An Exculpatory Clause Is Not a 'Get Out of Jail Free' Card
Until recently, it appeared that exculpatory clauses could exonerate a party from liability under all circumstances. According to case precedent, in a landord/tenant context, it seemed as though a landlord need only cite economic self-interest as the basis for its non-performance under the lease agreement and enforce the exculpatory clause against its tenant, thereby limiting the tenant's remedies to specific performance, injunctive relief, and/or arbitration.
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In the Spotlight: Considerations for Payment of a Construction Allowance
Several issues arise when contemplating the payment of a construction allowance to the tenant. In particular, issues such as the manner and timing for payment of the construction allowance, documentation required for the payment, and repayment in the event of a default by the tenant, should all be considered when addressing the issue of the construction allowance in the lease. This article discusses the foregoing issues and addresses various manners in which these issues can be dealt with in the lease.
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The Best Way to Resolve Real Estate and Construction Disputes
For parties to real estate transactions and those involved in construction projects, alternative dispute resolution methods, including binding arbitration and non-binding mediation, offer proven and successful alternatives to an often inefficient and expensive court system. As this article illustrates, alternative dispute resolution requires utilizing trained, experienced, and cost-conscious mediators or arbitrators who are much better at resolving real estate disputes than are the inefficient and often ineffective courts.
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What's Hot, What's Not
Who's doing what; who's going where.
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Where Have All the Technophobes Gone?
Legal Tech is the excellent and information-rich three-day conference that brings lawyers and technology together. Here is an interesting review by a Legal Tech insider.
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Creating a Successful Summer Associate Training Program
It's not a secret that a strong summer associate program is essential to attracting and retaining talent. Aside from providing good work assignments and networking opportunities, a summer program would not be complete without a training component. In fact, most incoming summer associates expect that they will receive some formal training, classroom style or otherwise, over the course of the summer.
Practice Building Skills: Networking to Grow Your Practice
If you don't focus on improving your networking skills and networking behavior, it will become a tedious and uncomfortable business development behavior that will lead to failure and frustration in the business development part of your practice. The authors give some helpful tips.
Legal Sales & Service: The Most Important Trend in Legal Business Development
Recently, the author spoke with the general counsel at a Fortune 500 firm about some of his best, and worst, experiences with law firms. His central message was that 'Social events and personal relationships just don't matter like they used to. These days, if a firm wants a steady flow of new business, [it] must deliver value.'
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Client Speak: Trading Places
Marketing abounds with buzzwords and bromides ' and dangerous ones at that. When, for example, we sling catch-phrases like 'partnering,' or pontificate about how important it is to 'understand the client's business,' it becomes way too easy to talk a lot of sanctified talk without ever really walking the proverbial walk.
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