TheIndianaLawyer.com, recently profiled Densborn Blachly associate Eric Schmadeke in an article about his transition from prosecuting criminal cases to civil litigation in private practice. Eric served for nearly seven years as a deputy prosecutor at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, holding various positions in both the Major Felony and Grand Jury Sections, and most recently served as the chief of the Major Felony Special Victim’s Unit. He has been a great addition to the Densborn Blachly team, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside a litigator with experience in trying over eighty jury trials. To learn a little about Eric, take a moment to read this great profile on him done by the Indy Bar.
News
Legal Update / 24.04.2014
Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act of 2013
A recently issued SEC no-action letter provides further clarity on the applicability of broker-dealer registration requirements to merger and acquisition brokers (M&A brokers). The no-action letter is issued as Congress considers legislation to exempt certain M&A brokers from broker-dealer registration requirements. The Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act of 2013 amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to allow M&A brokers who perform services in connection with the transfer of ownership of smaller privately held companies to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by filing an electronic notice.
The legal environment for bitcoins, and all crypto-currencies, is rapidly developing. On March 25, 2014, the IRS issued Notice 2014-21 answering questions about the tax treatment of virtual currencies. The Notice clarifies that virtual currencies, like bitcoins, are treated as property for tax purposes. On April 2, the House Committee on Small Business held a hearing to discuss the implications of Bitcoin for small businesses.
Firm News / 27.03.2014
Iliana Castillo of Providence Cristo Rey
My name is Iliana Castillo and I’m a junior at Providence Cristo Rey High School. Providence Cristo Rey is a private college preparatory high school that combines classroom instruction with real life professional work experiences for students.
Densborn Blachly is pleased to announce that Jim Coles, a highly respected intellectual property attorney in Central Indiana, has joined the firm. He will continue to focus on helping clients with intellectual property transactions, assist them in resolving disputes involving technology and intellectual property and provide executive-level counseling and advice for a variety of intellectual property issues. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Crypto-currencies. Bitcoin. Litecoin. Dogecoin. All Crypto-currencies. Compelling. Disruptive. Confusing. Safe? Legal? There are lots of questions about crypto-currencies—especially Bitcoin, which is in the headlines a lot lately. I am going to explore crypto-currencies in a series of posts. Hopefully, we can all gain a little understanding of the mysterious meta-money!
Firm News / 23.02.2014
CPT. Tim Martin, R.I.P.
Densborn Blachly lost a great champion on Friday. Tim was a great believer in us, in our vision, and in what good might be wrought, if we would only try. He inspired our decision to start the firm, encouraged our efforts at it, and even helped prepare the ground we occupy today.
Entrepreneurs may soon be able to reach a new pool of potential investors through crowdfunding websites. On October 23, 2013, the SEC issued proposed rules under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”) to permit the offering and sale of securities through crowdfunding. (http://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2013/33-9470.pdf). Crowdfunding, an evolving method of raising funds online, has helped generate financial support for a wide range of projects through sites like Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com). But so far, the securities laws have limited crowdfunding to a donation-based model.
Letters of intent (“LOI”) play an important role in the negotiation of many private transactions. An LOI documents an agreement in principle on key terms of a deal. It can evidence parties’ serious intent and provide the framework for a definitive agreement, but is usually “non-binding” – it does not legally require the parties to finalize the deal on any certain terms or even at all.
Firm News / 12.09.2013
New Office Opens
We have finally moved into our newly renovated office at Parkwood Plaza, 500 East 96th Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240. The office location, design, and technology are specifically designed to serve our clients in an evolving business and legal landscape.