Features

The Small Business Reorganization Act: How It Started. How it's Going. Where to Next?
By further expanding access to a streamlined Chapter 11 process, the SBRA will ensure that a wider array of debtors have the ability of reorganizing themselves, when Chapter 11 was previously too cost-prohibitive for such debtors.
Features

Legal Issues and Monetization Strategies In a Quarantine-Streaming Music World
Part One of a Two Part Article While the livestreaming of music performances is not an entirely new phenomenon, the COVID crisis has transformed the live performance landscape, compelling artists from around the world to reach their fanbase by producing "quarantine streams," in which they livestream their sets on social media platforms. Unsurprisingly many questions have arisen.
Features

Not-So-Incidental Byproducts of 'Kelly'
Early returns are in, and they indicate that the Supreme Court's decision in the so-called "Bridgegate" case will be an effective tool for pruning the wild overgrowth that has built up around the federal fraud statutes.
Columns & Departments
Development
Use Variance Not Necessary for Use of Home As AirBnB Rental Merger of Back-to-Back Lots
Features

State High Court Preserves Lenders' Tort Claims Against Debtors' Insiders
A lender's state law tort claims against "non-debtor third-parties for tortious interference with a contract" were "not preempted" by "federal bankruptcy law," held the New York Court of Appeals.
Features

Looking Ahead to Avoid Spoliation Sanctions
A recent Federal Circuit decision denying a petition for a writ of mandamus should serve as a cautionary tale and reminder for corporate entities regarding the critical importance of preserving documentary evidence in a timely and appropriate manner.
Features

Extra-Judicial Evictions of Commercial Tenants During COVID-19
This article addresses and updates the law on the self-help remedy that enables commercial landlords to regain possession of leased premises from tenants in material breach of one or more lease covenants.
Columns & Departments
Real Property Law
Stranger to the Deed Rule Does Not Bar Easement Claim Misconduct By Mortgagor's Lawyer Voids Foreclosure Sale Permissive Exclusive Use of Common Driveway Does Not Extinguish Easement Bidder At Tax Foreclosure Sale Forfeits Deposit Upon Default
Features

USPTO Sets Precedent on Collective Patent Defense Groups with RPX Ruling
It took two years and a last-minute substitution of judges for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to rule that RPX Corp. was too close to a dues-paying member to bring a patent validity challenge.
Features

2020 Provides Roadmap for Success in 2021
If commercial real estate is going to have a successful 2021, it will require the ability to seek out unexpected advantages.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The Availability of Self-Help Evictions to Commercial LandlordsA landlord may re-enter leased commercial premises peaceably, without resorting to court process, in those states where it is permitted, if the right to do so is expressly reserved in a commercial lease, either a) upon the tenant's defaulting on the payment of rent or other lease terms, or b) upon termination of the lease or the tenant's abandoning the premises.Read More ›
- Redefining Attorney-Client Collaboration with Technology That Delivers Greater ValueIf savvy law firm attorneys haven't done so yet, they should take this time to adjust their expectations and increase their comfort levels with new technologies, processes, and workflows. Going forward, their clients will expect the emphasis to be on relationships and outcomes, not billable hours.Read More ›
- 'Customary Operations' or A Vacant Building?Many times, courts are faced with the question of whether a loss location is 'vacant' under a commercial property policy when trying to determine if the building owner or lessee is conducting customary operations. This article explores various decisions across the United States as to what is considered 'customary operations,' thereby rendering the property 'vacant.'Read More ›
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.Read More ›
- Supreme Court Rules Rejection of Trademark License Does Not Rescind Rights of LicenseeMission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC The question is whether a debtor's rejection of its agreement granting a license "terminates rights of the licensee that would survive the licensor's breach under applicable nonbankruptcy law."Read More ›