Author Archives: Jay Butchko
New Years Resolution: Read Several Drafts of a Business contract Before You Sign
We have finally made it to the end of 2020, and 2021 promises to be a new beginning with new opportunities. An identifying characteristic of successful entrepreneurs is that they see challenges as opportunities; when they see a need, they find a way to meet it. It is too soon to know what they… Read More »
Every Day Is Tax Season for Small Business Owners: Business Tax Advice for the Holiday Season
Everywhere you go, which in the age of COVID-19 means every website you visit, you find people lamenting about how different this holiday season is from any other you have experienced. No multigenerational Thanksgiving dinner. No Black Friday crowds. No Secret Santa gift exchanges at the office. If you are a small business owner,… Read More »
Heated Tables for Outdoor Dining: How to Spend Your Winter Ready Grant Money
New cases of COVID-19 are surging in the Washington DC area and just about everywhere else, now that the weather is getting too cool for outdoor recreation to be practical. Meanwhile, pandemic fatigue is real, and it may be another factor contributing to the surge in new COVID-19 infections. After quarantining all summer and… Read More »
Lesser Known Pandemic-Related Tax Credits
Can you believe that 2020 is almost over? Most years, the sign of the end of the year is a parade of trick-or-treaters bearing increasingly heavy plastic pumpkins full of candy; once they disappear, Christmas carols start playing on the radio of every retail store. This year is different; there are no holiday celebrations… Read More »
Changing the Beneficiaries in Your Will Does Not Always Mean Undue Influence
In probate law, undue influence means that the deceased person wrote or modified their will the way they did only because someone else coerced or deceived them into doing so. You can cite undue influence if the decedent was too ill to understand their actions at the time they signed their will. When an… Read More »
The Orphan’s Court Recognizes Your Same Sex Marriage, Even If Your In-Laws Do Not
Same sex marriage in Maryland is relatively new, and many same sex couples who had been together for many years took the first opportunity to formalize their marriages, even if that meant traveling out of state to get legally married. Maryland courts began issuing marriage certificates to same sex couples in 2013, and for… Read More »
Maryland-Based Clothing Company Faces Lawsuit from Shareholder Over Lack of Transparency
When most people think of business disputes, the first thing that comes to mind is business partners having a falling out. For example, maybe one partner uses company funds for personal expenses, and when the other partners find out, they take him to court about it. In other business disputes, one partner wants to… Read More »
Washington DC Offers Pivot Grants for Small Businesses
With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging and cold and flu season about to begin, it has become obvious that it is not possible just to sit back and wait for the pandemic to pass. Small businesses, if they are going to continue to operate at all in the current business climate, must find a… Read More »
Probate Disputes About Disinterment of Remains
Most probate disputes are directly or indirectly about money. The parties’ ultimate motivation is usually to determine that they get their fair share of the decedent’s estate. Sometimes there are other issues involved, such as whether the will was forged or signed under duress or undue influence. The parties might even disagree over which… Read More »
What the New Federal Eviction Moratorium Means for Maryland Landlords Who Rent Out Residential Properties
Many federal laws set a minimum standard of duty owed to individual workers or consumers; the federal law requires state lawmakers to adopt the federal standard unless they have a state law already in force that is even more accommodating to its intended beneficiaries. For example, states that have not set their own minimum… Read More »
