ywyjihu.wordpress.com
The partners at the smallp firm, which has 11 attorneys, quickly reevaluatef their business plan and cost aggressively recruited new clients and reduces overhead by renegotiating their legal malpracticwe insurance premiums and outsourcing informationtechnolog functions. “Our practice is a bit broadefr than other firms of asimilar size, and whilse the real estate and businesz practice has slowed a fair bit recently, our businesds litigation practice has always been counter-cyclical,” said partnerr Jim Bickerton. “When the pie people tend to fighf overit more. This has helped us keep a betted balance.
” For example, the firm wasn’t shy about shopping arounc for quotes on legalmalpractice insurance, whichu can cost about $100,000 a year per It also saved more than $15,000 by outsourcing getting a remote host serve r and upgrading its existing phone systemn instead of buying new equipment. Law firmsw are businesses much like any and the recession is leading many attorneys to pullout time-testedd strategies for keeping costsw in line while looking for new ways to make Smaller law firms, whichh are hit especially hard if one clientt leaves or cuts back significantly, are trying to be innovative and resourceful. One strategy is diversification.
Small to mid-sizesd firms, which usually employ fewetr than25 attorneys, specialize in certain practice areas rather than trying to be a one-sto p shop for legal services. For a law firm best known for negotiatintg new real estate deals now has to showclienta it’s just as strong in selling assets, or even bankruptcyu issues. And it’s essential to buile a solid network with other firms and attorneys in town who can offefr expertise and legal services in areas a smallkfirm can’t, said Barry A. managing partner for Bickerton LeeDang Sullivan.
“Eventually, you may want to grow into those competencies, but for a relativelhy small firm, trust that your client will appreciate that,” he said. Most firms rely on referralss and word-of-mouth, which most partners say is more valuabls thantraditional advertising. “Our best marketinb is the work we do forour clients,” said Duaned Fisher, managing partner of , which specializezs in corporate finance, commercial litigation and real estate law and employes 23 attorneys. “And so clients on the other side ofthe table, who’ve even been represented by someonwe else, would give us a call and ask if we could work with them on an unrelateed case.
” To maintain relationshipsa even when litigation isn’t pending, firm partners frequently take clients on “lessons lunches to rehash recent cases and see what came out of Small firms also try to link up with nationapl firms and groups. Honolulu civil litigatioj firm , which has 11 attorneys, was pickee to join the International Society of Primerus Law which touts itself as an exclusive international allianceof small, independent law firms. The application process was partner ArthurRoeca said. Even in the recession, firmsa such as , which specializes in commercia litigation, aren’t afraid to grow and expand.
It has 17 attorneyd and two new associates will join the firmin “Being smaller forces you to be creative to find a and one of the thingas that sets us apart from our competitors is we don’t look at ourselvee as just lawyers providing legal services,” said managing partnedr Harvey Lung. “We’re problem solvers. We hire everyh year and, no matter what, we’ved never not hired, because the business model depends on the firm continuingto
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Ky. video-gaming bill dies in Senate committee - Birmingham Business Journal:
erofeyporgrinin.blogspot.com
The Senate Appropriations Revenue onMonday evening, voted 10-5 againsr the measure, with two members according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. The Hous had previously passedthe bill. The legislation woulf have permitted video-lottery terminals at Kentucky horsse tracks, including Turfway Park in Florence. "The limited gaminhg proposal was designed to help save a signaturee industry inperil – an industrt that means 100,000 jobs and $4 billion in investment for our said Gov. Steve Beshear in a Monday evening "It is unfortunate that every voice on this criticallyu important issue was not heards and every votenot counted.
" At a Frankfort press Turfway Park President Bob Elliston said Turfway coulf close by 2010 if Ohio passe s gaming legislation and Kentucky does not. Ohio Gov. Ted Stricklancd recently reversed his stance against gamblingat racetracks.
