Alerding Castor Hewitt on Corporate Blogging for Dummies

Monday, August 30, 2010 by Janet Monroe
Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLPAlerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is a law firm that does a substantial amount of legal work with clients in SaaS law and as technology legal counsel.  So much so that we were asked to contribute to Corporate Blogging for Dummies, a best practices book that our friends Douglas Karr and Chantelle Flannery were approached to write.

As a law firm that utilizes blogging to reach our current and potential clients, the Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP website was featured as an example within these pages.
  Partner David Castor contributed to the sections regarding legal services and our firm's blogging site.  Using Compendium's blogware, we have been participating in blogging for over two years and have been able to connect with private equity investors and constituents in the realm of business law, including software litigation and SaaS legal consulting.

Check out Corporate Blogging for Dummies for more information on how you can use this SaaS tool to help grow your own business. 
Blogging is an effective way to help build a relationship with your audience.  This book will show you how.

Business Law - Hire Good, Smart People To Ask Good Questions

Sunday, August 29, 2010 by David Castor
I was reminded today of something told to me by a friend last year:

Good people who are smart ask good questions

Bad people who are smart ask bad questions

Good people who are not smart ask bad questions

 
In business we are always looking for answers – but what we really want are good answers.  Today the issue is never whether we have enough data (we arguably have too much), it is whether we can properly utilize that data to make better decisions.  I see this especially in my Internet Law / SaaS law practice where an immense amount of data is available.  Analytics and business intelligence tools can help – but they are still based on one critical factor:

It still takes good people who are smart to ask good questions before any data analysis tools can help develop good answers. 

Think Enron and Madoff for examples of smart people who are "bad" and purposely misuse data to manipulate and misrepresent answers.

 
See also:

Entrepreneurial Law - Developing a Good Business Model
Culture of Private Equity
Entrepreneurial Law - Proof of Concept & Proof of Scale
Fatal Flaws in Leadership
Keep the Good Ideas Coming but Stay Focused
Business Law - 10 Common Negotiation Mistakes
Funding Law - Presentations to Investors
 

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Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is an Indianapolis law firm focusing on business law, information technology law (including SaaS law and legal technology consulting), private equity consulting, and business and Internet litigation.


Business Law - How To Kick Out Jerks

Thursday, August 26, 2010 by David Castor
I work with a national angel investor group that invites members (investors) to join on two general rules:

1.  You cannot be a jerk;
2.  You have to invest in companies.


The President of this organization has removed a couple of members this year because they received rule #1 complaints from other members. 

In my funding law practice I represent and/or work with several private equity firms, angel investor groups and private equity funds.  Most funds and angel investor groups run into this jerk factor issue at some point in their life cycle. 

What do you do when a member is being a jerk?  For traditional angel investor groups the answer can be easier.  Best practice is to get the member to join based on certain membership rules which they sign to.  A common rule is that if 2 other members formally complain about the jerk's conduct the President can kick the jerk out.  Make sure to address in the rules what you do with membership fees that were paid by the jerk.

For private equity funds the answer is harder.  They are not paying membership fees - they are investing dollars into a fund that is making long term investments.  Now you have securities law issues.  You can add call provisions to the operating agreement (i.e., you can buy back their membership units on certain conditions), but then you have to address the call value.  If you are merely giving money back, that can cause trouble as you are giving managers a lot of room to take out investors late in the fund's life for minimal dollars.  Managers risk fiduciary breach claims.  If you make the call value based on FMV - that will be difficult to determine 3 or 4 years into the funds life.  You also may create an incentive for fund members to want to get kicked out so they can realize the FMV of their investment before the end of the fund's life.

Some funds address the jerk factor by essentially treating fund members as silent investors - they invest money but have little or no voting rights.  Managers don't have an obligation to deal with them.

Best practice for private equity funds is to be very careful upfront about who you ask to take part.  If the person is going to annoy you, the other members or the target companies' teams, you may not want them to take part no matter how much money they bring to the table. 

Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Janet Monroe
Indiana Technology LawyerSomething that women and/or minority business owners may want to consider is registration with the Indiana Department of Administration Minority and Women's Business Enterprises Division to become certified as a minority-owned or woman-owned business.

Established in order to give such businesses an equal opportunity to participate in the state purchasing process, the criteria considered for such certification include that the minority/woman member possess:
  • ownership of the business (at least 51%);
  • the requisite expertise in the industry;
  • management and control of the entity and its operations; and
  • U.S. citizenship.
It is an onerous application process, which includes on-site visits, interviews, and the submission of documentation to support the status of the business.  However, it could be well worth registration to those who are qualifying entities, as each year the Governor's Commission on Minority and Women's Business Enterprises votes on contracting goals and sets the level of participation for minority- and women-owned firms on state contracts.

