Any control over property. If you give away property but keep an incident of ownership--for example, you give away an apartment building but retain the right to... (more...)

Any control over property. If you give away property but keep an incident of ownership--for example, you give away an apartment building but retain the right to receive rent--then legally, no gift has been made. This distinction can be important if you're making large gifts to reduce your eventual estate tax.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE

A paperless method of entering into an electronic contract. To 'sign' a contract electronically, a person may be asked to click an 'I Accept' button or use a 'k... (more...)

A paperless method of entering into an electronic contract. To 'sign' a contract electronically, a person may be asked to click an 'I Accept' button or use a 'key' to encrypt (scramble) information that uniquely identifies the signer using a method called Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Electronic signatures are as binding as those in ink.

IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE (INS)

Formerly, the federal agency in the Department of Justice that administered and enforced immigration and naturalization laws. In 2003, however, the INS official... (more...)

Formerly, the federal agency in the Department of Justice that administered and enforced immigration and naturalization laws. In 2003, however, the INS officially ceased to exist, and its functions were taken over by various branches of the Department of Homeland Security, as follows:The new Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) handles immigration benefits, such as applications for asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship. The new Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) handles enforcement of the immigration laws within the U.S. borders. The new Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP) handles U.S. border enforcement (including the land borders, airports, and seaports).

LIQUID ASSETS

Business property that can be quickly and easily converted into cash, such as stock, bank accounts and accounts receivable.

CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE

The terms of your contract with an airline after you buy a ticket. Conditions of carriage cover everything from baggage limitations to the amount of compensatio... (more...)

The terms of your contract with an airline after you buy a ticket. Conditions of carriage cover everything from baggage limitations to the amount of compensation you can recover if you're injured on the flight. These provisions often vary from airline to airline. A few, but by no means most, conditions of carriage appear in the fine print on the back of your ticket. To find out about the rest, you can ask the airline for a copy; it is legally obligated to provide one. The conditions of carriage contain a lot of fine print detail and will not make for exciting reading.

LANDLORD

The owner of any real estate, such as a house, apartment building or land, that is leased or rented to another person, called the tenant.

TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE

The causing of harm by disrupting something that belongs to someone else -- for example, interfering with a contractual relationship so that one party fails to ... (more...)

The causing of harm by disrupting something that belongs to someone else -- for example, interfering with a contractual relationship so that one party fails to deliver goods on time.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

CASPIAN v. Zoning Bd.

The issue on this appeal is whether a municipal zoning board may deny requested area variances on the basis of common-law principles that are independent of the statutory factors enumerated under Town Law Â§ 267-b (3). In particular, we are asked to determine whether ongoing ...

MATTER OF GENSER v. Board of Zoning and Appeals of Town of North Hempstead

Meanwhile, after a public hearing on January 3, 2006, the Town of North Hempstead adopted the zoning amendment which provided, inter alia, that the minimum lot width in the residence A district where the lot is located must be either 65 feet or the average width of the lots ...

MATTER OF WEST BEEKMANTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, INC. v. Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Beekmantown

Petitioners contend that the ZBA's issuance of a negative declaration and subsequent grant of the conditional use permit was improper because the determination that the proposed wind farm constituted an essential service as defined by the Town Zoning Law was arbitrary and ...

Mecklenburg Land Use & Zoning Lawyer, New York

SPONSORED LAWYERS

Dirk A. Galbraith

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Randall Bruce Marcus

David F. English

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John L. Bardsley

Justin Thomas Huffman

Dayton J. Carpenter

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LEGAL TERMS

APPRECIATION

TESTAMENTARY DISPOSITION

INCIDENTS OF OWNERSHIP