Firm Insights

Why is Lucasfilm Suing this Lightsaber School? In the midst of losing themselves in the thrill of fantastical combat, a company of Star Wars enthusiasts are facing a lawsuit over their lightsaber school from the very company that started the billion-dollar franchise. Disney’s Lucasfilm recently filed a suit in the United States District Court’s Northern District of […]

Why You Should Consider Naming a Back-up Arbitrator In Your Business Contracts Business and consumer agreements frequently contain provisions that require contract disputes to be resolved via arbitration. But what happens if the arbitrator named in the contract is no longer available — should you designate a back-up arbitrator? The issue of arbitrator unavailability has […]

The Best Advice That I Give to a Family Business in New Jersey We frequently end up being the “House Doctor” for closely-held, family owned businesses in New Jersey. Most people know that New Jersey is an incredibly expensive and legally complicated environment for business, especially for the family business.My advice to owners (proprietors, shareholders […]

How Could These Proposed Updates Change IP Licensing Guidelines? The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are proposing amendments to Antitrust Guidelines for the licensing of intellectual property. According to the agencies, the IP Licensing Guidelines, which were issued in 1995, should be updated to reflect current statutory and case law. The […]

The Legal Risks Businesses Should Consider Before Hosting Office Halloween Parties Halloween isn’t just for children. In fact, Americans ranked Halloween as their third-favorite holiday, right behind Christmas and Thanksgiving.But should ghosts and goblins be allowed in the office? Studies confirm that workplace social functions boost morale and teamwork. Unfortunately, they can also provide a breeding […]

Will NYC Prevent Employers From Inquiring Into Applicants’ Salary History? In 2016, major initiatives have been announced by federal, state and city governments to combat unequal pay for women. For example, the EEOC is requesting new information on EEO-1s that will better track information that reveals pay discrimination. As complicated as compliance with employment laws […]

Could These Changes in Federal Tax Law Affect Your Partnership or LLC? The Bipartisan Budget Act changed the procedures for auditing tax returns filed by partnerships. The TEFRA partnership audit procedures which were adopted in 1982 and the electing large partnership rules are repealed effective for returns filed for partnership tax years beginning after 2017.These […]

Is Your Business Facing These Employment Law Challenges? The American workforce is aging rapidly, and many companies are not equipped to manage the legal challenges. Nearly every week, a major U.S. company is named in an age discrimination lawsuit. HP and Tesla are among the latest.The risk of liability will only increase as the Baby […]

The Dallas Cowboys trademark infringement action against a youth football academy Recently, the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys filed an official action against two former players for trademark infringement. According to Forbes contributor Darren Heitner, the team filed an opposition with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against the players’ use of the Cowboys trademark […]

Where state law matters in proper will execution We expect that as time passes, people become more sophisticated and aware of what must be done to execute a valid will. Unfortunately, this is not so. In certain states, execution of a will is complete when it is signed by a second witness. Some states require […]

Should Your Business Consider a Direct Public Offering? We’ve previously discussed on our Firm Insights what you should consider before going public via initial public offering (IPO), but what about a direct public offering (DPO)? For many small businesses, the idea of eventually taking a company public is a pipe dream. But this is a misconception because while […]

If you are a small business owner and receive income from your business for services, you will need to eventually pay employment tax as well as individual income tax on that money. As this is commonly misunderstood at tax time, many small business owners and sole proprietors end up with sizable IRS bills come tax […]