For many North Carolina and South Carolina businesses, the annual holiday party provides a festive, valuable opportunity to express their gratitude, reward company loyalty, and bolster goodwill amongst employees and, potentially, key customers, clients, and vendors. But with such an opportunity also comes potential downfalls or opportunities for employers to incur unwanted or intended liability. So how can a wise employer capitalize on the positives of holiday gatherings without becoming a Scrooge? By focusing on how and where liability may arise and planning for your festivities just as thoughtfully and strategically as you would when handling other business opportunities. … Continue reading
Category Archives: Corporate Law
New Release: AIP Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, SECOND Edition
If your organization follows The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (often referred to as “Sturgis”), or the AIP Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, or you simply want to learn more about parliamentary practices at meetings, there’s a new book to check out: the American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, Second Edition. Stay with me here for some necessary background– Originally by Alice Sturgis, The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure was first released in 1950 as a simpler alternative to the Robert’s Rules of Order of its time. The Standard Code had fewer motions, updated archaic terms, modernized … Continue reading
What Is the “Corporate Transparency Act” and Why It Matters to Your Association and Directors
For the past year, community association attorneys have been discussing the impact of the CTA (Corporate Transparency Act). Much of the discussion has been on whether the Act does or does not apply to homeowner and condominium associations. As the effective date of the law is January 1, 2024 (with first reports being due no later than January 1, 2025), the need for clear answers has become more pressing. What Is the CTA? The Corporate Transparency Act was enacted in 2021 as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. In short, the Act is intended to stop foreign actors … Continue reading
5 Law Firm Carolinas Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America
Five attorneys at Law Firm Carolinas have been named to the 2024 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Carole Albright, who is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law, has been recognized in the practice of Family Law. Keith Black, who is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law, has been recognized in the practices of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Steven Black, who is a Board Certified Specialist in Residential Real Estate, has been recognized in the practice of Real Estate Law and Community Association (HOA and condo) Law. Jim Slaughter has been recognized in the practices … Continue reading
Lights, Camera, Lawsuit! Your Property, Common Property, and Intellectual Property
Movies and music provide immense amounts of joy and entertainment to people all over the world. Collectively, the movie and music industries are worth upwards of twelve figures in revenue in a single year (for those of you counting the zeros on your hands at home . . . that’s north of $100,000,000,000.00 a year!). Much like you may be protective of your property and your homeowner’s association may be protective of its common property, it is understandable that those in the movie and music industry are also extremely protective of their property. When most people hear the word “property” … Continue reading
Fourth Circuit Makes Ruling on Attorneys’ Fees Amount
Under North Carolina law, parties entering into loan agreements may specify an amount for attorneys’ fees, in the event that one of the parties breaches or there is a default. The prescribed amount of attorneys’ fees may be up to 15% of the amount owed under the terms of the loan agreement. Frequently, the loan agreement is silent about the specific amount of attorney’s and the agreement simply states that the breaching party shall be responsible for “all reasonable fees and expenses.” The applicable statute defines “reasonable” as 15%. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (which … Continue reading
Meister, Slaughter & Marshall Recognized
Law Firm Carolinas Partner Adam Marshall was a presenter at the Community Association Institute’s (CAI) 2023 Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. The conference was attended by over 2,600 community managers, homeowner board members, leaders and business partners from 44 states and 10 countries. Marshall and Augustus Shaw, IV, Esq. of Arizona, presented on “Navigating Board Officer Responsibilities and Avoiding Conflict.” Marshall was also recently appointed by the Greensboro City Council to the Greensboro ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) Board. Marshall has previously served on the Greensboro Human Relations Commission and Greensboro Board of Adjustment as well as Chair of the Greensboro Zoning Commission and … Continue reading
NC Community Association Legislative Update – May 9, 2023
Thursday, May 4, was the “crossover deadline” in the NC General Assembly. That’s the date bills not related to taxes or spending must have passed one chamber to be eligible for consideration during the 2023-2024 legislative session. CAVEAT: In terms of legislation, “dead” doesn’t always mean “completely dead.” A News & Observer story once noted that legislative rules “are made to be circumvented, so there are many ways to keep legislation alive.” (For instance, proposals sometimes appear later in other bills as “technical corrections.”) With the crossover deadline behind us, now is a good time to revisit my last legislative update (NC … Continue reading
NC Bar Journal Article on Meeting Procedure & Robert’s Rules of Order
In case it’s of interest, the article “Robert’s Rules of Order: An Interview” appears in the most recent NC State Bar Journal (Spring 2023). The article, by Executive Director Alice Neece Mine, covers what lawyers should know about meeting procedure, why Robert’s is still relevant today, changes in the new Robert’s, virtual and hybrid meeting procedures, common mistakes about meeting procedure, tips for keeping meetings short and productive, and more. As a reminder, both the NC Planned Community Act and NC Condominium Act require that unless otherwise provided in the bylaws, association and board meetings must “be conducted in accordance … Continue reading
Records Retention & Records Retention Policies
Recently, a question came up on a national nonprofit list serve about how long various documents should be kept by an association, such as board meeting materials. Here was my response. “Your question has both legal and political aspects. Since I don’t practice law in your state, I can’t say what specific language or practice should be used for record retention, but here are some general considerations: While a bit dated (which means I should update it!), here’s an article I wrote on “Association Documents: Keep or Toss?” that appeared in a national magazine some time ago but is mostly … Continue reading
Parliamentary Authorities: Robert’s Rules of Order vs Sturgis vs The AIP Standard Code
In my work as an attorney, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, and Certified Professional Parliamentarian-Teacher, I work with quite a few different parliamentary manuals. That’s because different organizations use different books as their procedural guide for membership and board meetings. I’m often asked about differences, so here’s a guide to the three parliamentary books most likely to be encountered. (If more information is needed, my Notes and Comments on Robert’s Rules, Fifth Edition goes into greater detail as well as compares specific practices between the books.) A “parliamentary authority” is a book on meeting procedure an organization follows because of a state … Continue reading
Reviews Are in for New Parliamentary Procedure Books!
