Articles & Blogs
Changes 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.
Why 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.
read moreRipples of Kindness
With the Start of the New Year – secular that is – I want to share a true story of another new year.
On the Second day of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish new year, in an Orthodox Synagogue, five men are called up to offer a blessing on the Torah reading for the day from the book of Genesis. In Hebrew this is called an “Aliyah,” related to the word for going up.
read moreMy Bucket List
As I approach a milestone birthday in the coming year, I feel more compelled to accomplish what I perceive as my “Bucket List” in life. One of my “list” items was attending a home football game of my favorite team – the New York Giants. Something I have always wanted to do.
read moreCopycats and Copyrights
“Don’t believe me just watch! Don’t believe me just watch!” lyrics to Bruno Mars’ wildly popular hit “Uptown Funk” song could not be any more appropriate for what he is going through right now. Recently, surviving members of an 80’s funk band, Collage, sued Bruno Mars for copyright infringement.
read moreClick and You’re Sued?
In today’s electronic world of websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc., sharing one’s feelings with others is as easy as clicking a mouse or hitting “post” on a smart phone. The author can even remain anonymous if s/he chooses. But, what if the statements that are shared online aren’t true? Defamation – a false statement made to a third party about a public or private person – is no laughing matter.
read moreNew Laws That May Affect You
For several months my wife Carol and I were members of the wine club sponsored by the Baron Herzog wineries, one of the largest kosher wineries in the United States. Every quarter the winery would send us one of their choicer reserve wines plus a featured wine of another winery, such as a wonderful chardonnay from the Goose Bay Winery in New Zealand. Then suddenly the shipments stopped.
read moreComplimentary T-Shirt
Last week, I was fortunate to be able to coach my son David’s 13-14 year old basketball team for Team Phoenix at the JCC Maccabi Games in St. Louis. I have coached my kids mostly in basketball, but also flag football and baseball, for over 13 years, totaling approximately 50 different teams and hundreds of games. But, this was my first Maccabi Tournament experience.
read moreWhat a Difference 226 Years Makes
A patent is a license granted to an inventor by the government, giving the inventor the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling his or her invention for a set period. In exchange for sharing the details of your invention with the world, you are allowed to monopolize your invention for up to 20 years. (This, by the way, is one reason prescription medicines are so expensive before generics can be sold.)
read moreThe Not So Legal Holidays
Holidays are bookends to the summer. For many, Memorial Day starts the season of barbecues and beaches, vacations and road trips, and Labor Day ends it. The upcoming July 4th holiday punctuates the middle with fireworks and red, white and blue.
Looking for a way to define “Business Days” in a contract I was preparing for a client, I referenced Section 1-301 of the Arizona Revised Statutes to exclude from the definition all legal holidays under Arizona law. While doing so, I serendipitously found a listing of some not so legal holidays grouped together in the same chapter of Arizona Revised Statues that establishes the legal ones.
read moreNo One Likes a Family Feud (If It’s Not a TV Show)
Prince could have minimized the chances of ugly scenes, lies and explosions by preparing and executing a well thought-out estate plan. And a well thought-out estate plan is not only for the rich and for those who need to minimize their estate-tax burden.
read moreRental Property Registration
Rental properties can be a great investment but sometimes they can give you a headache. One way to eliminate potential headaches is to know the laws governing rental properties in Arizona. Many landlords are not aware of an Arizona statute which requires landlords to register their rental property with the assessor in the county where the property is located.
read moreFind Your Passion and Go For It!
It is hard to believe that I have been an attorney for over 22 years! When I first started practicing I was often asked “why did you decide to become a lawyer?” It seems like years since I have been asked that question. Maybe that is why I asked it of myself lately when reading two recent news stories.
read moreMaricopa County Property Taxes – 2017 Notice of Value
Attention Maricopa County property owners! Be on the lookout for the Maricopa County Assessor’s 2017 Notice of Value. Most were mailed on February 19, 2016. You have 60 days to file a direct appeal to the Assessor from the date the Notice of Value was mailed. In Maricopa County, April 19 is the deadline to appeal the Maricopa County Assessor’s assignment of property value to your home for 2017 directly to the Assessor.
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