Morris James LLP and Wilson Halbrook & Bayard, P.A. have combined their law practices. The six Wilson Halbrook & Bayard directors joined Morris James as partners on January 1, 2013.
As a result of this merger, The Morris James Personal Injury Group welcomes a new Partner, Clayton E. Bunting, to provide full services to our clients with plaintiff’s personal injury cases, including automobile accidents and workmen’s compensation. Clayton represents clients involved in automobile accidents and personal injury cases. He additionally represents plaintiffs in workers’ compensation matters, insurance matters and premises liability cases.

Many of us, especially women, can remember the catchy tune in the birth control commercial where the ladies are clad in 50’s style bathing suits and caps and execute synchronized dives into a pool of water. (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…) The commercial starts out with the ladies in bathing suits, each with a different day of the week on the front of their suits. Eventually one of the ladies exits the ranks of the 50’s pin ups, pulls off her midriff and cap to reveal a two-piece swim suit and perfectly coiffed, flowing blonde locks. (…Friday, Saturday, Sunday,…) Even as I type, I hear the tune in my head, over and over and over. This is exactly why the drug manufacturers spend big bucks- for product marketing and recognition.

Since this issue of The Women’s Journal will be available to readers in April— tax season— I am focusing this article on sole practitioners in the accounting field. However, the information that follows is not limited to accountants. Practice Continuation Agreements can be used in many different fields to protect the sole practitioner. As a sole practitioner, your business is one of your most valuable assets. Do you have a plan in place to protect it in the event of your untimely death or disability? If tragedy should strike, a practice continuation agreement will help you protect your business, the interests of your clients, and the financial stability of you and your family. It can even be used as a retirement tool.

If you own a business, there is no doubt that you have spent countless hours dedicated to ensuring its success. Don’t let a simple oversight or misunderstanding undo all of your hard work. This article is designed as a “legal checklist” to help you think critically about your business and to determine what changes you can make to ensure success in 2013 and beyond.

Happy New Year! This is the time of year we are working on a list of resolutions. I would suggest the top of your list be to take out your automobile insurance policy and review it carefully. This won’t be the most fun item on your list of New Year’s resolutions, but I assure you it is one of the most important. Why?
I have represented victims injured in automobile accidents and at work for the past thirty years. I am always amazed at how underinsured people are, frequently unknowingly. In this very difficult economy, often people think cutting insurance premiums is the way to save money. This is a very risky choice with serious ramifications. I have found in my experience, people don’t even understand the consequences of being underinsured until it is too late.

Since this issue of The Women’s Journal is devoted to weddings, I want nothing more than to tell you, the readers, all about the benefits available to you as the spouse of an injured worker. Sadly, the benefits are only available to the spouses of injured workers if those “until death do us part” vows come into play.
I realize that the last thing you want to think is that anything dreadful would ever happen to your soul mate. However, in the world of Workers’ Compensation, marriage is a club that does have its privileges. It certainly is not pleasant to think about or to talk about; but, once you’ve joined the ranks of those of us whom are married, you will officially have become entitled to certain benefits if your spouse is either fatally injured on the job, or is injured on the job and subsequently passes away from some other illness or injury.

If you own or are considering buying one or multiple real estate investment properties to capitalize on the beneficial housing market, you have undoubtedly spent countless hours pondering the risks associated with property ownership. More than likely, you are especially concerned that you are one slip-and-fall away from losing everything. There is a solution. Forming a Delaware Limited Liability Company (LLC) may be your best option for risk management and limiting future headaches associated with property ownership.

Delaware is one of a handful of states that adopted the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) which, for purposes of this three part article, addresses questions of (i) who is a deemed a legal parent when artificial reproduction – i.e., in vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI), egg or embryo donation, etc., – is used to build a family; and (ii) the necessary steps for an intended parent to be named on a child’s birth certificate even if that intended parent is not genetically related to the child or did not give birth to the child.

It’s easy to get caught up in the magic of holidays in Delaware. Everyone seems to be in a better mood, and all of the hustle and bustle – including shopping, parties, and visiting with loved ones – makes the cold weather a little easier to bear. Of course, making merry has its price, as travel can be especially dangerous during this time of year.

When new clients come in for their initial consultation meetings in my office, almost always their biggest concerns are how they can still get paid while they are injured and out of work. Understandably, in these tough economic times many families are finding that they are having to stretch the family budget farther than they ever have before and the prospect of losing income can be terrifying. The fear of not being able to make ends meet is often the reason that many injured workers try to return to work before they are physically ready to do so. This then can start a nasty cycle that results in aggravation or worsening of the original injury, which in turn can prolong the amount of time that the injured worker needs treatment. The injured worker can become trapped in this cycle, going around and around, until their injury is properly treated and is allowed time to heal.