The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 took trust and estate lawyers largely by surprise when it was enacted last December, as it contained several unexpected changes. However, the Act, which gives clients the opportunity to transfer wealth to their descendants without gift and estate tax consequences, is effective only until December 31, 2012. We have highlighted some of the important provisions of the Act that clients should consider. 1: KEY COMPONENTS OF THE NEW LAW INCREASED ESTATE AND GENERATION-SKIPPING TAX EXEMPTION The estate tax exemption was increased from $3.5 million to $5 million, retroactive… Read more

Until recently, many people have not viewed green-building litigation as a significant threat. It was either a conference topic or an issue raised by attorneys in the board room. In a lagging construction market, green building provided a much-needed niche selling point and so, to many, all that was green was gold. That all changed last year, however, when a class action was brought against the United States Green Building Council, and the first reported case against a developer was filed by residents claiming that a sustainable condominium project did not live up to its “green” promise. Given that the… Read more

As their retirement age approaches, many Georgians start to consider establishing legal residence in Florida, where no state income tax is levied on individuals. Although Georgia has not repealed the income tax on individuals, the Georgia General Assembly has taken steps in recent years to provide for the exclusion of higher and higher levels of retirement income, which eases the tax burden on retired individuals and, in turn, lessens the financial benefit of retiring to the Sunshine State. Georgia taxable income — a definition. Georgia taxable income for individuals is defined as an individual’s federal adjusted gross income minus certain… Read more

Unlike many drug users, who get hooked at a fairly young age, I was 33 years old in 1985 when I first encountered crack. Although that made me something of a late starter, one thing I have learned in my life is that there is no such thing as a “typical” substance abuser. I’ve seen people from almost every age group and socio-economic background affected by addiction. I didn’t turn to drugs to escape from a disturbed or unhappy home life. In fact, I had a very close family. However, my brother was a drug dealer. I would see this… Read more

by Nick Wright, Creative Director, Fourth Element Media Agency We are witnessing the most incredible paradigm shift ever in media and marketing, fueled by the biggest sociological transition in history. The power and ability to create and distribute content to large audiences is no longer the privilege of TV networks and publishing companies. Today, anybody with a computer and an Internet connection can broadcast their ideas to the world. Companies such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have changed the way a whole generation manages their relationships, communicates, shares content and searches for information. This content and community era is changing… Read more

{photo1-left}When it comes to identifying, researching and selecting a site for your company’s manufacturing operations, SGR attorney Florian Stamm is the one to turn to for advice. When SGR partner Florian Stamm is not in Germany tending to clients from his native country, he is most likely crisscrossing the United States in search of that elusive place where all factors combine to make the ideal location for a company’s new manufacturing site. Florian’s “sense of place” has become a valued commodity. During the past several years, he has helped dozens of American and European companies find a new home for their… Read more

{photo1-left}###by Dr. Elizabeth Lawley Social media tools now permeate our personal and professional lives. At the Lab for Social Computing at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (labforsocialcomputing.net), faculty and students from a range of academic disciplines have been studying these technologies since 2004 — and have begun to identify key characteristics of successful systems, as well as emerging trends. Here’s a short list of influential emerging social technologies: Location-based services The rapid adoption of GPS-enabled smartphones — as evidenced by the growing sales numbers for iPhone and Android devices — has enabled the development of several location-centric tools. Foursquare… Read more

You are in charge of human resources at your company. This week, you find out that: SCENARIO 1 An applicant for a delivery driver position has pictures on his Facebook page of himself passed out drunk in a gutter on Bourbon Street. Studies show that most recruiters check candidates’ online profiles in deciding whether to proceed further with the interview process. There are currently no federal laws expressly prohibiting an employer from “Googling” the name of a job applicant, though employers should be aware that some states have laws that could impact an employer’s ability to make job decisions based… Read more

Social media vastly expands the ability of businesses to connect, collaborate and communicate and, ultimately, to compete. While social media built upon so-called Web 2.0 technologies — such as community forums, blogs, vlogs, wikis, podcasts, video and audio file sharing, widgets, crowd sourcing and geolocation tools, to name just a few — carry great promise for new ways of facilitating business, the use of such media also poses a special set of legal risks about which businesses should have a greater awareness as they utilize these technologies. The legal risks may be usefully grouped into a few overlapping categories: Intellectual… Read more

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE LAW In 2006, Time magazine named its Person of the Year — You. The main cover-line read, “Yes, You. You control the Information Age. Welcome to your world.” The author of the cover story, Lev Grossman, wrote that the big story then was “the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people’s network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. … The new Web is a very different thing. It’s a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter.” In the four years since, businesses continue to be amazed… Read more