The reviewing side of Publisher’s Weekly recently posted great reviews of my latest books, Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track and Notes and Comments on Robert’s Rules, Fifth Edition. Each was also selected as an “Editor’s Pick,” which is described as “a book of outstanding quality.” Because the reviews are on a scrolling site (with latest reviews on top), the reviews are reprinted below. Read these and other reviews at Latest Reviews. Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track: The Brief and Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure for the Modern Meeting Crisp, clear, and always on-point, Slaughter’s “fast track” guide to … Continue reading
Best Practices for Board Meeting Minutes
A question came up during a recent online discussion about “best practices” for board meeting minutes. The answer to questions of what should (or should not) be included in minutes is more complicated than it seems. This article will give a broad answer, but I have to mention there are chapters in both my recent books, Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track and Notes and Comments on Robert’s Rules, Fifth Edition, on what to include (or not) in minutes, approving minutes, changing minutes after the fact, handling closed/executive session meeting minutes, as well as model minutes templates and skeletal minutes (writing minutes before … Continue reading
Conflicts of Interests: What Community Association Directors Should Know
Are you a director on your community association executive board? If so, you may be wondering about conflicts of interest. When do you as a board member have a conflict of interest? First, what is a conflict of interest? The North Carolina Non-profit Act defines a conflict of interest transaction as “a transaction with the corporation in which a director of the corporation has a direct or indirect interest.” A direct or indirect interest means that you have some personal interest in the transaction beyond your interest as a member of the Association. Basically, the question is will you (or … Continue reading
What Do You Mean We Need a Member List For Our Meeting? Exploring the Requirements of NCGS § 55A-7-20
The requirement to have a member list available for homeowner association and condominium member meetings has become increasingly apparent with the adoption of recent legislative changes to the nonprofit act related to the ability of community associations to hold membership meetings electronically or on some virtual/remote platform. The requirement to make the membership list available is nothing new however. The nonprofit act (N.C.G.S. §55A) states explicitly that “After fixing a record date for a notice of a meeting, a corporation shall prepare an alphabetical list of the names of all its members who are entitled to notice of the meeting. The … Continue reading
Wage Disclosure Requirements for North Carolina and South Carolina Employers
Recently, lead segments on numerous national news programs focused on a new law, effective November 1, 2022, that requires covered employers to disclose a good faith salary range (including the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly rate) for every job, promotion, and transfer opportunity that is advertised. Anyone casually listening to such segments may not have realized that the much publicized and debated law, commonly referred to as a pay transparency law, was recently enacted in the State of New York. Today, more and more states have enacted or are creating pay transparency laws similar to that of New … Continue reading
Book Review: Run, Don’t Walk, to Buy Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track
Ann Macfarlane, a Professional Registered Parliamentarian in Seattle who works with many local governments and is author of Mastering Council Meetings: A Guidebook for Elected Officials and Local Governments, published the following review of Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track on her website: Reader, I am over the moon about Jim Slaughter’s new book, Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track. This brief, affordable and funny guidebook will give you the tools to apply Robert’s Rules immediately and effectively. Jim’s humor and focus kept me reading with enjoyment, underlining key phrases, and dotting the text with exclamation points. Jim starts the first chapter, … Continue reading
Is There a Difference between The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (“Sturgis”) and AIP’s Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure?
I recently posted that as a result of the new 12th Edition of Robert’s Rules, there are updated “cheat sheets” to the motions most often seen in meetings. On the Charts & Handouts Page of our firm’s parliamentary website are parliamentary motions guides to the most common parliamentary authorities, including Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (12th Edition), The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, Fourth Edition (“Sturgis”), and the American Institute of Parliamentarian’s Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure. (Different types of organizations tend to use different parliamentary authorities.) That led someone to ask, “Is there a difference between The Standard Code of Parliamentary … Continue reading
Law Firm Carolinas Named to Fast 50 List
Law Firm Carolinas has been named by the Triad Business Journal to its “Fast 50 List,” which consists of the 50 fastest growing businesses in the Triad. It is the firm’s third recognition on the Fast 50 list. Managing Partner Carole Albright points to several examples of the firm’s growth over the past three years, including the purchase of a larger Charlotte office, renovations in the Greensboro office, and the opening of several new offices, for six total—Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington, Columbia (SC), and Greenville (SC). Partner Jon Raymer accepted the firm’s Fast 50 recognition at the Business Journal’s recognition … Continue reading
Robert’s Rules of Order & Sturgis Motions “Cheat Sheets”
This year saw the publication of my two new books on proper meeting procedure, Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track and Notes and Comments on Robert’s Rules, Fifth Edition. With the publication of these books (based on the new 12th Edition of Robert’s), I’ve been asked if there are updated “cheat sheets” to the motions most often seen in meetings. The answer is “yes.” Parliamentary motions guides to the most used parliamentary authorities, including Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (12th Edition), The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, Fourth Edition (“Sturgis”), and AIP’s Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, can all … Continue reading