10 Essential Employment-Related Agreements

February 2, 2014.Reading time 12 minutes.

Starting a high-charging company or sorting out the employment landscape as a newly-landed executive? Here are 10 essential employment-related agreements you’ll want to be familiar with. [Note: This post was written while I was a practicing attorney running a diverse solo law practice, and it is one of a small number of “legacy posts” that I have […]

Quick Trademark Tip: Basic Searches for a Trademark on TESS

November 11, 2013.Reading time 4 minutes.

From time to time, potential clients call me with the idea of registering a trademark, and I ask them if they have first looked on TESS (the Trademark Electronic Search System). Some have never even heard of TESS. This post is a brief introduction. [Note: This post was written while I was a practicing attorney running a […]

Section 83(b) Election for StartUp Founders

November 10, 2013.Reading time 10 minutes.

So they don’t get hit with a tax crunch that could be entirely avoided with timely planning, founders of U.S. startups should be aware of Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Here’s a post about what Section 83(b) does, when it should be elected and why it is important. [Note: This post was written […]

Five Scary Legal Blowups You Can Avoid in Your Business

October 31, 2013.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s Halloween. Kids get scared by monsters and spooky Jack O’Lanterns. Adults may relive pent-up fears from the rest of the year or (hopefully) get a playful reprieve. Here are five scary legal blowups you can avoid in your business by careful, timely planning. Start tomorrow, after resting up from the Tricks and Treats. [Note: […]

A Tangled Web: State Charitable Solicitations Laws

October 30, 2013.Reading time 1 minute.

Non-profits that operate or intend to fundraise in multiple states need to familiarize themselves with the tangled web of state charitable solicitations laws. While none of these laws is particularly complicated on its own, sorting through the web is quite a task. Regulators in various states have brought enforcement actions against charities that are not […]

Becoming a Corporation: How to Transition from “Me” to “the Company”

October 3, 2013.Reading time 8 minutes.

[Note: This post was written while I was a practicing attorney running a solo law practice. Since April 2015, I have been working with attorney, executive and entrepreneur clients as a career coach and writer, and I am not currently available for legal engagements.] A client of mine recently received her filing receipt evidencing incorporation in the […]

Never, Ever Unstaple a Will (And Did I Mention Never, Ever?)

August 13, 2013.Reading time 4 minutes.

Who would have thought that a small and simple object that (can draw blood if squeezed into a finger but otherwise) appears relatively harmless could blow your entire estate plan? The common staple remover. An enemy of well-drafted last will and testaments and well-made estate plans nationwide. [Note: This post was written while I was […]