My Customer Won't Pay an Invoice: Legal Options for NY Small Businesses
When a customer ignores an invoice, NY businesses have a ladder of options, from a final notice to a lawsuit. Here's how to choose the right one.
Knowledge Is Power
Legal Insights for New York Businesses
LLC Operating Agreements: The Disputes That Happen Without One
Without an LLC operating agreement, New York's default rules decide profit splits, control, and exits. Here's where LLC operating agreement disputes start.
Non-Competes in New York: What's Still Enforceable
Whether a non-compete is enforceable in New York turns on reasonableness, not the signature. What courts weigh, and where these clauses usually fail today.
Use Variance or Area Variance? The Two New York Zoning Standards, and the 30-Day Clock That Follows
Town Law § 267-b sets different tests for use and area variances in New York. What each requires, what the board may impose, and the 30-day Article 78 deadline.
SEQRA for Project Applicants: What the Statute Requires Before a Board Can Approve Your Project
New York's SEQRA, ECL Article 8, shapes every discretionary approval. What counts as an action, when an EIS is required, and what the 2026 amendments changed.
Received a Cease-and-Desist Letter? Don't Panic, Don't Ignore It
A cease-and-desist letter can look like a lawsuit already in motion. Here's what to do (and not do) in the days after you receive a cease and desist letter.
The NY Prompt Payment Act: When Owners and GCs Must Pay Contractors
The NY Prompt Payment Act sets hard deadlines for owners and GCs to pay contractors, caps retainage at 5%, and puts real interest on every late payment.
Personal Guarantees in Commercial Leases and Loans: What Owners Risk
A personal guarantee puts your savings, home, and credit behind your small business's debts. What owners risk in leases and loans, and how to limit it.
Does a Demand Letter Work? When to Send One, and What to Put in It
A well-built demand letter resolves many business disputes without a lawsuit. Here's when it works, what it must say, and the mistakes that weaken it.
Article 78: How to Challenge a New York Agency Decision That Got It Wrong
When a New York agency denies your permit, revokes your license, or ignores its own rules, Article 78 is the path to judicial review, on a strict clock.
Five Contract Clauses Small Businesses Sign Without Reading (and Regret)
Auto-renewals, one-sided indemnity, venue traps: the five clauses that generate the most disputes I see, and how to spot them before signing.
Bid Protests: What to Do in the First 72 Hours After Losing an Award
Bid protest deadlines are short and set by the agency's rules. The immediate steps that preserve your rights when a public contract award goes wrong.
Mechanics Liens in New York: The Deadlines That Decide Who Gets Paid
Every New York mechanics lien deadline in one place: the 8-month and 4-month filing windows, service rules, the one-year enforcement clock, and extensions.
Your FOIL Request Was Denied (or Ignored). Here's What to Do Next
New York's FOIL gives you a right to government records, and agencies a playbook for slow-walking it. How to draft requests that work and fight denials.
NDAs: What They Protect, What They Hide, and When to Push Back
Non-disclosure agreements look routine, and routinely contain non-solicits, IP assignments, and obligations that outlive the deal. What to check first.
The Outside General Counsel Model: In-House Coverage Without In-House Cost
Growing businesses hit a legal coverage gap years before they can justify a full-time GC. The fractional model fills it. Here's how it works.
Pay-If-Paid vs. Pay-When-Paid: The Clause That Decides Who Carries the Risk
Two nearly identical contract phrases allocate the risk of owner nonpayment in opposite ways. Subcontractors should know the difference before signing.
When Trade Secrets Walk Out the Door: Protecting Your Business During Employee Departures
Customer lists, pricing, processes: most trade secret theft happens in the two weeks around a resignation. How to protect your business before and after.
Prevailing Wage on Public Works: A Contractor's Compliance Checklist
Davis-Bacon and New York Labor Law §220 turn payroll into a legal obligation. A practical checklist for contractors on public projects.
Selling to Government: How to Win Your First Public Contract
Government agencies buy almost everything, and most small businesses never bid. A practical roadmap from registration to award.