Got my ipad yesterday, and I really see it as being a useful tool in my practice. Unlike a traditional laptop, it is exceedingly light and easy to slip in a bag with no added weight. I do not carry the charger or anything. It is amazingly smooth, and there are a decent number of productivity apps. I find myself able to hook up to mobile hotspot on my palm pre and sitting and working anywhere. 

Initially, I was skeptical of the Ipad, but I can admit when I am wrong. 

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Over the weekend, I read The Big Short by Michael Lewis. Lewis is a great storyteller, and really knows how to find the characters to make a catastrophe like the financial crisis comprehensible. This is the best book I have read yet on the origins of the financial crisis. 

To start off with Lewis' conclusion, Wall Street should have been allowed to disappear in the fall of 2008.  It had no redeeming qualities, so driven by the need for profit and outrageous salaries, whatever value Wall Street...
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nation's biggest mortgage underwriters through purchases on the secondary market of loans, have said they will not allow borrowers who have walked away from their loan for strategic reasons (i.e., the loan was under water but they could still afford to pay).  This decision is counter to intelligent policy and will saddle Fannie and Freddie with decisions it cannot possibly make. As both of these entities are owned by the Federal Government, they should be opera...
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A few months ago, I wrote about the infirmities in the conviction of Joe Ferriero.  After yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on the conviction of Jeffrey Skilling, it appears that Ferriero is going home. In brief, Skilling's case was remanded to the lower courts because the basis of his conviction might have been the "Honest Services" statute, which had been used broadly by Federal prosecutors to catch those engaged in activities that were conflicts of interest from the interests of that indivi...
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I explain why over at Newjerseynewsroom.
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The New York Times had an important front page story yesterday in regard to debt modification or debt settlement agencies. These for profit companies take large fees upfront while making extravagant promises as to what they can do for you.  Most of the time, people end up being sued for their debts or foreclosure and end up with nothing for the fees and aggravation.  A licensed attorney can help you with defending against lawsuits, negotiating settlements or a bankruptcy filing. Contrary to w...
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The New York Times has a front page story on how those in foreclosure are living for long periods of time without paying anything, while the slow foreclosure process grinds itself out. Good idea to have a lawyer to help you drag out the judicial process and ensure your legal rights are protected. Please call me at 201-289-5352 for information on how I can help, affordably. 
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My analysis of the Supreme Court's decision ruling against the NFL is up at NewJerseyNewsroom.
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In the recent storm, lots of people had tree damage. See my analysis of the legal issues here.
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Now that my free trial period with Bloomberg Law is coming to an end I wanted to share my thoughts. 

Bloomberg has put together a platform that has some innovative features and great design elements. Building a platform from the ground up has allowed them to really make use of the best web technologies, something which both Lexis and Westlaw should consider. Searches are opened in separate tabs so that you can view each case and return to something you have seen without losing your place. Abso...
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New NYC Comptroller wants to control the Community Development Agreements that developers use to convince local politicians to support big projects in the City. This is probably too little too late, but these unregulate agreements over promise and under-deliver, often due to the fecklessness of NYC officials as well as developers. Full story here.
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I have a new column up at NewJerseyNewsroom on what to do when you fall behind on your mortgage.  Click here for the full piece.
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I am a huge fan of Google Apps, particularly the ability to have full Gmail, contacts and Google Calendar for my own domain.  What was missing was the ability to merge my gmail contacts with those on my domain's contacts list.  This was particularly frustrating because I use Google Voice and it was linked to my personal Gmail.  Thankfully, Soocial.com, a product I have been using to keep Outlook contacts in sync with Gmail, and which is totally free, now allows you to set up multiple Gmail ac...
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Bergen County residents can get a free radon test from the Bergen County Executive.  More information on radon can be found here

The Bergen County Executive issued the following press release:

Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney and the Department of Health Services (BCDHS) announce free radon test kits will be given on a first come, first serve basis to county residents. Free test kits will be available for Bergen County residents in the lobby of the Bergen County Administration Building...

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I have written several times at Newjerseynewsroom.com about health care reform, which unfortunately is more about health insurance reform than a full reform of our health care system.  The plan that is emerging is not good, but better than the status quo.  

One aspect of the reform that is quite troubling is the excise tax on "cadillac plans."  Unions strongly oppose this concept because they have traded salary for generous benefits for years and now will be taxed on those plans at 40% (assumi...
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Last week, the New York Times ran a piece discussing how efforts to keep people in their homes by restructuring mortgages were not only failing but detrimental to those people who really should just move out and move on.  This might actually be true to an extent, though the Times primary concern was of course with the state of the banking system (who cares about people when Chase's bottom line is at stake). 

Today, however, in discussing New York City's commercial real estate market, the Times...
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Today it appears that the Stuyvesant Town purchase by Tishman Speyer and its partners will go down as one of the biggest real estate flops ever.  The huge residential complex was purchased for $5.4 Billion in 2006, and never really made much sense.  As the New York Times is reporting, Tishman Speyer and Blackrock are planning to default on this months mortgage payment. This deal would have fallen apart even had the economy not tanked, and it would probably be best if the mortgage lenders just...
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I have had some interesting responses to my cable tv column at newjerseynewsroom.com. I am hoping to do a followup piece to discuss some of the things people have pointed out to me, so please feel free to email me any comments you might have.
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I have a new column up at newjerseynewsroom on the Cablevision/HGTV dispute. Check it out here.
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A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about Joe Ferrierro's chances of winning an appeal from his federal conviction for fraud.  Those chances appear to have gone up. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two of the three honest services fraud cases that are on this year's calendar.  The court expressed great skepticism about the law, with most of the justices thinking it too vague and therefore unconstitutional. It also did not seem like the Court had much interest in reshaping the law to mak...
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Yesterday, a New York court rejected the eminent domain plan being used by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) to enable Columbia University to build a massive campus expansion.  The court found that ESDC hired the same consulting firm that Columbia used, the studies done to show blight in the area (the pretext upon which ESDC was basing its use of eminent domain) were entirely fabricated by the agency and its conflicted consultants and that Columbia was responsible for the blight...
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My latest article is up at newjerseynewsroom.com. It discusses his chances on appeal in light of the Supreme Court reviewing three cases related to honest services mail fraud.  Whole article is here. 
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I posted a new column over at New Jersey Newsroom discussing the possibility of school district mergers and what the impact would be on property taxes.
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I was profiled today in the Newark Star Ledger in a discussion of fighting backagainst credit card companies.  Please check it out.   
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A federal court refused to dismiss (reg. required) a malpractice action against an attorney representing an out of state bank in a refinance of a first mortgage on a new construction deposit, but who failed to account for the fact that New Jersey law places a lien on new construction in favor of prospective purchasers who have given the builder a deposit.  These deposits are not escrowed, but used to fund construction.

It is important to make sure that all liens are cleared and that no statut...
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See my most recent story about taking on credit card companies, here.
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I analyze this case over at New Jersey Newsroom. Check it out.
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Check out my article at New Jersey Newsroom.
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