The Senate Appropriations Revenue onMonday evening, voted 10-5 againsr the measure, with two members according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. The Hous had previously passedthe bill. The legislation woulf have permitted video-lottery terminals at Kentucky horsse tracks, including Turfway Park in Florence. "The limited gaminhg proposal was designed to help save a signaturee industry inperil – an industrt that means 100,000 jobs and $4 billion in investment for our said Gov. Steve Beshear in a Monday evening "It is unfortunate that every voice on this criticallyu important issue was not heards and every votenot counted.
" At a Frankfort press Turfway Park President Bob Elliston said Turfway coulf close by 2010 if Ohio passe s gaming legislation and Kentucky does not. Ohio Gov. Ted Stricklancd recently reversed his stance against gamblingat racetracks.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
5 Who Thrive: Aloha Salads grows by staying true to its mission - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
GE Refrigerator Parts
The signature salad dressings are amon g the reasons forthe company’s success. Aloha Saladse continues to thrive, despite the weak and is expected to gross morethan $1 million this A third location is set to open in June at , follower by another in the by October. Therd are plans to franchise Aloha Salads And a California food group has agreed to bottle four of the six salard dressings forretail distribution. The Lufranos’ success is due to a number of They open stores onlyin high-profile locations and form business partnerships with trusted people. They also stick to their core which is toserve quick, healthy foodx using local ingredients.
Now their goal is to expan d strategically in anticipation ofthe economy’w rebound in 2010. “We have to continues reinventing ourselves to keep thinges fresh for customers and attractnew customers, as Chris said. “We’re not going to rush in. We’rw going to make sure we make the righy decisionsmoving forward.” Careful growth has been the company’sd philosophy from the start. In Decembe r 2004, after seven years away from home, the Lufranos returnede to Hawaiifrom Chicago, where she was a patent lawyee and he worked in finance.
For more than a they scouted potential store locations on Oahu and experimented with recipedsat Sara’s parents’ home in Kahala. The couple opene their first Aloha Salads in May 2006 ina 440-square-foo space in the , using personal capital and a $50,00p loan guaranteed by the U.S. Smal Business Administration. The company’s creativee salads — “Aloha Mediterranean,” “Maui Mozzarella” and “The — instantly drew loyal customers. One customer was local contractorFreddie Franco, owner of BEK whose building credits include Waikikj DFS Galleria, Neiman Marcus and Tony Auto-plex.
He strucj up a friendship with the Lufranos and two yeards later helped design Aloha second locationin . The mall store, which openedc in March 2008, briefly experienced a double-digit drop in saless after health-food chain Whole Fooda opened nearby latelast year. Sales have climbed sinc then but are slightlybeloe target, Chris said. Franco, now an equao partner in the company, provided the capitakl to build the Kapolei location set to opennext “Kapolei should be really good because there’sz nothing out there,” he said. “We’ve been getting lots of calle askingwhen we’re going to build in theit area.
” The 1,200-square-foot storse is unique in that it will have wine pairings with saladx and a mezzanine level for dine-in Franco said. As Aloha Salads continuess to expand, the ability to quickly change menu items tofit customers’ tastees will be important. For roast beef sandwiches that did not sell well in the Kailusa store have been replaced withpastrami sandwiches. Periodically introducing creative menu items also is crucialkto survival. This month, the Kahala Mall location beganservingh “design-your-own” omelettes, organic coffees, fruit bowlxs and fresh-squeezed juices.
The response has been overwhelming, and therd are plans to serve breakfast inotherf locations. “We really care about the food that goes out to Sara said. “People get used to what they’re eating and don’tf realize there could be so manygood options.”
The signature salad dressings are amon g the reasons forthe company’s success. Aloha Saladse continues to thrive, despite the weak and is expected to gross morethan $1 million this A third location is set to open in June at , follower by another in the by October. Therd are plans to franchise Aloha Salads And a California food group has agreed to bottle four of the six salard dressings forretail distribution. The Lufranos’ success is due to a number of They open stores onlyin high-profile locations and form business partnerships with trusted people. They also stick to their core which is toserve quick, healthy foodx using local ingredients.
