LIEB BLOG

Legal Analysts

Friday, December 09, 2011

Upcoming Free CLE - Property Wars: Real Estate Issues Incident to Divorce

The Long Island Education Board is excited to offer a brand new Free CLE course entitled Property Wars: Real Estate Issues Incident to Divorce.

Thanks to our event sponsor - PDE Title Services, LLC, this course will be offered on the following dates:

  • 1/11/12 - Bridgehampton
  • 2/29/12 - Manhattan
  • 3/28/12 - Melville 

Registration for this free Continuing Legal Education course in Bridgehampton on Long Island is now available. Click here to register. 


Property Wars: Real Estate Issues Incident to Divorce

While every divorce isn't the War of the Roses, no one likes to part with their home or commercial property and very often they are motivated to fight for what they believe to be theirs. In fact, many times divorcing parties will shop lawyers until they hear what they want to hear. Yet, this isn't limited to divorce lawyers. Often, the parties will seek real estate attorneys to move their property around before, during or after a divorce in order to circumvent the law. In the alternative, many divorces are settled amicably where a real estate transaction remains necessary incident to the divorce.
This 2 credit CLE course is designed to educate practitioners about the overlap between these 2 differing fields of law: matrimonial and real estate. In each field attorneys are often called upon to engage incident to the other. Following your attendance you will gain insight into both fields and become more familiarized with the statutes, cases and rules in the one that you don't typically engage. After all, clients like the Roses will go all the way to the end. You need to learn how to get out of the way of the falling chandelier. Credits: 2*
*Application for accreditation of this course or program in New York is currently pending*

    Thursday, December 08, 2011

    Mortgage Delinquencies to Rise & Fall in 2012

    According to TransUnion, click here, borrowers who are 60 or more days past due on their mortgages will decline from approximately 6% of all borrowers at the end of 2011 to 5% by the end of 2012.

    This is fantastic news and shows that we are slowly emerging from the ever present effects recession.

    Lets hope that this is a precursor to increased home sales. With less people talking foreclosure, consumer confidence should raise and people will feel safer making the large purchase of a new home. Here comes a better tomorrow.

    Tuesday, December 06, 2011

    Tax Cap on STAR savings

    NYS Government is capping the increases in savings experienced by School Tax Relief Program (STAR) and Enhanced STAR recipients at 2%. Therefore, during 2012, recipients will still save more than last year, but less than they otherwise would have saved. It appears to be a compromise by legislators in a troubled economy where tax dollars are necessary to found governmental programs. To learn more about this cap, click here.

    To learn more about the STAR program overall and legislation concerning this topic, click here.

    Savings is better than spending and in this economy any increases in savings is a good thing.

    Monday, November 28, 2011

    Lease Renewal Notice Provision not to be Strictly Construed

    In a recent controversial case in Manhattan, 135 East 57th street v. Daffy's Inc., the Appellate Division ruled that a tenant's failure to provide their landlord with a timely notice that they wished to renew their lease did not foreclose the tenant's ability to renew nonetheless in the face of the landlord's desire to evict.

    The Court ruled that regardless of the terms in a lease, equity or fairness could trump the parties agreement. Specifically, the Court stated a test for the tenant to exercise the option even where it failed to notice the landlord pursuant to the terms of the lease. The test is: (1) The landlord was not prejudiced by the delay in notice; (2) The delay was excusable; and (3) The tenant created value (which can only be for the tenant's behalf) in the premises or had made improvements to the premises

    This is a scary decision for landlords who rely on the terms of their agreements to make proper business decisions. In the wake of this decision, landlords should assume that a tenant's failure to renew by notice is not grounds to evict. Instead, the landlord must now go the extra step of getting confirmation that the tenant wishes to vacate in order to have a reliable working premises for their property. Basically, the Court puts the burden on the landlord for determining the tenant's intent to not renew regardless of the agreement of the parties. While its always been a residential tenant's world, it appears that the commercial tenant is not falling far behind in default rules in its favor. Landlords beware.

    Wednesday, November 23, 2011

    A Teaching Law Firm - Pace and the Long Island Education Board

    For the past 4 years, Lieb at Law, P.C. has continuously pushed the advantages of a teaching law firm, where attorneys are teaching at a New York State Licensed Real Estate School as they develop their careers. The belief has always been that teaching is the best way to learn and it forces attorney educators to know exactly what is happening on the cutting edge of our field. The model isn't original, but instead it is a replica of the medical model.

    It seems law schools are catching on as Pace Law School has just launched a "Legal Residency Program" for entry level attorneys.

    While the Pace Law School program is geared towards training new attorneys while they provide low cost legal services to the public, as their public statements represent, the Long Island Education Board, a division of Lieb at Law, P.C., is focused on Lieb at Law, P.C. attorneys becoming teachers themselves to achieve the highest level of client services. Therefore, two different aspects of the medical model are being replicated. Its theorized that a combination of the both; whats done in medical school, will be what ultimately results in the best results.

    Congrats to Pace and their innovative approach. Your friends at the Long Island Education Board support this endeavor and will monitor your success. Best of luck.