Blog
Estate Planning Made Easy
By Estate Planning Practice Group "I want to make things simple for my family." This is one of the goals I hear most frequently when a person begins the estate planning process. Implementing the correct legal documents is critical in achieving this goal, and the legal...
Canary in a Coal Mine: A Real Estate Attorney’s Point of View
By Alan Sorem During the 19th and early 20th centuries, miners would carry caged canaries with them into the mines. The canary’s rapid breathing, small size, and high metabolism would cause the bird to suffer the effects of methane, carbon monoxide, and other harmful...
Retirement Plan Committees
Helping Fiduciaries Sleep Well at Night By Christine Moehl Managing a company’s retirement plan is a challenging job, too often delegated to one or two employees within the company who may have neither the time nor the skills for the task. These employees are...
Saalfeld Griggs Participates in ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Ten partners of the law firm of Saalfeld Griggs took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge today in order to help raise local awareness for this disease. They did so in support of clients and friends who have been diagnosed with ALS, or passed away from ALS, and to support...
Wage Claims Settled by LinkedIn for $6M
Employees more and more frequently are working after hours. Smartphones, VPNs, and constant pressures to provide good customer service have some employees working a lot of time after hours – and, unfortunately, off the clock. The US Department of Labor announced...
Late Summer Surprise DOL Visits
Summer Time and the Living . . . Isn’t Easy When the DOL Visits By Jennifer Paul Late summer means harvest time, but it also can mean unwanted or surprise visits from the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”). In 2012, the DOL found several Marion County farms in violation...
Taking Off an Old Boot
Taking Off an Old Boot By Business & Taxation Practice Group SAALFELD GRIGGS PC Every taxpayer's goal is to defer taxes as long as he or she can. Like-kind exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code are one way to accomplish this. When a taxpayer owns...
Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel Highlights Importance of Lender Due Diligence
The 9th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) recently issued an opinion in which it emphasized the importance for lenders to complete the due diligence process on loan guarantors. In Kelly v. Merrill (In re Merrill), the BAP affirmed a bankruptcy court ruling that...
HIPAA Data Breach Results in $4.8 Million Settlements
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the largest fine to date related to a HIPAA data breach. The fine, totaling $4.8 million, was levied against two entities as part of two affiliated entities that had shared patient information. The breach...
Oregon Ciders Preparing for Solid Growth
The growth of the cider market continues to be recognized in the press, this time with a good article by Harry Esteve at Oregonlive.com: Cider takes off as Oregon’s latest boutique alcohol trend Caleb Williams, one of our attorneys who represents cideries, was...