In the Spotlight: Leasing Distressed Properties
November 22, 2011
Even with major discounts, leasing commercial real estate can still be risky. The recovery of distressed built assets is not imminent, and corporate real estate (CRE) managers should beware.
<i><b>Case Study:</b></i> Managing e-Discovery In-House with Discovery Attender
October 28, 2011
As the person at Babst Calland responsible for the technical aspects of electronic discovery, I recognized early on that our mid-sized law firm was facing an ever-increasing amount of electronically stored information (ESI). This required us to review and improve our e-discovery tools and processes to address the challenges associated with collecting, searching and processing the growing volume of client data.
Divorce Distribution Of Creative Assets
October 28, 2011
While it may be relatively clear-cut to determine the value of real property, financial accounts and even a professional practice when a Creative Spouse and his or her Supporting Spouse divorce, the question may arise as to how to distribute the value of the intellectual property or "celebrity status" the Creative Spouse created during the marriage. This article considers what rights, if any, a Supporting Spouse may have in the value of a Creative Asset.
Deal or No Deal
October 28, 2011
As consumers have embraced mobile devices and communicating via text message, mobile marketing promotional campaigns have followed. As a result, sweepstakes have become popular mobile promotional tools because the chance of a prize motivates consumers to interact with the sponsor. However, because sweepstakes and contests are heavily regulated by states, mobile sweepstakes and contests must comply not only with mobile-messaging laws and regulations.
Court Watch
October 27, 2011
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
Managing a Franchise System When 'Game-Changers' Arise
October 27, 2011
One of the difficult balancing acts encountered by all franchise systems is between the relatively static nature of the franchise agreement and the dynamic, impossible-to-predict changes that occur in the real world. At the 34th Annual ABA Forum on Franchising, two industry veterans with perspective as senior in-house counsel spoke about how in-house counsel can identify potentially "game-changing" developments and lead their organizations' response.
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Certiorari in Iowa Tax Case
October 27, 2011
On Oct. 3, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari in <i>KFC Corp. v. Iowa Department of Revenue</i>. As a result, the Court has given its silent blessing to extending the "economic nexus" theory to justify states' imposition of tax obligations on out-of-state franchisors with no physical presence there.
The Vital Signs of Firm Profitability
October 27, 2011
The ultimate objective of law firm management is to create profit for owners. It is the role of a managing partner, management committee, and CFO to understand the elements that impact profitability, identify and improve weaknesses that soften profitability, and capitalize on opportunities to enhance profitability.
