Brian Bouchard | August 16, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic foisted paid leave into the public conversation. Federal programs like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) mandated periods of paid …
News
SBA Announces Changes in PPP Loan Forgiveness Process
CLIENT ALERT Alexander H. Pyle and Noy S. Kruvi | August 5, 2021 SBA Eliminates Loan Necessity Questionnaire for Loans over $2 Million The Small Business Administration recently announced that …
Is change finally coming to federal cannabis laws?
Ryan Lirette | July 30, 2021 Over two-thirds of states, including New Hampshire, have now legalized some form of marijuana use. Although many thriving and state-sanctioned marijuana operations now exist …
The Small Business Reorganization Act And Its Evolving Case Law
Jim LaMontagne | July 21, 2021 On Feb. 19, 2020, the Small Business Reorganization Act was enacted. The SBRA amended the Bankruptcy Code to add Subchapter V, a new streamlined …
Lease Rejection: Understanding the Capped and Uncapped Claims of a Landlord in Bankruptcy
Chris Candon and Jacki Fisher | July 21, 2021 For businesses of all sizes, the cost associated with its office or retail space is a significant expense. This reality may …
Hiring Is Tough but Don’t Waive Restrictive Covenants
Brian Bouchard | July 14, 2021 Hiring. It’s easily the most significant challenge facing almost every company as we eek away from a pandemic economy. Businesses are having difficulty recruiting …
How to Avoid Difficult Limited Partner Exits at Year 15
How you can protect your project in its infancy from “aggregators” and other bad faith dealers who may try to disrupt the year 15 exit for personal gain. Jaclyn Fisher …
Protecting your supplement brand by registering your trademark
Brain Thomas | July 7, 2021 The scenario is all too familiar: you develop a winning dietary supplement formula, secure high-quality manufacturing and market the product under a strong trademark. …
Nonprofits May Need to Amend Bylaws to Retain the Option to Hold Virtual Meetings
CLIENT ALERT Madeline Hutchings | July 6, 2021 As we all recover from Zoom fatigue, many of us would like to make virtual meetings a relic of the COVID Era. …
Whitley Recognized With 2021 Deane Laycock Award
(Boston, MA, July 1, 2021) – Sheehan Phinney shareholder Karen A. Whitley has been recognized by The Boston Club with the 2021 Deane Laycock Award. The Boston Club is a …
Tips you should know for Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives
Michael Panebianco | June 27, 2021 Some people think that, because their assets are jointly owned with a spouse or are in a trust, they do not need a Power …
Notable Privacy Law Developments in the Past Year
Doug Verge | June 21, 2021 It’s a simple fact – individuals value their privacy. At its core privacy means being free from outside intrusions and keeping our personal information …
Dell’Orfano Named to American Heart Association Board of Directors
(6/11/2021, Manchester, NH) – Sheehan Phinney attorney Mark W. Dell’Orfano has been named to the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Heart Association. The American …
Massachusetts Enacts COVID-19 Emergency Sick Leave Requirement
CLIENT ALERT Mark Ventola | June 7, 2021 Massachusetts employees are now eligible for Emergency Paid Sick Leave for several reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing through September 30, …
Understanding the basics can reap your business rewards
Brian Thomas | June 3, 2021 Every business should know how to select, use and protect its trademarks. Failure to do so can diminish its brand, cause financial harm and …
Sheehan Phinney Earns Top Rankings by Chambers USA for 2021
(5/26/2021, Manchester, NH) – Sheehan Phinney has once again received the highest rankings in New Hampshire for 2021 by Chambers USA, a prestigious directory of the country’s top law firms. …
Mask Free in the 603: New CDC Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Employees
Brian Bouchard | May 19, 2021 On May 13, the CDC and White House announced that masks—with few exceptions—are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals: indoors or outdoors. For …
Recent Case Concerning the Interplay of a Municipal Sign Ordinance and Federal Law Protecting Religious Assemblies from Discriminatory Land Use Rules and Decisions
Christopher Cole and Megan Carrier | May 16, 2021 In 2000, Congress unanimously passed a law known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act to prevent cities and …
Gregoire Named to Crossroads House Board of Directors
(5/5/2020, Manchester, NH) – Sheehan Phinney shareholder Jason D. Gregoire has been named to the Crossroads House Board of Directors, effective immediately. Crossroads House provides emergency and transitional shelter to …
Federally Qualified Health Centers: The Heart of Community Health Care
Jason Gregoire | April 30, 2021 I am a health care lawyer. In the first year of my health law practice, I had the good fortune of receiving an assignment …
Business Innovators: Mind the Details as you Pivot Online
Paul Durham | April 23, 2021 Despite the great hardships that we have all endured over the past year, many of us find ourselves cautiously optimistic that a return to …
Can you spot the red flags?
