Former McMillan Metro Faerber Attorney Stephen J. Orens, Esq. Passes at Age 83
Mr. Orens was an attorney with McMillan Metro Faerber from 2015 through his retirement in 2021. Many of our attorneys also worked with him in prior firms, or through various professional organizations, such as the Maryland Building Industry Association and National Association of Home Builders.
Important Update/Notice re: CTA/BOIR Filing Deadline
IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ – Reminder – CTA Deadline Approaching
This year, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) imposed new reporting requirements on many companies in the U.S. Enacted to combat money laundering, the CTA is being used to identify people who form, control, or own many companies operating in the U.S. The information is being gathered by requiring companies to report information about their “Beneficial Owners.” The reports are called “Beneficial Ownership Information Reports,” and they are filed online with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
2024 Maryland Legislative Updates
The 2024 legislative session was another busy one for the Maryland legislature, with over 1,000 bills signed into law. The Maryland Legislative Action Committee of the Community Associations Institute, the trade organization that represents and educates members of the community associations industry, was just as busy monitoring proposed bills and advocating on behalf of community associations in Maryland. Several of the bills that passed affect community associations and go into effect on October 1, 2024. Below is a summary of those bills.
Planning for Incapacity
Incapacity may be sudden, such as a car accident, or the result of a gradual decline, such as Parkinson’s Disease or dementia. It may happen at any phase of your life. Being prepared by authorizing others to act for you is key to making sure your wishes are respected, and your finances are secure.
Sometimes, a Will Won’t Do
I know: You expect an estate-planning attorney to be all in favor of Wills. It is absolutely true that you need documents to protect your assets and take care of your loved ones if you are no longer around, but as you’ll read in the USA Today article that follows, a Will isn’t always the best answer.
The Green Death Care Options Act
There is a growing trend in the United States to choose green “death care” options. My clients bring this up more frequently these days. They are choosing to put this in their estate planning documents as their plan of choice. The term “Green Burial” means that the body is buried, but there is no embalming of the body, no liners or vaults, using biodegradable containers, whether caskets, shrouds, or nothing at all. The Green Burial Council (GBC), a non-profit organization that encourages environmentally sound burials, states that “Green burial is a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that furthers ecological aims such as the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of a habitat.”
Keep Those Beneficiary Designations Updated
The cases start all over the country and leave a trail of misery and disappointment:
Selling Your Business? The Final Price Isn’t Always Right.
Fair warning if you are selling your business: The price you and the buyer agree to may not be the price you actually get due to a common and very important term known as the “working capital requirement.” If you’ve never sold a business before, the working capital requirement may come as a big surprise. You are likely to encounter it for the first time in the letter of intent, the first occasion when major terms of the deal are put down in writing.