Looking for Peace of Mind?
Your Work. Your Property. Your Dream.Right Place
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

Francine’s Blog
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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...
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...
Trust Mill Scams
Do You Really Want to Work? Five years ago, people complained they couldn’t find work. Today, there are so many jobs available, and no one wants to work. Instead, robbers, burglars, drug dealers, and scammers pervade the landscape. Scamming has...
Listen To What My
Clients Have To Say
Tina C.
“Francine has truly been a blessing to me and is absolutely a pleasure to work with! As a professional female bodybuilder, my success, thus far, has been due to training and hard work in sculpting my physique. However, when it comes to actually making myself a brand and business, Francine has definitely helped guide me in the right direction to protecting my rights and intellectual property. There have been numerous times that she helped protect my image, logo, and photos as well as successfully file copyrights and trademarks. She is masterful In her knowledge of the law and allows the experience to be seamless in a field that is all confusing and complicated!”

Jon S.
“My experience with Francine was fantastic! She worked diligently to help me understand documents concerning an LLC contract and provided a great level of detail into my inquiries. Her ability to offer an efficient course of action in my legal matter was certainly welcomed. I highly recommend Francine for her level of professionalism and kindness.”

Shiroko S.
Francine did a great job helping me with TOU and privacy policy. She gave me lots of time, did more than was asked of her and educated me about what I needed to do. Which I had no understanding of. She cared that what needed to happen would. There was one glitch where she didn’t know something specific to my situation but she was willing to hear about it and learn what needed to happen.
Overall a great help.

Shawn G.
I first met Francine when she gave a talk about accidental copyright infringement at a local ASTD chapter. She’s a terrific speaker on what’s usually a dry subject, as well as very knowledgeable. Some time after that I discovered a major bank was using my book for training…without my permission and without paying me. This was aggravating and scary at the same time. How would I go up against such a large company?
I reached out to Francine for help. She calmed me down, was assuring about my power to protect my IP, and suggested next steps. She also reviewed a letter I was to send to the person in charge of the group. Thanks to Francine’s counsel and assistance the company dropped their attempt at theft and later hired me to speak at several national sales meetings.
To borrow from an old ad, we all need a friend in the law business. I highly recommend Francine for help with all copyright, trademark, and IP issues. She is generous with her time and her rates are more than reasonable.

Kelly S.
It’s not very often that you find a speaker with incredible content AND an incredible story AND the heart to help others. From the moment I met Francine, it was obvious she belonged to a select class of speakers. From the moment she told me her incredible story of conquering overwhelming obstacles to becoming the power house she is today – I was hooked. Her story is gritty and it is real and it needs to be told – because hearing her story helps you see how you can take yourself to the next level – no matter what your obstacles. And just as she is a motivational and powerful keynote speaker, she is a darn good attorney. Protecting our work is vital in my business and Francine is a never-ending resource for trademark and copyright issues. Her advice has saved me lots of money and lots of future pain. She works hard for you and delivers much more than you ask. There are few people I recommend in this world – Francine is one of them.

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Francine D. Ward
Helping Individuals & Businesses Protect Their Intellectual Property
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42215 Washington Street
Ste. A-11
Palm Desert, CA 92211
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