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Captive Insurance Considerations for Franchises
The 1994 product liability lawsuit Stella Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants, P.T.S., Inc., and McDonald's International, Inc., is one of the most famous pieces of litigation of all time. It's also every franchisee's nightmare.
The facts of the case are well known. After ordering a cup of McDonald's coffee from one of the store's franchises, Stella Liebeck, 79, accidentally spilled the hot liquid on herself while sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car. The incident resulted in third-degree burns on 6% of her body, resulting in two years of medical treatment. She initially approached the franchisee for a settlement to help cover the costs of her medical treatment and lost wages, but the franchisee refused. The matter then snowballed into court and onto national television, resulting in a public relations snafu that has stuck with McDonald's and its franchises since that day.
Although there are many takeaways from the hot coffee incident, one has been a significant change to how McDonald's Corp. and its franchises deal with insurance. The corporation saw how its franchisee had exposed it and other franchisees to unnecessary liability by neglecting to handle the incident in a way that could have mitigated risk exposure. Instead, the franchise let the incident fester, which resulted in a media frenzy and a judgment of more than $600,000.
Yachts, Jets, Horses & Hooch: Specialized Commercial Leasing Models
Defining commercial real estate asset class is essentially a property explaining how it identifies — not necessarily what its original intention was or what others think it ought to be. This article discusses, from a general issue-spot and contextual analysis perspective, how lawyers ought to think about specialized leasing formats and the regulatory backdrops that may inform what the documentation needs to contain for compliance purposes.
Hyperlinked Documents: The Latest e-Discovery Challenge
As courts and discovery experts debate whether hyperlinked content should be treated the same as traditional attachments, legal practitioners are grappling with the technical and legal complexities of collecting, analyzing and reviewing these documents in real-world cases.
Identifying Your Practice's Differentiator
How to Convey Your Merits In a Way That Earns Trust, Clients and Distinctions Just as no two individuals have the exact same face, no two lawyers practice in their respective fields or serve clients in the exact same way. Think of this as a "Unique Value Proposition." Internal consideration about what you uniquely bring to your clients, colleagues, firm and industry can provide untold benefits for your law practice.
Risks and Ad Fraud Protection In Digital Advertising
The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, coupled with the industry-wide adoption of programmatic advertising, poses a significant threat to the effectiveness and integrity of digital advertising campaigns. This article explores various risks to digital advertising from pixel stuffing and ad stacking to domain spoofing and bots. It will also explore what should be done to ensure ad fraud protection and improve effectiveness.
Turning Business Development Plans Into Reality
This article offers practical insights and best practices to navigate the path from roadmap to rainmaking, ensuring your business development efforts are not just sporadic bursts of activity, but an integrated part of your daily success.