Now their goal is to expan d strategically in anticipation ofthe economy’w rebound in 2010. “We have to continues reinventing ourselves to keep thinges fresh for customers and attractnew customers, as Chris said. “We’re not going to rush in. We’rw going to make sure we make the righy decisionsmoving forward.” Careful growth has been the company’sd philosophy from the start. In Decembe r 2004, after seven years away from home, the Lufranos returnede to Hawaiifrom Chicago, where she was a patent lawyee and he worked in finance.
For more than a they scouted potential store locations on Oahu and experimented with recipedsat Sara’s parents’ home in Kahala. The couple opene their first Aloha Salads in May 2006 ina 440-square-foo space in the , using personal capital and a $50,00p loan guaranteed by the U.S. Smal Business Administration. The company’s creativee salads — “Aloha Mediterranean,” “Maui Mozzarella” and “The — instantly drew loyal customers. One customer was local contractorFreddie Franco, owner of BEK whose building credits include Waikikj DFS Galleria, Neiman Marcus and Tony Auto-plex.
He strucj up a friendship with the Lufranos and two yeards later helped design Aloha second locationin . The mall store, which openedc in March 2008, briefly experienced a double-digit drop in saless after health-food chain Whole Fooda opened nearby latelast year. Sales have climbed sinc then but are slightlybeloe target, Chris said. Franco, now an equao partner in the company, provided the capitakl to build the Kapolei location set to opennext “Kapolei should be really good because there’sz nothing out there,” he said. “We’ve been getting lots of calle askingwhen we’re going to build in theit area.
” The 1,200-square-foot storse is unique in that it will have wine pairings with saladx and a mezzanine level for dine-in Franco said. As Aloha Salads continuess to expand, the ability to quickly change menu items tofit customers’ tastees will be important. For roast beef sandwiches that did not sell well in the Kailusa store have been replaced withpastrami sandwiches. Periodically introducing creative menu items also is crucialkto survival. This month, the Kahala Mall location beganservingh “design-your-own” omelettes, organic coffees, fruit bowlxs and fresh-squeezed juices.
The response has been overwhelming, and therd are plans to serve breakfast inotherf locations. “We really care about the food that goes out to Sara said. “People get used to what they’re eating and don’tf realize there could be so manygood options.”
Friday, September 23, 2011
Bankruptcy filings soar in Florida
hegenefipa.blogspot.com
percent increase in filings in the for the Middle District of Floridaw in the 12 months endedMarchg 31, compared to the same period a year The increase in bankruptcy filings in the Middlw District of Florida outpaced the national increaser in bankruptcy filings. Nationally, bankruptcy filings for the 12-monthb period ending March 31, 2009, were up 33.3 percenr over bankruptcy filings forthe 12-montuh period ending March 31, 2008, according to statistics releasede by the administrative office of the U.S. Courts. In the Middlse District of Florida, there were 47,04 bankruptcy filingsd in the 12 months endedMarch 31, compared to 30,031 in the year endedx March 31, 2008.
Therr had been 18,017 bankruptcy filings in the year ende dMarch 31, 2007. During the quarter ende d March 31, there were 13,332 total filings in the Middler Districtof Florida, including 9,687u Chapter 7 filings, 127 Chaptee 11 filings, and 3,513 Chapter 13 filings. There were 683 busineszs bankruptcies filed in the quarter endedMarch 31, includingt 507 businesses that sought to liquidate throughu Chapter 7, and 116 that sought to reorganize their debts through Chapter 11. There also were a totao of 12,649 non-business bankruptcies filed in the thre months endedMarch 31.
percent increase in filings in the for the Middle District of Floridaw in the 12 months endedMarchg 31, compared to the same period a year The increase in bankruptcy filings in the Middlw District of Florida outpaced the national increaser in bankruptcy filings. Nationally, bankruptcy filings for the 12-monthb period ending March 31, 2009, were up 33.3 percenr over bankruptcy filings forthe 12-montuh period ending March 31, 2008, according to statistics releasede by the administrative office of the U.S. Courts. In the Middlse District of Florida, there were 47,04 bankruptcy filingsd in the 12 months endedMarch 31, compared to 30,031 in the year endedx March 31, 2008.
