Question: I have been working from home since the onset of Covid in March of 2020. Am I entitled to an income tax deduction for the business use of my home office?
Home Office Deductions During Covid
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Insights
Toying with Rep Over Post-Termination Commissions Ends in ‘Game Over’ for Opportunistic Principal
Tech 4 Kids Inc. makes toys but was unable to play to U.S. retailers.
So T4K reached an oral agreement with Northern Group Inc., an independent sales representative with offices in the Midwest, to promote its toy products.
Trial in the Time of Covid
Fresh off a four-week bench trial with my partner, Norm Finkel – conducted entirely on Zoom – I want to share some of my impressions that will hopefully help inform clients’ decisions as we navigate our way through this new COVID-era legal environment.
Deferring Payroll Taxes on Earned Income
Question: I own and operate a small business. Is it true that the new tax law enables me to defer all of the payroll taxes incurred on the wages I pay to my employees?
Small Business Bankruptcies: Subchapter V isn’t Just for the Smallest Businesses
The CARES ACT Expands Eligibility For Subchapter V Providing More Businesses a Viable Option to Reorganize.
Earlier this year, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, which created the new Subchapter V of the Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. §§ 1181-1195 “Subchapter V”), went into to effect.
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Principal Scorned
In the lengthy annals of sales rep-principal relationships ending badly, the shabby treatment Eliot Essagof received from his principal deserves exceedingly prominent mention.
Repaying 2020 Required Minimum Distributions
Question: I took my required distribution from my IRA early in 2020. Now that the new tax law suspended the required distribution rules for 2020, is it too late for me to undo what I did?
Chicago Landlords Beware: Tenants Rejoice
Despite vehement objection by several aldermen, property owners’ organizations and developers, the City of Chicago passed what’s come to be known as “The Fair Notice Eviction Ordinance” on July 22, 2020 by a vote of 36-14.
Chicago’s New Fair Workweek Ordinance Requires Certain Employers to Provide Predictive Work Schedules
On July 1, 2020, the City of Chicago rolled out the Fair Workweek Ordinance, which requires certain employers to provide predictable work schedules to eligible employees and pay additional compensation if the employer subsequently modifies the schedule. The City’s decision to implement the Ordinance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has left many employers scrambling to determine whether their business is subject to the Ordinance, what employers need to do to comply, and how the Ordinance will be enforced during the ongoing pandemic.
Are False Accusations of Racism a Form of Defamation?
The other day as I was taking my work-from-home morning walk, I explored a thought: Should racism be made a per se defamation category?
Clearly, that’s not a solution to the enormous problem of societal and institutional racism spurring the current protests in furtherance of the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of George Floyd’s death. But as a lawyer who concentrates in defamation litigation, it was an idea that intrigued me.