Blog

Each year on Memorial Day I think of William. He was my mother's grandfather. His discharge from the Union Army hangs in a frame on the wall of my office. His most notable experience as a soldier was in the battle of Petersburg. Many of his comrades were killed, wounded, or maimed, in that famous battle in the crater. If you know the story you know how the miners tunneled into the crater below the defensive position of the rebels. You also know how so many of the northern arm

The invitation, the opportunity to speak before and to this important community group, caused me to decide I should write what I was to say. By haviing done so, and having found a copy of what I said, allows me to accurately set forth what I said all those years ago. What would I say if speaking to the same group today? I leave that for a future post at this site; For now here is that old speech: To look ahead to see where we are going, without looking back to see where we ha

Ten years after I graduated from Flemington High School in 1955 I opened my law office on Main Street in town. I was honored to be asked by the Flemington Woman’s Club to share my view of our town. Where it had been, where it was, and where I thought it was going. Before I tell you what I said to the women of the town, let me tell you a little about what I have learned about this organization. The membership was of the leading women of the communithy at the time. The Flemingt

I am proud to have been part of the court process that helps make sure buyers and sellers of homes in New Jersey have the opportunity to have New Jersey lawyers help them in the process of their buying and selling homes. Here is the story of how that happened and my role in the process. A decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1983 allowed real estate brokers to violate the prohibition against practicing law without an appropriate law license, by allowing brokers to writ

The telephone buzzed. My secretary asked if I had time to meet with a possible new client. I put aside the collection case, seeking ninety dollars owed to a doctor that I was working on, to meet with him. Two months earlier, March 1965, I had left the largest and most prestigious law firm in Central New Jersey where I had been for three years. It had become time to establish my own practice. I returned home, to Main Street Flemington, ten years after graduating from Flemingt

I have been having lunch approximately once a month with a Meet Up group that is organized by Julie Parker. It's an informal group in many ways, but it's driven by an extremely energetic woman who has collected an interesting group of people for a monthly lunch and networking session. The only cost is the price of your lunch. The format of the meeting provides some networking time for those who arrive early. At noon we join at a long table, or a group of tables, depending on

14. Time for Closing of Title The agreement need not set out a date for closing in order to be valid and enforceable. The law will provide for a closing date a reasonable time after the signing of the agreement. The problem is in relying on the concept of "a reasonable time," because nobody can be sure when the closing is to take place. Thus, the usual practice is to provide a specific date in each agreement. Sometimes the date is expressed in terms of a day on or before a

10. Condition of the Property at Closing A property is usually shown at its best at the time of the selling process. It cannot be assumed that the house will stay well maintained between first inspection and closing, without a specific requirement in the agreement. The seller may have the best of intentions, but his personal needs, time requirements, and focus on his own move from the property may divert him. The parties must also consider the condition of the utilities, the

8. Conditions of Going Forward with the Transaction There are two major buyer areas of uncertainty at the time the parties enter into the agreement. The first is getting affordable financing. The second is obtaining assurance from professional inspectors as to the acceptable condition of the property. Before removing his property from the market the seller wants to know that the amount sought is reasonable in relation to the property sale price. A pre-qualification letter may

My wife and I enjoy watching athletic contests on television. We both watch tennis. We have each played. She sometimes watches golf. I like to watch lacrosse, football, and basketball. She likes ice skating, which I watch because of her interest, although I can get into almost any athletic event and become interested. We have been watching ice dance events at the Olympics these last few days. Her interest stems from the time she and her father participated in ice dancing cont