If you are a minority or woman owned business enterprise, you may want to consider certification to give you an edge on state contracts and perhaps other opportunities.

As an attorney with Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP, an Indianapolis business law firm that provides legal counsel to companies of all sizes, my practice ranges from formations of young start up companies to assisting with licensing agreement negotiations for well-established corporations. 

And, as a woman and a minority myself, I am more than willing to help guide clients through the process to achieve certifcation as a minority or woman owned business enterprise. 

Funding Law - Is The Person Coachable?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 by David Castor
I attended an angel investor group meeting today.  This was an interesting group - only 10 or so people, each of very high net worth, looking for large investment opportunities.  They remind me more of a private equity firm with the types of deals they are considering, but they invest individually - maintaining the typical angel investor dynamic.  

One investor is a recently retired C-level executive of a fortune 100 company.  He told me about his approach to investments - questions he works through in the following order:

1.  Is the key person (people) coachable?  
2.  Are the finances and projections in order?
3.  Do I believe in the market opportunity and the ability of the company to meet the opportunity?


I boil down every private equity investment consideration into 3 categories - management team, market opportunity and capital structure.  That is exactly what he did, but he put his priority to them.  All 3 have to be there in order to have a shot for his investment, but if he is not satisfied with the first answer - the key manager's ability to take wise direction, grow, and get out of their own way - he will not move forward.

More companies fail due to management team issues than poor market planning and lack of capital combined.  I would say that poor market planning and lack of capital are actually a sign of poor management.  Yet with the amount of work I do in tech sectors I still see many businesses started by strong headed technicians who are seeking to advance their brain child off of other people's money without much care to the financial responsibility or solid to-market strategies necessary for a successful business.  Stay away from these folks!  They are tricky, but try to identify them early! 

I could not agree more with this guy's approach.  If the key person is not coachable, you have a pride issue that will lead to the company's failure.  Great question to ask out of the gate.



Business Law - Being A Deal Maker

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 by David Castor
One of my favorite aspects of building a business law / private equity firm is seeing clients set and reach business goals.  Many clients face complicated issues that need careful legal analysis and creative planning.  Unfortuantely, most attorneys focus on the problems with the complicated deals and have trouble finding creative ways to navigate the legal minefield.  Alerding Castor Hewitt takes a unique approach on business law in that we consider ourselves "deal makers" rather than what most attorneys are - "deal breakers."  We work hard at finding creative legal solutions to make business happen.

Today my colleague, Sam Schumutte, worked with California attorney on a client's complicated real estate business and private equity raise.   He received one of the best compliments I have ever read.  The CA attorney e-mailed the client, cc'ed me and Sam, and said:

Sam from David Castor's office and I just solved the real estate distribution puzzle. The solution is sort of complicated, but I will get you a write-up to explain what we can/should say...  Sam is a rare attorney who knows securities law and who is an artful “deal maker” (unlike the great horde of “deal breaker” attorneys who will bring up problems without offering positive solutions.)

Sam's response was also encouraging:

Thank you for your very kind remarks and vote of confidence, it means a lot coming from you.  I will always endeavor to find solutions to move forward, finding obstacles is far too easy – our clients deserve much more.  Again, thank you and I look forward to many years of collaboration with you. 

Those are the conversations that keep me excited about what we are doing.  

What it Takes to be a Leader

Friday, August 6, 2010 by Janet Monroe
information technology law firmThis morning I attended the Techpoint event: What it Takes to Lead a Successful Entrepreneurial Venture Today and was reminded of some fundamental leadership qualities that I see in many of the successful business owners we work with as a business, entrepreneurial and information technology law firm.

Speaking today were Daniel DeHayes, a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and Delphia Croft, the Managing Principal of Solution Revolution Consulting.

In the studies that they have conducted collectively, they have found certain characteristics to be present in the leaders of today's successful companies.  While they found several, in this session DeHayes and Croft discussed the following four traits:
  • Sovereign: trust in yourself, your intuition and judgment
  • Warrior-like: commitment to a greater cause than yourself (though not mercenary)
  • Open: extreme self-awareness
  • Intentional: possessing an intense, pro-active focus (shunning habitual thinking)
Considering these traits, I would have to agree that to be successful you must have the confidence to trust in your own capabilities, the strength to execute (while retaining the ability to quickly adapt to the unforeseeable), the humbleness to know your own strengths and weaknesses, and the determination to achieve the goals you set forth.

