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Understanding the Corporate Veil: Strategies to Maintain and Pierce Limited Liability (2025 Edition)

Master veil-piercing litigation from both sides. Learn to defend LLCs and corporations against alter ego claims, structure entities to bulletproof liability protection, and exploit weaknesses in opposing arguments.

2024-12-13 14:00:00

Program Details

2024-12-13 14:00:00

Program Details

2024-12-13 14:00:00

Over 1,000+ webinars

2024-12-13 14:00:00

Course Overview

Limited Liability Survives on Conduct, Not the Filing

2024-12-13 14:00:00

The LLC has become the default holding vehicle — formed online in minutes, often with no operating agreement and no ongoing formalities — and owners treat the filing itself as the protection. Courts do not. Alter ego liability turns on conduct, not the certificate, and a plaintiff who shows commingled funds, undercapitalization, or ignored formalities reaches straight through to the owner’s personal assets.

The exposure is sharpest for single-member LLCs, where the line between member and entity blurs by default, while closely held and family-owned entities add fiduciary-duty risk for officers and managers. Transactional counsel who form entities and never revisit them, and litigators on either side of an alter ego claim, are already in this.

This program maps the veil-piercing factors courts actually apply, the heightened SMLLC standard, defense tactics built on plaintiff weaknesses and expert testimony, and the governing-document, capitalization, insurance, and recordkeeping practices that hold the line. Attendees leave able to structure entities that withstand alter ego claims — and to attack or defend one when it lands.

Format

CLE Credit

2h CLE Credits

Level

Intermediate

Length

2

Key topics that will be covered

01
Veil piercing
Corporate veil piercing and its application to LLCs versus corporations and recent court trends.
02
Alter ego
The alter ego doctrine, commingling personal and business assets, undercapitalization, and failure to observe formalities.
03
SMLLCs
Why Single Member LLCs face higher risks and strategies for maintaining separation between member and entity.
04
Multi-member entities
How courts treat multi-member LLCs, closely held and family-owned LLCs, and fiduciary duty risks.
05
Litigation defense
Challenge veil-piercing arguments, identify plaintiff weaknesses, use expert witnesses, and address settlement considerations during litigation.
06
Prevention practices
Prevention practices Structure operations, draft governing documents, implement financial separation policies, and apply risk management and insurance strategies.

Program schedule

clock 2:00 pm - 2:20 pm EST

Piercing the LLC Veil

Explore the foundations of corporate veil piercing and how courts apply the doctrine to LLCs versus traditional corporations. Examine recent litigation trends shaping how judges evaluate veil-piercing claims across jurisdictions today.

Shahrokh SheikShahrokh Sheik
Lee WeinbergLee Weinberg
Michael AlferaMichael Alfera
clock 2:20 pm - 2:40 pm EST

Common Factors Leading to Veil Piercing

Identify the key triggers courts rely on to disregard entity protections, including the alter ego doctrine, commingling of personal and business assets, undercapitalization, and failure to observe corporate formalities that expose owners to liability.

Shahrokh SheikShahrokh Sheik
Lee WeinbergLee Weinberg
Michael AlferaMichael Alfera
clock 2:40 pm - 3:00 pm EST

Piercing the Veil of Single Member LLCs (SMLLCs)

Understand why SMLLCs face heightened veil-piercing exposure and learn strategies to maintain separation between member and entity. Review documentation, contracts, and operating agreement provisions that protect single owners from personal liability claims.

Shahrokh SheikShahrokh Sheik
Lee WeinbergLee Weinberg
Michael AlferaMichael Alfera
clock 3:10 pm - 3:30 pm EST

Veil Piercing in Multi-Member LLCs and Corporations: Risks and Complexities

Examine how courts treat multi-member LLCs, closely held businesses, and family-owned entities differently. Analyze fiduciary duty risks for officers and managers, and learn how capital contributions and distributions reinforce corporate integrity.

Shahrokh SheikShahrokh Sheik
Lee WeinbergLee Weinberg
Michael AlferaMichael Alfera
clock 3:30 pm - 3:50 pm EST

Litigation Strategies: Defending Against Veil-Piercing Claims

Develop tactics to challenge veil-piercing arguments, identify weaknesses in the plaintiff’s case, and leverage expert witnesses effectively. Address settlement considerations, avoid adverse precedents, and learn how to advise clients throughout litigation.

