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Expert Opinion

Feb 12, 2020

MCBA President’s Message: This month at the MCBA: Initiatives, innovation and collaboration

This month, I am turning again to the question of why the Rochester legal community is such a special place to practice law. One reason is that Rochester lawyers are willing to take on community issues, often under the leadership of the Monroe County Bar Association. I have written before on the close collaboration between […]

Feb 11, 2020

Current NY case bears resemblance to Alabama case featured in ‘Just Mercy’

Just Mercy, a film currently showing throughout the nation, describes the efforts of a young Harvard law graduate, Bryan Stevenson, who traveled south to represent death row inmates. Stevenson established the federally funded Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. The film follows the case of Walter McMillian, an African-American sentenced to death in Monroe County, […]

Feb 6, 2020

Keeping Your Balance: Business-use vehicles deduction for the self-employed

Are you self-employed and looking for ways to save time, cut down on your recordkeeping duties, and reduce your paperwork and retention of old receipts? The optional standard mileage rates for business vehicles can help you do that. Businesses that operate up to four vehicles at the same time can deduct this standard mileage rate […]

Feb 5, 2020

Real Estate Law: Addressing a landlord’s broken promise to their real estate broker

Imagine your favorite restaurant. You’ve just enjoyed a great meal, everything was perfectly prepared, and the service was impeccable. Would you ever imagine walking out without paying the bill or leaving a tip? The answer (I hope) is of course not. The restaurant and the server would be furious. Now, imagine that you are leasing […]

Feb 4, 2020

Money Management: How safe is your financial & estate plan after the SECURE Act?

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, aka the “SECURE Act” made sweeping changes to expand retirement savings options.1 That’s the good news. The bad news is that it also completely gutted the concept of the “stretch IRA” for beneficiaries of IRAs and similar retirement plans. Under the pre-SECURE Act tax […]

Feb 3, 2020

Paralegal Perspectives: PARspectives on professional development

When I became PAR’s Vice President of Professional Development in June of last year, I was honored but also slightly concerned. I knew that, in my new role, I would be connecting with the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (“NFPA”) and the Monroe County Bar Association. These connections would help me to keep abreast of […]

Jan 31, 2020

Legal Loop: More of my top life hacks and gadgets

Have you noticed how it seems like there’s never enough time to get everything done no matter how hard you try? Rest assured, you’re not alone. In today’s hectic world, balance is a goal often sought but rarely achieved. In other words, the struggle is real. The good news is that there are gadgets and […]

Jan 30, 2020

Keeping Your Balance: What plan sponsors need to know about DOL enforcement and red flags

Being selected for a Department of Labor (DOL) audit is not exactly a prize most plan sponsors want or intend to win. Often, plan sponsors think service providers will take the blame when compliance issues arise. But plan sponsors are ultimately responsible for plan administration and operation. Plan sponsors who don’t realize this can suffer […]

Jan 29, 2020

The Inclusive Office: My New Year’s diversity resolutions

When I envisioned “The Inclusive Office” column, I thought I would produce data-laden articles about wide-ranging issues of diversity, especially those I thought the average attorney in Monroe County may have not spent much time considering. It turned out to be a lot more my white self discovering the centuries of work women, people of […]

Jan 28, 2020

Fraud Facts: Are home devices really spying on us?

With the holiday season over, many of you may have purchased or received a smart device. Almost seven out of 10 of American households reported owning a smart product. A smart product/device for the purpose of this article is a device that can connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth — such as a […]

Jan 27, 2020

Workplace Issues: Lack of ‘adverse action’ defeats discriminatory motivation, 2nd Circuit decides

This plaintiff is a doctor who alleged that her employer violated Title VII because it was honoring patient requests to be treated by a white doctor. The Court of Appeals says she has no case even though she has alleged a discriminatory motive. The case is Kairam v. West Side GI, Inc., 19-447-cv, decided on […]

Jan 24, 2020

Legal Loop: Save time and aggravation with my top life hacks and gadgets

Usually I write about the intersection of law and technology in this column. One reason I’m so passionate about technology is because it saves lawyers time and money. After all, lawyers’ daily lives can be hectic and stressful, and anything that can be done to reduce some of that stress is well worth the effort. […]

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