Property Taxation Without Services
May 31, 2005
New York municipalities have often conditioned development approvals on developers' agreements to provide services ordinarily provided by the municipality. These agreements are typically silent on the tax consequences of the municipality's failure to provide services. Under what circumstances, then, can landowners challenge the municipality's power to collect taxes for services the municipality does not provide? Two cases recently decided -- one by the Court of Appeals and one by the Second Department -- shed light on that question.
Index
May 31, 2005
Everything contained in this issue in an easy-to-read list.
Development
May 31, 2005
Recent rulings you need to know.
Have Your Story Straight Before the Reporter Calls
May 27, 2005
There is acute tension between the do-it-now mindset of media-savvy PR pros and the generally cautious nature of lawyers. Eliminating the tension completely is impossible, even inadvisable. After all, the client's interests are sacrosanct, and overlooking those interests to get some quick press courts disaster. You can alleviate the tension, however, by taking steps to ensure a smooth process before you get that 3 o'clock call.
<b>Meyerowitz on Marketing</b>The Law Library Meets Marketing and Technology Head On
April 29, 2005
Librarians who have begun to work relatively recently in law firms probably never have participated in a "shifting party" or in any similar event. That's because the nature of the law firm library ' and thus the librarian's role ' has undergone revolutionary change over the years. There still are books, at least some books, in today's law firm libraries, but Internet connections and CD-ROMs often seem to be just as prevalent and, perhaps, are actually even more important.
Is It a Condo or a Co-op?
April 28, 2005
Not long ago there was a movement afoot to turn co-ops into condominiums due to the supposed benefits they offered, including the lessened economic interdependence resulting from absence of any blanket mortgage or real estate tax lien. Although such transformations never gained traction, in recent years condominiums have become market darlings (accounting for nearly all new construction and conversions), most notably because of their perceived let-freedom-reign philosophy, particularly the ability of owners to buy, sell, and lease without board intervention. Yet such relative independence may soon be more illusory than real as condo boards seek to assume powers traditionally reserved for their co-op brethren, and unit owners find themselves lacking legal protections available to shareholders.
