Charitable Lids

Wayne E. Nix (Assistant Professor of Accounting, Jackson State University), Lee G. Knight (Professor of Accountancy, Wake Forest University), and Ray A. Knight (Managing Director of Capstone Planning Alliance LLC) recently published their article entitled New Life for Charitable Lids,...more...

Texas court virtually abolishes revocation by physical act

In In re Estate of Catlin, 311 S.W.3d 697 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2010, pet. denied), the trial court admitted a lost will to probate under Prob. Code § 85. The appellate court affirmed rejecting Contestant’s assertion that there was insufficient evidence...more...

Are Alternative Fees Fizzling? Bloggers Offer Contrarian View

The firestorm over alternative fees has produced more smoke than fire, according to a Canadian legal consultant. Writing at his blog Rants & Raves, consultant Patrick McKenna recalls his own unsuccessful attempt to interest general counsel in alternative fees while representing an AmLaw-listed, regional law firm of more than 500 lawyers. McKenna says he contacted more than 35 GCs of Fortune 500 companies to discuss how the firm could deliver savings of 25 to 40 percent, and possibly more. “I completely struck out!” he writes. “No bunts, no hits, not even a sniff of interest.” He later heard from a…more...

War Funk Band in Battle with Pepsi Over ‘Friends’ Song

Some members of the original soul-funk band War have sued PepsiCo. for using their 1975 hit song “Why Can’t We Be Friends” in a Pepsi Max commercial without their permission. The band members say Pepsi should have negotiated with them even if the company purchased rights to the song from music publishers or other owners, according to the Associated Press and TMZ. The suit says the band "did not consent to the use of their performance" in the ad. The suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, seeks $10 million in damages. A PepsiCo statement said it believes the lawsuit is…more...

Lawyer Sues for $700K After His Arrest for Failing to Show ID in Courthouse

A Maryland lawyer in a hurry to file some briefs decided to take a stand when an officer at the appeals court in Annapolis asked to see his ID. Norman Christopher Usiak refused, the Baltimore Sun reports. His resulting arrest spurred Usiak to file a $700,000 lawsuit claiming false arrest, false imprisonment and assault. Being forced to show an ID "is the antithesis of access to a free court system,” Usiak, a Frederick, Md., lawyer, told the newspaper. “I took a stand. It was offensive to me." According to a police report on the June 2007 incident, Usiak gave a…more...

How the Rich Shield Assets

Why would Jamie McCourt sign a post-nuptial agreement giving up her rights in the Los Angeles Dodgers? She and Frank McCourt are now in the midst of a divorce and she is trying to claim that she didn’t know what...more...

How the Rich Shield Assets

Why would Jamie McCourt sign a post-nuptial agreement giving up her rights in the Los Angeles Dodgers? She and Frank McCourt are now in the midst of a divorce and she is trying to claim that she didn’t know what...more...

How the Rich Shield Assets

Why would Jamie McCourt sign a post-nuptial agreement giving up her rights in the Los Angeles Dodgers? She and Frank McCourt are now in the midst of a divorce and she is trying to claim that she didn’t know what...more...

How the Rich Shield Assets

Why would Jamie McCourt sign a post-nuptial agreement giving up her rights in the Los Angeles Dodgers? She and Frank McCourt are now in the midst of a divorce and she is trying to claim that she didn’t know what...more...

How the Rich Shield Assets

Why would Jamie McCourt sign a post-nuptial agreement giving up her rights in the Los Angeles Dodgers? She and Frank McCourt are now in the midst of a divorce and she is trying to claim that she didn’t know what...more...