Successful companies don't happen on a whim, but are backed by the blood, sweat and tears of driven individuals.  If you are contemplating striking it out on your own, take a moment to reflect on the above traits and decide for yourself if you have what it takes to be a leader.

As an attorney of a business, entrepreneurial and information technology law firm, it is an honor to work with our clients - those individuals who possess the leadership characteristics to build successful entrepreneurial ventures.

Entreprenurial Law - How Much Should Go To Salaries?

Thursday, August 5, 2010 by David Castor
I read many business plans for early stage companies - most of whom are seeking some sort of seed or early round capital funding from private equity investors.  One of the largest discrepancies I see in plans is in the expense models regarding allocation of salaries. 

Post-revenue, most businesses will find salaries (including benefits) falling somewhere between 30% and 55% of their net revenue.  But what about pre-revenue companies that are looking to use early capital to launch?  I read a plan where a company was looking to raise $2.5MM while allocating $1.8MM to salaries.  I've seen others where the officers are essentially taking nothing and eating ramen noodles until the company begins producing revenue.  In a recent plan, a pre-rev company is using nearly 55% of a small seed stage raise on salaries over the first few months.

There are a few consideration for how much to put towards salaries.  First, you want to consider sources and uses.  There is a major difference on paying high executive salaries with early stage monies verses paying developers or sales force.  When talking uses with private equity investors, most investors want their dollars to go towards growth and scaling - i.e., develop and sell.  Paying high CEO salaries is troubling for most investors.  A CEO who is instrumental in early sales may want to more clearly explain his/her role in the plan and show the expense as related to sales.  Few seed stage companies should be paying salaries for a CFO, COO or CLO - unless they are also master sales people.

Second, officers who are taking a high equity stake need to consider the high stake as part of their overall package.  The high salary should come when the company is successful, but the lower salary in the early days is intended to be offset by the equity position.  Sorry - raising seed capital is not a get-rich-quick deal.

Third, consider tying non-equity employees salaries to incentive compensation.  If they are successful, the company is successful, and they make higher wages.  The common example of this is to tie a sales person's salary into commission or to give a developer a profit interest in the company.  This will reduce the dedicated spend and will reduce the need for capital.

Of course there are other considerations - many depend on industry and supply/demand of employees with necessary skill sets, but a business owner seeking capital should know that this is a major area that investors look at with suspicion - especially when dealing with professional private equity firms or angel investor groups.  In the early stage they want to see their dollars go to growth - not to pay you the big bucks while you work to make the company successful.



Business Law - What Happened to Business Ethics?

Monday, August 2, 2010 by David Castor
The post below is fantastic.  It is by Michael P. Alerding, CPA (my business partner's father) at his accounting firm's new blog site.  He gave me permission to re-post it here (thank you Alerding & Co.).  Check it out:  Alerding & Co. Blog


What Happened to Business Ethics?
By: Michael P. Alerding, CPA

Every time I get a contract to sign, I find it almost impossible to spend the time reading the fine print and trying to understand all of the future implications of the agreement.  As my son, the attorney always reminds me, “Words mean things”.

I made an airline reservation the other day and for the first time read all of the fine print associated with the “contract” to provide me with transportation.  The rules were almost limitless and included some scary matters associated with timing (being to the gate on time), cancellation (flight may be cancelled without notice) and my “rights” as a passenger (not many).  Having traveled quite a bit for over 40 years, I thought I understood that if I pay for a seat on a plane, the airline had the obligation to provide me with service and transportation.  Well, maybe……….

Reading emails is almost as difficult now as signing a contract.  Almost all business emails have the disclaimer, running anywhere from 100 words to 300 words, discussing the limitations for use of information included in the email.  Although I try not to print too many emails, I probably waste one out of every three pages when I do printing the gibberish relating to limitations.  Remember, words mean things.  Does that mean that every time you send an email to someone you are effectively saying that you really don’t mean it and they can’t rely on what you have said?  Words mean things?

We now, and have been for decades, live in a society of mistrust and a CYA mentality.  Whatever happened to business ethics? What happened to the day when a deal was a deal not because my words were better than yours or because some litigation in the Fifth Circuit Court favored my position vs yours, but because it is the right thing to do?  This “gotcha” mentality has become a game for businesses.  The only winners are usually the lawyers and we just keep doing the same thing over and over.  As Michael Crichton said so very well, we have created a “State of Fear”.

