The Time to Protect Your Computer Systems is Now Before Your System is Breached or Falls Prey to a Phishing Attack

In the past months, damaging ransomware attacks have swept across the globe and infected tens of thousands of computers. The hackers transmitted the ransomware via a phishing e-mail, and then, once the user clicked the bait, the hackers used methods thought to have been developed by the United States National Security Agency, and locked businesses […]


WHAT’S NEW IN NEW YORK STATUTES – 2017

I love a good list, don’t you?  I particularly enjoy that sense of satisfaction when I am able to cross something off my list – and fully admit that there are some days when I just need to add little things to the list just so I can feel that accomplishment.  Yes, “pack lunches”, that’s […]


Why Do I Need a Living Will AND a Health Care Proxy?

  One of the more common questions we deal with in the initial interview with many clients is why they need both a living will and a health care proxy.  The answer to this question is quite simple but a background on what each document specifically does is useful. Health Care Proxy The health care […]


Legal, financial issues for people who have chronic diseases or a child with special needs

Estate planning is especially important for those who have a chronic disease or a child with a disability, says lawyer Tim Doolittle, from the Wladis Law Firm in East Syracuse. He gives an overview of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, trusts, guardianships and other related matters. More information can be found through these links: on special needs […]


Environmental Enforcement in 2017

The Trump Administration has proposed the termination of many Obama administration environmental programs and initiatives and drastic cutbacks to the budget of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In response, state of New York Attorney General Schneiderman has stated, “President Trump’s budget cuts would cause untold – and perhaps irreparable – damage to New York’s […]


HOW TO RESPOND TO A NOTICE OF VIOLATION

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“NYSDEC”) issues Notices of Violation (“NOV”) to people and companies who it believes have violated New York’s Environmental Conservation Law (“ECL”) or its associated environmental regulations.  Typically, the NOV follows a citizen complaint and investigation into the complaint, so often times the NOV’s recipient is aware of […]


IT’S TRUE WHAT THEY SAY.

  No doubt you have heard someone who did an act of kindness say that they got more out of it than the person they helped. It’s not just a feel-good statement intended to deflect attention away from the helper.  There are concrete benefits to volunteering in your community that go well beyond the assistance […]


Four Key Reasons You Don’t Want to Die Intestate

There are many reasons why an individual should consider some sort of estate plan to avoid dying intestate. Four of the key reasons why you do not want to die intestate include the following: A family fight over assets: If you pass away without a will or some other estate planning document, New York State […]


The Recovery of Natural Resource Damages to Onondaga Lake and its Environs

  What are Natural Resource Damages?  When a spill or release of contaminants into the environment results in injuries to natural resources,  designated federal, state or tribal natural resources trustees may seek to a recover natural resource damages (NRDs) from the party or parties legally responsible for the spill or release. The goal of the […]