The Law Firm of Jeffrey P. Laner

Does a business owe you money? Sick of chasing people? Our contingency based (risk free, no fee up front) debt collection services will maxi

Remember the good old days when you used to be able to avoid your state’s sale tax by purchasing stuff through over the Internet? What happened to that, and can you still do it? Disclaimer: The following information does NOT constitute legal advice and is only for general educational purposes. Each situation is different and specific legal issues usually require additional research and investigation, so do not rely on this article to address a particular legal issue; use thi

Introduction What is the secret shadow court where rejected and contested trademark claims go? Who comprises this mysterious body? And what powers do they wield in their never ending quest for justice and determining the rights of millions of trademark owners? Well, it’s actually a bit less melodramatic than that, even if it is a bit unknown. The name of this group is the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, located in Alexandria, VA, and is a body within the United State Patent

Last month we talked about how to approach a collections situation where you worked very hard for someone else, providing them everything they asked, sometimes for hundreds of hours, but for whatever reason they didn’t pay you. This month we will talk about a very similar situation where you provided goods or services and the other person isn’t paying you, but this time, it’s because they claim you ripped them off or screwed-up. This is the second most common excuse I hear fo

Introduction So, you’re a talented entrepreneur, consultant or small business owner. You provided a great deal of services or products to another company, a bit larger and more established than yourself. And yet, even with all those resources, this bigger buyer for some reason hasn’t paid you yet, or not in full. Maybe they claim they are waiting on a payment. Perhaps they claim you did something wrong and they are using that either as justification or an excuse to delay or e

Networking at the Red NYC event on March 5, 2019. REDinNYC is a networking event series dedicated to connecting, supporting and promoting individuals and businesses in the real estate industry in New York City, New York State, the country and the world. You can find more info here: https://www.redinnyc.com/ My good buddy Vincent Leone of Roma Tailors was with me (and indeed invited me to the event). If you like finely tailored clothes and a reasonable price (and no I wasn't p

Introduction In the last article we discussed how indemnification clauses in contracts seek to protect one party from damages caused by another party. This picks up where the last one left off. Indemnification is basically a fancy wordy for reimbursement. For instance, Party A Retailer sells a product made by Party B Manufacturer, that blows up in the face of Consumer C. C sues A & B. What happens if Party B Manufacturer “indemnified” Party A Retailer in the contract? Well, “

Introduction Properly drafting contracts can help avoid misunderstandings, ensure prompt payments and cover your losses if something “bad” occurs. Here a few tips to help you make sure those “form contracts” you downloaded for free are worth more than the virtual paper they were written on. Disclaimer: The following information does NOT constitute legal advice and is only for general educational purposes. Each situation is different and specific legal issues usually require

Introduction I decided to write this piece because the last few years have taught me quite a lot about representing the “common” salt-of-the-Earth types that really make this world go around - the “solo-preneur” who often has a “real” or side job, or has invested their modest life savings into make a dream come true; or perhaps two partners operating out of a “garage” (or the NYC equivalent), and so forth. Previously, most of my experience was gained working in large multi-bi

Introduction Previous articles of mine dealt with “must-have” provisions in contracts. However, ever wonder what some of the boring “blah-blah” is, usually at the end of the contract? The kind of stuff that seems like it’s in everything you ever signed? Let’s talk about some of it. Disclaimer: The following information does NOT constitute legal advice and is only for general educational purposes. Each situation is different and specific legal issues usually require additiona