Have we forgotten basic business ethics and standards of conduct?  Have we lost sight of the basic concept of doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do?  Do we lack the self confidence needed to judge our own actions and, instead, leave the determination of what is the right thing to do to some judge, a jury or an arbitrator?  When did we lose our innocence about what is right or wrong?

After a heated and long discussion about corporate responsibility in an audit committee meeting a few years ago, one of the elderly and very wise members of the committee sat silently during the discussion.  After all of the give and take on whether it made good “business sense” (aka “profit” sense) to implement a corporate policy that would protect customers in the event of a mistake made by the corporation, there was a lull in the conversation and the old gentleman finally spoke up.  In a very quiet, but direct voice, he simply said, “We need to do this simply and only because it is the right thing to do”.  It was profound and the committee sat silently.  The motion passed unanimously.

Simple and uncomplicated business ethics still has a place in our society and in business in particular, but it continues its downward spiral into the lower rungs of our conscience. Doing the right thing because it is the “right thing to do” needs to make a comeback – and it needs to happen soon.


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Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is an Indianapolis law firm focusing on business law, information technology law (including SaaS law and legal technology consulting), private equity consulting, and business and Internet litigation.

Business Law - Why Is Profit A Negative Thing?

Friday, July 30, 2010 by David Castor
One of my favorite movie scenes is from The Jerk.  Navin Johnson is working at a carnival guessing peoples weight.  He is talking to Frosty, his boss:

Navin R. Johnson: [bleakly] I've already given away eight pencils, two hoola dolls, and an ashtray, and I've only taken in fifteen dollars.

Frosty: Navin, you have taken in fifteen dollars and given away fifty cents worth of crap, which gives us a net profit of fourteen dollars and fifty cents.

Navin R. Johnson: Ah... It's a profit deal. Takes the pressure off. Get your weight guessed right here! Only a buck! Actual live weight guessing! Take a chance and win some crap!
 
It is amazing how easy it is for business professionals to take their eye off of profit.  I see this often in my business law / funding law practice.  Key employees easily ignore profit while focusing on their client projects and immediate incentives – ignoring the fact that company profit gives them long term advancement potential.  Business owners get tied up with client sales and revenue projections – ignoring the bottom line purpose of what they are building – to make profit. 

It bewilders me how many professionals don’t know how to determine whether they are profitable.  A business owner recently told me about a sales reps’ excitement of landing the $50k deal that had already cost $20k to secure and will cost another $30k to $40k to fulfill.  Way to go!

I also find it interesting how profit has developed a negative connotation in so many business circles.  Business cultural goals are considered personal, meaningful and someone enlightened.  Profit goals are considered a “numbers guy” thing.  I am a big believer in creating the right company culture - but fact is cultural goals cannot be met if the company is not profitable. 


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Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is an Indianapolis law firm focusing on business law, information technology law (including SaaS law and legal technology consulting), private equity consulting, and business and Internet litigation.

 

ALERDING CASTOR HEWITT, LLP CLIENT NAMED 10TH FASTEST GROWING PRIVATE COMPANY IN INDIANA FOR THIRD TIME

Friday, July 23, 2010 by Lainey Scheetz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2010
Contact: Lainey Scheetz
317.403.9012
lscheetz@alerdingcastor.com

ALERDING CASTOR HEWITT, LLP CLIENT NAMED 10TH FASTEST GROWING PRIVATE COMPANY IN INDIANA FOR THIRD TIME

Indianapolis, IN – Iasta, the leading provider of eSourcing software and solutions, was titled as the 10th Fastest Growing Private Company in Indiana for 2010 by the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ).  A third time honoree, Iasta boosted its three-year growth rate at 134 percent.

The report profiled Iasta’s founding’s, current offerings and future outlook.

The IBJ ranks companies by their revenue growth over the last three consecutive years, which must exceed $1 million annually.  In 2009, Iasta ranked 17th and in 2008 they ranked 14th.  The award is based on revenue growth of the last three consecutive years.  Iasta has thrived in a market where many others have been forced to make budget cuts and layoffs.  “We’ve established a lot of credibility and there’s a lot of growth yet to be had,” said Bush.

Iasta experienced very rapid growth in its younger years at 80 to 90 percent a year.  These days, the company still grows at 30 to 40 percent annually.  Bush attributes the success of Iasta to flexibility and high quality in both software and services.

Dave Castor has represented Iasta as general counsel since 2002. 

