Posts written by buteralaw

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

Employee Policy Manuals

  Owners of small businesses often ask whether they should have an employee  policy manual or “handbook.”   The potential benefits of a well-written employee handbook are many.   While there is no law that swners of small businesses often ask whether they should have an… Continue reading

2005 Form 1040: Automatic 6-Month Extension

  Individuals filing Form 1040 will no longer be required to file one form for an automatic four-month extension and a second form for an additional two-month extension.    Rather, the IRS has revised the extension procedures beginning with the 2005 returns due to be filed… Continue reading

Queen’s English: Who/Whom – – A Useful

   We have but a nanosecond to decide whether to use who or whom in conversation.  From “A Grammar Book For You and I – – Oops Me” (a very comprehensive, not too ponderous, guide, incidentally) here is a useful device (the book calls it… Continue reading

Closing In On Ten Years

It is hard for us to believe, but this issue marks the final issue of our tenth year of publishing the BBC&B Law Update.  In the beginning we weren’t sure how the Law Update would be received, but readership and client response over the years… Continue reading

Series Limited Liability Companies

Since the late 1980s, when the State of Wyoming adopted this country’s first limited liability company statute, limited liability companies have become more and more common in the business world. A limited liability company is a hybrid entity that has attributes of both corporations and… Continue reading

Trust

All occupations seem to invent their own special terminology and certainly lawyers are no exception. Too often our documents tend to confuse because we use terms which are not understood and often intimidate. Our goal is to write in a manner that can be understood… Continue reading

Today’s Small Claims Court

Pennsylvania has replaced its former “small claims court” system of Magistrates and Justices of the Peace with a uniform statewide District Justice system. In southeastern Pennsylvania, all the counties use a nearly identical District Justice system with the exception of Philadelphia, which uses a Municipal… Continue reading

So What’s An Esquire?

With the explosion of legal advertising in recent years, we are witnessing an increasing use of the term “Esquire” on billboards, television, in the newspaper and in the telephone directory. “If you are hurt on the job, call David Fastbucks, Esquire.” Big deal, eh?Few in… Continue reading