News & Insights

Since limited liability company (LLC) statutes were enacted in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, the LLC has become the business entity of choice. Generally, LLCs provide business owners with limited liability for the debts and obligations of the business while being taxed on a pass-thr... Read more >

Black Enterprise Magazine interviews and quotes Franklin Lee regarding the recently enacted commercial non-discrimination statute in Maryland which Mr. Lee was a primary author. ... Read more >

The Baltimore Business Journal turns to Franklin M. Lee in reporting on MBE participation in Maryland road projects. ... Read more >

A report by The Daily Record on a commercial non-discrimination measure passed by the Baltimore City Council to target discrimination in contracting.  The paper turns to Frankin M. Lee, who helped draft the bill, for insight. ... Read more >

Stateline.org quotes Franklin M. Lee. ... Read more >

A Maryland corporation is required to file its Personal Property Return (Form 1) and pay a $300 fee by April 15 of each year in order to maintain its charter in good standing. If the return is not filed and the fee is not paid, then the corporation is not in good standing and, with the passage of ti... Read more >

Partnerships, limited liability companies ("LLCs") taxed as partnerships and S corporations have various tax advantages and are often chosen by owners of businesses as favored business structures. There are, however, some disadvantages to such structures; the owners can take advantage of fewer tax-f... Read more >

When buying or selling a corporate business, a business manager has a choice: is the transaction to be a purchase and sale of assets or a purchase and sale of corporate stock? The buyer of the assets or stock ("Buyer") and the seller of the business ("Seller") will be motivated to different answers ... Read more >

Real estate developers, builders, and contractors regularly enter into agreements that contain the words, often in the "testimonium" clause just before the signature lines, "witness my hand and seal" or "signed and sealed," and probably think little of it. And those who operate under a corporate str... Read more >

Commercial leases, particularly leases in retail shopping centers, often contain provisions (known as "use exclusives") that prevent the landlord from leasing space in the same mall, center, or area to a business that sells products or services similar to those sold by an existing tenant.  Coun... Read more >