The Sources and Uses Statement: One of the Most Commonly Missed Opportunities for the Entrepreneur

Monday, November 15, 2010 by Sam Schmutte
“What are you doing with my money?”  No, it’s not your mom or dad asking or your friend you lost a bet to on a college football game – it’s your potential investor and they’re asking one of the most fundamental questions in a capital raise.  Why?  Because you forgot to answer it ahead of time!  You’re not alone, though, too often a sources and uses statement is overlooked.  Many entrepreneurs simply rely on the financials, general statements in the text of the business plan or...Read More »

INDIANAPOLIS LITIGATION--COLLECTING ON YOUR JUDGMENT

Monday, November 15, 2010 by Scott Kreider

Here at Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP, one thing that we are called upon to do as business law, SaaS law, and technology counsel for our clients is collect on a judgment.  I have previously posted on other topics in the collections world, which you can find here and here.  Today’s topic is in answer to the question we sometimes get:  how long is my judgment good for?

A decision today by the Indiana Court of Appeals in the estate case of In the Matter of the Unsupervised Estate of Dwight M. Wilson...

Read More »

The Legal Landscape of Corporate Blogging - Part 1: Introduction

Monday, November 15, 2010 by Chris Stephen
I can read your mind.  You are thinking, "oh, great and insightful technology legal counsel, what do you mean by a 'legal landscape' and what does that have to do with blogging?"  My initial response is that, (a) you've asked two questions and (b) if you plan to use blogging as a component of your business model, you need to know what potential pitfalls exist.  That is the legal landscape of blogging.  It is made up of the hills and valleys that must be overcome or avoided to reach blogging...Read More »

New interface for Creative Commons search engine

Friday, November 12, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Thanks to the wonderful folks over at Compendium Blogware, I presented a fun webinar last week on the Legal Landscape of Corporate Blogging.  Don't fret, dear reader;  I intend to put together several posts over the weekend that hit the highlights of my presentation.  Overall, I discussed topics like privacy litigation, copyright, defamation, Section 230 protections, etc.  The fun stuff of blogging. 

One area that I discussed and have had several questions about is Creative Commons.  For those of...Read More »

Techpoint Summit 2010 - Innovation at its finest

Sunday, October 31, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Last Wednesday, I had the great opportunity to attend the 2010 Techpoint Summit.  For those of you that don't know, Techpoint is organization with the mission of "accelerating Indiana's emerging and vibrant tech sector" (source:  www.techpoint.org).  This great organization fosters and nurtures the technology sector that is developing in Indiana.  It brings the innovators together and gives them a voice.  And, their yearly summit is an excellent example of the work they are doing.  In the same...Read More »

Techpoint's 2010 Innovation Summit

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Janet Monroe
techpoint summitAlerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is a business law firm that works with many technology start-ups in their formation stages and in assisting with the legal aspects of dealing with private equity investors.

The entrepreneurial spirit of our clients is inspiring, and I am looking forward to attending Techpoint's 2010 Innovation Summit that will be held in downtown Indianapolis today.

An annual event that Alerding Castor Hewitt is proud to sponsor, it will feature keynote speaker Nicholas Carr who is a...Read More »

Are we losing sight of the "social" aspect of social media

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Chris Stephen
I know that you are expecting witty and poignant analysis of some new and exciting aspect of technology and / or privacy litigation, but that's not really the point of this post.  Rather, the impetus of this concoction of literary excellence is a realization that I had regarding social media.  In the last two weeks I have experienced the following (all on a large social media site that shall remain nameless but that has a movie):  (1) received birthday announcements and pictures of my niece in...Read More »

INDIANAPOLIS LITIGATION—EMPLOYER-PROVIDED HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Scott Kreider

Your friendly Indianapolis attorney at Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP here with an overdue update with some possible interest for our business law clients.  Back at the end of September, the Indiana Supreme Court decided Bingley v. Bingley, a marriage dissolution case, and concluded that the employer-provided health insurance benefits of a retiree constituted an asset once they had vested and should be included in the marital estate for the distribution of property.  You can read the full opinion he...

Read More »

US Private Equity - Top Ten Things to Look For In Angel Investors

Monday, October 25, 2010 by David Castor
The last couple of years have been strange.  With the change in the economy, many early stage companies are looking for anybody, and I mean anybody, to invest in their capital round.  As the economy rebounds (which we are seeing in technology markets) business owners are again able to be picky when considering angel investors. 

An angel investor (or an angel investor group or private equity firm) should be more than just a liquid wallet.  He/she should be a strategic member of your team.  They...Read More »

Funding Law – TechPoint Innovation Summit

Thursday, October 21, 2010 by David Castor
Next week I am moderating the plenary panel at TechPoint’s Innovation Summit entitled Funding Innovation

Check it out: TechPoint Innovation Summit
 
Also check out the sponsors page.  I counted today, and nine Alerding Castor Hewitt clients are sponsors of the Summit.  That is awesome. 

This year’s panel members represent private equity investors, angel investor groups, successful entrepreneurs and grant funding organizations which look for funding and investment opportunities in Indiana...Read More »

Dave Castor to Host Compendium Blogware Webinar

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 by Lainey Scheetz

Firm founder and partner, David Castor, is slated to host a Compendium Webinar entitled "The Legal Landscape of Corporate Blogging." The webinar takes place on November 3rd from 2:00p-3:00p EST.  

