Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Home Topics

Commercial Law

Columns & Departments

In the Marketplace Image

In the Marketplace

ljnstaff & Law Journal Newsletters

Who's doing what; who's going where.

Features

Commercial Leases and the Law of Electronic Transactions Image

Commercial Leases and the Law of Electronic Transactions

David P. Resnick & Seth Corthell

Over the past 20 years, the rise of email as a generally-accepted medium of business communication has prompted the law to allow certain contracts, including leases, to be entered into electronically, without a handwritten signature. This article addresses recent developments and the present state of the law with respect to commercial leasing and electronic media.

Features

Professional Fees May Not Be Capped by Standard Carve-Out Provisions Image

Professional Fees May Not Be Capped by Standard Carve-Out Provisions

John C. Tishler & Tyler N. Layne

Secured creditors and debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders that rely on standard carve-out provisions to limit the impact of bankruptcy professional fees on their collateral would be well-advised to take notice of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court decision from earlier this year.

Features

Split Ninth Circuit Requires Default Interest to Cure Default Image

Split Ninth Circuit Requires Default Interest to Cure Default

Michael L. Cook

A Chapter 11 debtor "cannot nullify a preexisting obligation in a loan agreement to pay post-default interest solely by proposing a cure," held a split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Features

Expansion of the <i>Barton</i> Doctrine To Unsecured Creditors' Committees Image

Expansion of the <i>Barton</i> Doctrine To Unsecured Creditors' Committees

Sheryl P. Giugliano

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held in <i>Blixseth v. Brown</i> that under <i>Barton v. Barbour</i>, a plaintiff must obtain a bankruptcy court's permission before commencing a lawsuit in another forum against a member of the committee of unsecured creditors, and that <i>Stern v. Marshall</i> does not preclude bankruptcy courts from adjudicating such claims on the merits.

Features

Make-Whole Mayhem Image

Make-Whole Mayhem

Jeffrey R. Gleit & Nathaniel R.B. Koslof

<b><i>Uncertain Treatment of Make-Whole Premiums Upon Bankruptcy-Induced Acceleration and Redemption of Indentures</b></i><p>Make-whole premiums are essentially prepayment penalties imposed on borrowers when loans are paid off in advance of their maturity dates. These premiums remove the borrowers' incentives to refinance whenever interest rates drop, and provide stability and predictability to the world of secured lending.

Features

Landlord Harassment of Commercial Tenants Image

Landlord Harassment of Commercial Tenants

Janice G. Inman

<i><b>Part Two of a Two-Part Article</i></b><p>As discussed last month, in <i>Lansaw v. Zokaites</i>, the tenants (and bankruptcy petitioners) complained of certain harassment that occurred prior to the filing of their bankruptcy petition. Let us turn now to the court's analysis of the landlord's post–bankruptcy-petition behavior.

Features

High Expectations for Commercial Construction Activity Image

High Expectations for Commercial Construction Activity

ljnstaff & Law Journal Newsletters

Construction industry executives are particularly optimistic regarding the prospects of local, nonresidential construction activity this year, according to a recent Wells Fargo Equipment Finance survey of industry contractors and equipment distributors.

Features

Navigating the Bankruptcy Court's Power to Modify A Secured Creditor's Lien Image

Navigating the Bankruptcy Court's Power to Modify A Secured Creditor's Lien

David M. Hillman & James T Bentley

This article focuses on the impact of section 552 of the Bankruptcy Code, which addresses the effect of a bankruptcy filing on property acquired by the debtor after the filing of the bankruptcy case (referred to as "after-acquired property") and proceeds of pre-bankruptcy collateral.

Features

The Chapter 9 Crucible Image

The Chapter 9 Crucible

Ron Oliner & John R. Weiss

Any bankruptcy practitioner, upon first contact with a municipal bankruptcy case, may be shocked by the lack of substantive law to be found in Chapter 9. The dearth of detail has long caused bankruptcy lawyers and courts to turn to the far more substantive provisions of Chapter 11 for practical guidance.

Need Help?

  1. Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
  2. Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.

MOST POPULAR STORIES

  • Broker Lien Laws
    Today, 34 jurisdictions have some form of statute that specifies whether, how, and for what a broker may file a lien for the non-payment of a commission in connection with the sale or lease of commercial real estate. A few states simply give brokers the right to file liens under mechanics' lien statutes, but more than 30 have enacted broker-specific lien laws.
    Read More ›
  • The Article 8 Opt In
    The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
    Read More ›
  • Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
    This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
    Read More ›
  • Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
    With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.
    Read More ›