October 2022

The phrase “Mergers and Acquisitions” often evokes images of Wall Street titans trading vast sums of money to engage in a hostile takeover of a rival business; however, in practice, many of the business acquisitions we observe on a regular basis involve friendly parties, including the sales of businesses from their founders to long-term employees.

In many of these “friendly” transactions, the Seller offers to finance some (or all) of the purchase price, typically by way of a promissory note (a “Seller’s Note”). Often, Sellers in these scenarios are not seeking to earn significant interest on the loans; they are simply trying to assist the Buyers and provide for smooth successions.

Employers often prefer arbitration as the sole means for resolving employment-related disputes with their employees. An employee has a basic right to resolve all disputes through the courts, however, so in order for arbitration to be the exclusive means of resolving these disputes, the employer and employee must agree to this in writing. Employers may have an employee sign a stand-alone arbitration agreement, or they may have an employee sign and agree to the terms of an employee handbook that includes an agreement to arbitrate. In either case, an enforceable arbitration agreement or provision must be carefully crafted, and it must incorporate certain elements to be deemed valid.

If you find yourself a party to a lawsuit or dispute, whether as an individual or as the corporate representative of your company, there is a good chance that you will take part in at least one mediation session. What can you expect at that mediation? Before we can answer this question, we must first ask, “What is mediation?” Mediation is a form of “alternative dispute resolution,” and it can be a valuable way of resolving a dispute without the need for litigation and a trial.

Sometimes parties to a dispute mutually agree to submit their dispute to mediation without any requirement from a court to engage in mediation; this is considered “voluntary” mediation. In other cases, mediation is required. For example, after the discovery phase of the case is completed and prior to a pretrial settlement conference held before the court, many of Maryland’s Circuit Courts require parties to a litigation matter to engage in a court-ordered mediation.

Fall is a busy time of year, and we are excited for the opportunity to see some of you in person!   

We were happy to see many of you at The Howard County Chamber Signature Event. Our firm was honored to be recognized as the Small Business of the Year and be presented the Award for Chamber Excellence (picture below).

This past weekend we enjoyed attending HCC's - The President's Gala Welcoming Dr. Daria Willis; The Taste of Howard County, supporting Gilchrist Cares; and Downtown Columbia Partnership's Culinary Walking Tour.

We are honored to be able to support these important events within the community, and we look forward to seeing where November and December will take us!

In September, we celebrated the official opening of our new offices with a beautiful ribbon cutting ceremony. It was an honor to have so many friends, family members, and political leaders from all over Maryland here to celebrate with us. We were thrilled to see so many familiar faces who have been instrumental to our growth over the last 20 years. We are excited about the next chapter in our firm’s journey!

Attention Contractors and Laborers

We will be hosting a complimentary seminar on Tuesday, November 8th. Please join Cheryl Brown, Eric Gunderson, and Lucas Webster in our new location, as they help you navigate how to steer clear of potential wage and hour claims. 

11000 Broken Land Parkway

Suite 600

Columbia, MD 21044

Registration required.

Please see additional details below.  

Careers at the Firm

Our firm always has room to grow! We are looking for capable and hard-working individuals to join our team. Are you are in search of a firm with a team-oriented culture, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a “work hard, play hard” mentality? We invite you to send us your resume even if you don’t see a position on our career page that meets your hopes and expectations.

WE’VE RAISED THE BAR

through distinctive client service.

410-995-5800 | www.darslaw.com