Posts written by buteralaw
Liquor License Transfers
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (“LCB”) issues, renews, or validates over 21,000 liquor licenses per year. A license can be issued only when there is both an owner (which can be either an individual or an entity) and a location for the license. Licenses associated… Continue reading
Spot Assessments and Appeals by Local Bodies
In past articles, we have published notices of deadlines for property owners to appeal real estate assessments where they believe the assessments to be too high. What if, due to changing market values or other causes, the assessment is too low? Real estate assessments are… Continue reading
Queen’s English – Those Pesky Homonyms
Homonyms, words that sound alike but are spelled differently, are sprinkled throughout English. Here are some to test your ears Bill’s expression was marred by a nervous tic/tick. The resolution of the suspense peaked/piqued her interest. The story had two discreet/discrete endings The messenger might… Continue reading
The Black Box in Your New Car
It is not well known that 96% of all new vehicles sold in the United States this year will come equipped with a box known as an event data recorder, or commonly known as a “black box.” The electronic device is designed to record the… Continue reading
Charitable Remainder Trusts
The Charitable Remainder Trust has become an increasingly popular vehicle for charitably minded individuals who are not quite ready to make outright gifts to charity. These trusts essentially provide for a long-term stream of payments to the donor or other designated party, while at the… Continue reading
Protecting The Attorney-Client Privilege
The law recognizes certain communications as being so important as to warrant legal protection from mandatory disclosure in judicial proceedings. We have all heard of the physician-patient privilege and the clergy-penitent privilege, but the law also recognizes a privilege between attorney and client which protects… Continue reading
What is At-Will Employment?
Most workers are considered employees at-will which means generally that they can be fired at any time and for any reason. The employment at-will doctrine evolved over many years and provides that an employer or employee can end the employment relationship with no legal recourse… Continue reading
What is a Nuisance Bar?
In 1990, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (“LCB”) established the “Nuisance Bar Program” as a method of dealing with licensed establishments which were chronic offenders of the Liquor Code. In 1998, the program was expanded to allow the LCB to consider activity occurring on or… Continue reading
Tips and the Minimum Wage Laws – 2013 Update
As of the date this article goes to press, both the federal and the Pennsylvania minimum wage laws set the minimum wage at $7.25. For some employers however, the minimum wage calculation can be more complicated than simply multiplying the number of hours worked by… Continue reading
Employment: Offer Letter v. Employment Agreements
Employers are requiring restrictive covenants much more frequently than they have in the past. This is because “knowledge” workers are able to move among competing companies and may cause damage to a prior employer by revealing trade secrets or enticing co-workers or clients to move.… Continue reading