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Donald Trump’s global web of business relationships has triggered discussion about potential conflicts of interest in the White House. For much more ordinary houses, the courts have put real estate agents on notice about conflicts of interest in a common practice in the buying and selling of homes.

A number of tax breaks for individuals are set to expire at year-end.

•  Businesses should consider making expenditures that qualify for the business property expensing option. For tax years beginning in 2016, the expensing limit is $500,000 and the investment ceiling limit is $2,010,000.

It may sound more like a tongue twister than a legal ruling:  if employees agree to submit disputes to binding arbitration, then decide the agreement is unfair, the dispute about dispute arbitration should be arbitrated by an arbitrator. 

That is what the U.S. Court of Appeals decided in a case brought by two Uber drivers against the ride-hailing company. 

We all know that life insurance can be an important part of our estate plans. It can provide immediate cash at the time of death to provide for our family’s needs – which for affluent families may include paying estate taxes.  Less well known, however, are why it may make sense for a high net worth individual to put a policy into a life insurance trust.

A tenant in an office building hired a janitorial service to clean its carpets. An employee of the cleaning service carried a bucket of soapy water up the stairs, spilled it and fell, suffering serious injuries. The worker sued the tenant, who in turn sued the landlord. Who should pay the worker’s medical bills?