Phone: 805.720.3411                                                                   Email: Info@DeveyLaw.com

Business Exit and Succession Planning

Exiting a business is just as important as starting one—and doing it right protects your legacy, avoids future liability, and provides a smooth transition for your family, partners, or successors.

At Devey Law, we help California business owners navigate the legal and financial complexities of closing, selling, or passing on their business. Whether you're planning for retirement, preparing for incapacity, or integrating your business into your long-term estate plan, we offer strategic legal guidance and the necessary documents to ensure your transition is handled with confidence and care.

Where business succession 
meets legacy planning

What is Business Exit 

& Succession Planning?

Business Exit and succession planning involves the legal and strategic steps required to transfer, sell, or wind down a business in an orderly, tax-efficient, and legally sound manner.

This includes preparing for retirement, drafting buy-sell agreements between owners, negotiating sales to third parties, or filing formal dissolution paperwork.

For many business owners, succession planning is also a critical part of their estate planning—ensuring that their business interest is properly addressed in their Revocable Living Trust, Will, or Buy-Sell Agreement.

When integrated into a comprehensive estate plan, business succession planning helps protect your family, prevent disputes among heirs or partners, and provide continuity in the event of your incapacity or passing.

At Devey Law, we help clients bridge the gap between their business and estate, so both are protected and aligned with their long-term goals.

Our Business Exit and

Succession Planning Services

Devey Law provides comprehensive legal services to help you plan and execute your business exit, transition, or closure in alignment with your estate plan. Our services include:

  • Business Dissolution & Compliance
    Advising on the legal steps to formally close your business, including preparing and filing dissolution documents with the California Secretary of State, and ensuring final compliance with tax and regulatory obligations.

  • Buy-Sell Agreements
    Drafting and updating buy-sell agreements that govern ownership transfers due to retirement, disability, death, or voluntary exit—often coordinated with your trust or estate plan for seamless integration.

  • Asset or Equity Purchase Agreements
    Structuring and negotiating legally sound agreements for the sale of business assets or ownership shares, whether to third parties, family members, or co-owners.

  • Secured Promissory Notes
    Preparing enforceable promissory notes for deferred payment transactions, often used when ownership transfers within families or among partners as part of a succession plan.

  • Estate & Business Alignment
    Ensuring your business succession plan works in harmony with your estate plan by properly addressing business interests in your trust, will, or powers of attorney.

Whether you're preparing for retirement, planning your legacy, or navigating a sudden transition, Devey Law provides trusted legal guidance to ensure your business exit is legally compliant and aligned with your broader estate planning goals.

Why Choose Devey Law?

At Devey Law, we understand that for many clients, business succession is personal. We combine trusted business legal services with estate planning insight to ensure your exit plan not only protects your company—but also supports your long-term family and legacy goals.

Schedule a Consultation

Whether you are just starting your business journey or looking for guidance on complex legal matters, Devey Law is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and discover how we can support your business at every stage of its growth.