News & Insights
Firm news and legal insights
Updates and commentary from our attorneys on the legal issues facing our clients.
E-2 Treaty Investor Visa Series
The E-2 Treaty Investor Visa Series
"Can I get an E-2? How much do I need to invest? Can my spouse work? How long can we stay?" This series breaks the questions investors ask most into short, single-topic answers. It pays particular attention to Taiwanese and European investors and to businesses being set up in New York.
Series overview- Part 1What Is the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa?
- Part 2Who Can Apply for an E-2 Visa? The Treaty Nationality Requirement
- Part 3How Much Must You Invest for an E-2 Visa? Understanding the "Substantial Investment" Test
- Part 4Proving Where Your Money Came From: Source of Funds in E-2 Cases
- Part 5What Kind of Business Qualifies for an E-2 Visa?
- Part 6Two Ways to Get E-2 Status: Consular Processing vs. Change of Status
New York Prenup Series
The New York Prenup Series: Understand It Before You Sign
A prenup is not a plan for divorce. It is a way to set clear financial rules while you are on the best of terms. This series answers, in plain language and under New York law, the questions couples ask most before they marry.
Series overview- Part 1Why Sign a Prenup Before Marrying in New York — and What Should It Say?
- Part 2Prenups for Same-Sex Couples in New York: What Needs Special Attention?
- Part 3Who Gets the Dog? Planning for Pets in a New York Prenup
- Part 4Marrying a Foreign National: Will a Prenup Affect the Green Card?
- Part 5How a Prenuptial Agreement Protects the Business You Already Own
New York Trust Series
The New York Trust Series: Understanding Trusts From the Ground Up
"What is a trust? Do I need one? How do I put my house in it? What do I do after it's signed?" This series breaks the questions people ask most into small, plain-language answers, based on New York law.
Series overview- Part 1What Exactly Is a Trust? The Basics in Plain English
- Part 2Why Set Up a Trust? Nine of the Most Common Reasons
- Part 3What Are the Real Benefits of a Trust? Trust vs. Will vs. Doing Nothing
- Part 4When Should You Start Planning a Trust? Key Moments in Life
- Part 5What Types of Trusts Are There? A Simple Map
- Part 6When I Say "Trust," Which One Do I Mean?
- Part 7Which Assets Can Go Into a Trust? A Funding Checklist
- Part 8Putting Real Estate Into a Trust: Houses, Condos and Multi-Family Homes
- Part 9Putting a Co-op Into a Trust
- Part 10Putting Bank Accounts Into a Trust: Checking, Savings, CDs and Safe Deposit Boxes
- Part 11Putting Stocks, Funds and Brokerage Accounts Into a Trust
- Part 12Retirement Accounts (IRA, 401(k)) and Trusts: Never Retitle Them
- Part 13How Life Insurance and Annuities Work With a Trust
- Part 14Putting a Company, LLC or Business Into a Trust
- Part 15Out-of-State and Overseas Assets: How Should a Trust Handle Them?
- Part 16Jewelry, Collectibles, Cars, Digital Assets and Cryptocurrency: How Does a Trust Handle Them?
- Part 17The 15 Most Common Trust Mistakes
- Part 18How to Maintain a Trust: During Life, During Incapacity and After Death
- Part 19Can a Trust Be Changed? What Does It Take?
All articles
New York's Estate Tax Cliff: Go Slightly Over the Exemption and Lose It Entirely
Two estates $370,000 apart can face New York estate tax bills more than $735,000 apart. Families with assets between roughly $6 million and $9 million especially need to understand this rule.
Read articleNon-U.S. Owners of U.S. Companies: The Estate Tax Trap
A nonresident foreign owner of U.S. company stock has a federal estate tax exemption of just $60,000, compared with $15 million for a U.S. citizen. It is one of the most common cross-border traps, and one of the easiest to plan for.
Read articleDivorce and the Family Business: How a Small Company Is Valued in New York
The house has a mortgage balance and the savings have statements. The one thing no one can pin down is what the restaurant or nail salon is worth, and it is often the family's largest asset.
Read articleFive Shareholder Agreement Clauses Business Owners Overlook
Most small business shareholder agreements come from an online template, or were never finished. These five clauses are where disputes most often reveal that something was never written, or was written in a way that means nothing.
Read articleLLC or Corporation? Choosing the Right Entity for a New York Small Business
New York's LLC publication rule, New York City's tax system, the owners' citizenship and your exit plans can each decide the answer. Why "just form an LLC" is not always right.
Read articleShareholder Deadlock: When a 50/50 Partnership Breaks Down
A 50/50 split signals trust at the start and paralysis at the end. How New York treats deadlock in corporations and LLCs, and why the way a petition is framed can decide who ends up buying whom.
Read articleFrozen Out by Your Partners? Minority Shareholder Oppression in New York
Removed from management, cut off from profits, denied access to the books. New York gives minority shareholders powerful remedies, but the wrong first move can hand control of the outcome to the other side.
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