Kristie Rearick

January 09, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the act), which was signed into law on Dec. 22, 2017, made substantial changes to the Internal Revenue Code, most of which went into effect on Jan. 1. One significant result of the passage of the act is the doubling of the exemption amount for the federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

8 minute read

January 08, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

Whenever Bob discusses arbitration with a client, he talks about the advantages of avoiding court proceedings. His first words always are, “You save so much money.” Bob has learned that his clients like to save money and that these savings are more important to them than the speed of arbitration or the ability to pick the decision-maker or the many other benefits that arbitration provides.

By Charles F. Forer

7 minute read

January 08, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

Most bankruptcy cases are commenced by the filing of a “voluntary” bankruptcy petition by the debtor. In fact, as we have reported previously, today the bankruptcy process is dominated by prearranged restructurings involving advance planning and negotiations with potential purchasers and stakeholders that result in the business aspects of the bankruptcy process being substantially finalized at the time of the filing.

By Andrew C. Kassner and Joseph N. Argentina Jr.

9 minute read

January 08, 2018 | Daily Business Review

The turn of the year is the perfect time to think about starting fresh and trying something new. While you are busy working toward that six-pack, being more mindful, or learning a new language, why not commit to trying something new at your law firm or department? With most legal teams, rigid roles, hierarchical structures, and top-down management are still the norm.

By Luis Salazar

5 minute read

January 05, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

Recently, an article in The American Lawyer examined the results of a report published by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), which summarized the upside—and downside—of law firm diversity efforts nationwide.

By Kristen M. Gibbons Feden

6 minute read

January 05, 2018 | Daily Business Review

Florida has the opportunity to become an exemplar to the nation by amending its Constitution with Proposal 40, filed by Commissioner Belinda Keiser. This proposal will give children who were removed ‎from their parents because of abuse and neglect the right to counsel. Providing all children with attorneys in addition to their volunteer Guardians ad Litem is the national best practice and our kids deserve the best. It's also cost effective.

By Commentary by Howard M. Talenfeld

3 minute read

January 05, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

Throughout 2017, I was riveted by developments in three high-profile criminal prosecutions that were covered extensively by this publication and other media outlets in the region: former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams; Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian (who was at the helm of an Amtrak train on May 12, 2015, when it derailed), and the members of the Penn State fraternity facing criminal charges in connection with the death of sophomore pledge Timothy Piazza. Whenever there were developments in these cases, I consumed as much media coverage as I could. I checked out what people were saying on social media.

By Wayne Pollock

10 minute read

January 05, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

The identification of the proper venue for commencing a patent infringement or declaratory judgement action was rather straight forward for a number of years.

By Anthony S. Volpe and Emily Denisco

8 minute read

January 04, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

I represent a commercial client in several matters. I am also holding for that client monies in my escrow that I've recovered for the client, but the client has not asked me to distribute the monies yet. For some reason, my client has become upset with me and refuses to pay my legal fees on the unrelated other cases. Can I deduct that fee out of the other monies I am holding for the same client?

By Samuel C. Stretton

7 minute read

January 04, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

On Sept. 10, 2013, plaintiff Martha Martin discovered water damage to her home, on Lafferty Ave., in Pittsburgh. She found that a toilet had leaked, causing a significant amount of water to flood in her house. She had been away from her home since April of that year. The water allegedly damaged ceilings, walls, carpeting and personal property.

By VerdictSearch

3 minute read