Getting Search Engine Optimization Right
On Aug. 13th, a techie blogger named Oilman posted an article entitled, "Shame Shame Shame Findlaw," accusing the legal behemoth of violating Google's guidelines. Within hours, Findlaw was pilloried by the Search Engine Optimization blogosphere. Google dropped FindLaw's Page Rank from a 7 to a 5. The controversy unveiled Findlaw's SEM Advantage program ' which was essentially an agreement to sell a link from FindLaw.com to a law firm's Web site for up to $2,500 a month for the sole purpose of improving that site's search results, and is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines.
The Future Value of Today's Inventory
Most law firm managers understand intuitively that the value of inventory (both WIP and A/R) degrades over time, but by how much and how quickly? The ability to understand and answer these two questions is the first step in preparing a realistic, forward-looking valuation model ' one that can identify opportunities and drive action.
Franchises Face Economic Turmoil
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.
A Discussion on Partner Capital
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.
New Jersey's Truth-in-Music Law Challenged
Vocal groups from the 1950s don't just fade away ' they splinter into separate acts that go on to fight over which is a true descendant of the original. In the U.S. and Canada, there are no fewer than 10 groups performing as The Drifters, or some minor variation. To help fans separate bona fide artists from pretenders, New Jersey and 26 other states have passed the "Truth in Music Act," forbidding performers to advertise themselves as affiliated with a recording group unless they demonstrate the connection by specified means.
SEC Guidance On Company Web Site Use
Over the last several years, rapid developments in technology and the Internet have significantly enhanced the quantity and quality of e-commerce, products and information available to the public. One area of online business interaction, though, that particularly benefited recently is the information that corporate investor can find on a company's Web site. In August, the SEC, acknowledging the significant technological advances since the SEC last provided guidance on Internet issues relating to the Securities Act of 1933, issued an interpretive release providing updated guidance on the disclosure of investor information on company Web sites.
Web Site Terms and Conditions
It was Henry Ford, not Marlon Brando or Don Corleone, who once famously said: "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black." Unfortunately for e-commerce buyers, however, the rules imposed on them by the fine print and deep links usually known as "Terms and Conditions" often leave as little room to negotiate as early Ford buyers once had.
Delaware Chancery Court Allows Board to Abandon Sales Process
Earlier this year, the Delaware Chancery Court dismissed a claim by shareholders of First Niles Financial, Inc., alleging that the directors breached their fiduciary duty by abandoning a sales process, despite receiving offers that its financial adviser found to be "within a range supported by its financial models.
