$1,000 Per Hour Isn't Rare Anymore
January 31, 2014
As recently as five years ago, law partners charging $1,000 an hour were outliers. Today, four-figure hourly rates for in-demand partners at the most prestigious firms don't raise eyebrows ' and a few top earners are closing in on $2,000 an hour.
The Death Benefit Only Program
January 31, 2014
The Death Benefit Only (DBO) program provides non-qualified deferred compensation, and death benefits. The DBO program can be used by employers without regard to corporate and qualified plan limitations and may be provided by employers on a permissibly discriminatory basis. The DBO program, when structured properly, can accept elective or non-elective contributions on an individual employee basis. The benefits can also be used as Golden Handcuffs to retain valued employees.
Data Analytics
January 31, 2014
Data analytics, the same data mining and interpretive analysis used for decades in other professions, is bringing change to the core business side of the legal profession ' and in the process, revealing great potential for increased efficiency, cost-savings and new ways of managing risk.
Global Corruption Enforcement
January 31, 2014
For multinational corporations, reducing the risks and concomitant expenses associated with corrupt employee behavior must be a priority. This article discusses the benefits of embedding compliance doctrine within operations, and how businesses could market integrity and compliance to gain a competitive advantage.
The Expanding Role of the Audit Committee
January 31, 2014
The role the independent audit committee of a board of directors is becoming increasingly important as significant responsibilities shift to the board of directors.
How to Succeed in a Relocation Case
January 30, 2014
It can be a difficult task to persuade a court that it should permit the relocation of a child. Here's what the courts say.
Slow Growth on Tap for 2014
December 31, 2013
Just over five years after the start of the global financial crisis, the job of an Am Law 200 law firm leader arguably remains as tough as it has ever been. The painful decisions to cut staff and attorneys may now be a distant memory, at least for most firms, but there remain two distinct drags on Big Law businesses.
Dancing on the Cliff Edge
December 31, 2013
In the last five years, we have heard increasing chatter about the failed business model of law firms, new technology that is erasing the need for lawyers and other information interpreters, and enhanced cognitive systems that mine and interpret data. Let's look at some examples of trends that are leading the way.
Accounting for Obamacare
December 31, 2013
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, created the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), a part of each state's Health Insurance Marketplace, where small businesses with under 50 full-time equivalent employees can purchase group health plans. The small business owner is continually being placed in an untenable position without the ability to do any planning.
Meals and Entertainment Expenses
December 31, 2013
Meals and entertainment expenses are generally only 50% deductible, and provided the expenses are ordinary and necessary, have a business purpose and have proper documentation, there should be no issues surviving an IRS audit.
