Cathleen Anne Cowin

I've been in practice since 1991 serving clients primarily in areas of business law, real estate, and agricultural law.

I love working with small business owners. On the transactional side of my practice, I enjoy helping them set up various entities (partnerships, LLCs, and corporations), analyze contracts/leases, avoid liability, and set up good business practices. On the litigation side, I've represented numerous clients dealing with business frauds and business relationships that have gone bad. I've also handled a number of business sales/purchases either in the form of stock purchases, LLC membership transfers, or asset purchases.

Part of the fun of representing business and agri-business clients is learning about their particular industry. I've gotten to know a bit about gas station representation, trucking companies, hotshot trucking, load brokering, auto dealer flooring, fuel transportation, commercial/residential solar, genetic seed manipulation, and beauty spas, just to name a few!

My husband's family has been involved with farming in the San Joaquin Valley for two generations (almonds, vineyards, citrus, and peaches). I've represented farmers in processor disputes (almonds/walnuts) and crop insurance disputes (peaches/almonds/prunes/pistachios) and have also drafted ag leases and water-sharing agreements. During the drought, I was involved in a large case involving chemical drift that decimated several large vineyards and orchards. I've also worked with issues concerning apiaries and agribusiness frauds.

In my personal life, I am a budding fiction novelist and a classically trained pianist. I currently play synthesizer (keyboards) for my local church where I enjoy developing custom sounds through my computer system.

~ Cathy

• Processor Claims and Crop Insurance Disputes

• Free Consultation
  I provide a free phone consultation prior to making an appointment. This can range from 15 minutes to an hour with the purpose of determining if I'm the best attorney for your matter.
• Credit Cards Accepted

California

State Bar of California

ID Number: 153424

Since 1991

Attorney

Law Offices of Cathy Cowin

1991 - Current

California State University - Fresno

Undergraduate Degree

Santa Clara University School of Law

Law Degree

California State Bar  # 153424

Member

1991 - Current

Peacemaking For Kids

AtoZ Teacher Stuff

Psychological Aspects of Legal Negotiation

2005

Guest Lecturer - California School of Professional Psychology

Certified Mediator

Fresno Superior Court

Q. Is a verbal agreement enforceable in court? In real estate? When someone circumvents you on a transaction and purchase.

April 26, 2023

A: Verbal agreements are absolutely enforceable in general; however, you have less time to bring an action in court (i.e. the statute of limitations for oral agreements is 2 years in California) as opposed to written contracts (4 years in California). There are certain exceptions to this general rule regarding the enforceability of verbal agreements, and one of them concerns real property. Ownership of real estate is treated as special under the law because it is so important to our society that we have a clear means of understanding who owns real property. Now, having stated those general concepts, your question mentions a situation where someone tried to circumvent you on a transaction/purchase, potentially indicating fraud was involved. In complicated situations like that, it's a good idea to have an attorney provide a full legal analysis of the situation to determine if there is an avenue for recovery. It's also a good idea to have an attorney help you draft a written agreement any time you're entering into an important legal agreement. I sometimes call those agreements Relationship Insurance because it provides a clear roadmap if there is a disagreement down the road. ... Read More