Building Your Commercial Empire from the Ground up: Ground Leases, a creative alternative in the Current Economy

In today’s economic climate, managing losses is as important as ever. The economic downturn has bludgeoned most securities portfolios and property holdings. If you happen to be one of the unfortunate many who mistimed the real estate market, those holdings can feel like an anchor on your bottom-line.

HUBZone and DBE Designations:
When being a Disadvantaged Business Can Be an Advantage

Many small business owners feel that they are at a disadvantage either due to perceived discrimination due to the location of their business or discrimination due to their status as a minority. The federal government has created two programs to aid these businesses and help bolster the economy in underused areas.

Sometimes You Can Get Blood From a Turnip

How the State Can Collect on Unpaid Contributions from Bankrupt or Dissolved Companies.

How "Right Click Save Picture As" Can Harm Your Company

The Dangers of Pulling Pictures off the Internet to Promote Your Product. Wisconsin companies must make sure to obtain proper releases and licenses before placing any pictures on their packaging, or face stiff penalties.

When Your Brilliant Business Mind Can Get
Your Business in Trouble

There is a legal adage that every first year law student has likely heard, if not recited numerous times: “the man who represents himself has a fool for a client.”  While there are certainly instances of untrained intelligent people winning cases in a court of law, the saying might never be truer than for business owners in Wisconsin.

Attorney-Client is a Privilege and Therefore can be Taken Away

Most business owners are aware that, on a very basic level, Attorney-Client privilege protects communications between Attorney and Client by keeping those communications confidential.  There are few exceptions to this rule.

S-Corp, C-Corp, Partnership, or LLC: Which one is Right for Me

Starting a small business in a tough economy can be a daunting yet exciting task filled with difficult decisions and strategic planning to maximize your chances of success.  Your planning must necessarily begin even before your company does, when deciding which type of entity to be.  Make the wrong choice and you could end up being handcuffed on options when it comes time to make distributions to the owners.  Prepare taxes inconsistent with the business type you have chosen and you could end up handcuffed in a much more literal sense.

Click Here to Accept and Lose All Rights

Recently, there was a large outcry over Facebook changing its Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) for using the site.  So just what caused the outrage, what are you giving up when using these sites, and what can you do to properly tailor your business’ T&Cs?

When Employees Take Home More Than Office Supplies

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) was initially passed in 1984 in order to protect classified information on government computers from hackers.  The specific language prohibited unauthorized access of computer information.

Key Person Life Insurance & the ILIT

Key person life insurance is surely not a topic foreign to a typical business owner.  Businesses large and small commonly use key person life insurance to fund any number of agreements and protect against the loss of revenue or increased costs due to one’s untimely passing.

Tenancy-in-Common: Use in 1031 Exchanges

A 1031 exchange is a frequently used investment vehicle whereby an investor may defer paying taxes on capital gain at the sale of property when replacement investment property is purchased.  There are a number of requirements for such an exchange to qualify for tax exemption, including that the properties must be of like kind (for example, real estate sold to purchase other real estate), and the replacement property must have a value equal to or greater than the property sold.  Navigating a 1031exchage can be difficult on its own, but recently the rising popularity of Tenancy-in-common (hereinafter “TIC”) interest to complete the exchange have added a degree complexity and tax consequences, and anyone considering such an arrangement must be cautious.