Category: What When and Why

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A Mickey Mouse Operation

December 5, 1901-December 15, 1966

The following is an excerpt from “Wills of the Rich & Famous: A Fascinating Glimpse at the Legacies of Celebrities”  by Herbert E. Nass, Esq.

Walt Disney
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
December 5, 1901
Chicago, Illinois

DATE AND PLACE OF DEATH
December 15, 1966
St. Joseph’s Hospital
Los Angeles, California

A Mickey Mouse Operation

Walter Elias Disney was raised on a farm. That might partially explain his fascination with mice, ducks, dogs, deer, crickets, pigs, and just about every other kind of animal real or imagined. In his creations of Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daffy, Pluto, Bambi, Jiminy, and three little pigs, it has been said that Disney was the first person to give animals a soul and imbue them with dis-tinct personalities. Continue reading “A Mickey Mouse Operation”

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Type-Size in Legal Documents

Type-Size in Legal Documents
Type-Size in Legal Documents

Back in 1993, there was considerable confusion in New York caused by defendants raising type-size defenses in contract and landlord and tenant litigation. Many litigants were defending contract actions by claiming that the contract was not printed in a type-size that complied with the New York statutes. As a result, my files were becoming crowded with letters from attorneys inquiring about the size of the type in Blumberg forms. It became such a problem that I was asked by the Office of Court of Administration if I could draft a bill that would clarify the issue and eliminate the confusion. Continue reading “Type-Size in Legal Documents”

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“The Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated”

Mark Twains last will and testament
November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910

The following is an excerpt from “Wills of the Rich & Famous: A Fascinating Glimpse at the Legacies of Celebrities”  by Herbert E. Nass, Esq.

Mark Twain
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
November 30, 1835
Florida, Missouri

DATE AND PLACE OF DEATH
April 21, 1910
Stormfield
Redding, Connecticut

Named Samuel Langhorne Clemens at his birth in Missouri, he took his nom de plume of “Mark Twain” from the expression used by Mississippi River boatmen to describe a certain depth of the water. With his pen name picked, Twain wrote about life on the Mississippi or on other bodies of water, as in his first famous book, Innocents Abroad, about his adventures on a steamship bound for the Holy Land. Continue reading ““The Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated””

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In Which State Should You Organize Your Business?

In Which State Should You Organize Your Business?

Companies which own or lease real estate, employ people, conduct business and/or generate income in a state are considered to be “doing business” in that state. A small business that is “doing business” in only one state should, in most cases, organize in that state. If, however, you are contemplating doing business in more than one state, the decision about where to organize your business gains importance. Continue reading “In Which State Should You Organize Your Business?”

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What is Hand Copperplate Printing?

By Channing Lefebvre

Hand copperplate printing has not changed for centuries. No essential difference will be found between modern presses and those found in old illustrations. The principle is quite simple: The printing plate on which the sheet of paper is laid is run under pressure between two large cylinders of equal size, the printing plate resting upon a solid iron plate and a felt blanket being placed on the paper in order to cushion it. The pressure between the cylinders can be adjusted. The press is operated by hand with the aid of a large star wheel or fly wheel. Continue reading “What is Hand Copperplate Printing?”

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The Development of The Jury Case

The Jury Case
The Jury Case, by Kenneth Spencer

On my way home after a long day of jury selection in a California Superior Court, it puzzled me that in this million dollar civil lawsuit all the attorneys relied on sticky notes stuck to the back of a legal pad to keep track of juror information during Voir Dire.  Sticky notes are great because they can be quickly moved around as jurors shift seats like musical chairs.   However, a sticky note fell from the podium and floated to the floor during the questioning of a juror at the absolute wrong time.  That was the “ah hah moment” for me.  There must be a better way. Continue reading “The Development of The Jury Case”