All Articles

Use Caution - Foreign Agents Ahead: Per the FCPA, third-party compliance with anti-bribery provisions is under scrutiny

In a recent case, a four-company joint venture used two agents – a British lawyer and a Japanese trading company – to bribe Nigerian government officials in order to win natural gas construction projects. Together, the four multinational corporations and the Japanese trading...

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Location, Location and Tax Implications: Foreign investors need to consider FIRPTA when purchasing U.S. real estate

With the recent global economic slowdown and weakness in the European and Asian equity markets, foreign investors from such countries as China, Russia, Germany and other parts of Europe are increasingly looking to real estate as a safe haven investment. One of the investment choices favored by...

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What’s Next? Implications of proposed IRS regulations for family-owned entities

At the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation meeting in May 2015, Cathy Hughes, estate and gift tax attorney advisor with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy, indicated that proposed regulations under IRC Section 2704(b)(4) (§2704) concerning restrictions...

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Deducing What’s Deductible: Is your nonprofit properly reporting special charitable events?

It can be challenging to properly set and report the value of charitable donations to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) when it comes to charitable activities such as galas, golf outings, bazaars, shows and other events that provide an associated benefit for donors.  Charitable events raise...

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Don’t Let Uncertainty Paralyze Your Planning: Ambiguity regarding the further extension of expired tax breaks complicate year-end preparations this year – plus the top 10 lapsed provisions for businesses

Year-end tax planning this year will be just as complicated as it was last year due in a large part to uncertainty surrounding many expired tax breaks for individuals and businesses. Tax legislation signed into law last December extended several expired breaks but only through the end of 2014....

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Doing Good and Doing Well: Cause-related marketing serves the greatest good when legal teams are involved from the outset

Cause-related marketing has matured and become all but a must for many companies. The novel approach pioneered by organizations like Marriott and Famous Amos Cookies in the 1970s – the former teamed up with and supported the March of Dimes, and the latter Literacy Volunteers of America...

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Real Estate

Foreign Investors Need a Roadmap as They Flock to New York Real Estate

The continuing real estate boom has made New York City a magnet for foreign investors. The city’s real estate market has recovered faster than expected from the 2008 financial crisis and is performing better than ever. With high returns available, it’s no surprise that foreign capital...

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