Donations to many tax exempt organizations (for example, charities to help the poor, schools, hospitals, museums, and youth organizations) are usually thought of as being deductible on the donor’s US income tax return. (If the taxpayer is an individual or
The Schoolyard Lawyer: The Bullying Law Protects Special Education Students
A recent Schoolyard Lawyer blog entry, Special Education Students and the Bullying Law, discussed how the Massachusetts bullying law provides additional protections to students with disabilities. The law defines bullying as:
“The repeated use by one or more students … Read more »
IRS Not to Pursue Airline Passengers for Retroactive Ticket Taxes
Due to retroactive tax legislation, airline passengers who purchased tickets between July 23rd through and including August 7th may not have been charged for certain Federal ticket taxes that the airlines should have charged. On a per passenger … Read more »
How to Challenge Extrapolation of a Payor Audit
At some point in your professional health career, you might be the recipient of a dreaded post-audit letter like the following from the fictional “PayLess Health Plan”:
Dear Doctor,
Thank you for your cooperation with our recent audit of our … Read more »
The Schoolyard Lawyer: Protecting Those Unfairly Labeled as a Bully
It has been just over a year since Governor Patrick signed the Massachusetts law on bullying into effect, and now that the 2010-11 school year is coming to an end, it is appropriate timing to discuss what I believe to … Read more »
What about the Puppies?
All too often, the family pet is not taken into consideration when estate planning is addressed. Now that the Massachusetts legislature has enacted a “Pet Trust” statute (Mass Gen Laws Chapter 203, Section 3C), it seems an appropriate … Read more »
Bullying: It’s Not Just a Schoolyard Problem (2)
This is the second post in a three part series on bullying in the workplace.
As you may recall, the previous post on workplace bullying provided a description of workplace bullying, gave some startling statistics regarding its frequency, and outlined … Read more »
Serious Advice from the Experts
The recent devastating tornadoes in central Massachusetts should give everyone pause, as no one is immune to natural disasters. Even if tornadoes don’t return to Massachusetts this Summer, there are obviously other kinds of natural calamities that can jeopardize life, … Read more »
New Massachusetts Homestead Law
By Mark Lichtenstein, Esq. ~ By Robert A. Finkel, Esq.
Homesteads are an affordable way for many of our clients to obtain significant protection from certain creditors. On December 16, 2010, the governor of Massachusetts signed into law the most … Read more »
The Schoolyard Lawyer: What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying, as defined in the Massachusetts Anti-Bullying Law, is “bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication.” The law sets forth many different means of cyberbullying, but the most common uses are via text messages, emails, phone calls, … Read more »