Features

Work Opportunity Tax Credit and On-Boarding
With the cost of doing business consistently on the rise combined with the increasing difficulty to find/retain great employees, there is no better time to pursue employment-based tax credits. There are both federal and state employment-based credits available that can help businesses offset income tax liability.
Features

A Guide to Becoming an Opportunity Zone Sponsor
There is a frenzy of excitement about the prospect of opportunity zone investments, but a number of investors are also considering becoming sponsors of the new fund model. While organizing a fund may seem simple, especially for experienced real estate sponsors, the opportunity zone model is actually complex.
Features

Caveat Intercreditor: Bankruptcy May Be Coming
<b><i>Bankruptcy Provisions in First Lien/Second Lien Intercreditor Agreements</b></i><p>While intercreditor agreements (ICAs) are not necessarily the most attention-grabbing of the various loan documents common to large financing transactions, they are nevertheless important, and lack of attention to detail with respect to their provisions could lead to unintended results in any future bankruptcy case.
Features

When Alice Leaves Software in Wonderland: Review the Terms of Use
That least-read contract — the Terms of Use — can be an effective (albeit the last) weapon in the arsenal of a company trying to protect unpatented software technology while providing on-line services.
Columns & Departments
In the Courts
New Charges in Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited Bribery Case
Features

Case Study: California Law Firm Dowling Aaron Is Transforming and Modernizing Its Prebilling Process with Orion ePrebill Manager
Orion's ePrebill Manager allows corrections to prebills to be tracked and applied in real time, with a one-click acceptance and approval process. Further, by distributing prebills electronically, attorneys can see the edits made by others, the overall net effect of write-downs, and how these affect the realization of both the working timekeepers and the client overall, in real time.
Features

Competitive Intelligence: Creating a Culture of Intelligence
We hear that clients hate to be cross-sold. However, this does not mean that clients are not interested to be introduced to new colleagues who can provide insight. Rather, cross selling must be thoughtful and tailored to clients' needs
Features

Case Study: Delaware Bankruptcy Court Denies Trustee's Breach of Fiduciary Duty Suit
In January, a bench trial occurred in <i>In re Covenant Partners, L.P.</i>, in which the Trustee of Debtor, Covenant Partners, L.P., sued for breach of fiduciary duty.
Features

Sales Speak: Maximize Your Chambers (and other) Rankings
While ranking directories are rarely the only tools used to find a firm or lawyer, in-house counsel and CEOs often turn to them as informative research sources. For these reasons alone, preparing materials and references for submission, even though time-consuming, may make sense under the right circumstances.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
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 ›