- Oct 17, 2017
Getting to Know my Colleagues at Regent Atlantic at their NYC Opening
I am always on the lookout for new quality colleagues on whom I can rely on for good advice and support. Recently, at a networking function, I was fortunate enough to meet Barbara Bilello (right) who was kind enough to invite me to the grand opening of the NYC office of Regent Atlantic, a financial planning firm. That's where I also met Cynthia Aiken (Left), as well as several other fine folks. I definitely am looking forward to seeing more tales of their good work in the com
- Sep 17, 2017
Not An "Ordinary" Experience
In August, I was pleased to travel to New Haven with client Hazel Alvarado, Founder of Whiskey with Me, to assist her in a project for the Bartender Journey Podcast. The Bartender Journey Podcast, was chosen by BevSpot as a top 10 industry pod cast, for 2017, is produced by Brian Weber. Brian was recently asked to be part of a panel at the industry’s largest conference in New Orleans that draws approximately 20,000 attendees and generates over $100 million in cumulative reve
- Sep 17, 2017
Why Isn't My Lawyer More Helpful? Part II
Last month, I attempted to explain some of the disconnect between lawyers and clients. I started by describing how much law there really is out there. Books and books and libraries and libraries of material. I also did a quickie review of how there are three bodies of law (city, state and federal) and the difference between laws passed by a legislature (“statutory” law, a.k.a. “statutes”) and the way those statutory laws are interpreted by courts (“case law"). This month, I
- Aug 17, 2017
Why Isn't My Lawyer More Helpful? Part I
What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start. How do you know a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving. “Lawyers occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” - Winston Churchill Sticks and stones, my friends. It’s fine. We have tough skins, we lawyers do. It’s a difficult profession, not for the faint hearted, and often times we lawyers feel unappreciated even by our own clients whom
- Aug 17, 2017
Laner Legal Website Improvements
I'm pleased to announce continued improvements to the Laner Legal website for your viewing ease and pleasure. Ok, "pleasure" might be a strong word, but hey, I try to make it as much fun as anyone can make business, law and legal studies. Here are some of the recent improvements: New Pages: As you may have noticed, in the last year, I added to the website, two new pages (Clients, and Videos). Revised Formatting: I also have made several changes to layout, color, content, an
- Jul 18, 2017
Business Basics Talk With Entrepreneurs @NYC Game Changers Event
On July 11, 2017, I was happy to give a talk to existing and budding entrepreneurs at the NYC Game Changers Meetup. During the conversation I went over the basics of different company structures: the solo proprietorship, the partnership, the limited liability company (LLC) and the corporation (both "C" & "S" corps). I also talked about the kinds of questions company founders should ask themselves and their partners as soon as possible, hopefully with an eye toward setting the
- Jul 17, 2017
Warranties and You Part II: Express Warranties (Limited & Full)
This is a series about something many people think about all the time when they buy something - what your rights are when things go bad. Last article, we talked about Implied Warranties, those that are “implied” (not those specifically spoken or written, but are automatically “read into the contract”) when you purchase something. In a nutshell, we discussed how in almost every state there are two kinds of implied warranties: (1) the Implied Warranty of Merchantability (the a
- Jun 17, 2017
Warranties and You Part I: Implied Warranties
Ever walk into a store with a pressing need (say a cool breeze on a hot summer night) and walk with out the perfect solution (for instance, an air conditioner) only to find it out your new prized possession didn’t exactly perform as you thought? Are you entitled to a refund, an exchange or a fix? There’s a lot of different laws that come into play here, and this article will talk about warranties, the different types and the exceptions. Disclaimer: The following information d
- May 17, 2017
Is a Verbal Contract Legally Binding?
Would a rose by any other name, smell just as sweet?[1] How about a contract? When is a contract a contract, and when is it not? When you buy a candy bar from a street kiosk vendor is that “just a purchase” or is there a contract of some kind involved? Is there a difference? How about when you order $1M electrical generator for your power plant on the basis of a phone call, only filling out the paperwork later - maybe? There can be some very important implications to if and w
- May 17, 2017
Honored to Meet, Katalin Bogyay, Hungarian Ambassador to the United Nations @The Foreign Press Assoc
A beautiful Friday with Hungarian Ambassador to the United Nations, Katalin Bogyay (to my left, your right), at the Foreign Press Association Scholarship Fund Annual Gala. This was such an honor, as I am 50% Magyar on my father's side (this one was for you grandma and grandpa!). The Ambassador was incredibly gracious and gave a spell binding speech about her own story and growth as a journalist and diplomat. (and the food, of course, was enviable in the extreme, courtesy of t
