Substance over Form in the Bankruptcy Courts
Under the Bankruptcy Code, whether a lease is a true lease or a disguised security agreement also has serious consequences. If a lease is a true lease, and the debtor in possession has need of the equipment or other leased property, the lessor is entitled to receive all the payments due under the contract. If a lease is not a true lease but is a disguised security agreement, the lender is only entitled to the lesser of what is owed and the property's value, which could be significantly less than the totality of the lease payments. The balance will be treated as a general unsecured claim. Further, the creditor will only be entitled to the value of the collateral if it perfected its lien. If it did not perfect, its entire claim will be treated as a general secured claim (which is why informational filings of UCC-1 forms are recommended in lease transactions). Even if it did perfect, payment could be delayed until a plan is confirmed and even then stretched out over the length of the plan as opposed to the terms required by the original contract. For these reasons, usually the debtor will argue that the lease is a disguised security agreement, and the creditor will argue that the lease is a true lease.
Features
Note from the Editor
Before I talk about this month's issue I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that there will be a special July/August issue of Marketing…
Features
Media & Communications Corner: <b>Who Are They Going to Call? Someone They Know</b>
When "sales" was still just a five-letter word in law firms, lawyers found some comfort in the basics of marketing. They could get the name of the firm "out there" without actually having to do much themselves. <br>In the last 5 years, though, firms have increasingly looked at activities such as media relations, seminars, brochures and Web development as low return activities. Business development, in contrast, seemingly offers a much higher return on investment by focusing the money on the prospects most likely to buy. As a logical extension, a number of firms have shifted their marketing budget largely to business development activities. And, even from the point of view of a strict marketer, this is not all bad.
Book Review: Free Publicity
<i>Free Publicity</i> is a concise but substantial look into the mechanisms and motivations of the modern media. The book is full of short and succinct examples of how ordinary people and businesses have been successful using the press to promote their own agendas. As the title suggests, if you know how to work the system, you too can spread your message around the world without spending a cent.
Features
How Not To Get 'Whacked' By Journalists
There are those in PR who are just plain annoying. I used to think ' during my live TV days at CNN ' What is their objective? Getting to speak to me, or pitching a story? I think for many, it was the former. If they didn't have their pitch down in 20 seconds, they lost me and got "whacked!" For many, I never returned calls. Nothing personal, I just didn't have time to return all of them; if I had, I would have missed my deadlines and been out of a job! <br>Here are some basic rules for how not to become a public relations flack that's whacked!
Features
A Client Perspective On Law Firm Marketing and Sales
As the competition for premier legal work continues to stiffen, firms are increasingly forced to change the way they position, promote and sell themselves. Firm leaders and marketing professionals face a daily battle of convincing their professionals that the tactics of 15, 10, even 5 years ago may no longer be relevant. <br>Often, the most persuasive ammunition a marketing agent can possess is the opinion of a client ' someone who is a professional buyer of legal services.
Best Practices of Cross Marketing and Selling New Services To Clients
Cross selling is an elusive goal for law firms. The idea is simple: To interest clients that are using one practice area in using a second or third area. But the devil is in the details, and most cross-selling plans fail as soon as they meet one of several common objections. <br>As a result, to paraphrase Mark Twain, everyone talks about cross selling, but nobody is doing anything about it.
Features
Opportunity In Crisis
We often perceive a negative outcome in a legal case or a discredited witness in a trial to be a crisis, and we react principally to the danger attached to that concept. Our response at these times can make the crucial difference between success and failure. With every crisis, we must make a concerted effort to discover the opportunities inherent.
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- 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 ›
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- 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 ›