Giving 501(c)(3) Charitable Organizations Basics

Giving Tuesday was created as a vehicle to channel all of the good will and spending from the holiday season into charitable organizations.  A charitable organization are usually tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and, thus called 501(c)(3)’s.  Organizations that are accepted by the IRS to be tax exempt under section … Read more

Play 100 Questions to Find Your Match

  In the running for the most asked question of 2016 is “How do I pick a good lawyer?”  I have been asked this again and again by people.  My best answer is “Ask questions!” First, ask people you trust: Who do you use? Do you like them? Do they listen to you? Are they … Read more

A Dancing Date at the City Clerk’s Office

A stereotypical date night out includes dinner, drinks, and maybe dancing to a band.  Turns out that is also a stereotypical list of licenses you need to get if you are starting a place where people will enjoy those behaviors.  The license that I, at least, hear the least about is the Entertainment License.  In … Read more

Who runs the world?

Turns out, it isn’t girls who run the world, but contracts that do.  Sorry, Beyonce  You can barely get through a week without agreeing to one whether it is getting a cell phone, signing up for a new social media account, or getting an oil change.  The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory … Read more

Swim, Bike, Run: A Business Plan

I have a friend who has completed multiple Ironman competitions (7 of them, I believe).  For those not aware, an Ironman competition is a triathlon organized by the World Triathlon Corporation.  It consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile run, done in that order and without stopping.  It is … Read more

Having a Capital Time

Capital letters are special things.  They mark the beginnings of sentences.  They show proper nouns are distinct from other nouns.  They help differentiate a title from a sentence and an acronym from a word.  All sorts of magic!  In contracts, they have an additional job:  They show that a term is defined somewhere within that … Read more

Location, Location, Location

One provision often found at the end of a contract discusses jurisdiction, venue, and choice of law. It is one of those paragraphs that you probably skipped over and maybe  even called boilerplate. But, guess what, it could matter a whole lot if the parties get involved in a lawsuit. First, let’s talk about jurisdiction. … Read more

Make It a Triple (or Not)

When signing a commercial lease, it is very important to know what is included as part of the rent payment and what additional payments may be due.  Often tenants go into a lease negotiation with a belief that as long as they are paying their base rent, everything is covered.  However, that may not be … Read more