What IP Attorneys Need to Know About M&A Agreements

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

Although federal and state corporation, securities, antitrust, and tax laws governing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are complex and nuanced, and the structure of a given transaction is usually driven by tax and securities considerations that aren’t within intellectual property counsel’s control, it’s useful for intellectual property lawyers to know the basic structures of these deals and the impact on the intellectual property provisions in the agreement. Here’s a crash course on basic types of M&A agreements. Read more »

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Get Intellectual Property Counsel in on Your M&A Deal

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

Despite Zuckerman’s decision to go it alone on the Instagram deal, intellectual property counsel play an increasingly important role in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). M&A used to be the domain of corporate lawyers, and corporate lawyers still typically lead M&A transaction teams, but it’s now common to see intellectual property counsel from both sides working as part of the team to draft and negotiate the intellectual property aspects of the agreement. That is as it should be. Read more »

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Why Are Client Communications So Important?

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

In this video, attorney and author Micha Liberty not only explains why client communications are so important, but also describes the most common errors attorneys make in client communications and how to avoid them.

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What Can You Do About an Inaccurate Credit Report?

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

Most people know they’re entitled to a copy of their credit report once a year from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies for free. But many don’t realize that, if you see something in your credit report that’s wrong, there’s something you can do about it: You can and should dispute incorrect or inaccurate information in your credit report. Read more »

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Is a Conservatorship Needed?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

Another sad family drama is playing out in public because of its connection to a celebrity: Forbes.com reports that actress Reese Witherspoon’s mother is suing to annul the bigamous marriage entered into by her husband, Reese’s father, Dr. John Witherspoon. Reese’s mother fears that her father is suffering from early-onset dementia and claims to be using this lawsuit to protect him from his new “wife.” As the article explains, suing to annul the marriage may not be the best way to protect Dr. Witherspoon; instead, this may be an appropriate situation for a conservatorship. Read more »

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Former Law Applies to No Contest Clause: Court Decision Would Enforce Unenforceable Clauses

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

Talk about a Catch-22: By checking if a no contest clause in their parents’ trust applies under former law, the daughters actually made the clause applicable! The Second District Court of Appeal has recently made the odd holding that no contest clauses in trust documents that are unenforceable under current law can still be enforced. See Donkin v Donkin (Mar. 23, 2012, B228704) 2012 Cal App Lexis 340. Read more »

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Should You Stipulate?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

Sometimes strength comes from seeming weakness. A potentially powerful tool for a civil litigant is to stipulate or admit to certain facts. But knowing when to stipulate is an art. Read more »

Filed under: Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Protect Yourself When You Need Home Health Care

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

The following is a guest blog post by Cynthia E. Fruchtman, of the Law Offices of Cynthia E. Fruchtman. Ms. Fruchtman represents and advises employers and employees on all aspects of the employment relationship and represents businesses in commercial and employment-related litigation in all forums.

Home health care is expensive, especially when it is done right. People who need home health care often try to avoid the expense by hiring caregivers through want ads or the internet or by word-of-mouth, and there are plenty of unskilled or minimally skilled individuals who are happy to receive room and board and wages in cash in exchange for caring for needy individuals in the individuals’ own homes. But this can result in problems, the worst of which arise when it comes to taxes, termination, or injuries on the job. Read more »

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More Hiring Means More Employment Contracts: 4 Reasons to Use Them

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

As the economy improves and hiring starts to increase, it’s time for employers to think about employment contracts again. Read more »

Filed under: Employment Law, Legal Topics | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Greed, Elder Abuse, or Both?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Julie Brook, Esq.

A lottery win has spawned a financial elder abuse claim: A mother is accusing her son of stealing her $51 million lottery jackpot. As ABCnews.com reports, financial elder abuse is a growing problem and, this lottery case notwithstanding, often in the shadows because the elderly are too embarrassed to admit they’ve been scammed. Read more »

Filed under: Civil Litigation, Elder Law, Legal Topics | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

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