• Blog Post

    The Legality of Little Lemonade Stands

    While driving through the residential neighborhoods of Charlotte, North Carolina in the hot summer months, it’s not hard to find kids selling lemonade. I’ve seen three in the last three weeks. Harnessing their budding entrepreneurial skills (and perhaps at the suggestion of a parent tired of their kids watching television), setting up a lemonade stand is a relatively simple task. All you need is a pitcher, cups, water, sugar, lemons, knowledge of zoning laws, heath regulations, the fire code, federal income tax implications, and potentially a peddler’s license or a license to solicit charitable donations.   In a perfect world, police and city officials would use a bit of common…

  • Blog Post

    Seven Rules for Being an Attorney-In-Fact

              Your aging parents just appointed you as their attorney-in-fact– now what? It is important to keep in mind a few simple rules to stay within the bounds of the law.   Rule #1: Act in the principal’s best interests.             The principal is the person that appoints the attorney-in-fact and specifies the financial authority they possess.  Acting in the principal’s best interest is the golden rule of being an attorney-in-fact.  For every situation in which you may exercise your rights in that capacity, ask yourself these three (3) questions:   Is taking this action in the best interest of the…