News and Legal Articles From Our Team

Companies today are increasingly allowing employees to use a company issued smartphone or iPad for personal use. Companies actually invested money and polled employees and found that employees hated having to carry around a business and personal mobile device. While it may have seemed like an easy concession to appease employees, there are hidden dangers…

The New Jersey Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (the Act) was enacted in 1994 and governs NJ limited liability companies (LLCs). The Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (the Revised Act) is the first major revision to the Act since its inception. Only NJ LLC’s formed after March 18, 2013 will currently be governed by…

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a department of Homeland Security, requires all employers to verify the identity of their employees and their authorization to be in the country. In order to comply with this an employer must closely follow all requirements set forth in the I-9 Form. The USCIS has just released a…

The vast majority of family owned businesses fail to reach the next generation of owners as a result of poor succession planning. In fact, according to the Small Business Administration, while almost 90% of business are family owned, less than 30% of these businesses survive its second generation. Family businesses face unique intra-familial succession issues…

Effective December 24, 2012, Pennsylvania became the 29th state to adopt the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA). The UIDDA is a model uniform law that allows out of state litigants to obtain discovery in Pennsylvania quickly and in a more cost efficient manner. Here is a link to to the act as adopted…

Earlier this month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that border agents may not perform a forensic search of a traveler’s laptop merely because he is crossing the border into the United States. In the current climate of heightened security to prevent terroristic acts, we have sacrificed some of our basic…

Late last year Philadelphia enacted a new lead paint disclosure law that changes the way residential landlords do business in Philadelphia. Under the Lead Paint Disclosure and Certification (LPDC) ordinance effective later this month, a tenant in targeted situations must be given a lead paint certificate when the lease is first signed. This certificate, prepared…

Last month Philadelphia City Council proposed a bill that would prevent employers from legally requiring employees to provide them with access to an employee’s social media account. Highlights of the social media protections afforded to employees or prospective employees under the proposed bill include: The proposed bill does not however prevent an employer from monitoring…

If you recently transferred real property in Philadelphia between July 1, 2012 and January 5, 2013, you may be entitled to a refund in the amount of transfer tax paid. For clear cut real estate transaction where property is being conveyed by a deed at fair market value, the transfer tax is based upon the…

At the bottom of virtually every website is a link titled “Terms of Use” or “Terms and Conditions.” Click on this and you will see the conditions a company wants to impose on its customers who click through their website. Traditionally courts have held that “terms of use” and “privacy policy” sections of a website…