Attorneys at Law
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Be Informed.

Be informed.

How Does a Short Sale Work?

To understand the short-sale process you first need to understand how a mortgage loan works and a little bit about the real estate market. Most people cannot afford to pay cash for the purchase of a home. To finance the purchase of a home most people take out a mortgage loan and then make monthly mortgage payments for 15-30 (typically) years until the loan is paid off. At any time during the life of the loan a borrower may sell the home and pay off the mortgage with the proceeds from the sale. Of course, that assumes that the proceeds from the sale will be sufficient to pay off the balance owed on the loan. If the real estate market takes a drastic turn for the worse, as often happens during a recession, that assumption could be wrong.

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What Is the Role of a Civil Engineer?

Anytime a new building or structure, whether commercial or residential, is constructed, a number of different steps must be taken during the process. It takes a team of professionals to take a building from conception to construction. A civil engineer is usually among those professionals. Whether you are planning to build a multi-million dollar commercial office park, or just your dream home, you may need to employ the services of a civil engineer.

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Are Non-Compete Agreements Enforceable in Pennsylvania?

At some point in your career you may be asked, or required, to sign a non-compete agreement for a prospective or current employer. All too often an employee signs a non-compete agreement without really paying attention to the often complex and verbose language contained within the agreement. It isn’t until the employer-employee relationship ends that an employer notices how restrictive the provisions in the agreement actually are and how those provisions limit the employee’s immediate employment options.er.

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What Is a Guaranteed Maximum Price Construction Contract?

Whether you are planning to build your dream home or a multi-unit commercial complex, the entire project is based on a construction contract. For both the owner and the contractor, the cost of the project is important; however, it is not only the final cost that matters, but how that cost is arrived at as well that is important. In the construction industry, there are several different types of commonly-used pricing structures, including a “guaranteed maximum price” construction contract.

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What Are General Partnerships?

If you are considering venturing into the world of small business ownership you will have a seemingly endless list of decisions you must make regarding the business before it even gets off the ground. There are three broad categories of business entities from which you may choose – sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. Within the partnership and corporation categories there are also a number of sub-categories and hybrids. Taking the time to learn what general partnerships are will help you decide if a general partnership is right for your business.

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What is a Service Mark?

Companies that provide a service to consumers and to businesses must be distinguishable from other organizations that provide a similar service. One of the ways that a company can distinguish itself is by having a unique brand identity. This could be a symbol, word, phrase, series of words, or other identifying marks and phrases that help to distinguish one service provider from the other.

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What is a Tenants in Common Agreement?

When real estate is purchased, there are different ownership structures by which the owners may take title. One option is to take title as tenants in common. Tenancy in common means that two or more people own a property concurrently and the co-owners have a simultaneous right to possession.  Each of the co-owners has an individual, undivided interest in the property that is owned as tenants in common, so each can transfer his or her own ownership interest.

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Can I Be Fired for No Reason in Pennsylvania?

Being fired from a job is never an enjoyable experience. If you feel you were fired without cause it can make the experience even more traumatic. The first question that may come to your mind is “ Can I be fired for no reason in Pennsylvania ? ” Unfortunately, the answer to that question, as a general rule, is “yes”; however, there are some important exceptions to the general rule of which you should be aware.

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Scott Rothman
What Is a Payment and Performance Bond?

In the construction industry there is virtually an endless number of things that can go wrong. There are also numerous opportunities for disagreements between the various parties involved in a construction project. Executing written contracts is one way to reduce the likelihood of problems or disagreements. Requiring different types of bonds is another. In fact it is very common to require a general contractor to take out a payment and performance bond before beginning a construction project.

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What Is a Variance and How Do I Apply for One?

When it comes to developing or improving real property, zoning regulations are everything. Before you purchase a piece of property, and certainly before you start designing plans for the property, it is imperative that you know how the property is zoned and you understand the restrictions that apply to how the property is zoned. If the current zoning will not allow you to develop or improve the property in the manner in which you wish, a variance might be the answer.

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Uber Drivers – Employees or Independent Contractors?

Over the last century, the American workforce has gone through some fairly dramatic changes. Along the way, numerous state and federal laws have been passed in an effort to protect workers and ensure that they are treated fairly in the workplace. One issue that has remained at the forefront of employment law debates is the distinction between employees and independent contractors. Recently, that very issue was before a California labor commissioner after an Uber driver filed a claim against the company. As more “sharing” industries sprout up around the nation, the distinction between employees and independent contractors will continue to blur.

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How Do I Get My Property Re-Zoned in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania?

Local zoning regulations determine how a piece of real estate may be used. Real estate is typically broadly categorized into several different types of zoning, including agricultural, industrial, commercial, and residential. Within those categories, all property is further sub-divided according to the allowable uses for the property. A property owner must conform to the zoning restrictions for the property.

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How Do I Subdivide My Property in Pennsylvania?

When you subdivide property, it basically means you take a parcel of land and turn it into two or more tracts of land. Typically, subdividing is done by a developer who plans to build a “subdivision” on the land. Although this sounds simple enough, it can be a complicated process because of the legalities involved. You cannot simply decide to split your land into numerous legal parcels of land. In Pennsylvania, subdividing land requires you to legally separate the land.

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Can My Civil Case Be Heard in Federal Court?

In the United States, we operate under a federalist form of government. This means we have a strong central government in the form of our federal government as well as numerous smaller governments in the form of the individual state governments. It also means that we have two judicial systems – the federal court system and the individual state court systems. If you are involved in civil litigation it may be possible for your case to be heard in either state or federal court. You may even have the option to choose your venue. Often, there are advantages to having a case heard in federal court instead of state court, and vice versa.

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Do I Have to Sign a Non-Compete to Keep My Job?

As an employee, any number of issues could come up at your job that could threaten your future employment with the company. One issue you may not have considered, until your employer brings it up, is a non-compete agreement. If your employer calls you in to the office one day and asks you to sign a non-compete agreement your first though will likely be “Do I have to sign a non-compete to keep my job?”

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