Abbygale Martinen | April 23, 2021 We have now surpassed a year of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and, with that, a year of Covid-related unemployment claims. With the meteoric …
Stimulus Relief For Recovery Start-Up Businesses
Paul J. Durham | April 12, 2021 Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers have provided significant economic assistance to support struggling businesses. Unfortunately, businesses started during the crisis …
Big Changes Could Loom for Estate and Gift Taxes
Michael Panebianco | April 23, 2021 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont recently introduced the For the 99.5% Act, which, if enacted, would likely affect almost all taxpayers in one …
Clouded Post-COVID Workplace? Employers Challenged by Growing Cannabis Use/Accommodation Issues
Jim Reidy and Madeline Hutchings | April 21, 2021 With more than 30 states having legalized cannabis in one form or another employers have been revisiting their drug and alcohol …
Stimulus Relief for Start-Up Businesses
Paul Durham | April 21, 2021 Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers have provided significant economic assistance to support struggling businesses. Unfortunately, businesses started during the crisis have …
Everyone Could Be Affected by Proposed Estate Tax Changes
CLIENT ALERT Michael P. Panebianco | April 15, 2021 Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont recently introduced the “For the 99.5% Act.” If enacted, it would likely affect almost all taxpayers …
Sheehan Phinney Named 2021 “Best of Business” in Employment Law
(April 1, 2021, Manchester, NH) – Sheehan Phinney is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a winner in New Hampshire Business Review’s 2021 Best of Business Awards …
IRS Announces More Covid-19 Related Tax Deadline Extensions
CLIENT ALERT Peter Beach | March 30, 2021 The IRS previously extended the federal income tax filing and payment deadline for individuals for the 2020 tax year to May 17, …
Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont Have Extended Filing and Payment Deadlines for Individual Taxpayers to May 17
CLIENT ALERT Peter Beach | March 25, 2021 Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont have extended the filing and payment deadlines for their 2020 state personal income tax returns as described below. …
IRS Extends Filing and Payment Deadline for Individual Taxpayers to May 17
CLIENT ALERT Peter Beach | March 18, 2021 The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the federal income tax filing and payment due date for individuals for the 2020 tax …
Legislative Update
Michael Panebianco | March 17, 2020 A busy legislative session includes the following that are likely to be of interest to estate planning attorneys. Advance Directives for Health Care Decisions …
The American Rescue Plan Act
CLIENT ALERT Abbygale Martinen | March 15, 2021 On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) of 2021 into law—the third relief package since the …
Sheehan Phinney Expands to Seacoast Area
(Portsmouth, NH, March 15, 2021) – Sheehan Phinney, a business law firm serving regional, national and international clients, is pleased to announce the opening of its Portsmouth office. Located at …
Options for Businesses in Financial Distress
Jim LaMontagne | March 8, 2021 When the COVID-19 pandemic grabbed hold of the economy in late spring of 2020, many predicted a wave of commercial bankruptcy filings. Despite the pandemic …
Intellectual Property Law Basics For Business
Paul J. Durham | March 8, 2021 A basic understanding of intellectual property (“IP”) law issues is not just important for inventors and technology company executives. Understanding the types of …
Marijuana and Drug Testing in the Workplace
James Reidy | February 22, 2021 Attorney James Reidy discusses what the changing state laws regarding marijuana use mean for employers as they establish workplace policies. Watch the video here.
Who benefits from federal housing tax credit changes?
