Free legal tip of the day - Buy Sell agreements

Don't forget to write a business prenup, formally known as a buy-sell agreement, before putting money in a venture. more...>

Two immigrant stories

As part of the "Class Matters" series, the New York Times focuses today on the plight of two immigrants, one Greek diner owner, one Mexican short order cook. more...>

Site of the day

Are you looking to start up a business? Check out business.gov.

Think tank finds the "tort crisis" overblown

According to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute, the "tort crisis" is overblown. For example, tort lawsuits have actually fallen significantly, despite continuing population growth. more...>

Immigrant success in Math

In one high school, Asian's represent 22 percent of the population, but 94.4 percent of the math club. Why?

Read this before selling a family business

Keep it. Sell it. Liquidate it. These are three alternatives available to owners of closely held businesses. Here is guide about the key issues regarding the sale process.

Legal History Site of the Day

The legal history site of the day is The Avalon Project at Yale University. The site contains a treasure trove of historical documents in law, history and diplomacy. For instance, follow this link to the Camp David Accords.

20,000 new H1-B visa bonus

The USCIS will be implementing 20,000 bonus H1-B visa's for graduates of US graduate degree programs. more...>

Blawg of the Day

The blawg of the day is ... Between Lawyers (thanks to the Blawg Channel). Today, the author's (this is a group blawg) discuss the value of blogging within the legal community.

Reading List

Here is a list of what I am current reading:

Dale Carengie: "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

Thomas L. Friedman: "The World is Flat, A brief history of the 21st Century"

Harold McGee: "On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lure of the Kitchen"

Keith Farrazi: "Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets of Success, One Relationship at a Time"

Insurer posts record profits

Insurance companies have been calling for tort reform. They state that there is a litigation crisis. Here is a piece of interesting news: St. Pauls/ Travelers Insurance company has posted record profits for the First Quarter. more...>

Stricter immigration reforms on the horizon

Congress is ready to enact a stricter law that would outlaw driver's licenses for illegal aliens and it would make it tougher for immigrants to seek asylum. more...>

The USA is a nation of immigrants. Many (including my ancenstors) have sought refuge here to escape persecution. Unfortunately, in times of "war" we tend to limit immigration because of a perceived security risk. As an immigration attorney, it is my belief that the laws that are currently on the books regarding asylum are sufficient. What is needed to help limit the scope of the security problem that we here in the US is to provide more funding for BCIS so that they can investigate each case properly.

The new law calls require asylum seekers to provide written proof of persecution. This law, as currently drafted, is simplistic, overbroad and narrowminded. During World War II, the Nazi's burned down Jewish shtetls in Eastern Europe, destroying everything. What kind of written proof would one expect such Jewish refugee's to provide? An SS order written on a bialy? How about those escaping the genocide in Darfur? Many of these people are illiterate. What types of written documents are immigation officials expecting?

Perhaps Congress would have acted the asylum law differently if the State of Texas was in fact located in Rwanda and the Hutus were killing White Anglo Saxon Protestants. It is my belief that anyone who is been the victim of persecution has the right to shelter in the United States.

The risk that we have as a nation by enacting such a law is that we are not showing enough interest in the plight of other people. As Dale Carengie said, one of the best ways to influence people is showing that we care about them. This new immigration law is another way of showing the world that we have less interest about their problems and are more interested in our own. This is the blacklash that helped create Bin Laden in the first place.

Immigrant crackdown on Long Island have snared those without a criminal past

Efforts to deport immigrants who are thought to be gang members or sexual predators have snarred those with no criminal record. more...>