Effective October 1, 2019, it will be easier for a Maryland employee to bring a claim of harassment against its employer based on race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, general identity, or disability (“Protected Class”). It is important to take action now and implement policies and procedures to…MORE
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If your spouse (or your child’s parent) is on active duty in the military, you may be able to seek support through his or her command. Each service has implemented dependent support guidelines which provide different levels of support. The Navy’s Dependent Support Guidelines provide generous support for dependent spouses and children (which exceed the…MORE
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There are two new laws in Maryland impacting estate planning and administration. The first deals with what is known as the “spousal election”. Under Maryland law, a surviving spouse has the right to make an election to take a one-third share of their deceased spouse’s estate in lieu of what they were to receive under…MORE
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Recently, we have learned that our clients are receiving letters from the Social Security Administration indicating that the Social Security Numbers submitted with payments for FICA and, presumably, Medicare, do not match. This often may involve an undocumented worker; however, it could simply mean a clerical error. The employer who receives a no-match letter stands…MORE
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Applicants for building permits for new development in Montgomery County are generally subject to County “Impact Taxes”. These impact taxes are for transportation and education impacts and are designed to defray the impact that new residents will have on the demand for schools and transportation infrastructure. These impact taxes can cost tens (or even hundreds)…MORE
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On July 1, 2019, the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 went into effect and applies to all employers, who have employees that work at least fifty percent (50%) of their time in the District of Columbia or work substantially in the District of Columbia and do not work more than 50% of their…MORE
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Lately, the news has been filled with stories about women forced to settle sexual harassment claims through severance agreements. Many of those agreements are perceived as oppressive because they suppress the victim’s rights to tell her story and fail to inform other actual or potential victims that a company has retained a bad actor after…MORE
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Choosing the people to whom you want to assign responsibility in case the worst happens is a stumbling block that keeps many of us from creating estate planning documents, such as wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Who should my executor be? Who could manage money for kids who will be my heirs? Who would…MORE
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Recently, we have had two instances in which clients signed leases and were obligated to obtain an Occupancy Permit. In both cases, the prospective tenants were unable to obtain an Occupancy Permit because the use was not permitted. The landlord did not inform, or was unaware, that the use was not permitted in the zoning….MORE
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We often hear from frazzled business owners about routine contracts gone wrong. What seemed like a simple service agreement has gone south. They want their money back, or at least cut their losses, but when they call to cancel the contract, they learn they are stuck. All too often, what the service representative told them…MORE
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