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

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

Shahrokh earned his J.D. from Southwestern Law School and his B.S. from California State University, Long Beach. He is admitted to practice in California and before California state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

• Recognition & Leadership

During law school, Shahrokh served as President of Southwestern’s student government and Associate Editor of the Law Review. As an undergraduate, he served as Vice President of student government, President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and Founder/President of the Law Society.

• Professional Involvement

Shahrokh serves on the Board of Governors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and is a former Trustee At-Large of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is Past Chair of the Entertainment & IP Section of the LA County Bar Association and the Southwestern Entertainment and IP Alumni Association Board. He served on the Board of Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County (2013–2019) and currently sits on the Board of the Institute of Neuro Innovation.

• Experience

Prior to joining Weinberg Gonser, Shahrokh founded the business and intellectual property firm Kramer Holcomb Sheik LLP in 2012, and previously served as Counsel at the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) — producer of the American Film Market. His practice spans business and IP litigation, trademark disputes, entertainment contracts, hospitality and cannabis counseling, and corporate transactions. He has represented film producers in multi-million dollar fraud actions, defended a major ISP in a DMCA copyright case (achieving dismissal on summary judgment), and counseled international hospitality and restaurant groups on equity offerings and worldwide trademark protection.

Lee Weinberg | Weinberg Gonser, LLP

Lee Weinberg is a Founding Partner of Weinberg Gonser LLP, where 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. Operating on the principle that clients’ goals and needs are never “cookie-cutter,” Lee is known for individually-tailored options, thoughtful and practical guidance, and creative solutions, as well as access to his broad network, as clients navigate all manner of issues and situations.

• Education & Credentials

Lee earned his law degree from Yale Law School and his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

• Recognition & Leadership

Lee has been published in and quoted by Bloomberg, Thompson/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 been a featured guest on business radio broadcasts and is a frequent lecturer and panelist on first-time sellers and liquidity events, “Business Divorces, Marriages and Spin-offs,” media and technology, music publishing, start-ups, and entity selection and structuring.

• Professional Involvement

Lee has presented at 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). In community service, he is a former Board member of the March of Dimes and serves on the Yale Alumni Schools Committee.

• Experience

Lee’s practice areas include “Business Divorces” and partner disputes, CEO and board counseling, M&A, joint ventures, capital and debt financings, liquidity and cash-out transactions, entity selection and structuring, private equity and venture capital, licensing, NIL endorsements, and outside general counsel services. He has served as a Director on the Boards of Umami Restaurant Group and YouMail, as an Officer of YouMail, and as an Advisor to AEi Systems. He co-founded and served as CEO of SalesMountain, a mobile and internet infomediary, and was previously associated with Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP, Riordan & McKinzie, Debevoise & Plimpton, and Sullivan & Cromwell. His representative industries span technology and communications, aerospace, hospitality, media and marketing, fashion and beauty, food and beverage, health and wellness, cannabis, and entertainment and sports.

Michael Alfera | Weinberg Gonser, LLP

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.

SESSION 1 – Piercing the LLC Veil | 2:00pm -2:20pm

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.

SESSION 2 – Common Factors Leading to Veil Piercing | 2:20pm – 2:40pm

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.

SESSION 3 – Piercing the Veil of Single Member LLCs (SMLLCs) | 2:40pm – 3:00pm

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.

BREAK | 3:00pm – 3:10pm

SESSION 4 – Veil Piercing in Multi-Member LLCs and Corporations: Risks and Complexities | 3:10pm – 3:30pm

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.

SESSION 5 – Litigation Strategies: Defending Against Veil-Piercing Claims | 3:30pm – 3:50pm

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.

SESSION 6 – Best Practices for Preventing Veil Piercing Claims | 3:50pm – 4:10pm

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.