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Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 Tax Credit Alert for Real Estate Practitioners November 6, 2009     Special Tax Alert: Extension of and Changes to the First-Time Homebuyer’s...

An uphill battle awaits the health care reform movement as all eyes turn to the Senate, following passage of H.R. 3962 on November 7th.  The key element in the House bill is the government health insurance plan, which appears not to have support...

The IRS has announced the launching of the IRS Retirement Plan Navigator , a new Web-based tool that assists small business owners in selecting and maintaining a pension plan for their employees (IR-2009-91, “New IRS Retirement Plan Navigator...

Unusual economic conditions are carrying yet another ripple effect: There will be no change in limits to pension plans for 2010.  Annual limitation adjustments to account for cost-of-living increases, as required under IRC Sec. 415(d) , will not...

A key part of Martindale-Hubbell Connected is putting the buyers and sellers of legal services together. Law firms want to know what their potential customers need and how best to deliver it. In-house counsel wants to know which law firms can deliver their...

“Sunshine is said to be the best of disinfectants,” said Justice Louis Brandeis. Americans like their public officials to operate under scrutiny, widely and candidly reported.   We are so steeped in our belief in Freedom of the...

During an audit of Textron Inc.'s corporate income tax liability, the IRS sought Textron’s tax accrual work papers. Textron had shown the papers to its accountant but refused to show them to the IRS. Consequently, the IRS issued an administrative summons...

A Chapter 13 Debtor unable to make plan payments because of reduced income or increased expenses has three options: modifying the plan to reduce payments, conversion to Chapter 7, or the debtor may ask the court for a hardship discharge .  The ...

This is the first clip of Edward Wilcenski of Jones Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC of Clifton Park, N.Y. ( www.JWLawOffice.com ), speaking on settlement issues in toxic tort cases involving children.   Wilcenski covered a range of issues involving the...

When we are young, our parents and educators teach us that sometimes you have to take your medicine to heal a problem. For example, we tell children to study and work hard so that they can accomplish more in their education and eventual career. When we go...

For all those expecting or maybe just hoping to see a break in the estate tax in 2010, the likelihood of a zero estate tax is lessening every day. All evidence points to an extension of the estate tax at 2009 levels. President Obama’s FY2010 budget...

On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court, in Strauss v. Horton , 2009 Cal. LEXIS 4626 (Cal. May 26, 2009) , upheld Proposition 8, which was approved by the voters last fall and banned same-sex marriages in California. The decision, though, leaves intact...

  I had occasion to watch the DVD of True Crime the other day, a 1999 movie starring Clint Eastwood (and others in a terrific cast too lengthy to list here, but that includes Isaiah Washington before his Grey’s Anatomy days and a fantastically...

At the end of April, the House and Senate each approved a Fiscal 2010 Budget Resolution which calls for extending the federal estate tax into 2010.   [Under Bush-era tax legislation enacted in 2001, the estate tax was due to disappear at...

Under Bush-era tax legislation enacted in 2001, the federal estate tax was due to disappear entirely at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2010.   That won’t be happening now.   Senate and House budget negotiators reached...

Don't expect this year's tax-filing season to jolt the economic stimulus movement.  In an April 13th address, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman noted that tax refunds usually  "kick-start the economy" in...

Here's a plan-ahead tip for retirees: Expect a bump in your tax bill when you file your federal tax returns next year.  Private and public pensioners who have no employment income don't qualify for the " Making Work Pay " tax credit for working...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), P.L. 111-5, 02/17/2009, signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, has increased the qualified small business stock exclusion to 75 percent from 50 percent (60 percent for stock...

Hold the gold plated Milk-bones : The trustees of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust have prevailed in their bid to block Leona Helmsley’s billion dollar bequest to dogs . At issue was Mrs. Helmsley’s 2004 mission...

Student loans have achieved a unique position in the world of debt. Those student loans with federal guarantee or public sponsorship have no statute of limitations on collection. Authorized debt collectors have extrajudicial tools they are allowed...

President Obama has reaffirmed that his administration will uphold and be guided by the rule of law and the rights of man enshrined by our Founding Fathers in our nation's founding charter, stating: "Those ideals still light the world, and we will...

LexisNexis' very own Bill Livermore, Director Customer Contact, will be on the scene, in an event management capacity, for the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America on Tuesday, January 20. Bill will give his perspective...

The collapse of the housing bubble in this country laid bare a multitude of sins, not the least of which were unscrupulous lending practices. Lenders and borrowers alike threw caution to the wind in an effort to ride the housing boom to riches....