Employment Separation Agreements are important contracts and as such they should be reviewed with an attorney. Separation Agreements generally provide, at a minimum, severance pay that a terminated employee would not otherwise receive in exchange for a release of the employer by that employee. Depending upon the circumstances of the employment termination, the employee may ... more

Even if all of your property is jointly owned with your spouse or children, you shouldn’t overlook the need for having a will. A will allows you to direct “who gets what and when”. In addition to the distribution of your assets, your will designates who will be in charge of your estate, and more ... more

Employment discrimination laws focus on substantial adverse employment actions, not petty nuisances in the workplace. This point was illustrated in the March 20, 2009 New Hampshire Federal Court decision of Elyssa B. Slater v. Town of Exeter and Richard Kane . In May 2006, following her graduation from law school, Slater became employed by the ... more

Beginning January 1, 2009, the federal gift tax annual exclusion increased from $12,000 to $13,000. The gift tax annual exclusion is the dollar amount of assets you can give to any individual each year without it being considered a taxable gift. Married couples can give up to $26,000 to any number of donees (recipients) without ... more

On Thursday, March 26, 2009, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (Dem-MT) introduced legislation which would make permanent many of the tax cuts enacted by President Bush in 2001. The relevant Estate and Gift tax provisions of the legislation are as follows: Make permanent the estate, gift and Generation Skipping Transfers (GST) tax cuts; Reunify ... more