Legal Insights
Articles from Our Various Practice Areas
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Buying or Selling a Business - A Primer
Buying or selling a business can be a wonderful, terrifying experience. Many who seek our assistance have never been through a business acquisition, and they may have no idea what to expect. As with any business activity, a sale or acquisition requires careful planning. It is best to view the sale as a process that can be broken down into individual steps, each to be taken in turn. Of course, as with life, the deal is what happens while we're busy making plans. Still, a few basic guidelines may save a lot of time and heartache and (heaven forbid) attorneys' fees. Read More
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The Essential Role of Insurance in a Business Succession Plan
One of the most common concerns that an owner of a closely-held business faces regarding business succession is liquidity. How can the future owners of the business, be they family or key employees, pay the owner or his family the fair market value of the business? How can a business continue when an owner dies prematurely? One answer is to use life insurance. This article will highlight how insurance policies can play a central role in a succession plan that preserves the value and integrity of the business, while maintaining family unity. Read More
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Contract Negotiations and the Importance of Home Court Advantage
If your company were to find itself in a lawsuit arising from a contract dispute with another company, would you prefer to be represented by a law firm that you know well, in a courthouse a few miles from your company office? Or, would you rather be represented by lawyers that you have just retained, in a courthouse hundreds of miles away?
Similarly, if your company enters into negotiations to resolve a commercial dispute, would you enjoy a tactical advantage if both sides understood that any litigation resulting from a breakdown of negotiations will cost the other side tens of thousands of dollars more in litigation costs than it will cost your company?
The answers to these questions are obviously yes... Read More
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Today, lenders across Maryland are facing stiff headwinds. From my perspective, lenders can't seem to catch a break. Regulators want them to limit risks while at the same time increasing business. Management must tightly control expenses to maintain earnings, but for many institutions, the gains from those efforts are eroded by a low rate interest rate environment and continuing efforts to work through past loan problems. And of course, low demand from qualified customers and competition from old and new foes in the marketplace means that lenders must work ever harder for their returns. All in all, the current environment is challenging lenders to be creative in order to not only gain a position as one of their customers' trusted advisors, but also to sell their products and services. Read More |
