If you are a founder of an early stage company, the issue of raising money is likely top of mind and a material source of anxiety. My guess is that when you hatched your great idea and decided to launch your company, you knew that raising capital would be something you’d need to do, but...
Client AlertsCorporate & BusinessIntellectual PropertyCyber Preparation Moves to Main Street
April 5, 2016
As in The Anchor, First Quarter 2016 Is your organization prepared for a cyber-attack? No, this is not a tagline to promote or sell cyber security insurance (although the cyber-related insurance market is growing into the multiple of billions of dollars). It is a question for you and your customers. Increasing cyber threats and government regulations designed to protect against them, mean...
Client AlertsReal EstateChinese Investment in Boston Commercial Real Estate Expected to Continue
March 25, 2016
As seen in the March 25, 2016 edition of the New England Real Estate Journal. China’s volatile stock market has only increased the desire for foreign capital inflow from China to U.S. Chinese foreign investment in U.S. commercial real estate has increased steadily from $3 billion in 2013 to $6.6 billion in 2014 to $8.6 billion...
Client AlertsReal EstateCrowdfunding Commercial Real Estate: Panacea or Path to Disaster?
March 22, 2016
As seen in the March 14, 2016 edition of the Providence Business News. Much has been written about crowdfunding commercial real estate since the passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Start-ups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”). Websites such as Selequity, Fundrise, and Realty Mogul have sprung up to provide what Selequity calls “the leading edge CRE investment...
Client AlertsNewsThe Nature of Workers’ Compensation as Affected by Pain and Suffering
March 17, 2016
Under the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Act, M.G.L. c. 152, § 1, et seq., particularly § 15, an employee who is injured in a work-related incident due to the acts of an unrelated third party may seek redress of that injury through the civil tort process while also having received benefits afforded through the Workers’ Compensation system. In...
Rhode Islanders are fast becoming familiar with the Sharing Economy and the disruption in the marketplace that comes with it. The insurance industry is no exception. In fact, of all the policy and legal implications surrounding the Sharing Economy, issues relating to how, whether and when insurance will cover a claim or loss potentially touch all participants in this...
As seen in the February 29, 2016 edition of the Providence Business News. With the close of the first quarter of 2016 on the horizon, employers tend to be in two camps with respect to their employee handbooks – those who have not revised their handbooks for 2016 and those who have. For those in the...
Client AlertsPlan Now to Comply with New Rhode Island Identity Theft Protection Act
February 16, 2016
Businesses, organizations, state and local governmental entities and individuals who collect and store personal information about Rhode Island residents should start planning now to comply with the new Rhode Island Identity Theft Protection Act, which goes into effect on June 26, 2016 and replaces the existing law. Businesses and organizations of any size are affected....
Client AlertsCross-Border Banking and Out-of-this-World Penalties
February 15, 2016
A United States citizen or resident that owns (or has signatory authority over) an account at a foreign bank with a value in excess of $10,000 annually must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Account (or “FBAR”) with the Treasury Department. The FBAR is separate from – and in addition to – any...
Client AlertsRhode Island Supreme Court Rules That Condominium Assessment Liens Could Extinguish First-Priority Mortgages
January 23, 2016
First mortgage holders in Rhode Island beware: in a 4-1 decision handed down on December 4, 2015, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled that pursuant to the Rhode Island Condominium Act, RIGL § 34-36.1-1.01 et seq., liens for six months of unpaid common fees prior to the foreclosure have super-priority status, and can extinguish first-priority mortgages under...
