Category: Law You Can Use

Over my 25-plus years of practicing law I have seen some repetitive mistakes made by many different business owners.  The following list represents five of the more common mistakes:

FAILING TO OPERATE AS AN ENTITY  

If you go to the trouble and set up a corporation or a limited liability company (“LLC”), you need to make sure that you operate your business as an entity.  What do I mean?  All agreements should be between your company and the other party – not between you and the other party.  Make sure you always list your company as the entity that is entering into the agreement.    (more…)

You pay someone to create a masterful work for a client and you find that it can be used as a template in your business for other clients.  Because you paid for it, you may assume that you own the copyright and can re-use and create derivative works from this masterpiece as much as you want. (more…)

As an estate planning attorney, I see on a much too regular basis the aftermath of the “unexpected” and what happens when people are not prepared.

Being prepared is not something you do for yourself:  being prepared is something you do for those you love.  You must consider the following six key points, some legal and some just practical, to help make sure you are prepared:   (more…)

In a world flooded with information, branding becomes the key to standing out against competitors, even in relatively local markets.  Picking the right brand presents a marketing challenge, in that you need to find the message, the emotional tone and the specific words and images that work to achieve your goals. (more…)

Over the past several weeks I have received a steady stream of calls from people who are interesting in buying real estate. Whether it be a home for their family or commercial property for the operation of a business, the important points to consider are largely the same. Consider all of these seven points before  purchasing real estate:  (more…)

Contracts — not a particularly exciting or sexy concept —  are fundamental to doing business. Contracts are all around us in business: whether selling or buying goods or services, we enter into contracts all the time.

Sometimes we create contracts without knowing we did. In a sale of goods, much of the terms of the contract beyond the name and price of the product may be supplied by the Uniform Commercial Code and never discussed by the parties involved. Disputes can be resolved by going back to legal rules that no one may have looked at or discussed at the time the contract was made or performed. (more…)

Many successful people use beginning of the year is a great time to stop and evaluate the operation of their businesses.  The failure to pay attention to the legal details of any business operation can lead to some very expensive consequences.  The following are six essential areas you should not neglect. (more…)

Happy New Year! — the time of year full of new beginnings and new plans!

Writing this column every other month initiates a new plan for me. My goal is to bring you food for thought on legal topics that are relevant to you.  (more…)

About the Law

Does Your Legacy Deserve the Services of a Craftsman?

Sometimes it just makes sense to share what others have written. A colleague of mine, Jesse Bateman, who is director of Financial Services at NFP Thorbahn, sent along an article that explains in a very logical fashion why some people are technicians and some are crafts people. (more…)

Sell, Buy or Stay Where You Are

Unbelievable as it may seem, interest rates have risen — as have prices
Since we all have short, very short memories, let me remind you the rates are still low.
Having represented BUYERS, SELLERS AND LENDERS for more than three decades, what I have learned is:

If the time and the deal are right for you then make the deal:  Remember that this is a place to live it is not a temple or a shrine.  Hopefully it will meet most of your expectations.  It will not meet all of them.  Many things are cosmetic some are serious.  Some are so difficult that they will take your breath away and often the cash in your wallet. (more…)