About David Levine
David Levine is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, American Heritage, and dozens of other publications. He is the author, co-author, or ghostwriter of seven books, including the basketball books Life on the Rim (Macmillan) and In the Land of Giants (Little, Brown). His latest book, The Hudson Valley: The First 250 Million Years, was published by Globe Pequot Press in 2020.
Articles written by David Levine
The Pitfalls of Starting a Business With Friends and Family
Here’s the first thing most business attorneys say when asked about starting a small business with a close friend or family member: Don’t. “It brings financial struggles and doesn’t always bring out the best in people,” says John A. Benemerito at Benemerito Attorneys at Law in New York City. “My advice is: Never go into business with anyone you want to speak to all the time.” But many would-be entrepreneurs still partner with family or friends for that sure-fire venture. And then …
Tales from the IP Bar
Maria Crimi Speth finds intellectual property disputes in unusual settingsIt was while clerking for a small law firm as a student at Hofstra University’s law school in New York that Maria Crimi Speth fell in love with intellectual property work. “I was immediately drawn to it,” she says. “I think it’s fascinating, the fact that IP is not tangible property. It’s ever-changing and hard to pin down, easy to steal, and people don’t have the same respect for it. A person who would never consider taking their neighbor’s car might not think twice about …
Securing a Power of Attorney in New York
The following case is true, even though the names have been changed. After John Smith began suffering from dementia, he needed nursing home care at a cost of $160,000 per year. His bank accounts and other liquid assets amounted to approximately $500,000; but because his family members didn’t have a durable power of attorney, they had no way to access any of it. It wound up taking several months before the children were appointed guardians, which delayed their ability to do Medicaid …
Raising Glasses, Funds and Spirits
How Block O’Toole & Murphy helped turn the St. Jude Autumn Wine Tasting into an eventEvery October for the past quarter century, attorneys and other legal professionals gather at a New York City restaurant to eat and drink. Yes, they do it much of the rest of the year, too, but this one is for a good cause. The St. Jude Autumn Wine Tasting is one of the biggest fundraising events to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and its dual missions: to prevent and cure devastating childhood diseases, and to help the hospital foot every family’s bill for treatment, travel, …
DIY Estate Planning in Colorado
You don’t have to be rich, or own a quote-unquote estate, to need estate planning. The possibility of becoming incapacitated may be enough. “Planning ensures that the right people are making important health care and financial decisions for you when you are unable to make those decisions for yourself,” says Stephanie M. Tuthill, of Tuthill & Hughes in Denver. When you die, she says, planning is “a gift to those left behind, because it provides a road map to your wishes.” Stephen …
Does Hiring Someone for Work in My Home Make Me an Employer?
Are you an employer? Hiring people to work for you — a gardener, caretaker, even potentially a babysitter — could make you a small business owner, with all the risks and responsibilities that come with that role. The New York State Department of Labor warns as much on its website: “You may genuinely believe that you have hired people to perform services for you as independent contractors. You may discover that by law they are considered employees and that you are liable for unemployment …
When, Why and How To Amend Your Estate Plan
“Man plans, God laughs.” So goes the old Yiddish proverb, which applies to all aspects of human endeavor, including financial planning. Creating an estate plan is a sound practice to protect assets and direct their distribution. But when God laughs, it may be time to change course. As Life Changes, so Should Directives “Many significant life events would prompt a person to alter their estate plan,” says Pinni Bohm of Bohm Law Firm. These include illness or disability, separation or …
Preparing To Rent in New York City
One of the biggest ways New York City differs from the rest of the country is in the nature of residential real estate. “When I started doing this, I was told that landlord-tenant is the second-most passionate relationship in NYC,” says Peter Schwartz, a real estate attorney at Graubard Miller who focuses on rent regulation and the rental market, with a laugh. To keep those passions as cool as possible, experts recommend that when apartment hunting, tenants enter this relationship with eyes …
What To Do if You Are Pulled Over for a DUI
More than a million motorists in the U.S. are jailed each year on charges of driving under the influence. They face harsh penalties, from jail time to the loss of driving privileges to the loss of a job. The average cost of a first DUI arrest is an estimated $10,000, including court costs and legal fees, says Jonathan Blecher, a Miami, Florida criminal defense attorney. More important than the financial cost is the danger of driving while impaired. About one in three traffic fatalities …
Four Problems with New York’s Estate Tax Laws
In 2014, New York’s legislature passed a tax bill that made big changes to the state estate tax laws. Before we dig into the details, two caveats: The provisions below tend to apply to the wealthy, so most of us will remain unaffected. The second caveat comes from estate planning & probate attorney L. David Clark, Jr. “Explaining the technical stuff,” he admits, “makes clients' eyes glaze over.” You’ve been warned. For legal advice on your situation, consult with a local tax …
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