was her gentle guidance, ensuring a detailed, tailored finished product.

Bottom line; very professional, personally pleasant engagements, and absolutely pain free.

Sidebar: high praise indeed from someone who once had a t-shirt printed that said … “kill all lawyers”.”

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John R.

Keiko

Rated 5 out of 5
September 3, 2020

“I hired Francine Ward to provide me with legal advice, trademark assistance, and to help me develop contract documents during my business startup. She is a pleasure to work with, and very knowledgeable, responsive, and client-focused. I highly recommend her to other entrepreneurs who are looking for legal support for IP, contracts, and general business matters.”

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Keiko

Maureen K.

Rated 5 out of 5
February 25, 2018

“As an avid conference fan…Francine is truly in the top 1% of great motivational speakers. She joins with her audience and touches the hearts and souls of the listeners. Her message is universal and embraces humor and joy… Francine’s message… triggered a chain of events that not only cemented one the best events our agency ever sponsored but created a cascading effect.”

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Maureen K.

Lisa H.

Rated 5 out of 5
November 29, 2017

“I had a very positive experience working with Francine. I needed advice on a book idea I had, and she designed a Waiver and Release form for me. Her work was thorough, timely, and exactly what I needed. I look forward to working with Francine in the future.”

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Lisa T.

Mary E.

Rated 5 out of 5
July 27, 2017

Francine Ward’s book Esteemable Acts is one of my faves, so the opportunity to join her classes on publishing, social media and copyright how-to was a treat. I learned what I needed to know to further my writing career and more importantly was inspired. Thank you!

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Mary E.

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