CA Employment Lawyers Saw Fourth-Quarter Surge
Employment lawyers across the San Francisco Bay Area are in awe of the ferocity of the economic slide, which for many has already translated into more work. Many Bay Area partners at firms big and small say their employment work really surged in the fourth quarter of 2008, and many expect the increase to continue.
Representing Both Defendant-Employer and Defendant-Employee
The last decade has marked a dramatic rise in the number of executives, supervisors and managers who are being sued in their personal capacity for their work-related actions. This rise is largely the result of the expansion of many state discrimination laws to allow for lawsuits against not only the corporate employer, but also individual supervisors.
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Will Your New Tenant Bail Out?
With so many vacancies popping up in shopping centers around the country, landlords are willing to entertain creative solutions to placing tenants in these empty spaces. However, before signing the leases and dropping off the keys, landlords should make certain they follow some very simple procedures and perform routine due diligence.
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Trouble in Lease Land
Retail landlords know a tenant is in trouble when rent payments are late or cease altogether, when the tenant's store is not well stocked with new merchandise, or when the physical condition of the store deteriorates. Retail tenants know that a shopping center is in trouble when an increasing number of stores are dark, or the maintenance of the common areas or other services have declined. Here's what to do.
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In the Spotlight: Lease Audits: Adding Value in Troubled Times
If you are a tenant that is leasing properties at numerous locations, it would be an especially prudent business practice to take a careful look at all of your leases and operating expense invoices to determine if there are any opportunities to generate savings.
What Tenants Are Asking of Their Landlords in Challenging Economic Times
The current economic slowdown has been particularly hard on the retail industry. Operating retail stores in times of economic uncertainty has placed most real estate professionals in uncharted waters. Tenants are looking to their landlords for economic relief to meet the challenges of operating their stores without incurring unacceptable losses during these turbulent times. This special issue of Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy discusses difficulties arising in the context of retail leasing.
In the Courts
Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.
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Look, But Don't Log In
A computer forensic analysis reveals that the employee has accessed his personal Web-based e-mail account from his company computer and that his log-in information (username and password) has been recovered from the computer's memory. Can you log in to the account and read his personal e-mail?
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
- A Lawyer's System for Active ReadingActive reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.Read More ›
- The Brave New World of Cybersecurity Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions: Pitfalls and OpportunitiesLike poorly-behaved school children, new technologies and intellectual property (IP) are increasingly disrupting the M&A establishment. Cybersecurity has become the latest disruptive newcomer to the M&A party.Read More ›
- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›