jeshuatlauka

Small Business Owners: Avoid these Pitfalls

Happy Friday, and a conclusion to “Small Business Week”. President Barack Obama has proclaimed May 1-7, 2016 “National Small Business Week.” I follow the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, if you are a small business owner you should check the organization out. In regards to National Small Business Week, SBE Council president & CEO KarenContinue reading “Small Business Owners: Avoid these Pitfalls”

“Prince Died Without a Will.” Business Owners Should Ask the Question: Who Are My Advisers?

Yesterday, the ABAJournal posted that Prince’s sister filed in court claiming Prince died without a will. A year ago I posted about some lessons from Robin Williams’ Estate. I wrote about Robin Williams’ Estate as “an example of the problems that can erupt after a loved one passes away – even if that loved oneContinue reading ““Prince Died Without a Will.” Business Owners Should Ask the Question: Who Are My Advisers?”

Proposed Bill Affects Landlords in Recovering Property Against “Squatters”

Several years ago I wrote a post about a proposed bill affecting Landlords. The Bill affected the time frame which a property owner could bring an action to recover property; most importantly, it affected the statute of limitations for a claim of “adverse possession” or “squatters rights” by a holdover tenant. Here’s the scenario:Continue reading “Proposed Bill Affects Landlords in Recovering Property Against “Squatters””

A Lawyer’s Perspective: the Tension Between Encouraging Real Estate Entrepreneurship and Keeping Families in Affordable Housing.

If you are reading this, you may know that I am a lawyer. I love working with entrepreneurs – a large number of my clients invest in/manage real estate. As the current Chairman of the Board of Mel Trotter Ministries, I also care very deeply about the homeless, hurting, and hungry. I was inContinue reading “A Lawyer’s Perspective: the Tension Between Encouraging Real Estate Entrepreneurship and Keeping Families in Affordable Housing.”

Real Estate Law Update: Michigan Supreme Court Holds Full Credit Bid did not Bar Contract Claim against Third-Party.

Happy Friday, all! Real Estate Investors and anyone involved in the foreclosure process is aware that a “full credit bid” at the foreclosure sale by the bank/mortgage holder “extinguishes the underlying debt.” You can check out my prior posts on this subject. A case that has been on appeal for years is Bank of AmericaContinue reading “Real Estate Law Update: Michigan Supreme Court Holds Full Credit Bid did not Bar Contract Claim against Third-Party.”

Landlords & Property Managers: Time to Review your Tenant Applications – Beware Blanket Bans on Renting to those with Criminal Convictions

“Private landlords who have blanket bans on renting to people with criminal records are in violation of the Fair Housing Act and can be sued and face penalties for discrimination.” The New York Times Also check out theABAJournal According to the Times article ” In particular, blanket bans violate fair housing law because they have aContinue reading “Landlords & Property Managers: Time to Review your Tenant Applications – Beware Blanket Bans on Renting to those with Criminal Convictions”

Michigan Business Law Update on Non-Competition Agreements.

I received a question in response to a recent post on non-competition legislation. The question was: “are non-competition agreements unenforceable in Michigan?” I will give you the typical lawyer answer: “it depends“. In theory, CNCs are enforceable in Michigan. Under certain circumstances, they are not. A February 18, 2016 unpublished Michigan Court of Appeals decision is helpful to illustrate whenContinue reading “Michigan Business Law Update on Non-Competition Agreements.”

Business Litigation News: Dispute Resolution…Online?

The ABAJournal reported on “Online Dispute Resolution” (“ODR”) Is online dispute resolution the wave of the future? In the past, I’ve posted about the benefits of alternative dispute resolution for businesses. The primary benefit: litigation is expensive! According to the ABAJournal, Colin Rule, the founder of an online dispute resolution software, Modria, had this to sayContinue reading “Business Litigation News: Dispute Resolution…Online?”

Drunk Driving Shatters Lives: Statewide Crackdown on Drunk Driving Begins Today.

Today, the Michigan State Police along with 150 other police agencies begin acrackdown on drunk driving that will extend through April 4th. The effort is coordinated by the Office of Highway Safety Planning and is supported by federal traffic safety funds. Drunk Driving Shatters Lives. My friend, Michael Mayes, lost two sisters, Shannon and Heather, inContinue reading “Drunk Driving Shatters Lives: Statewide Crackdown on Drunk Driving Begins Today.”

Small Business, Social Entrepreneurs and Crowdfunding

Just a few days ago I posted on the Michigan House Resolution supporting Equity Crowdfunding. This morning I read an article on CrowdfundInsider on the topic of financing for small businesses. Access to Capital: What are the Options for Small Company Finance? Candace Klein Chief Strategy Officer at DealStruck was Interviewed and talked about how small businessContinue reading “Small Business, Social Entrepreneurs and Crowdfunding”