Monthly Archives: July 2006
What is Confession of Judgment?
Confession of judgment” is an agreement by a party to a lease or promissory note that in the event of a default, the other party, usually a landlord or lender, may proceed to the county courthouse, declare a default and enter judgment immediately in an… Continue reading
Employee Handbooks
Owners of small to mid-sized businesses often ask whether they should have an employee handbook. The benefits of a well-written handbook are many.While there is no law that says you have to have one, failure to have a handbook leaves an employer open to potential… Continue reading
Consideration of the Living Will?
In 1992 Pennsylvania adopted a law which permits “advance directives” by each of us in the event that we become terminally ill; the somewhat contradictory term that has evolved to describe such a direction is “living will”. Each person can direct that no artificial means… Continue reading
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
This past summer, President Clinton signed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, which contains substantial changes in income, excise, estate and gift taxation. The name of the Act is more than appropriate, and a few of my partners are lobbying for an annual tax relief… Continue reading
Mom, Apple Pie, and Litigation for Free!
You are sitting in your living room in a placid state when the bell rings; it’s the county sheriff, and he serves you with a complaint from your next-door neighbor, alleging that last summer’s addition to your garage has caused a flood in his basement,… Continue reading
What Every Landowner Should Know About Adverse Possession
Few areas of law retain so many of the quirks from the law the American colonists brought over as the law of real property. Property law can be traced back hundreds of years, and many aspects of the law have changed little over the years.… Continue reading
Expungement of Criminal Records
Like all states, Pennsylvania maintains centralized records of criminal history information. These records contain a broad range of information collected by criminal justice agencies throughout the State arising from brushes with the law, including records of arrest, indictment, other formal criminal charges and the disposition… Continue reading
How to Handle a Traffic Stop
We have handled a fair number of traffic cases, and a common thread we see is that the outcome of a traffic stop can depend heavily on the interaction with the police officer making the stop. Suppose you are stopped after going through a traffic… Continue reading
Latin Lovers IV
Look on the back of a quarter (or any other coin) and you will see the familiar phrase E Pluribus Unum – the motto for the United States of America. So what does it mean? Literally, “one out of many.” America was formed from a… Continue reading
Business Entities – – Some New Options
The law recognizes two types of persons: the natural kind, like you and me who eat three meals a day, sleep through alarm clocks, etc.; and the artificial kind which are legal entities created to perform a specific task. Imagine our economy without corporations, partnerships,… Continue reading