Posts written by buteralaw
What is Allocatur?
In simple terms, allocatur is a petition to an appellate court for permission to be allowed to file an appeal. An allocatur petition is generally filed where an automatic right to appeal does not exist. In Pennsylvania, a litigant has an absolute right to appeal… Continue reading
Latin Lovers – Sine Qua Non
Some things are important and some things are absolutely necessary. You can go for many days without food, but without water, your days are really numbered. Water is the sine qua non of human life. Sine qua non means literally “without which is nothing”. It… Continue reading
Acquiring Equipment – The Options
How to furnish your business with the necessary equipment can be a difficult decision. From a legal and financial perspective, the basic question is how to acquire the equipment. There are three basic options – buying it, leasing it, or leasing it under a so-called… Continue reading
Entity Choice for Holding Real Estate in Pennsylvania
Everyone agrees that the average landlord or real estate developer is well-advised to hold real estate in a legal entity. The benefits of limited liability are too obvious to discuss. However, the question of what limited liability entity to hold the entity in is a… Continue reading
Are you Losing your Appeal?
The Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure are both precise, and unforgiving. If you wish to appeal a decision of a lower court (such as the County Court of Common Pleas), the general rule is that you have 30 days from the entry of the lower… Continue reading
Real Estate Assessment Appeal Deadlines
It is real estate assessment appeal time again. The assessment appeals deadline for the upcoming year is fast approaching. The due date for Montgomery, Chester, Bucks, Lehigh and Delaware Counties is August 1, 2017. For Berks County the deadline is August 15, 2017. If you… Continue reading
Responsible Alcohol Management Program
Last summer Governor Wolf signed Act 39 of 2016 which made several changes to the Liquor Code. Among those changes were provisions regarding the Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP) requirements. RAMP training covers how to detect fake IDs, identify signs of intoxication and how to… Continue reading
Maximizing Landlord’s Recovery after a Default
Our firm frequently represents landlords regarding leases that are in default. Usually the landlord’s object is clear, recover the property as soon as possible and make it productive again. Sometimes however the goal is more complicated and the landlord’s options other than pursuing a straight-forward… Continue reading
The “Subsequent Repair Doctrine”
Suppose a pedestrian is walking along the sidewalk in front of your house and trips over a large crack in the sidewalk, sustaining serious injury. The pedestrian sues you, claiming your failure to maintain the sidewalk was the proximate cause of the injury. Upon inspection,… Continue reading
What is a Temporary Restraining Order?
Recently in the news there has been much talk about “temporary restraining orders”, particularly in connection with the suspension of the President’s “travel ban” by various federal courts. So what is a temporary restraining order (“TRO”)? A TRO is a type of injunction issued by… Continue reading