Help Insulate Your Firm with Careful Year-End Planning
November 21, 2008
Notwithstanding the slowing economy, there are opportunities to strengthen the firm's finances and those of individual partners. The key in this or any year is careful tax planning — including year-end tax projections — that will help lessen federal and state tax liabilities, prepare for possible exposure to the alternative minimum tax, and discover potential ways to save and streamline.
Marriage, Trust and Postnuptial Agreements
October 30, 2008
Postnuptial agreements are flexible documents that provide couples with an alternative to marital counseling or even divorce. As demonstrated herein, it is extremely important that these documents are carefully drafted and that close attention is paid to the fiduciary relationship existing between the parties.
News Briefs
October 30, 2008
The latest news from the franchising world.
Franchises Face Economic Turmoil
October 30, 2008
Although the fallout from the financial crisis is yet to be complete, the franchise industry seems to be weathering the storm fairly well to date. However, franchise attorneys say that caution is the order of the day and that an extended economic downturn could raise tensions between franchisors and franchisees.
Ethical Issues of the 21st Century
October 30, 2008
In Part One of this article, the authors covered ethical issues relating to e-mail. In Part Two below, they discuss ethical issues related to e-discovery and social networking and blogs.
Leadership Development Programs
October 30, 2008
Leadership competencies are critical for lawyers on many fronts. While leadership is not taught in law school, many firms have begun to implement formal leadership development programs. Here's how to do it.
Should Your Partnership Agreement Require Mandatory, Binding Arbitration?
October 30, 2008
Many partner disputes are resolved informally through discussions with firm management. However, many firms do not have a formal internal grievance procedure for partnership-related matters. What happens when the dispute cannot be amicably resolved? Is litigation the sole solution?
A Discussion on Partner Capital
October 29, 2008
In a July issue of The National Law Journal, there was a lead article titled, "Firms Ask Partners to Pony Up." That article sparked questions from clients of our firm, Altman Weil, Inc., regarding law firm capital structures. This article pulls together a number of the issues we have been dealing with recently.