Firm at a Glance:

At Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP, the attorneys focus on business law, litigation and technology law services.  The firm has unique experience in niche markets such as software and technology licensing, e-commerce and Internet law and international business law. 

For additional information, please visit www.alerdingcastor.com.


 

Business Law - Morning People

Monday, July 19, 2010 by David Castor
There is a great article in the July-August edition of the Harvard Business Review entitled The Early Bird Really Does Get the Worm.  The article summarizes a study which found a correlation between  "morning people" and career success.  This is based on a number of traits which are commonly found in morning people.  

Traits
Agreeable
Optimistic
Stable
Proactive
Conscientious
Satisfied with Life

Being a morning person, of course I loved this!  Most days I am the first in the office.  I love getting my to-do lists together early each morning and executing on the list throughout the day.  I have found this to be an extraordinarily important practice in building and managing a successful law firm.  

I have never understood evening people.  It seems that they miss out on too much and are always in reactive mode rather than proactive mode.  That creates a stressful life.  Of course that is not always true - I know many who are actually much more organized than me and run great businesses.

The study did find some positive traits of "evening people".  They tend to be more creative and intelligent than morning people.  I fully agree with those points!  The study also found that they tend to be more extroverted.  That is probably true, but I have not noticed that point to the same degree.  At any rate, those are traits that are necessary in any balanced business team.

See also:

Entrepreneurial Law - Developing a Good Business Model
Culture of Private Equity
A World of Private Equity
Rules of Funding
Entrepreneurial Law - Proof of Concept & Proof of Scale
Fatal Flaws in Leadership
Keep the Good Ideas Coming but Stay Focused
Business Law - 10 Common Negotiation Mistakes
Funding Law - Presentations to Investors
 


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Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is an Indianapolis law firm focusing on business law, information technology law (including SaaS law and legal technology consulting), private equity consulting, and business and Internet litigation.




Social Networking and the Web - So much more than ambulance-chasing

Thursday, June 17, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Be prepared:  I'm going to get on a bit of a soapbox.  I read a recent article at WSJ.com entitled "Using Social Networking as  Legal Tool" (Linked Below).  There is nothing wrong with this article.  It very succinctly and pleasantly explains how certain law firms are using social networking and the Web to find clients for high-value plaintiff cases.  And I don't disagree with that approach.  As an attorney posting on a blog, I too hope to use social networking to get business, and would be foolish to argue otherwise.  Thus, I cannot fault the firms employing such tactics.  And I am glad that a more "mainstream" press outlet would pick up a story of this nature; highlighting the use of technology by lawyers.

The fault that I find, and what, frankly, irks me, is that this article gives no credence to the more innovative aspects of technological use that are gaining hold in the legal community.  The article highlights the practice of "ambulance chasing" for the 21st Century.  But there is so much more happening in the cyberworld.  Legal scholars like Eric Goldman are posting daily with the new and interesting ways that technology litigation and cyberlaw are being explored.  Courts are posting their opinions on-line to further the pursuit of knowledge by the populace.  Courts and communities are moving to on-line activity such as filing and case work to speed up the legal process and reduce our environmental impact.  Technology legal counsel throughout the world are espousing the virtues and pitfalls of cyberlaw.  Property rights are being generated in virtual worlds.  Privacy litigation is defining what can and cannot be exposed in the real and virtual worlds.  Software litigation is defining what can and cannot be done with these wonderful bits and bytes of information.  Cloud computing law is going to dominate the future courtrooms of the world as more and more data is put into the cloud.  All of these things are happening now.  

Our world is becoming a smaller place as we all become more connected, and lawyers are at the forefront of those debates and discussions.  Yes, I think it is very interesting that Law Firm X has 25 people on staff twittering and establishing domain names so that sufferers of acute hypersensitivity can find a law firm willing to represent them.  PLEASE don't misunderstand me because I believe that allowing those people to easily find representation IS IMPORTANT.  But it is not the only thing that is happening out there in the cyber-ether.  Instead of focusing on the new and novel way that lawyers are getting business, let's shine light on how those in the legal community are using the Web to define, explain and expand our world.