Peter Beach and Jaclyn Fisher | February 19, 2021 On Dec, 21, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, a year-end measure that includes a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill …
Podcasting to grow your business? Consider these simple legal tips
By: Paul J. Durham | February 8, 2021 Today’s most popular podcasts can attract millions of listeners and generate enormous advertising dollars. Although the vast majority of podcasts accumulate far …
Bernarducci Joins Sheehan Phinney
(Boston, MA, February 17, 2021) – Sheehan Phinney welcomes Jeff Bernarducci to the firm. Bernarducci will work primarily out of the firm’s Boston and Portsmouth offices. Bernarducci provides strategy, risk …
Sheehan Phinney Congratulates New England Solar Garden Corp. on 82 MW Solar Energy Transaction
(February 17, 2021, Manchester, NH) – Sheehan Phinney congratulates its client, New England Solar Garden Corporation (“NESG”), on its closing on a definitive agreement for the development and delivery of …
Is Your Business Eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan? Applications Are Being Accepted
CLIENT ALERT By: Colleen Lyons | February 16, 2021 For almost a month, certain businesses that previously received a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) Loan have been eligible to apply for …
NH Supreme Court Reinforces That The Law Means What It Says About Filing For Not-For-Profit Property Tax Exemptions
CLIENT ALERT February 9, 2021 The New Hampshire Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling dated February 9, 2021, held that in order to get the tax exemption under NH RSA …
Gibson Engineering Acquired by Applied Industrial Technologies
Sheehan Phinney congratulates its client, Gibson Engineering (Norwood, MA) on its recent acquisition by Applied Industrial Technologies (Cleveland, OH). Gibson Engineering is a provider of automation products, services, and engineered …
Living Innovations Partners with Mosaic
Sheehan Phinney congratulates its client, Living Innovations, on combining with Omaha, NE-based Mosaic, a healthcare organization reaching across 10 states and providing support to more than 4,300 people. Their services …
New Subchapter V draws raves from bankruptcy bar
Quote by: Jim LaMontagne | February 8, 2021 While filings have been slower in Massachusetts than elsewhere in the country, a new streamlined form of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for …
Trade Secrets and the COVID-19 workplace
By: Christopher Cole | February 5, 2021 In the course of the pandemic, nearly every business – mine included – made changes to the manner in which they ordinarily conducted …
2020: It Was Wicked Awful!
By: James Reidy | February 2, 2021 Yes, COVID-19 continues to be a devastating virus. Once thought to be no more serious than the seasonal flu, soon after the virus …
Voegele Joins Litigation Group
(Manchester, NH, February 1, 2021) – Sheehan Phinney welcomes Jonathan R. Voegele to its Business Litigation Group. Voegele will work primarily out of the firm’s Manchester and Boston offices. Voegele is …
Lambert Named Chair of Litigation Department
(Boston, MA, February 1, 2021) – Sheehan Phinney has named shareholder Michael J. Lambert Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department. Lambert previously served on the firm’s five-person Management Committee as …
Whitley Named to Firm Management Committee
(Boston, MA, February 1, 2021) – Sheehan Phinney shareholder Karen A. Whitley has been named to the firm’s five-person management committee as the ‘At-Large’ member representing the firm’s Boston office, …
The Potential Impact of the FTC’s Data Privacy Orders
JP Harris and Jennifer Lyon | January 29, 2021 On Dec. 14, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued orders using powers under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act to …
US Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement
CLIENT ALERT By: Robert Lucic | January 25, 2021 Shortly after his Inauguration on January 20, President Biden signed a series of Executive Orders, many of which dealt with …
Rules Revamp Key Health Laws
Andrew Eills | January 15, 2021 On Nov. 22, 2020, after over two years of evaluating stakeholder comments, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released final rules that …
New Year’s (corporate) resolutions
Paul J. Durham | January 11, 2021 It’s January, which means New Year’s resolutions are plentiful. For many of us, those resolutions may focus on personal health and wellness. If …
NH DOJ Issues Mask Guidance and Recommendations
CLIENT ALERT Andrew Eills | January 12, 2021 As many retail establishment and other business owners can attest, enforcing Governor Sununu’s Emergency Orders pertaining to mask-wearing creates, on occasion, uncomfortable …
More Covid-19 Tax Changes: An Overview of Key Tax Provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
CLIENT ALERT By: Peter Beach January 8, 2021 Below is a summary of key business and individual tax provisions included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”). While many …
Bouchard Elected Firm Shareholder
(1/5/2021, Manchester, NH) – Sheehan Phinney is proud to announce that Brian J. Bouchard has been elected as a firm shareholder, effective January 1, 2021. Bouchard currently works out the …
A New Year… a New Leave: the latest on the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Program
CLIENT ALERT By: Karen A. Whitley January 4, 2021 After more than a year of making contributions to the Family and Employment Security Trust Fund, Massachusetts employers and workers have …
COVID-19 vaccine: Can businesses and employers mandate it?
Brian Bouchard | December 30, 2020 Now that we have two approved vaccines, many businesses are asking whether they can require customers and employees to vaccinate. Can a company offering …