I, like most, was delighted to read the news that Patagonia’s shareholders decided to give away ownership of the company to benefit the climate and not private equity, a strategic buyer, or public capital markets. We’ve written extensively on mechanisms for mission protection in corporate entities. It appears that the Chouinard family, which owned …
Getting help with a transaction
How patronage is really paid out to cooperative members: qualified and nonqualified written notice of allocations (2/2)
Patronage dividends represent a unique opportunity for cooperatives to avoid taxation on some of the cooperative’s earnings.[1] Early this month I highlighted the concept of patronage dividends. Generally, when members receive taxable distributions of earnings from a cooperative, such as patronage dividends, they are included in the patrons’ gross income along with other income the …
How patronage is really paid out to cooperative members: qualified and nonqualified written notice of allocations (1/2)
Recently, I had a few clients asking about the distinction between qualified and nonqualified written notice of allocation. Tax season being right around the corner, it feels like a good opportunity to talk about those. The USDA has some wonderful material[1] explaining the definition and use of both notices of allocation, this post and the …
Contract Drafting: More Art than Science
I’ve been practicing law for more than 13-years. By some measurements, I’m still in the adolescent phase of my career. Nevertheless, in that time, I have reviewed and drafted thousands of contracts, ranging from the commonplace – NDAs, LOIs, Purchase and Sale Agreements, Consulting Services Agreements, Contractor Agreements – to the more complex – cooperative …
Women in the Law
It is common knowledge that women outnumber men in law school enrollment, but they aren’t sticking with the profession. While women are well represented at associate levels (approximately 46%), there is a sharp decline in the senior ranks. Only nineteen percent of equity partners are women. For every one hundred women promoted to partner, one …
PR: Francisca Pretorius Joins Firm Full Time
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2018 CONTACT: Jason R. Wiener 720.445.6860 jason@jrwiener.com www.jrwiener.com Linda D. Phillips 303.355.0401 linda@jrwiener.com www.jrwiener.com Francisca Pretorius Joins Firm Full Time Jason Wiener|p.c., a public benefit corporation, is pleased to announce that Francisca Pretorius has joined the firm in a full-time capacity. She will hold the dual roles of …
New Law: How investment in culture and people fosters innovation, collaboration and client service
Originally published on September 5, 2018 on Medium. How does a law firm, known largely as a stagnant institution, nurture a culture of trust, openness, entrepreneurship, resilience and collaboration? Read on to learn how we are liberating ourselves — from the clock and the obligations of client matters — to focus on the meaningful and necessary work of building …
Corporate governance for stakeholders
My journey to the practice of law has not been linear. My sensitivity to injustice and inequality, on the other hand, has been a constant driver. I’ve always been in search of a solution, which led me to seek a deeper understanding of the systematic ways inequality has been ingrained into the fabric of society, …
Jason Wiener | p.c. Named “Best For The World”
Jason Wiener | p.c. is proud to announce that we have been named “Best For The World” by B Lab for the second year in a row. This year’s award focuses on governance within the legal industry. We have been a certified B Corp for three years and a Public Benefit Corporation for nearly four …
PR: Tonya Price Promoted to Associate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2018 CONTACT: Jason R. Wiener Jason Wiener|p.c., a public benefit corporation …