Cunningham Dalman | Legal News | Attorney Blog Posts

The law can seem like a daunting and complex tangle. The attorneys of Cunningham Dalman are here to help. If you require legal representation or would like to seek advice from a law expert, we hope you’ll talk with someone at our firm. We also encourage you to learn more about legal issues that matter to you. On this page you will find valuable information about many different aspects of the law. We encourage you to spend some time browsing this collection of posts written by Cunningham Dalman attorneys.

Attention Married Women: Your Property Rights Are Changing.

Randall S. Schipper February 21st, 2017

Michigan is abolishing dower rights for married women. Dower rights provided a safety net. Married women, and their husbands, may now need to take action. With dower, if a husband died owning real property titled in just his name, his widow got the right to income from that property for the balance of her life.… continue reading

Protect Your Business When Electing to Save Employment Taxes

P. Haans Mulder February 14th, 2017

LLCs are the most popular legal structure for businesses. They’re flexible, provide significant legal protection to the LLC members, and have less maintenance requirements than corporations. A separate, but related issue is how an LLC should be taxed. A growing number of LLCs are electing to be taxed as an S corporation. The main benefit… continue reading

If You Have A Business Partner, You Should Look Into This…

P. Haans Mulder February 7th, 2017

The local economy remains very strong and businesses continue to grow. I find these are good times for business owners to determine whether they’re protected against risks that could cause major distress to their company. One of them is not having an ownership agreement (also known as a shareholder, buy-sell, or operating agreement) that adequately… continue reading

Business Owners – Are You Prepared for the Potential Changes to the Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule?

meganh, January 31st, 2017

QUESTION: WHAT DO BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S OVERTIME RULE? ANSWER: Overall, the changes to the existing overtime rule would significantly increase the minimum salary requirement for exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Prior to the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) adoption of the changes, FLSA required covered… continue reading

Remember Income Taxes When Doing Your Estate Plan

P. Haans Mulder January 24th, 2017

Estate planning is important for a number of different reasons. Making your intentions clear, avoiding a costly administration process, and keeping the process as simple and least burdensome to your loved ones are the most common I hear from my clients. What clients and advisers sometimes forget in this process are the impact of taxes… continue reading

Landlords, If a Tenant Falls, You May Get Hurt

Randall S. Schipper January 17th, 2017

Sometimes landlords feel that the law treats them as parents and tenants as their children. Two cases earlier this year reinforce that. The usual rule in “slip and fall” cases is that, if the defect is open and obvious, the fault lies with the person who slipped. Thus, if a person sees a parking lot… continue reading

Don’t Forget This Key Issue When Selling or Buying a Business

P. Haans Mulder January 10th, 2017

People are vital to all businesses and many businesses simply wouldn’t exist without certain key people. When a business owner sells a company, having these key employees continue in their roles can be critical for the buyer and justifying what they’ve paid. Alternatively, if these key employees leave, the value of the business deteriorates and… continue reading

Loose Lips May Sink Your Ship and Create Liability

Ronald J. Vander Veen January 3rd, 2017

After a rancorous political campaign season, I read the Court of Appeals opinion in Bedford v Witte and Hoyer with great interest. In both political campaigns and litigation, broad and emotional allegations are often made. While there are few rules for political campaigns, there are boundaries for statements by attorneys and other persons about public… continue reading

Check It Out. Things to Check in Picking a Building Site.

Randall S. Schipper December 27th, 2016

If you want to build a new house, there are a number of factors you need to verify. Assumptions can lead to problems or at least added cost. –To know if you can legally build what you want, check zoning and private restrictions. You may find you cannot build that accessory building you want. –Verify… continue reading

Create Meaning for Your Employees

P. Haans Mulder December 20th, 2016

A national survey found that 51% of employees were not engaged in their job last year. Even worse, 17.5% were actively disengaged. These were the highest levels measured since 2000. This issue of engaging employees combined with a 3.2% unemployment rate in the local economy creates significant challenges for companies. Business owners know that attracting,… continue reading

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