31 03, 2010

Commonly Misunderstood Tenant Issues in Office Lease Negotiations

2010-03-31T14:31:47+00:00By |6 Comments

If you aren’t a real estate lawyer, you may feel a little boggled by the terms of the office lease proposed by your prospective landlord. Which provisions are fairly standard? Where are the minefields that could blow up later? Our Guest Blogger, Scot Dixon, is a real estate lawyer at Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston, TX. He points out common misconceptions and traps for the unwary relating to commercial office leases in Texas.

Guest Blogger – E. Scot Dixon:

I. WHAT EXACTLY CONSTITUTES THE “PREMISES”

The base rent in an office lease is usually a “per square foot” figure rather than a fixed number. Base rent is determined upon something called the “leaseable area” of the premises. It is important to keep in mind that “leaseable area” is a specialized term of art and does NOT mean the actual area of the premises that Tenant occupies. The “leaseable area” is the actual area of the premises itself (often called “usable space”) plus what is commonly referred to as a “common area factor,” which is the Landlord’s estimate of the percentage of total building area taken up by common areas. Read more «Commonly Misunderstood Tenant Issues in Office Lease Negotiations»

16 03, 2010

Nice Guys Are Good for Business

2019-02-10T23:15:57+00:00By |2 Comments

Back in 2005 I wrote Who Says Nice Guys Finish Last? The post recounted how attorneys have generated more business by putting their focus on helping others, even in ways that have nothing to do with the law. It also discussed the psychological underpinning of their success.

In the wake of the financial meltdown, there is growing evidence (cited by Time magazine, Fortune magazine and Harvard Business Review) that the “do well by doing good” philosophy is gaining a foothold in the corporate world. Maybe we are getting beyond the Gordon Gekko/ Ivan Boesky philosphy that “greed is good.” I hope more of our legal colleagues take note, too.

At least one Harvard Law grad is leading the way. Dov Seidman, author of the bestseller HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything … in Business (and in Life) opines that “winner-take-all” strategies are obsolete. He partially credits the increased difficulty in hiding unethical and greedy business behavior in this era of bloggers, YouTube, Twitter and other social media.

Fortune Magazine recently published Why Doing Good Is Good for Business about Seidman’s rise as a management guru from providing training in ethics and legal compliance. The Fortune article says he
Read more «Nice Guys Are Good for Business»

2 03, 2010

Social Media Articles in Texas Bar Journal

2010-03-02T13:23:39+00:00By |Comments Off on Social Media Articles in Texas Bar Journal

The March 2010 issue of the Texas Bar Journal is out, and it contains a number of excellent articles on “The Attorney and Social Media”. I have two articles in it. Social Media 101 for Lawyers and Ethically Navigating the Social Media Landscape. I had more to say than got pubished, but editors will edit, when space is limited. 😉

My Twitter friend, Adrian Dayton (@AdrianDayton) has an excellent article about 10 Steps to Becoming a Rainmaker through Social Media. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

John Browning explains how lawyers use social media to serve process in lawsuits. He also describes numerous cases of juror misconduct with social media in another article.

The entire issue is worth reading, even the review by Gerry Morris on the off-topic subject of online accounting in a law practice.

Way to go Texas Bar Journal!

 

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