fbpx

Looking for Peace of Mind?

Your Work. Your Property. Your Dream.
Protected. 
Learn MoreSchedule a Consultation
Welcome
You’ve Come to the
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

wealth counsel attorney trailblazer award

Francine’s Blog

Go Deeper
Get Inspired

Get timely tips from authentic voice. Francine is passionate the law can make every day life better. Stay informed – subscribe below!

Funding the Trust with Out-of-State Property

Funding the Trust with Out-of-State Property

Funding the trust with out-of-state property. Imagine your primary residence is in the state of California. But you also have a second home in Idaho and a piece of unimproved land in Nevada. Your California lawyer created a trust-based estate...

read more
Estate Planning for Artists

Estate Planning for Artists

Estate planning for artists. Do any of the following apply to you? Do you create art as a hobby? While you might not be making money from your art, your work might nonetheless have value either later in your life or after you die. For that reason,...

read more
Trustee Powers

Trustee Powers

What Powers Should I Give to My Trustee? Trustee powers. What Powers Should I Give to My Trustee? A grantor can grant to her trustee any number of powers. She can expand, limit, or restrict the powers that her trustee may exercise. Here are just a...

read more
Find Out More

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.”

Avatar for Gwen W.
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!

Avatar for Dan H.
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.”

Avatar for Susan R.
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”.”

Avatar for John R.
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.”

Avatar for Keiko
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.”

Avatar for Maureen K.
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.”

Avatar for Lisa T.
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!

Avatar for Mary E.
Mary E.

Join the Community

Subscribe to Francine's blog and monthly newsletter

© 2022 Francine D. Ward | All Rights Reserved | This is Attorney Advertising | No Attorney/Client Relationship | Permissions