2015 Tax Legislation: Extenders Plus More
January 31, 2016
2015 was an eventful year for tax legislation for law firms, their clients and their employees. In addition to the extenders package, that has become an annual tradition in Congress, there were some other significant tax bills that passed over the summer.
Opening the Books
December 31, 2015
The criminal fraud trial of three former executives of Dewey & LeBoeuf last year cast a spotlight on an arcane, often tedious but essential part of the operations of any big law firm: accounting practices.
The Evolution of Law Firm Marketing and Business Development
December 31, 2015
Change is constant and hard ' and usually lumpy. Understanding some of the differences between a traditional marketing function and business development is key to evaluating current practices and future expectations for this department.
SEC Sets Limits on Crowdfunding
December 31, 2015
On Oct. 30, 2015, the SEC issued new regulations to complete its work for implementing the sections of the JOBS Act that, for the first time, permit use of the Internet to raise equity financing. These latest regulations are scheduled to go into effect on May 16, 2016.
Investigations in Developing Countries
December 31, 2015
Conducting an internal investigation into questionable company conduct is universally a stressful experience. Imagine having to handle all that in a remote location, thousands of miles and multiple time zones away, in a developing part of the world with logistical and infrastructure challenges, and with cultural, political and legal systems that differ markedly from those in the United States.
Protecting Your Company's Data from Security Breaches
December 31, 2015
This article explores some steps counsel can take to protect their organizations from a data breach, and how counsel can proactively help to mitigate any adverse impact in the unfortunate event a data breach occurs.
Revisiting Allocation of Basis Issues
December 31, 2015
The courts have taken varying approaches to determining the basis of stock that is received by an insurance policyholder in exchange for the policyholder's surrender of membership rights in a mutual insurance company, in a "demutualization" transaction. While this may seem to be a narrow and abstruse question, the approaches taken by the courts may have application in other areas of the tax law affecting analogous transactions.
Bonuses and the Reality of Big Law Associate Compensation
December 31, 2015
In December, Cravath, Swaine & Moore circulated an internal memo setting associate bonuses according to the same scale set in 2014 by Davis Polk & Wardwell. First- and second-year associates will receive up to $15,000, while senior associates can make as much as $100,000.