Shahrokh SheikShahrokh Sheik
Lee WeinbergLee Weinberg
Michael AlferaMichael Alfera
clock 3:50 pm - 4:10 pm EST

Best Practices for Preventing Veil Piercing Claims

Learn to structure operations and draft governing documents that reinforce limited liability protections. Implement internal policies for financial separation, proper capitalization, insurance coverage, and recordkeeping that minimize veil-piercing exposure for clients.

Shahrokh SheikShahrokh Sheik
Lee WeinbergLee Weinberg
Michael AlferaMichael Alfera
Shahrokh Sheik

Shahrokh Sheik

Weinberg Gonser

Lee Weinberg

Lee Weinberg

Weinberg Gonser

Michael Alfera

Michael Alfera

Munk Wilson Mandala

Shahrokh Sheik

Shahrokh Sheik

Weinberg Gonser

Shahrokh Sheik is a Partner and Chair of the Litigation Practice at Weinberg Gonser LLP, focusing on business and trademark law. He serves as outside general counsel and trial counsel for clients ranging from international corporations to start-ups and individuals across industries including entertainment, hospitality, cannabis, finance, e-commerce, and advertising. Shahrokh is dedicated to identifying clients’ goals, objectives, and constraints to facilitate transactions and resolve disputes efficiently.

Education & Credentials

Sheik earned his J.D. from Southwestern Law School and a B.S. from California State University, Long Beach. He is admitted to the California bar and to the California state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. During law school, he served as President of Southwestern's student government and Associate Editor of the University's Law Review.

Recognition & Leadership

Sheik serves on the Board of Governors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL). He is a former Trustee At-Large on the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) Board of Trustees, Past Chair of LACBA's Entertainment & IP Section, and Past Chair of the Southwestern Entertainment and IP Alumni Association Board of Directors. He served on the Board of Directors of Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County from 2013 to 2019 and on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Neuro Innovation.

Professional Involvement

Sheik's industries served include business litigation, intellectual property litigation, cannabis and the cannabis ecosystem, corporate transactions, trademark and copyright, entertainment contracts and disputes, hospitality and restaurant, media, marketing and distribution, and personal and outside general counsel.

Experience

Prior to joining Weinberg Gonser, Sheik founded the business and intellectual property firm Kramer Holcomb Sheik LLP in 2012, and before that served as Counsel at the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), producer of the American Film Market (AFM). His representative matters include obtaining a jury verdict of over $3.15M (including $1.25M in punitive damages) for an international manufacturer in a three-week breach of fiduciary duty and fraud trial in Orange County, and securing a unanimous jury verdict of over $1.5M for an international event travel company in a Las Vegas federal trademark infringement and breach of contract trial. He has also represented film producers, internet service providers, restaurant and hospitality groups, cannabis operators, and entertainment clients across litigation, trademark, securities, and outside general counsel matters.
Lee Weinberg

Lee Weinberg

Weinberg Gonser

Lee Weinberg is a Founding Partner at Weinberg Gonser LLP. He has helped a wide range of clients meet their personal, financial, and business goals, including “Business Divorces,” first-time liquidity events, and domestic and international financings and transactions. His practice areas include business divorces and partner disputes, CEO and board counseling, C-suite employment and board agreements, M&A, joint ventures and partnerships, financings, liquidity and cash-out transactions, entity selection and structuring, private equity and venture capital, licensing, NIL endorsements, IP, software and government contracts, and outside general counsel.

Education & Credentials

Weinberg earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Rochester. He is admitted to the California bar and to the California state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Recognition & Leadership

Weinberg has been published or quoted by Bloomberg, Thomson/Reuters, Euromoney, Investor's Business Daily, The Los Angeles Times, Yale University Press, Business Law News, The National Law Journal, and SoCal Tech. He has lectured and served as a panelist on first-time sellers and liquidity events, "Business Divorces, Marriages and Spin-offs," media and technology, music publishing, start-ups, entity selection and structuring, and business and investing—including for USC's Marshall School of Business, USC's Annenberg School of Communications, UCLA's Anderson School of Business, the CFA Society of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA)—and has been a featured guest on business radio broadcasts.

Professional Involvement

Weinberg's representative industries include brand-focused products and services; technology, mobile and communications; aerospace and electronics; hospitality and restaurant; media, marketing and distribution; fashion and beauty; food and beverage; health and wellness; cannabis and the cannabis ecosystem; and entertainment and sports. His community service includes serving as a former board member of the March of Dimes and on the Yale Alumni Schools Committee.

