Year-End Benefit Planning and Accounting Treatment
A '79 group benefit plan has funding and timing opportunities similar to qualified plans without the added expenses and discrimination testing of '401(a)-type plans. The reporting at the employer level is less complex and draconian. Nevertheless, as with all accounting issues, it is up to the employer's accountant to interpret FASB statements and opinions, and make the final decision as to how individual transactions are reflected on the employer's financial statements.
Features
Does the SEC Still Care About Financial Reporting Cases?
In recent years, the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought far fewer revenue recognition and other financial reporting cases than it had historically. That leads us naturally to wonder whether this trend will continue in the future. Not likely.
10 Tips on Social Media and Attorney Ethics
Why do so many attorneys worry about their state bar advertising rules when considering using social media? Is it concern over the vague and often sweeping nature of these rules? The uncertain and shifting forms of communication they can have with close friends and strangers alike?
Harassment Ruling On Facebook Post Is Upheld by Court
Posting a sexually insulting comment on the Facebook social media network constitutes the crime of harassment, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled in upholding a teenage woman's criminal conviction.
A Value Proposition Aided by Technology
While technology, data and the resulting "insights" are at the core of any successful client-law firm relationship, perhaps the real underlying factors for success are communication, collaboration and trust. The question for many legal professionals remains which comes first, the technology or the trust?
Features
An Update for Practitioners on Social Gaming
The marriage of digital media and entertainment content has grown to include a range of possibilities and issues that entertainment law practitioners may encounter. The boom in social gaming is one of these.
Features
e-Mail Troll Hushed
A federal judge recently ruled that an Internet service provider is barred from pursuing claims for alleged violations of the California and Maryland anti-spam statutes because it existed primarily and substantially to collect e-mails it believed to be spam and sue over it, and because it consented to receive the e-mails over which it sues.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Court Decides Production Company's Release Agreement with Michael Keaton Was Signed Under Duress<br>J. Geils Loses Bid to Disqualify Attorney for Band Members That Geils Has Sued<br>Oregon Federal Court Has Personal Jurisdiction over California Lawyer Sued for Malpractice by Radio Show Producers
Features
Franchise Industry Sees Victory in Debit Card Fee Lawsuit
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon struck down Federal Reserve regulations on debit-card transaction fees on July 31, a victory for retailers that process high numbers of low-ticket transactions. Leon found that the Fed adopted rules that "inappropriately" inflated fees by billions of dollars.
Columns & Departments
News Briefs
Franchise Relationship Law Tabled in CA Assembly <br>New Franchise-Relationship Bill Proposed in PA
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
- Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent TrollsWith trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.Read More ›
- Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.Read More ›
- Private Equity Valuation: A Significant DecisionInsiders (and others) in the private equity business are accustomed to seeing a good deal of discussion ' academic and trade ' on the question of the appropriate methods of valuing private equity positions and securities which are otherwise illiquid. An interesting recent decision in the Southern District has been brought to our attention. The case is <i>In Re Allied Capital Corp.</i>, CCH Fed. SEC L. Rep. 92411 (US DC, S.D.N.Y., Apr. 25, 2003). Judge Lynch's decision is well written, the Judge reviewing a motion to dismiss by a business development company, Allied Capital, against a strike suit claiming that Allied's method of valuing its portfolio failed adequately to account for i) conditions at the companies themselves and ii) market conditions. The complaint appears to be, as is often the case, slap dash, content to point out that Allied revalued some of its positions, marking them down for a variety of reasons, and the stock price went down - all this, in the view of plaintiff's counsel, amounting to violations of Rule 10b-5.Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.Read More ›
- The DOJ Goes Phishing: The Rise of False Claims Act Cybersecurity LitigationWhile the DOJ Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative is still in its early stages and cybersecurity regulations are evolving, whistleblower plaintiffs have already begun leveraging the FCA to pursue alleged noncompliance with government cybersecurity requirements.Read More ›