For the Public

amazon

Game of Clones: Amazon Style

Amazon’s Marketplace According to a Jan. 12, 2017, Forbes article, Amazon has moved past Walmart as the most valuable retailer in the United States. The Seattle Times (May 31, 2016) reported that more than two million merchants were selling their goods through Amazon. It has also been reported that it is more profitable for Amazon to handle sales and logistics

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cargo insurance

Hurricane Irma & Marine Cargo Insurance

It is important to have cargo insurance for many reasons including that an act of nature is a defense to an ocean carrier and even an inland carrier paying a claim. The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act has an act of nature defense under 46 U.S.C.A. 1304 (2). This is considered an uncontrollable loss. In other words, if the

Read More »
divorce

Funding the Divorce Case: Options for Potential Clients

How much is this going to cost? It is the number one question we get asked by clients who are seeking representation for family law matters. What do you say to a spouse who is unemployed and does not have access to the marital assets? What do you say to clients who simply do not have the cash to pay

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escrow

Borrowers Ignore Escrow Accounts at Their Peril

It’s easy to ignore the annual escrow reconciliation notice the Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act (RESPA) requires mortgage servicers to send borrowers each year. Heck, I sue mortgage servicers for a living and I admit I often shove the piece aside for days before checking to see if it’s accurate. Despite its innocuous appearance, the notice is way more important

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call

‘Ring, Ring. Recording. Another *%&$! Robo Call. There Ought to be a Law!’

How many times have you answered a call from a strange number, only to be greeted by an automated message trying to sell you something you don’t want? Or received a text from a retailer you’ve never heard of promoting their product? Annoying, right? Congress agrees. Accordingly, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 USC § 227, (TCPA) expressly prohibits the

Read More »
unemployment benefits

Unemployment Benefits

Managing unemployment benefits can be a very important tool for employers who are looking to manage their employment costs. Ohio employers who have at least one employee who has worked for them for 20 weeks are required to pay an unemployment tax. That tax is paid on the first $9,000 of every employee’s wages. The tax rate varies from employer

Read More »
patent pending

“Patent Pending” – Is It Real or Fake News?

Your client wants to introduce a new product, but a competitor’s similar product is promoted as “Patent Pending.” What’s the legal effect of that marking? Does this mean your client should forget about pursuing its proposed new product? To sort this out, you first must know what it means to own an issued patent. A U.S. patent is a bundle

Read More »
lawyer's lawyer

The Benefits of Collaborative Divorce

Parties to divorce face hard choices and often, emotional trauma. As divorce lawyers, we are tasked with supporting people who have been stripped of the life they once knew and are required to absorb that loss while facing monumental decisions that will have lasting impact on their children and their future; however, our traditional adversary system is often unable to

Read More »
applicant

Intent Key to Requesting Job Applicants’ Credentials

Minnesota law states that an employer cannot ask a job applicant “to furnish information that pertains to … age” unless a bonafide occupational qualification applies. Minn. Stat. § 363A.08, subd. 4(a)(1). Does this mean that asking for dates of education is prohibited because it “pertains to age?” The answer depends on whether the question is supported by a legitimate reason.

Read More »
amazon

Game of Clones: Amazon Style

Amazon’s Marketplace According to a Jan. 12, 2017, Forbes article, Amazon has moved past Walmart as the most valuable retailer in the United States. The Seattle Times (May 31, 2016) reported that more than two million merchants were selling their goods through Amazon. It has also been reported that it is more profitable for Amazon to handle sales and logistics

Read More »
cargo insurance

Hurricane Irma & Marine Cargo Insurance

It is important to have cargo insurance for many reasons including that an act of nature is a defense to an ocean carrier and even an inland carrier paying a claim. The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act has an act of nature defense under 46 U.S.C.A. 1304 (2). This is considered an uncontrollable loss. In other words, if the

Read More »
divorce

Funding the Divorce Case: Options for Potential Clients

How much is this going to cost? It is the number one question we get asked by clients who are seeking representation for family law matters. What do you say to a spouse who is unemployed and does not have access to the marital assets? What do you say to clients who simply do not have the cash to pay

Read More »
escrow

Borrowers Ignore Escrow Accounts at Their Peril

It’s easy to ignore the annual escrow reconciliation notice the Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act (RESPA) requires mortgage servicers to send borrowers each year. Heck, I sue mortgage servicers for a living and I admit I often shove the piece aside for days before checking to see if it’s accurate. Despite its innocuous appearance, the notice is way more important

Read More »
call

‘Ring, Ring. Recording. Another *%&$! Robo Call. There Ought to be a Law!’

How many times have you answered a call from a strange number, only to be greeted by an automated message trying to sell you something you don’t want? Or received a text from a retailer you’ve never heard of promoting their product? Annoying, right? Congress agrees. Accordingly, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 USC § 227, (TCPA) expressly prohibits the

Read More »
unemployment benefits

Unemployment Benefits

Managing unemployment benefits can be a very important tool for employers who are looking to manage their employment costs. Ohio employers who have at least one employee who has worked for them for 20 weeks are required to pay an unemployment tax. That tax is paid on the first $9,000 of every employee’s wages. The tax rate varies from employer

Read More »
patent pending

“Patent Pending” – Is It Real or Fake News?

Your client wants to introduce a new product, but a competitor’s similar product is promoted as “Patent Pending.” What’s the legal effect of that marking? Does this mean your client should forget about pursuing its proposed new product? To sort this out, you first must know what it means to own an issued patent. A U.S. patent is a bundle

Read More »
lawyer's lawyer

The Benefits of Collaborative Divorce

Parties to divorce face hard choices and often, emotional trauma. As divorce lawyers, we are tasked with supporting people who have been stripped of the life they once knew and are required to absorb that loss while facing monumental decisions that will have lasting impact on their children and their future; however, our traditional adversary system is often unable to

Read More »
applicant

Intent Key to Requesting Job Applicants’ Credentials

Minnesota law states that an employer cannot ask a job applicant “to furnish information that pertains to … age” unless a bonafide occupational qualification applies. Minn. Stat. § 363A.08, subd. 4(a)(1). Does this mean that asking for dates of education is prohibited because it “pertains to age?” The answer depends on whether the question is supported by a legitimate reason.

Read More »

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