Experience

Weinberg has served as a Director on the board of Umami Restaurant Group, as a Director and Officer of YouMail, and as an advisor to AEi Systems in space electronics analysis. He was co-founder and CEO of SalesMountain, a mobile and internet infomediary, and worked with SMG, an artist management and music publishing firm. His prior firm experience includes Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP (later Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP), Riordan & McKinzie, Debevoise & Plimpton, and Sullivan & Cromwell.
Michael Alfera

Michael Alfera

Munk Wilson Mandala

Michael Alfera is a Senior Associate in Munck Wilson Mandala’s litigation practice, known for developing winning, results-oriented case strategies in complex commercial disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes business and commercial litigation in state and federal courts, pairing sharp legal analysis with strategic execution to deliver meaningful results for clients.

Education & Credentials

Michael earned his J.D. summa cum laude from Southwestern Law School in 2018 and his B.A. in Music magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2009. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California.

Recognition & Leadership

Michael was a member of the championship team at the 2018 Wagner Labor and Employment Law National Moot Court Competition. He regularly presents CLEs on legal writing and litigation strategy, and in April 2025 he took the stage at TEDxSouthwestern to explore the evolving impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession.

Professional Involvement

Michael is an Executive Committee Member and Barrister of the Southwestern Law School Chapter of the American Inns of Court and an Executive Committee Member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) Young Lawyers' Division. He is also the founder of The L.A. Choral Lab, a 501(c)(3) performing arts nonprofit advancing the modern choral art form.

Experience

Michael's focus areas include commercial, class action, trademark and copyright, employment, and real estate litigation. He has first-chaired two bench trials, obtaining complete victory for clients in both. He co-chaired a federal jury trial in a trademark dispute, securing a $1.4 million verdict and defeating all counterclaims, and second-chaired a California state partnership dispute trial securing a $2.7 million jury verdict with significant punitive damages. Earlier in his career, Michael served as a judicial law clerk in California state court and federal court, providing research and draft work product on hundreds of cases.
Shahrokh Sheik

Shahrokh Sheik

Weinberg Gonser

Shahrokh Sheik is a Partner and Chair of the Litigation Practice at Weinberg Gonser LLP, focusing on business and trademark law. He serves as outside general counsel and trial counsel for clients ranging from international corporations to start-ups and individuals across industries including entertainment, hospitality, cannabis, finance, e-commerce, and advertising. Shahrokh is dedicated to identifying clients’ goals, objectives, and constraints to facilitate transactions and resolve disputes efficiently.

Education & Credentials

Sheik earned his J.D. from Southwestern Law School and a B.S. from California State University, Long Beach. He is admitted to the California bar and to the California state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. During law school, he served as President of Southwestern's student government and Associate Editor of the University's Law Review.

Recognition & Leadership

Sheik serves on the Board of Governors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL). He is a former Trustee At-Large on the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) Board of Trustees, Past Chair of LACBA's Entertainment & IP Section, and Past Chair of the Southwestern Entertainment and IP Alumni Association Board of Directors. He served on the Board of Directors of Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County from 2013 to 2019 and on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Neuro Innovation.

Professional Involvement

Sheik's industries served include business litigation, intellectual property litigation, cannabis and the cannabis ecosystem, corporate transactions, trademark and copyright, entertainment contracts and disputes, hospitality and restaurant, media, marketing and distribution, and personal and outside general counsel.

Experience

Prior to joining Weinberg Gonser, Sheik founded the business and intellectual property firm Kramer Holcomb Sheik LLP in 2012, and before that served as Counsel at the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), producer of the American Film Market (AFM). His representative matters include obtaining a jury verdict of over $3.15M (including $1.25M in punitive damages) for an international manufacturer in a three-week breach of fiduciary duty and fraud trial in Orange County, and securing a unanimous jury verdict of over $1.5M for an international event travel company in a Las Vegas federal trademark infringement and breach of contract trial. He has also represented film producers, internet service providers, restaurant and hospitality groups, cannabis operators, and entertainment clients across litigation, trademark, securities, and outside general counsel matters.
Lee Weinberg

Lee Weinberg

Weinberg Gonser

Lee Weinberg is a Founding Partner at Weinberg Gonser LLP. He has helped a wide range of clients meet their personal, financial, and business goals, including “Business Divorces,” first-time liquidity events, and domestic and international financings and transactions. His practice areas include business divorces and partner disputes, CEO and board counseling, C-suite employment and board agreements, M&A, joint ventures and partnerships, financings, liquidity and cash-out transactions, entity selection and structuring, private equity and venture capital, licensing, NIL endorsements, IP, software and government contracts, and outside general counsel.

