Monthly Archives: July 2006
Queen’s English — Those Pesky Capitals (and even Peskier Relatives!)
If you have ever been uncertain regarding the capitalization of titles, the following rules may assist: (a) Do not capitalize doctor, madam (or madame), sir, or similar names unless they occur before a proper name. We say, “the doctor will be unable to see you”;… Continue reading
The State of Eminent Domain in the State
Last year the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear the eminent domain case Kelo v. City of New London. Eminent domain is the power of a governmental entity to take private real estate for public use, with or without the permission of… Continue reading
The Queen’s English — Parenthetically Speaking
The parenthesis is often used to enclose incidental explanatory matters in a sentence. Normally the sentence is complete without the information in parenthesis which is inserted to add color or explanation but contains information not vital to the meaning of the sentence. Have you ever… Continue reading
Business Valuation
Before purchasing or selling a business, it is essential to determine the value of the targeted business. Without knowing the value of a business, a purchaser will not be in a position to make an informed offer. He or she will either overpay for the… Continue reading
New Resident Obtaining Driver’s License and Registration
Moving presents all sorts of annoyances and hassles. This is especially the case when one moves to a new state. As our society becomes more mobile, individuals are more apt to move to another state than their parents. Because each state has different laws regarding… Continue reading
The Limits of At-Will Employment
Pennsylvania is an at-will employment state, which means that an employer can terminate the employment of an employee for any or no reason, so long as it is not an illegal reason. The at-will employment doctrine allows either the employer or the employee to terminate… Continue reading
Latin Lovers
The term “bona fide” crops up throughout the legal profession, and most of us probably have some sense of what the term means. However, more often than not, the term “bona fide” is used improperly or ambiguously. Literally, bona fide means simply “good faith.“ … Continue reading
The Covenant Not to Compete– Too Much of a Good Thing?
In a recent decision US District Judge Stewart B. Dalzell ruled on a covenant not to compete of an employer in Telford, PA. (Fresco Systems USA, Inc. v. Bodell). Fresco, which supplies packaging supplies for companies that roast and package coffee, enters into written… Continue reading
Relief from the Automatic Stay for Residential Leases
Past issue we ran an article noting some of the major changes under the United States bankruptcy law. On October 17, 2005, the majority of the provisions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 took effect. In this article, we will… Continue reading
Katrina Kills Estate Tax and Pension Legislation
The repeal of the federal estate tax and the enactment of substantial pension reform legislation was scheduled to be voted on by the Senate on October 7, 2005. However, Hurricane Katrina blew in a couple of days before the vote. Leaders of the Senate… Continue reading