Hoge Fenton Specializes in Business Law & Philanthropy

Hoge Fenton prides itself on offering businesses experienced attorneys who give back to the community as much as they give to their clients.

The San Jose-based firm with an office in Hacienda has more than six decades of experience helping business owners and leaders with every aspect of their legal needs.

"We represent the business and its interests," Sblend Sblendorio, attorney and shareholder, explained. "It's the way the firm has been based since we were founded 63 years ago. It's always been about business. It's really a whole other world when it comes to business."

Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel, the firm's full name, serves mid-market businesses that generate roughly $5 million to $100 million a year in revenue.

"That is not to say we don't do (businesses) smaller or bigger, but we believe that's where we provide the most value," Sblendorio said. "The skill sets that we have (and) the lawyers we have are very skilled with major business needs, but we're able to charge less because we're smaller than the big international law firms."

The legal services Hoge Fenton provides run the gamut from business litigation and finances to family and estate law.

"We serve the owners of business, so we're doing their trust and estate planning and tax work," he said. "We'll assist them with their financing issues if they want to get money from a bank or investors (or) if they want to buy a business or sell their business."

Hoge Fenton helps businesses protect their intellectual property through licensing, patents, copyrights and trademarks.

"We also represent them in their employment needs in managing their workforce and giving them advice in their capacity as employers," Sblendorio said.

Real estate is another area of expertise, both in helping companies secure and develop property.

"We help them if a business wants to lease a property or buy a building," he said. "If a certain type of business wants to develop a piece of real estate, we assist them with that work. If a home builder needs to buy land and build homes, we'll help them through the process."

The firm has a special program that caters to start-up businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators.

"We will provide the legal services that most new businesses require and defer most of our fees until the start-up finds funding," he said.

Many law firms turn to Hoge Fenton for its expertise in the legal field. The firm has a solid reputation for hiring expert attorneys, many of whom have become distinguished judges.

"We have a high level of professionalism," Sblendorio said. "We want to be a standard bearer for our profession. We advise other lawyers outside of our firm (who) come to us to give them direction in the area of ethics and professional responsibility."

Hoge Fenton does a substantial amount of work with nonprofits, both as paid clients and in offering free legal support as a community service.

"We do a lot of work for nonprofit charities," Sblendorio said. "We have a whole department on that. Everything from forming (nonprofits) to helping them with their business needs to helping them function. They're mostly tax-related rules, and we have a very strong tax department."

The firm, which opened its Pleasanton office in 1999, has always urged its attorneys to give back to their communities through pro bono work and volunteer service.

"It's representative of our culture," he said. "From the beginning, we felt we had to be supportive of the community, and it's always stayed true to us. Everyone around here does something for some nonprofit. We want to stay as local as we can with our efforts, whether it's raising money for the food bank or helping with a Rotary project."

The firm's dedication to its business clients and communities has fostered a level of confidence that has helped the Hoge Fenton thrive.

"We're very much trusted by our clients, and we really believe in being strong in our community," Sblendorio said. "That's the bottom line of all this. They trust us to do their work in the best interests of their needs and do it really well. People will pay for legal advice as long as it's done extremely well, and we do it extremely well."

Learn more about Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel at hogefenton.com.

Photo: Sblend A. Sblendorio, attorney and shareholder, of Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel attorneys

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