WSJ article: (online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704324304575306581598351428.html

Radical Innovation - Searching for the new frontier

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by Chris Stephen
I'm going to cheat a little on this.  I read a great blog post by Jeff Ready over at the McStartup blog (www.mcstartup.com).  The blog post is all about the importance of radical innovation.  I have a place in my heart for radical innovation because I believe that in the legal community, we are the radical innovators.  ACH strives after its goal to be an information technology law firm, a venture capital law firm and a business law firm, but we go about it in a way that is radical to many other attorneys, because we are business-minded first and we are looking at the areas of business that others are overlooking.  So, rather than re-capsulate Jeff's thoughts, here they are in full quoted glory:

The Art of Radical Innovation

Following up on my post about Tom Mason and Rose-Hulman, I wanted to touch on something that Tom is a big believer in and used as the focus of his retirement speech:  radical innovation.Radically innovation refers to that type of innovation so powerful and different that it can completely change the profession, institution, industry, business, or person in one fell swoop.  Thinking about how radical innovations come about and how they impact the world around us is a favorite subject of Tom.

I bring it up here, because I believe that radical innovation is the key to success in whatever you do – and not just radical innovation, but, as Tom puts it, “continuous radical innovation” – the constant search for those things that will turn your world on its head.

It is true that most businesses are looking to innovate, but to think about radical innovation really changes the way you view things.  It’s very different from thinking about “constant innovation” or “continuous improvement” which is the mantra of many businesses today.  As Tom quipped during his speech, “General Motors followed the mantra of continuous improvement all the way into bankruptcy.”

 Put another way, and to borrow from the world of academia, continuous improvement gets college campuses wired, installs the latest lab environments in the buildings, and creates a campus environment more rewarding for the students.  Radical innovation moves the entire university experience online and does away with the campus altogether.
Continuous improvement puts shocks on your carriage.  Radical innovation replaces the horse with an engine.  Continuous improvement accelerates the reload speed and accuracy of your rifle.  Radical innovation gives you a machine gun.   You get the idea.

The challenge is to continuously seek the radical innovations in your business – to look for and to go after the very technologies that, if developed elsewhere, would bring a swift and painful end to your business.  In the mean time, of course you need to look for ways to improve your business, your products, and your practices.  However, time and resources need to be spent going after the radical, not just the better.

This probably sounds a lot easier than it is.  Radically innovation is an unpredictable, expensive, and messy business.  With limited resources, the temptation will always be to direct those resources toward the projects that will have the most immediate and predictable impact.  Just as you would imagine the mad scientist to find himself surrounded by doubters (right up until the invention actually works), you’ll find that investors, employees, partners, and competitors will view resources directed to these “rogue projects” as wasteful, silly, and distracting. 

Thus is the challenge of going after radical innovation within an ongoing enterprise.  The near term benefit sits squarely on the opposite, and in a world of business that’s often driven by quarterly numbers, high rates of employee turnover and movement, and a desire for immediate satisfaction, it can be extremely difficult to manage the balance of resources between what is today’s reality, and what might change that reality. 

The pressure will be on improving today’s reality.  But if you’re not careful, you’ll have the world’s greatest carriage company – right up until Henry Ford hands you your lunch – just ask GM.  

Mexico Passes New Data Protection and Privacy Law

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Your friendly neighborhood technology counsel here:  So, Mexico recently passed a new data protection law.  On April 27, 2010, Mexico passed the Federal Law for the Protection of Personal data, which is likely to be signed into law by the President in the near future.  This law not only allows for a mind-boggling $1.5 million penalty for violation, but it also applies to the private sector. Private and public entities will need to protect themselves from privacy litigation. 

This law is much akin to the EU's data privacy laws.  Meaning, among other things, that scope of the law is extremely broad.  Additionally, all data is included, but certain types of data are given greater protection.  This Sensitive Personal Data includes: "In particular, consider those that may reveal sensitive issues such as racial or ethnic origin, health status, present and future, genetic information, religious, philosophical and moral, union membership, political views, sexual preference." (translated from the Bill).  The dissemination of any information that contains this sensitive data will require written consent from the owner of the data, the individual. 

Now the $1.5 million question:  What does this mean for my business?  The simple answer is: Potentially alot.  In the world of e-discovery and privacy litigation,this issue has already begun to rear its head in the context of the EU's data privacy law.  With the number of American manufacturers and companies with a presence and facilities in Mexico, this type of broad legislation could result in the expenditure of millions of compliance dollars to craft protocols and document retention issues.  Think of the billions of e-mails that must run through a Fortune 500 company.  Now think about how many of those e-mails contain some amount of information that fits within the category I described above.  To disseminate that information, each individual has to be contacted and give written consent.  Like I said, mind-boggling.  

Obviously, society is walking a thin line between protection of information and the availability of information for legitimate purposes.  Privacy litigation both here and abroad is going to shape the breadth and direction of that line.  And then, when we think we have a handle on it all, we'll start talking about what we are going to do under cloud computing law for that data that is stuck firmly in the cloud. 


