LRM Alerts & Guides

If you like what you see, we invite you to subscribe to our LRM Alerts and Guides email list.

Business For Sale: Bridging the Valuation Gap

September 1, 2010 - This year's deal environment is characterized by many business owners who want to sell their businesses, by an abundance of strategic buyers who are looking to accelerate their future growth rate by adding to their asset base and acquiring new customers, and by private ... read more

Recent Amendments to the FCA

August 25, 2010 - Health Care Reform Places Affirmative Duty on Providers to Refund Overpayments From Federal Health Care Programs By Darrell Armer, Ashley Johnston and Tom Rhodus, Looper Reed & McGraw Health care reform raises many difficult issues for health care providers. Risks... read more

Restructuring Debts In and Out of Court

June 30, 2010 - There are many reasons why a company may become financially distressed.  Once it reaches a point of insolvency, however, management may consider a restructuring of the company's financial obligations in order to restore the company back to financial health.... read more

What Does Health Care Reform Mean For Physicians?

April 19, 2010 - Last month we saw historic changes made to our nation's health care system when President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. The Act will require the purch... read more

Offshore Anti-Abuse and Foreign Provisions in the HIRE Act

March 31, 2010 - The President recently signed into law the "Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010" (the HIRE Act, P.L. 111-47). The HIRE Act includes a comprehensive set of measures to reduce offshore noncompliance by giving IRS new administrative tools to detect, deter a... read more

SEC Adopts Enhanced Proxy Disclosure Rules for the 2010 Proxy Season

March 9, 2010 - As companies begin preparing their 2010 proxy statements and other periodic reports, they should be aware that the SEC has recently adopted amendments that significantly enhance the disclosure reporting companies are required to include in these filings.  These rul... read more

Who Pays for the Well After the Lease Terminates? Wagner & Brown v. Sheppard - The Rest of the Story

December 11, 2009 - Wagner & Brown, Ltd. v. Sheppard is well-known for its holding that termination of an oil and gas lease for land that was part of pooled unit doesn't always cause the unit to terminate. An overlooked aspect of the case asks the question:  When, if at all, shoul... read more

Do You Own Your Company Name (and Can You Even Use It)?

August 29, 2009 - There is often confusion when it comes to registering names. Texas filings relating to company names, though accepted and approved by the Secretary of State, do not confer unfettered ownership or right to use the name. That is, a company name that is reserved, registere... read more

IRS Announces “Quiet Disclosures” No Longer Accepted

August 28, 2009 - Claude Wilson cautions tax professionals that making a "quiet disclosure" can lead to a malpractice case or an ethics violation.... read more

A Guide to Buying Distressed Assets

August 18, 2009 - Many people are looking for companies, real estate, and assets that, for any number of reasons, are "distressed," which normally means priced at less than market value. However, how do you determine whether an asset is really a bargain versus a disguised headache? Furth... read more

Document Retention: The 800 lb. Gorilla

June 10, 2009 - Document retention is a matter of growing importance for both lawyers and clients, but could be characterized as an 800 lb gorilla in the corner of the room that no one wants to talk about. The Document Retention Guide provides offers guidance for creating document rete... read more

Covenants Not To Compete: Still Enforceable!

May 1, 2009 - This April the Texas Supreme Court again affirmed that noncompetition agreements are alive and enforceable in this great State of Texas.... read more

Oil and Gas Operator Liability Addressed in Recent Texas Supreme Court Rulings

April 27, 2009 - The Texas Supreme Court has issued two important and related opinions affecting mineral owners and their lessees. ... read more

Watch Out for the Pitfalls of Business Entertainment Deductions

April 13, 2009 - The news media have recently been full of stories of political appointees with “tax problems”, including having taken improper deductions for business entertainment expenses. This article will reduce some of the confusion associated with business entertainme... read more

2009 Changes to COBRA: What Employers Need to Know

March 19, 2009 - Whether you think the federal stimulus package is a great idea or a bad one, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 became law on February 17, 2009.  Of the many changes made by the Recovery Act, employers need to be aware of new obligations the law pla... read more

Alert regarding “Compliance Services” Solicitation

March 9, 2009 - Recently, an entity calling itself “Compliance Services” with an address in Austin, Texas, mailed solicitations entitled “Annual Minutes Requirement Statement” to numerous Texas business entities. This solicitation suggests that a Texas business ... read more

About Face: Significant Changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act that Affect Your Business Right Now

March 4, 2009 - In the fall of 2008, President Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (the “Amendments”) which became effective January 1, 2009, and make changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the Amendments, Congress literally ca... read more

A-Rod v. Employee Drug Testing?

March 2, 2009 - With pro and high school sports instituting drug testing policies, it is worth considering whether you should have a drug testing policy at your office.  It is legal, but an employer cannot simply decide to start testing employees one day without warning.  Thi... read more

A Guide to Employee Terminations

February 26, 2009 - Most employers know that Texas is an “employment at-will” state, meaning that—unless there is an employment agreement guaranteeing employment for a specific amount of time—employees can be terminated for any lawful reason. Being legally entitled ... read more

Dallas County Ordinance Targets Apartment Complexes

February 9, 2009 - On January 14, 2009, the Dallas City Council passed Ordinance Number 27548 to amend certain provisions of the Dallas City Code pertaining to apartment complexes. The ordinance links crime rates to the deterioration of property and arises in the wake of the recent shooti... read more

Justice Dept Challenges Offshore Private Banking

December 3, 2008 - Federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service are getting serious about pursuing Americans who have parked money in offshore bank accounts.  Last month, the government disclosed the indictment of a high-ranking executive of the Swiss bank UBS.  The indi... read more

Enforcing Real Estate Contracts In Texas Using Specific Performance

October 29, 2008 - Most real estate contracts include a provision for “specific performance”, which is a remedy sometimes available to force a party to complete a transaction. However, the Texas Supreme Court recently handed down a decision in the case of DiGiuseppe v. Lawler ... read more

What To Do When You Are In A Maze of Financial Troubles

October 3, 2008 - Whether it results from a general economic downturn, loss of a large customer, or increased competition, every business hits a rough patch at some time.  Vendors understand this, banks understand this, and investors understand this; what they do not understand are ... read more

Supreme Court Issues Major Opinion On Hydraulic Fracing

September 17, 2008 - The Supreme Court of Texas has issued a long-awaited opinion in Coastal Oil & Gas Corp., et al. v. Garza Energy Trust, et al. The primary issue was whether subsurface hydraulic fracturing of a gas well that extends into another’s property is a trespass for which the val... read more

The Legality Of Recording Conversations

July 1, 2008 - Technology has come a long way since the Watergate era. As recording devices have become smaller in size, their sound recording capabilities and storage capacities have increased. Sophisticated recording devices are inexpensive and conveniently available to any consumer... read more

The Texas Margin Tax: What is it?

January 1, 2008 - The Comptroller’s office is giving businesses and tax practitioners an additional 30 days to submit their franchise tax reports and payments, file an extension and preserve the right to take the temporary credit without penalty. The due dates are still May 15 for annual... read more

Looper Reed and McGraw Attorneys