Anisa Shahin brings a substantial background as a corporate financial consultant and tech entrepreneur to her work advising the firm’s clients in estate planning, private placements, real estate, insurance, and corporate and tax strategic planning matters.
Prior to joining Wolf Wallenstein, PC, Anisa served as a principal at Financial Frontiers Corporation, developing, financing and executing exit strategies for founders, including managing the wind-down of corporate operations. In 2008, she launched advisory firm Legacy Parts Corporation, focusing on management and tax-aware restructuring of corporate asset portfolios to streamline operations and ease regulatory compliance. In 2012, driven by the desire to improve health tracking technology, she founded enquos, a comprehensive fitness and nutrition tracking platform, where she developed privacy and data security policies, and managed an international team of software developers.
Anisa now primarily provides counsel in trust and estate matters, helping to guide clients in complex financial situations with the crafting and implementation of their estate plans and the negotiation and drafting of business agreements and succession planning in accordance with those plans. She has also advised and negotiated on behalf of property owners on landlord-tenant, rent control, foreclosure, land use and zoning issues, and worked with policyholders in pursuing insurance claims.
Informed by her time as a business owner, Anisa takes a holistic approach to client problems. She emphasizes solutions based on a thorough examination of overall goals, needs and circumstances.
Testimonials
Representative Experience
Estate Planning
- Advised high-net-worth family on update of complex estate plan and trust administration, including analyzing holdings of various trusts, identifying incorrectly held property and determining the best solution for each holding or administrative issue.
- Represented client with complex trust and estate issues, including improperly transferred lifetime gifts, and potential financial elder abuse claims arising from an intrafamily dispute.
- Prepared and updated complete estate plans for multiple clients, including drafting guardianship instructions, powers of attorney and health care directives for critically or terminally ill clients, as well as preparing various trust administration documents such as amendments, appointments of trust protectors and decanting trusts.
Corporations, Partnerships and Business Law
- Counseled various entrepreneurs on business structure, including entity formation, assignment of interests, shareholder & operating agreements, as well as on capital structure and legal/compliance issues.
- Advised clients on private placements and exempt offering requirements, including verification of accredited investors and required disclosures.
- Developed exit strategies, including mergers, spin-offs, sales to outside buyers and ESOPs, for business founders across multiple industries.
- Oversaw the reorganization of three control groups to streamline operations through the merger, divestiture or wind-down of 30 special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).
Real Estate and Business Transactions
- Advised landlords on rent control issues, including cost pass-throughs and tenant buyouts, evictions, COVID rental debt collection and other landlord/tenant issues.
- Represented property owners with regards to land use and development, including zoning violations, ADU development, view preservation, and contractor disputes.
- Advised on general business matters including lease agreements, employment and partnership disputes, non-solicitation/non-compete agreements, independent contractor agreements and settlement agreements.
Insurance
- Represented total loss wildfire victim in dispute with mortgage lender for failure to insure and bad faith foreclosure. After four years of non-payment and multiple foreclosure attempts, the matter was settled with the lender reducing the outstanding balance by 75%, allowing the client to redeem the loan at less than 1/3 of the original amount borrowed.
- Represented total loss wildfire victim in coverage dispute with insurance company over bad faith underinsurance, ultimately resulting in significant additional payment by insurer to settle all claims.
Accolades
- Super Lawyer, Southern California Super Lawyers (2021-2023)
- Rising Stars, Southern California Super Lawyers (2006-2007)
Professional and Community Activities
- American Diabetes Association
- Charity Cyclist
- Ghost Road Theater Company
- Member, Board of Directors (2015-2022)
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- Charity Cyclist
- Vox Femina Los Angeles
- Member, Board of Directors (2015-2018)
Insights
Publications
- Co-Author, “Border Wall Battles,” Pillsbury Client Alert, April 18, 2017
- Author, “Legal and Valuation Issues Involved in Utility and Road Crossings,” American Railway Development Association (ARDA) Newsletter, Fall 2012
- Author, “Gun Manufacturers and Unfair Business Practices,” Southwestern University Law Review (30 Sw. U. L. Rev. 435), 2001
Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, “Taking Property Already Devoted to a Public Use: Not So Fast There, Cowboy”; CLE International California Eminent Domain Conference, October 14, 2022
- Speaker, “Condemnation and Railroad Corridors – Defenses and Valuation (A Country Music Tale)”; American Railway Development Association 2019 Annual Meeting, June 4, 2019
- Speaker, “Legal Updates for the Rail Industry,” American Railway Development Association 2016 Executive Forum, January 27, 2016
- Presenter, “Eminent Domain 101,” Pillsbury 2016 CLE Marathon, January 2016
- Speaker, “Significant Developments for Utilities in Railroad Rights of Way: Valuation and BLM Interpretation of Congressional Land Grants,” American Railway Development Association 2015 Executive Forum, January 28, 2015 / American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association 2015 Annual Meeting, March 2015
- Panelist, “What Every Litigator Wants Every Transactional Attorney to Know,” Maritime Law Association MCLE Program, 2014
- Speaker, “Corridor Valuation and the Across the Fence Method,” International Right of Way Association 2012 Annual International Education Conference, June 2012
- Speaker, “Current Issues in Railroad Title and Valuation – Tales From the Trenches,” American Railway Development Association 2011 Annual Meeting, July 2011
Education
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
2003
B.A., University of California, Berkeley
1998
Admissions
- California
Beyond the Law
Anisa is an instrument-rated private pilot, frequent international traveler and gourmet cook.
