Legal-Ease: Value of LLC documents beyond state filings

An LLC can be a straightforward way for a group of people to collectively benefit from certain legal protections. Filing with the state of Ohio can be done without an attorney and is not complicated. But many specific instances are not covered by the basics, and must be established in a document called an “operating agreement.

Legal-Ease: Selling a house

Selling a house comes with a set of steps to be followed by the sellers and buyers. On the seller side, certain forms must be completed as mandated by the state that pertain to defects in the property. Buyers must submit their own reports, as a formal “offer.” Other formal steps must be followed, and certain conditions may create more steps depending on government law.

Legal-Ease: Co-owning and separating real estate

A “partition” is the specific type of lawsuit designed for splitting up co-owned real estate. But you can avoid this lawsuit by managing co-ownership with a few other options. Creating an LLC, a limited liability company, may not seem like it has much to do with real estate but it will help establish guidelines for multiple owners. A shared ownership agreement can also be used to manage conflict.

Legal-Ease: Farm machinery, roads and inconsistent laws

Ohio law governs vehicles on roadways, including farm machinery. Yet this equipment holds a special place in the law, seeing as many pieces of machinery are larger than normal vehicles and can occupy more space in or across lanes. To understand the liability factors at play, you need examine how the different vehicle laws interact.

Legal-Ease: Filling gaps in contracts

Contracts contain varying degrees of specificity. Sometimes, leaving out important terms and conditions makes the contract unenforceable as a whole. In many cases, though, the law will fill the gaps with what is considered “reasonable.” While this practice may seem obvious, it can be hard to determine what “reasonable” actually looks like in each case. Determining reasonableness is often analyzed by looking at three key circumstances and contexts.

Legal-Ease: Negligence and liability

Negligence and liability are terms that we hear all the time. In most real-world legal situations, such as where damage to property occurs, liability may not solely fall onto one party. Negligent behavior helps us figure out who is liable, so what if both parties have been acting with negligence to varying degrees? Situations can become complex.

Legal-Ease: Thinking like a lawyer

Thinking like a lawyer requires analyzing situations in the context of laws and deciding whether they do or do not apply to that particular situation. To think like a lawyer requires four main attributes: separating situations into distinct parts, thinking without emotion, using logic, and analyzing situations from different perspectives.

Legal-Ease: Capital gains tax and trading properties

Often when people make a purchase, over time it appreciates in value. When that item is sold, the government taxes on the increase in the value of the property. The tax that is assessed is called capital gains tax. Sometimes capital gains taxes discourage people from selling property as they don’t want to pay the capital gains tax. As a result of this, the government has a process that will sometimes allow for for capital gains taxes to be delayed.