Dave plans to address the do's and don'ts of online marketing, how to protect your intellectual capital and protect your company's bottom line.  Participants were asked to submit questions for Dave prior to the webinar. 

The firm has a strong SaaS law practice, SaaS litigation practice as well as...

Read More »

FIRM GEARS UP FOR MUCH ANTICIPATED INNOVATION SUMMIT

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 by Lainey Scheetz

FIRM GEARS UP FOR MUCH ANTICIPATED INNOVATION SUMMIT 

Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is no stranger to the technology community - here in Indianapolis and in other domestic and international markets.  The firm highlights its position in the Indianapolis market by a commitment to this year’s Innovation Summit as the Plenary Panel Sponsor for the second year in a row.  The Summit is taking place on October 27th in downtown Indianapolis. 

David Castor, Founder and Partner of the firm, will serve...

Read More »

I Am Still Here

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by David Castor
So I have been a bit behind in blogging these past few weeks.  With the new addition to my family (my 3rd son), life has been hectic.  But, I am back and ready to role.

As a general update, Alerding Castor Hewitt continues expand as technology legal counsel in SaaS law, funding law and entrepreneurial law fields.  We have some exciting new Internet-based and SaaS clients.  This month we helped a client negotiate a stock purchase deal and have handled no less than thirty SaaS or software licensing...Read More »

SaaS LAW AND BUSINESS LAW – CLIENTS CONNECTING

Friday, October 15, 2010 by Scott Kreider

Your friendly Indianapolis attorney at Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP here with some exciting news about a SaaS law client and a business law client:  ExactTarget and O’Reilly’s Irish Bar and Restaurant.  Once its build-out is complete, ExactTarget will be moving some of its people into a new space across the street from us in the Century Building.  This is a company that continues to grow, and we are excited to witness it happen and wish ExactTarget continued success.

 

To help celebrate and...

Read More »

TRADEMARK DISPUTE – YOU CAN SUE A HAM SANDWICH, OR AT LEAST DISPUTE THE NAME OF A HAMBURGER

Thursday, October 14, 2010 by Scott Kreider

In the spirit of entertaining legal stories like the one below that Chris recently shared with our Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP audience, I thought I would share a story I ran across yesterday about a trademark dispute.  Also, because Chris is a connoisseur of fine comfort food, I’m sure that he will enjoy it. 


A restaurant in Bellevue, Washington, John Howie Steak, has come up with a caloric-intensive burger that starts with grilling a 12-ounce ground chuck patty and then tops it with Kurobuta...

Read More »

The interesting privacy litigation issues raised by a Duke student's sex-ploitation

Monday, October 11, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Ok, I'll admit it.  I was in a rut.  Although I found numerous interesting tidbits through-out cyberspace, I could not find anything that piqued my interest enough to put aside the billable hours of a technology legal counsel for a few moments to blog about it.  But, lo and behold, a college student with a sense of panache, an aspiration for humor, decent journaling skills, and access to PowerPoint and the Internet has become my muse. 

For those of you that don't know,  2010 Duke graduate...Read More »

INTERNET LITIGATION – WEBSITES AND PERSONAL JURISDICTION

Thursday, October 7, 2010 by Scott Kreider
Your friendly Indianapolis attorney at Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP with a brief overview (not an in-depth analysis of all of the legal issues) of some recent Seventh Circuit decisions involving internet litigation, trademark disputes, and anti-cybersquatting that could affect technology, software, and business clients maintaining websites and engaging in cyber-marketing. 
           
Last Friday, October 1, 2010, the Seventh Circuit upheld the dismissal of a suit for lack of personal jurisdiction...
Read More »

Entrepreneurial Law - The "Must Haves" of a Good Business Model

Sunday, September 19, 2010 by David Castor
I guest lectured at Purdue’s Entrepreneurship Capstone course again last week.  I love it – for an hour I talked about my experience in entreprenuerial law, business law and funding law to Seniors in Purdue's entreprenuership concentration program on issues consider when structuring a new company.  Honestly, I thought I had them bored out of their minds (yes, there was that one Greek letter wearing frat guy who was asleep about 10 rows back), but I was impressed when we got to the Q&A time...Read More »

Connecticut Insurance Deparment Requires Notification of Privacy Security Breaches

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Here is one of those convergence points where business law and privacy law intersect and effectuate additional administrative duties on the business holder.  In a rather interesting bulletin, the Connecticut Department of Insurance issued a directive on August 18, 2010, requiring "that all licensees and registrants of the Department notify the Department of any information security incident which affects any Connecticut residents as soon as the incident is identified, but no later than five (5)...Read More »

INDIANA PROBATE LITIGATION—ANSWERS IN A WILL CONTEST

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 by Scott Kreider

Your friendly Indianapolis attorney at Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP here, this time with a probate law update. The Court of Appeals of Indiana decided an issue of first impression yesterday in an Indiana probate litigation matter.  The case was Avery v. Avery, --- N.E.2d ---, cause no. 49A05-1004-PL-320 (Ind. Ct. App. Sept. 7, 2010).  In short, the Court concluded that an answer is required in a will contest.  A copy of that published opinion may be found here.

The facts relevant to the issue on...

Read More »