Producer's compensation, similar to director's, may encompass disparate elements ranging from development fee to guaranteed fee to pay-or-play. Let us explore these salient components in some detail.... Read More

A lot of us seeking to sell our houses, have wondered what we should do except, possibly, hiring a real estate agent and thinking about the day after when we have sold the house. In fact, without having specific plans and objectives, selling a house might not be a pleasant experience and we might not obtain the dollar amount we reasonably deserve. Hence, to facilitate the selling process, let us explore the steps we should take.... Read More

Film production contracts encompass some "standard production guidelines" which producers must adhere to. Such standard production guidelines include but are not limited to: picture length, budget, screenplay conformity, rating, cover shots and end credits, among other provisions. Let us further explore this salient rather complicated topic.... Read More

With taxes looming over us and haunting our financial and non-financial decisions alike, it is time to delve into our expenses and find places where we could deduct some taxes, if possible. There are some ways to deduct some of the medical expenses you incur while caring for a friend or relative. Let us explore this important matter further, in some detail.... Read More

Condition precedents play an integral role in protecting disparate parties in contractual transactions. Such salience comes to the fore, especially, in real estate transactions where parties do not have substantive control over financing or other requirements laid out in the contract. In the absence of well drafted enforceable conditions precedents, parties are left bereft of real protection. Let us explore, to some extent, such salient building building block of contractual transactions. ... Read More

S Corporations could be regarded as favorable business structures since shareholders could avoid double taxation and take advantage of protecting their other assets against liability except the ones invested in the S corporation. Nonetheless, there are salient caveats before embarking on forming an S Corporation as opposed to other forms of business entities, especially LLCs. Let us intelligently and incisively explore some of the issues in more depth.... Read More

Director's role in conceptualizing, structuring, animating and executing a successful motion picture production is, to a great extent, incontrovertible. Nonetheless, such prominent role could perpetuate frictions among various players and leave the director bereft of "proper" compensation. Let us explore to some extent how directors should navigate the maze of compensation universe and protect their rights, to the extent possible.... Read More

Merchandising and commercial tie-ins are relatively related concepts in entertainment transactions to further optimize dollar amount by promotion of a work and marketing of products. Let us explore these two concepts and the related concerns from the perspective of various parties involved in an entertainment transaction.... Read More

Annual gift tax exclusion as high as $13,000 for 2011 could be an intelligent prudent approach to move substantial assets and potential appreciation from taxpayer's assets. Let us explore the basics of such annual gift tax exemption, in some detail.... Read More

Timing is of paramount of importance in real estate transactions. However, not always, "time is of the essence". In fact, there is no requirement, generally, for parties to contract about the timing of their performances. In most circumstances, if timing is not "of the essence", then the courts infer a "reasonable time" for performance. Let us explore, to some extent, the practical implementations of "Time is of the Essence".... Read More