About Derek Early
Derek Early is the head of Brown & Streza’s business and real estate practices. He is Board Certified in Taxation Law by the State Bar of California. His practice primarily involves representing businesses and high-net-worth individuals, with an emphasis on tax planning.
Under Derek’s leadership, the Business Department at Brown & Streza has become known for its strong client focus, legal proficiency, and dedication to delivering value-driven solutions. Derek is known for combining legal expertise with business insight to produce outcomes that both align with their business goals and mitigate their legal risks.
Derek’s areas of specialization include:
- Commercial Real Estate Transactions: Extensive experience in advising on the acquisition, leasing, and financing of commercial shopping centers, multi-family properties, industrial sites, and agricultural land. He frequently works with clients on 1031 exchanges and issues relating to California property tax.
- Structuring: Offering strategic guidance to businesses and real estate owners regarding their structures to promote tax efficiency and support growth and sustainability.
- General Counsel: Addressing various governance, operational, and compliance issues.
- Succession & Exit Planning: Guiding clients in transitioning businesses to family members, employees, or third parties, including through mergers and acquisitions. This includes assisting clients with developing plans that will meet the businesses’ operational needs while achieving the owners’ goals, with a focus on tax efficiency.
Derek won an Ivy League Championship as a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s football team, and he emphasizes teamwork and collaboration in his practice. Consequently, he frequently engages with clients’ CPAs and other advisors regarding complex planning to achieve better outcomes for his clients.
Professional Background
Brown & Streza LLP, Irvine, California
Partner, 2019-Present
Attorney, 2013-2019
Varner & Brandt LLP
Attorney, 2010-2013
Fernandez & Lauby LLP
Attorney, 2008-2010
Juris Doctor, cum laude, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 2005-2008
Indiana Law Journal
Managing Editor
Sports & Entertainment Law Society
President
Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania, 1999-2003
Speaking Engagements
Prudential Irvine Office, Irvine, California, June 19, 2018
- Avoiding Business Planning Mistakes Using Life and Disability Insurance and Other Techniques
2018 Agents Helping Agents (AHA) Conference, Irvine, California, March 30, 2018
- Using Life and Disability Insurance for Business Planning
Exit Planning Institute SoCal Chapter Meeting, Costa Mesa, California, June 1, 2017
- Family Business Divorce
CalCPA Study Group Breakfast, Anaheim, California, September 22, 2016
- Buy-Sell Agreements
Morgan Stanley Seminar, Newport Beach, California, June 28, 2016
- Avoid the 6 Mistakes that Business Owners Make
Resources
Succeeding in Succession: Grooming a Successor, Derek Early, April 22, 2020
Identifying potential successors to take over a business is often a monumental task. But the succession planning process should not end once potential successors have been identified. Developing potential successors
