Features
Section 79 Planning Opportunities
Closely held businesses produce over 50% of the Gross National Product ("GNP"). Less than 50% of these businesses have a continuation plan and almost one-third of these companies (29%) use a buy-sell arrangement to assist in their planning. Buy-Sell agreements are very simple tools that over the years have grown to meet increasing needs of closely held businesses.
Features
Court Watch
CA Supreme Court: No 'Narrow Restraint' Exception to Prohibition on Covenants Not to Compete
Franchisors May Have Standing to Seek to Quash Subpoenas Directed to Third Parties
What can a franchisor do if some of its franchisees or business partners (who are not parties to the litigation) are slapped with broad and burdensome subpoenas from disgruntled franchisees or potential franchisees in litigation? In many cases, the answer may be nothing. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure generally do not allow a party to seek to enforce the rights of others (many states have analogous rules, as well).
Canadians Tackle Disclosure Documents and Other Franchise Mysteries
In Canada, franchise disclosure documents ('FDDs') are not reviewed by any government agency. It is up to the franchisor to prepare and deliver the document correctly, failing which the franchisee can, for a limited period of time, send in a rescission notice.
Rules of Thumb to Rein in Litigation Costs and Optimize Results
This is the fifth and final entry in a series of articles discussing how in-house counsel can better manage litigation matters.
Canada: What Are the Rules in Ontario's 'Neverland'?
The Canada-based, Louisiana-flavored B'ton Rouge franchise system features ribs, beef, and fish in a casual-dining atmosphere, with about 20 franchised restaurants operating in Qu'bec and Ontario. One of the Ontario locations is the battleground for the case to be outlined in this article: <i>4287975 Canada Inc. v. Imvescor Restaurants Inc. et. al.</i>
Features
Antitrust Limits on Pre-Closing Conduct in Mergers and Acquisitions
In track, a runner "jumps the gun" when he or she begins running before the gun has sounded. A similar concept occurs when two competing firms that have agreed to merge begin coordinating their activities or combining their distribution networks before the merger closes. Here is what merging firms can and cannot do before the gun sounds.
Understanding and Avoiding Preference Liability
In today's challenging economic environment it is a familiar story: After a protracted period of slow pay and then no pay, your customer (or borrower, joint venturer, counter-party, etc.) files a bankruptcy petition, leaving you holding the bag. And that's only the beginning.
Quarterly State Compliance Review
This edition of the Quarterly State Compliance Review looks at some legislation of interest to corporate lawyers that went into effect recently, including amendments to the corporation laws of Delaware, California, and New York. This edition also includes two recent decisions of interest from the Delaware Chancery Court.
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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 ›