Yearly Archives: 2007

How Sweet It Is (But for Sour After Taste?)

A fascinating drama is unfolding in the federal District Court in Philadelphia involving the makers of sweeteners Equal (manufactured by Merisant) and Splenda (manufactured by McNeil Nutritionals). McNeil had adopted the advertising slogan for Spenda that it is “made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar”,… Continue reading

How Do You Spell Zoning Relief?

Whether you are a major real estate developer ready to build 300 new homes or a homeowner with a quarter-acre property who wants to build a deck in the back yard, there may come a time when you need some sort of zoning relief. In… Continue reading

One Advantage of a Limited Partnership

When starting a business (whether it is forming a business based out of your home, opening a small “mom and pop” store, or establishing a business where you buy and sell real estate), choosing the type of business entity to form (for example, an “S-Corporation”… Continue reading

Subprime Lending

  Subprime Lending       Subprime lending, also known as second chance lending, is the practice of making loans to borrowers who have a credit history that makes them unqualified for market interest rates. A subprime loan is one that is offered at rates which… Continue reading

What is Partition?

  What is Partition?       The proverb “all good things must come to an end” is often all too accurate in a world where personal and business relationships sometimes end acrimoniously.  Such bitter endings may cause many problems, such as where the parties own… Continue reading

Ashes to Whom?

  Ashes to Whom?       Under the Pennsylvania Divorce Code, the principle from which all else departs is that at the end of the relationship the assets that have been acquired by the couple during their marriage are to be divided equally (subject to… Continue reading

Queen’s English – Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing

  Queen’s English Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing     If you are a fan of Elmore Leonard as I am, you may enjoy this excerpt from his ten “rules” of writing; he says:    “Easy on the adverbs, exclamation points and especially hooptedoodle!     “1.   … Continue reading

Latin Lovers – Spring Edition

  Latin Lovers  –  Spring Edition     As a rule the judges in our civil courts generally do not act without being asked to do so, and typically a judge is asked to act either by motion or petition, either in writing or sometimes orally… Continue reading

Grandparents’ Visitation Order Upheld

  Grandparents’ Visitation Order Upheld    We recently (Fall 2006 issue) reported on a case (Hiller v. Fausey) where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had awarded visitation rights to the parents of a woman who died and was survived by a son who had developed a close… Continue reading

Metadata: Unresolved Legal Issues

From calculating expenses in spreadsheets to drafting letters or agreements, computers are utilized on a daily basis by almost every business in the world.  Computers have exponentially increased the efficiency and means of generating information.  With such increased technology, however, comes unintended and potentially damaging… Continue reading