In many states, the tide appears to be turning against short-term rentals. With restrictions on short-term rentals, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, on the rise, businesses operating short-term rental properties are running out of options. Such restrictions are not unheard of in larger vacation hot spots such as Miami or Nashville, seemingly with the goal…
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In an effort to “fundamentally change [the State’s] approach to housing development, particularly for the moderate and affordable development we need most,” the Rhode Island General Assembly recently passed a slew of legislation intended to “cut through the frustrating red tape that is standing in the way of the development of new housing, moving housing…
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Federal and state authorities throughout the country have adopted pro-renewable energy policy goals to promote the growth of alternative energy sources using climate-friendly technologies. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the federal government has encouraged substantial investment in the expansion of renewable energy resources in the United States. On the state level, different…
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After almost five years of litigation, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran pulled out all the stops (and his guitar) to obtain victory over claims his 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud” infringed on the copyrights held by the estate of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get it On.”[1] The lawsuit alleged that Sheeran…
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In fast-paced industries such as the construction industry, it is easy to assume that standardized form contracts provided by the American Institute of Architects (“AIA”) will prevent, rather than cause, problems further down the road. An effective construction contract will provide performance, timing standards and set forth effective remedies and risk allocation should issues arise.…
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Referral fees, or fee sharing, among attorneys have become so commonplace that it may be easy to forget about the headache that they can cause to attorneys and clients alike. Our focus today is on the potential consequences of unpermitted fee arrangements, also known as “finder’s fee” arrangements. These types of arrangements between attorneys are…
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The use of arbitration clauses and agreements is not infrequent, forcing federal and state courts to address the enforceability of such agreements on numerous grounds. Courts have created variants of federal procedural rules, specific to arbitration. Specifically, over the years, nine of the twelve circuit courts[1] have affirmed an arbitration-specific rule pertaining to waiver in…
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