Articles & Blogs
Avoiding Issues With Contractors
I recently read a news article about a woman who paid a $400 cash deposit to a handyman for some work to be done on her house. The handyman took the money but never did any work. She had no written contract with him and no way to make him pay, except to try to get a news station to pick up the story to shame the handyman into paying. He still didn't pay her.
read moreNew USPTO Rules for Federal Trademark Filings
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced several new ¬¬rules that change the process for trademark registrations. The first applies to foreign trademark applicants, registrants or parties to trademark proceedings. The second requires all trademark applications, submissions and relevant documents to be filed electronically through the USPTO’s online Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).
read moreLitigation and the Dangers of Social Media
These days social media use is an integral part of everyday life for so many people. We connect and interact with others in the cyber world by sharing our ideas, discussing our interests, and posting photos revealing where we are and what we are doing several times throughout each day. But, how many social media users actually pause to consider the consequences of disclosing so much information on-line?
read moreNo Estate Plan or Will – A Horror Beyond Prince
Many of us are familiar with the ongoing battles over the estate of the late pop singer Prince, who died without an estate plan. People came out of the woodwork claiming to be a relative or child. The matter will be tied up in the courts for years draining the estate of much of its worth.
read moreNew Legislation Impacts Tax Lien Certificates
Arizona recently introduced legislation that modifies the expiration of tax lien certificates. A.R.S. § 42-18127 now specifies that the original tax lien and all subsequent liens on a property have a 10-year statutory limit based on the date that the original lien was acquired.
read moreThe Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement
The residential real estate market in Phoenix and nationwide is typically the busiest in the spring and early summer. If you are in the market to either buy or sell your home, be prepared to review and sign a large number of important documents during the process. One important document that the seller typically completes as part of a residential sale is the Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement or SPDS.
read moreAge Discrimination On the Rise
A number of major U.S. companies, including IBM and IKEA, have been named in recent lawsuits claiming discrimination against older workers. The most recent lawsuit against IBM follows a ProPublica story published last March that exposed a companywide strategy aimed at “correcting seniority mix.” For Ikea, this is the fifth age discrimination lawsuit filed against the company in just over a year. Discrimination against “older workers” is clearly an increasing problem.
read moreInternet Libel
Think you can post anything you want on the Internet or on social media? Well, think again! The internet is not a safe haven for offensive speech, particularly when it defames and harms the reputation of a business or an individual. Individuals often try to escape exposure for defamation and libel by shielding themselves with a cloak of anonymity the Internet seems to provide.
read moreLost and Found – Kindness
I was working at my desk one afternoon, recently, when I received a peculiar telephone call. Our receptionist told me that the caller was from Israel and announced that I did not know him but he asked to speak to me. I have family in Israel and a daughter studying there this year; so, I thought it could be related to either and I took the call.
read moreCollege Student Leases: What You Need To Know
Some colleges require first year students to reside on campus or in a complex associated with the University. Be careful when signing those leases as they have many harsh provisions unlike the typical residential lease.
read moreDivorce and the IRS
Spousal maintenance (often referred to as alimony) is a payment, generally monthly, from one divorced spouse to the other. For a Maricopa County court to award spousal maintenance, divorcing spouses must be married for at least 3-4 years and there must be a meaningful disparity in income or potential income.
read moreUnderstanding UnderInsured Motorist Coverage
As we enter the summer months, many of us may plan on taking a vacation, road trip or even a stay-cation. With that in mind, it is important to know exactly what protection your car insurance may or may not provide you in case of an accident.
read moreChanges to the Estate and Gift Tax
Last month we advised you about changes to the income tax that limited deductions for real estate taxes and interest on home equity loans. President Trump’s signing of the new tax bill not only affected income taxes but also significantly changed the federal estate tax laws.
read moreTax Reforms: Impact on Real Estate Tax Deductions
Three changes to U.S. tax code resulting from the recent tax reform laws could impact your real estate tax deductions on your federal taxes.
read moreInvesting in Real Property Tax Liens
In Arizona, counties can place a lien on real property for unpaid property taxes and subsequently auction off the lien to investors in the form of a tax lien certificate. A separate tax lien certificate is issued and auctioned off for each year of unpaid taxes, which means there could be multiple investors on the same property. The tax lien is prior and superior even to a mortgage or deed of trust securing a loan on the property.
read moreYou’ve Been in a Crash…Now What?
An automobile accident can be a traumatic and terrifying experience. One moment you’re driving down the road headed to your destination. The next you’re in shock and feeling like your life has been turned upside down.
Last year alone, there were 126,845 motor vehicle crashes in Arizona.
read moreWhy Mediate?
I almost always recommend mediation as an option to get a case resolved. Mediation is a voluntary process where the parties come together to try to resolve their case with the help of a trained, unbiased third party, i.e., a mediator. In mediation, resolving the case is not mandatory which means that you might engage in mediation and not resolve your case at the mediation.
read moreA New Slant on Trademark Law
In 2006, Simon Tam founded an Asian-American rock band in Portland, Oregon. He named the band “Slants”. In Mr. Tam’s words, “It actually sounds like a fun, 80s, New Wave-kind of band. And it’s a play on words. We can share our personal experiences about what it’s like being people of color—our own slant on life, if you will.
read moreBad News for Consumers With Credit Card Debt
A recent Arizona Court of Appeals ruling in the matter of Mertola, Inc. v. Alberto J. Santos, et al is bad news for consumers when it comes to credit card debt. Until now, creditors in Arizona had a limit of six years from the time a minimum monthly payment was missed to file a debt collection lawsuit.
read moreLessons from the Super Bowl
Most of us watched the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. If you didn't watch it, you most likely heard about the largest comeback in Super Bowl history (25 points) and that it was the first Super Bowl overtime game ever. I am not writing this letter because I am a Tom Brady or Patriots fan. In fact, I am a die-hard Giants fan and will let you know that Tom Brady and the Patriots are now 5-2 in Super Bowls, both loses inflicted by my Giants (but I digress). I believe there is a great lesson to be learned by the Super Bowl outcome.
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