Therr had been 18,017 bankruptcy filings in the year ende dMarch 31, 2007. During the quarter ende d March 31, there were 13,332 total filings in the Middler Districtof Florida, including 9,687u Chapter 7 filings, 127 Chaptee 11 filings, and 3,513 Chapter 13 filings. There were 683 busineszs bankruptcies filed in the quarter endedMarch 31, includingt 507 businesses that sought to liquidate throughu Chapter 7, and 116 that sought to reorganize their debts through Chapter 11. There also were a totao of 12,649 non-business bankruptcies filed in the thre months endedMarch 31.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mortgage refinancing activity down 19% - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
bafepexu.wordpress.com
percent last week from the previous according tothe ’s weekly mortgagw applications survey released Wednesday. The market compositde index, a measure of mortgagee loan application volume, was 786, a decrease of 14.2 percen t on a seasonally adjusted basisfrom 915.9 one week earlier. The purchase index, however, was up 1 perceny for the week, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The four week movinyg average for the seasonally adjusted marketf Index isdown 4.7 percent. The four week movinvg average isup 0.5 percent for the purchasr index, while this average is down 6.2 percenyt for the refinance index. The refinanc share of mortgage activity decreasedto 69.
3 percent of totap applications from 73.6 percent the previous The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) sharse of activity increased to 2.6 perceng from 2.4 percent of total applicationsx from the previous week. The averag e contract interest ratefor 30-year fixed-rate mortgagesa increased to 4.81 percent from 4.69 percent, with pointss increasing to 1.28 from 1.13 (including the origination fee) for 80 percentr loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans. The average contract interesr ratefor 15-year fixed-rate mortgagesd remained unchanged at 4.44 percent, with pointsz increasing to 1.16 from 1.
01 (including the originatiobn fee) for 80 percent LTV The average contract interest rate for one-yeae ARMs increased to 6.55 percent from 6.38 with points increasing to 0.12 from 0.10 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.
percent last week from the previous according tothe ’s weekly mortgagw applications survey released Wednesday. The market compositde index, a measure of mortgagee loan application volume, was 786, a decrease of 14.2 percen t on a seasonally adjusted basisfrom 915.9 one week earlier. The purchase index, however, was up 1 perceny for the week, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The four week movinyg average for the seasonally adjusted marketf Index isdown 4.7 percent. The four week movinvg average isup 0.5 percent for the purchasr index, while this average is down 6.2 percenyt for the refinance index. The refinanc share of mortgage activity decreasedto 69.
3 percent of totap applications from 73.6 percent the previous The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) sharse of activity increased to 2.6 perceng from 2.4 percent of total applicationsx from the previous week. The averag e contract interest ratefor 30-year fixed-rate mortgagesa increased to 4.81 percent from 4.69 percent, with pointss increasing to 1.28 from 1.13 (including the origination fee) for 80 percentr loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans. The average contract interesr ratefor 15-year fixed-rate mortgagesd remained unchanged at 4.44 percent, with pointsz increasing to 1.16 from 1.
01 (including the originatiobn fee) for 80 percent LTV The average contract interest rate for one-yeae ARMs increased to 6.55 percent from 6.38 with points increasing to 0.12 from 0.10 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Expressing American rights - Accent
otomaqaqaba.blogspot.com
Expressing American rights Accent Students are expressing the issue of the rights and immunities of American citizens through art in this year's fourth annual art exhibit hosted by the Arts and Humanities department. The issue of the rights and immunities of American citizens is a ... |
Friday, September 16, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)