Indianapolis Litigation-The Collections Endgame

Friday, May 28, 2010 by Scott Kreider

I am an Indianapolis Attorney here at Alerding Castor Hewitt LLP.  This is my first blog post – so bear with me.  As a brief introduction, my role at ACH is working on our litigation team, both at trial and on appeal if necessary, on issues related to business law, probate litigation, SaaS litigation, and other technology litigation – just to name a few of the areas.

One area often overlooked in the litigation process is the area of collections.  Some lawyers might look upon the collection process with disdain because it’s not as “sexy” as doing other things.  But at bottom, bringing a suit is all about collecting money.  After all, a judgment is just a piece of paper.  At ACH, we pride ourselves on being able to assist clients in the collection process; it’s a part of our commitment to being a Partner in Success and we represent a variety of clients in business litigation and technology litigation in this process.

We often encounter situations where we have an out-of-state defendant who has breached a contract by failing to pay for services.  In fact, it’s not that unusual in cases for our SaaS law and technology law clients for this to occur.  Many times such a defendant will fail to appear to defend itself in the suit and we wind up obtaining a default judgment for our clients.  The question is, what do you do next?  Do you undertake a proceeding supplemental in Indiana to try to collect on a judgment when the defendant is unlikely to show, or do you take your default judgment (i.e., piece of paper) to the defendant’s state and try to domesticate it (in other words, try to collect there)?

I recently witnessed a couple of examples of this very situation.  The answer boils down to a matter of cost-benefit analysis.  In my humble opinion, it’s probably worth the minimal time and effort to undertake a proceeding supplemental in Indiana.  Plus, you don’t have to immediately take on the added expense of hiring another lawyer in the defendant’s state to do the job for you.            

The reason for this is that you never know what will motivate someone to make good on a debt owed to you, or at least negotiate some sort of payment arrangement.  While it doesn’t happen in every case, it’s not unusual for a defendant to try to resolve a case after receiving notice of a proceeding supplemental.  This is even more likely once they receive notice of one of the later steps in that process, such as an order to show cause why the defendant should not be held in contempt for failing to appear or a body attachment warrant to arrest the defendant.  And if it doesn’t work out, you’ll still have your judgment that you can take to the other state.   


Changes in the Get Hope. Get Help provisions

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 by Chris Stephen
Your friendly neighborhood technology counsel here:  As you likely know, my goal is to become THE Indiana technology lawyer; however, technology is not my only area of interest.  Like many of the  folks at Alerding Castor Hewitt, technology law is a passion, but we all strive to be a full service law firm for all businesses.  Thus, in addition to tech stuff, I also litigate matters for several banking and business clients.  And, as any good lawyer does, when I see changes in the law that may impact my clients, I want to shout it from the rooftops.  One such change that, to date, has gone largely unheralded is an amendment passed to the Indiana "Get Hope. Get Help" statute (Ind. Code 32-30-10.5-8). 

For those that don't know, this provision, enacted originally in 2009, requires a lender to send a written notice to a mortgage holder regarding their default and options to avoid foreclosure before the lender can proceed with a foreclosure suit.  The intended purpose of the law is to avoid unnecessary foreclosure of residential properties by "requiring early contact and communications among creditors, agents and debtors" and "facilitating the modification of residential mortgages in appropriate circumstances."  This is debtor safeguard that lenders have to navigate before they can foreclose on a property.  The letter itself has a large "GET HOPE. GET HELP" header, hence the nomenclature.    

The new provisions amended to the statute in the 2010 session  clarify that any time before a sheriff's sale, a debtor can do one of three things with the property. They can: (1) appeal a finding of abandonment; (2) redeem the real estates; or (3) retain possession of the property until the sale.  These three things already existed in Indiana law, but are now more clearly set out and obvious.  The goal is clearly to make the options abundantly clear to all involved. 

To me the more important change is the requirement that the applicable notice prescribed by the statute must be in 14 point font.  The necessary language is "Mortgage foreclosure is a complex process.  People may approach you about "saving" your home.  You should be careful about any such promises.  There are government agencies and non-profit organizations you may contact for helpful information about the foreclosure process.  For the name and telephone number of an organization near you, please call the Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network".  

So, all you lenders out there heed the warning of the new statute.  There are procedures that you must follow before you can even get to a court room.  While I understand the reasoning behind these provisions, they are certainly something about which lenders should be aware.  The foreclosure process is a necessarily lengthy one, and you don't want to unnecessarily extend that by using the wrong size font.   

