stanleycheiken

Business litigation invariably involves a combination of both legal and business issues. Your attorney is the expert on the legal issues, but you are the expert when it comes to your business. Thus, accomplishing your goals will require collaboration. If your lawyer...

The vast majority of business disputes eventually settle. In fact, more than 90% of all civil cases filed will never be tried. So if your business litigation is likely to be resolved at some point, the question that arises is: Why does it take so long? The entire...

This week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a decision that was shocking to many. It determined that Bill Cosby's criminal conviction was so fundamentally unfair that it violated his constitutional right to due process. He was released from prison immediately. The...

My mentor used to remind me frequently that, as trial lawyers, our job is to persuade. I’ve been watching trial lawyers try to persuade for over 30 years. Being persuasive is not easy. It takes talent, hard work, and a little experience doesn’t hurt either....

At trial, credibility is everything. If a judge or jury does not find a witness or lawyer credible, the party offering the witness, or being represented by the attorney, should expect a poor outcome. So there you have it . . . only call credible witnesses. It would be...

I am licensed to practice in the state courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey and in the federal courts of the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey. This means I do not have the right to practice in 48 states, or the federal...

Many of my clients are aware of the fact that personal injury recoveries, whether by settlement or verdict, are not taxable as income. Invariably, even if they were not aware of this, a friend or loved one will so inform them. When I first began to work for a law firm...

As I enjoy Memorial Day Weekend with my family, my thoughts turn to the nature of the law practice when I first started 30 years ago. The biggest difference is the technological advances that have come along. As a young lawyer, my boss would occasionally call me on a...

Many common contractual situations involve a mutual exchange of performance. For instance, you agree to paint my house and I agree to pay you upon completion. But there are occasions when, after reaching an initial agreement, the parties decide to modify its terms. On...

It is counterintuitive to business people. When they put their arrangement into contract form, they are focused on a successful outcome. For many business people, the contract never gets looked at again unless times are tough. When things are not working out, that's...