Education & Credentials

Weinberg earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Rochester. He is admitted to the California bar and to the California state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Recognition & Leadership

Weinberg has been published or quoted by Bloomberg, Thomson/Reuters, Euromoney, Investor's Business Daily, The Los Angeles Times, Yale University Press, Business Law News, The National Law Journal, and SoCal Tech. He has lectured and served as a panelist on first-time sellers and liquidity events, "Business Divorces, Marriages and Spin-offs," media and technology, music publishing, start-ups, entity selection and structuring, and business and investing—including for USC's Marshall School of Business, USC's Annenberg School of Communications, UCLA's Anderson School of Business, the CFA Society of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA)—and has been a featured guest on business radio broadcasts.

Professional Involvement

Weinberg's representative industries include brand-focused products and services; technology, mobile and communications; aerospace and electronics; hospitality and restaurant; media, marketing and distribution; fashion and beauty; food and beverage; health and wellness; cannabis and the cannabis ecosystem; and entertainment and sports. His community service includes serving as a former board member of the March of Dimes and on the Yale Alumni Schools Committee.

Experience

Weinberg has served as a Director on the board of Umami Restaurant Group, as a Director and Officer of YouMail, and as an advisor to AEi Systems in space electronics analysis. He was co-founder and CEO of SalesMountain, a mobile and internet infomediary, and worked with SMG, an artist management and music publishing firm. His prior firm experience includes Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP (later Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP), Riordan & McKinzie, Debevoise & Plimpton, and Sullivan & Cromwell.
Michael Alfera

Michael Alfera

Munk Wilson Mandala

Michael Alfera is a Senior Associate in Munck Wilson Mandala’s litigation practice, known for developing winning, results-oriented case strategies in complex commercial disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes business and commercial litigation in state and federal courts, pairing sharp legal analysis with strategic execution to deliver meaningful results for clients.

Education & Credentials

Michael earned his J.D. summa cum laude from Southwestern Law School in 2018 and his B.A. in Music magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2009. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California.

Recognition & Leadership

Michael was a member of the championship team at the 2018 Wagner Labor and Employment Law National Moot Court Competition. He regularly presents CLEs on legal writing and litigation strategy, and in April 2025 he took the stage at TEDxSouthwestern to explore the evolving impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession.

Professional Involvement

Michael is an Executive Committee Member and Barrister of the Southwestern Law School Chapter of the American Inns of Court and an Executive Committee Member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) Young Lawyers' Division. He is also the founder of The L.A. Choral Lab, a 501(c)(3) performing arts nonprofit advancing the modern choral art form.

Experience

Michael's focus areas include commercial, class action, trademark and copyright, employment, and real estate litigation. He has first-chaired two bench trials, obtaining complete victory for clients in both. He co-chaired a federal jury trial in a trademark dispute, securing a $1.4 million verdict and defeating all counterclaims, and second-chaired a California state partnership dispute trial securing a $2.7 million jury verdict with significant punitive damages. Earlier in his career, Michael served as a judicial law clerk in California state court and federal court, providing research and draft work product on hundreds of cases.

Credits by state

AK2.0
AL2.0
AR2.0
AZ2.0
CA2.0
CO2.0
CT2.0
DC2.0
DE2.0
FL2.5
GA2.0
HI2.0
ID2.0
IL2.0
IN2.0
KS2.0
KY2.0
LA2.0
MA2.0
MD2.0
ME2.0
MI2.0
MN2.0
MO2.4
MS2.0
MT2.0
NC2.0
ND2.0
NE2.0
NH120.0
NJ2.4
NM2.0
NV2.0
NY2.0
OK2.0
OR2.0
PA2.0
RI2.0
SC2.0
SD2.0
TN2.0
TX2.0
UT2.0
VA2.0
VT2.0
WA2.0
WV2.4
WY2.0

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MCLE Credits

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Alabama

Requirements

The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.  

Formats

  • Attorneys can earn unlimited “live” credit through live seminars, live webcasts, and co-sponsored locations with MyLAWCLE-Alabama approved programs
  • Attorneys are limited to 6 credits per compliance period of “online” programs through MyLAwCLE On-Demand programs