Build Your Business Model Around the 7 Deadly Sins?!?!

Thursday, May 13, 2010 by David Castor
I recently read a summary of a lecture on applying the seven deadly sins to software development.  The sins are:
 
Lust
Obsessive or excessive thoughts
Gluttony
Over-indulgence, over-consumption
Greed
A sin of excess like lust and gluttony, but in reference to wealth
Sloth
Laziness, indifference, apathy
Wrath
Uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger
Envy
Resenting another because they possess something you do not
Pride
Excessive love of self
 

The idea is not to sell products leading to the sins themselves but to creatively apply the concepts of one or more to your software product to create an appeal and addictiveness factor to your product.  I wonder if the same can be applied when customizing a product / service for a new business or market opportunity. 
 
LustDo you touch a deep seeded relational need in people?
GluttonyDo you tie into a desire for comfort or consumption?
GreedDo you solve financial or monetary needs of your customers?
SlothDo you create efficiency or freedom of time for your customers?
WrathDo you provide a forum for dialog, debate or conflict resolution?
EnvyDo you provide customers a higher standard of living?
PrideDoes your product/service provide customers a sense of identity?



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Other posts that may of be interest

SaaS Law - Don't Use the Word "Affiliates"
Entrepreneurial Law - Proof of Concept and Proof of Scale
Good Metrics


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Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP is an Indianapolis law firm focusing on business law, information technology law (including SaaS law and legal technology consulting), private equity consulting, and business and Internet litigation. 

Where are the Good Deals?

Monday, May 10, 2010 by David Castor
I have heard this "problem" stated several times from private equity investors angel investment groups over this past year, "We are just not seeing any good deals lately."  The Halo Group, an Indianapolis-based angel investment group focusing on emerging technology companies, canceled its March meeting due to a stated lack of deal flow. 

Halo members, like most private equity investors, want to invest in businesses with proven markets and executives.  They, like most investment groups, also want to see a revenue stream before they will cut a check.

My firm works with a number of businesses seeking funding.  I believe we go miles further than most law firms in helping companies pursue funding because we get involved in improving business and capital models and leadership coaching - not just drafting investment documents.  We have helped six clients obtain funding so far in 2010.  

If the problem is in fact a lack of good deals - this should create an opportunity for better business models to pursue funding.  Now is the time to strike.  Now is the time to revise and revamp your business model to create a "good plan" that investors want to see.


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Other posts that may be of interest:

Fatal Flaws in Leadership
Talent is Overrated
Keep the Good Ideas Coming but Stay Focused
Business Law - 10 Common Negotiation Mistakes
Funding Law - Presentations to Investors


Entrepreneurial Law – Developing a Good Business Model – Part III

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 by David Castor
This is the third post in a series on developing a good business model for an early stage company.

2.    Solid Management Team

I have heard it said that more businesses fail due to cash flow than anything else.  I completely disagree.  I say that more businesses fail due to management team issues than any other reason.  If a company dies because of cash flow, it is usually because the wrong person was at the helm and poorly planning and/or making bad decisions – either market opportunity was not adequately addresses or expenses were not properly managed. 

Likewise, unmanageable disagreements and in-fighting amongst a leadership team kill a ton of companies.  Developing a solid business model MUST include an organization of the right players on the management team of the business.

Here are some points to consider when structuring a management team (list will continue in next post in series):

a.    Only take on partners that you NEED.  In April 2007 I realized that I could not further scale my business law practice without taking on a business litigator as a partner.  I actually enjoy litigation, but I could no longer balance the work load from business law, funding law and technology legal consulting matters with the schedule of a litigator (“Sorry client, I cannot get to your licensing agreemnt today because I am in depositions all day” = doesn't fly).  So, I went out and found the best business litigator I knew – Michael Alerding – and we launched the first version of Alerding Castor Hewitt, LLP.  Point is – I NEEDED to partner with Mike in order to further scale the business and create further profit.

b.    The key leader (usually a President or CEO) must understand financial models.  I cannot stress this one enough.  A key leader who does not understand cash flow analysis or good financial practices will sink a company every time.  If additional training is needed – great.  If the leader must surround himself with others who better understand finances – great - surround the leader with these folks (but make sure the leader is willing to heed advice (a point which will be addressed in the next post).
 

See also:

Entrepreneurial Law – Developing a Good Business Model – Part I

Entrepreneurial Law – Developing a Good Business Model – Part II