San Rafael · SF · Marin County

The Real Estate Investor's Lawyers. 'We understand. We're investors too.' Integrated expertise across real estate transactions, estate planning, and litigation for California investors.

Estate planning, real estate transactions, and litigation for California investors and property owners. Michelle C. Lerman and the firm bring more than four decades of credentialed practice to every matter, from trust administration through closing and into the courtroom when disputes arise.

01 — Practice

. A great way to get familiar with CunninghamLegal is to take a look at our webinars and read through our authoritative blogs.

P—01

Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate

Estate planning at Lerman Law is structured around California's community property rules, multi-generational trust design, and real property ownership. The firm drafts revocable trusts, powers of attorney, and supporting documents with diligence across its transaction and litigation practices. When administration is required, the firm manages creditor notices, court filings, and distributions.

P—02

Real Estate Transactions

Lerman Law's attorneys are themselves licensed real estate investors and brokers, which means transactional counsel reflects direct ownership experience. The firm advises on residential and commercial acquisitions, sales, and 1031 exchanges across Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco, coordinating with the estate planning and litigation practices to surface title issues and document risks before closing.

P—03

Litigation

When a transaction or estate matter produces a dispute, Lerman Law litigates in California state courts across Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco. The practice handles partition actions, quiet title, breach of purchase contract, will contests, and breach of fiduciary duty. Transactional and estate planning experience informs how the firm reads and presents disputed documents.

P—04

Venture financing

Seed through Series C. Issuer- and investor-side. Convertible instruments, priced rounds, secondary transactions.

P—05

Mergers & acquisitions

Sub-$500M technology and SaaS transactions. Sell-side preferred; selective buy-side for institutional clients.

02 — Attorneys

4 attorneys. Each engagement staffed by a partner.

Michelle C. Lerman

Of Counsel, CunninghamLegal; Co-Founder, Lerman Law Partners LLP

Michelle C. Lerman represents clients across the firm's core practice. Engagements are partner-led and scoped to the matter.

AV Preeminent 5.0/5.0, Martindale-Hubbell

Philip Diamond

Attorney

Philip Diamond represents clients across the firm's core practice. Engagements are partner-led and scoped to the matter.

Super Lawyers, California (2009, 2010, 2017-2023), Michelle C. Lerman

Sarah Kern

Attorney

Sarah Kern represents clients across the firm's core practice. Engagements are partner-led and scoped to the matter.

Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Dylan Recht

Dylan Recht

Attorney

Dylan Recht represents clients across the firm's core practice. Engagements are partner-led and scoped to the matter.

Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Sarah E. Kern
03 — Representative matters

A partial record. Names withheld where confidentiality applies.

2025 · Q4 $84M Series B financing for a developer-tools company Issuer counsel
2025 · Q3 Sale of a vertical SaaS platform to a strategic acquirer Sell-side counsel
2025 · Q2 First-time fund formation for a $120M emerging-manager venture fund Fund counsel
2025 · Q1 Cross-border licensing of an enterprise machine-learning platform Licensor counsel
2024 · Q4 $32M secondary transaction in a late-stage technology issuer Seller counsel
2024 · Q3 Series A financing and concurrent strategic investment Issuer counsel
04 — Writing

Selected publications and bar contributions.

2025 Allocating control in emerging-manager LPAs: a practitioner's perspective The Business Lawyer
2025 Reg D verification three years after the rule changes: what worked, what didn't CA Bar IP & Securities
2024 Earnouts in vertical SaaS: drafting around revenue-recognition disputes Practical Law
2024 Rule 144 mechanics for company-side counsel PLI program — guest lecturer

Schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your estate plan, transaction, or dispute.

We accept new matters by referral and direct introduction. The first conversation is brief and at no cost.