What a Thoughtless Christmas Gift!

When I was the lawyer for a small community bank (now evaporated through merger) I was asked to drop by the office of an important bank customer and deliver a business Christmas present to one of the corporate officers. I knew this customer very well, since I had referred it to the bank and had closed numerous loans for the bank with this customer. The office was located on my side of the city and it was December 23. The present was a large wicker basket full of fruit and nuts and boxes of hot chocolate and all of the usual stuff, wrapped up with big bows and covered with red or green cellophane to keep the contents inside the basket. It cost more than a few dollars.

When Buying Real Estate, Follow Your Nose.

No. 533 If you are looking at homes to purchase, pay close attention during the first few seconds after you open the door. You may be able to detect a whiff of something bad when first walking in the front door or when you enter a closed room. Then the smell may seem to go […]

Black Clouds over Black Friday.

The local TV news has so many minutes of air time to fill, even on non-news days like the day after Thanksgiving. So, it is not surprising that the annual ritual of getting up early to stand in line at big box stores leads, even when it doesn’t bleed. What is surprising is the proclaimed consumer optimism this year, hard on the heels of the midterm elections that were read by all to indicate dissatisfaction with the state of the economy.

Q: When is a Disclosure Not a Disclosure?

Once upon a time, not that long ago, a group people with good intentions decided that the best way to insure that other people made good choices was to give them information — lots and lots of information. Today, those other people don’t seem to be doing much better than they did when they were uninformed. Except for one thing: if they decided to sue somebody, they would have to contend with the fact that they were given all of the information they needed. They just didn’t read it.

Non-Real Estate Licensees Are Not Entitled to Finders Fee in PA: AVVO ANSWER.

f you make a deal with a Pennsylvania real estate broker for a finder’s fee, be aware that such a bargain is not enforceable in court. Real Estate brokers, like lawyers, are not ethically permitted to share fees with non-licensed people.

Mark Twain in the Electronic Age

I read reports that the publisher of the “doorstop” Autobiography of Mark Twain, Part 1 (over 300 pages and just getting started) has exceeded the publisher’s initial projections of initial hardcover sales that it cannot print and ship copies fast enough using its full capacity around the clock. The Publisher has even hired extra-large trucks.

Law Firm Advertising with an Electronic Message Center.

A Pittsburgh law firm recently erected a sign at their suburban location that contained an electronic message center. Very smart. The electronic message center is to traditional signage as email is to snail mail. The message can be changed in an instant — and constantly. That keeps the message fresh and interesting.

Stink Bugs Attend Landlord Tenant Seminar in Force But They Did Not Earn Any CLE Credit

Thanks to the lawyers who attended my Continuing Legal Education seminar at the Community College of Allegheny County last night, especially those who collected dozens of stink bugs who started appearing everywhere about 30 minutes into the program. The lawyers earned 3 hours of CLE credit. The stink bugs were ejected from the room and earned no credit.

Some Legal Problems May Not Be Capable of a Litigation Solution.

No. 526 I observed an interesting case today. It involved two parking tickets and a person with a serious handicap. There were no parking places near her place of employment that could accommodate her van with a wheel chair gate. She had parked twice in a location where parking was prohibited but where the sidewalk […]

Expanding Electronic Filing in the Courts.

Why not permit electronic filing of briefs and reproduced records in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth, Superior and Supreme Courts? It costs several hundred dollars to copy and mail the typical reproduced record and multiple copies of briefs. Electronic briefs are not only faster and cheaper to produce, but could be easily edited to create links to cited cases or portions of the electronic record.

keep looking »

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

1410 Posts and Counting