Veronica Garofoli to Present at Upcoming Estate Administration Boot Camp

Veronica Garofoli will be presenting the National Business Institute’s upcoming 2-day Estate Administration Boot Camp: Everything You Need to Know about Effectively Administering an Estate on Monday, March 30 – Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

Veronica will discuss Trusts that Affect Estate Administration:

• When Trusts are Included in the Estate
• What Must be Done When the Trust Becomes Irrevocable
• Post-Mortem Trust Funding (Credit Shelter, Marital and Beneficiary Trusts)
• Designated Beneficiary Trusts

For additional information or to register, please click here.

Mansour Gavin’s president, Anthony Coyne, was quoted in The Plain Dealer regarding the much anticipated location for The Sherwin-Williams Co.’s new headquarters and what that means for future development and investment in the city.

Mr. Coyne chairs the Group Plan Commission and served on the Cleveland City Planning Commission for 25 years, most of that time as its chairman.

Read The Plain Dealer article here.

 

Mansour Gavin attorney and Cleveland Metroparks Commissioner Bruce Rinker was recently quoted in Crain’s Cleveland Business as two proposed bills target how the metroparks systems acquire private property to develop amenities for public space. Read entire article here.

Ed Patton will be providing an overview of International Contracts at the the City of Mentor’s International Trade Initiative 2020 Seminar Series International Contracts and the New Incoterms on Thursday, February 27.

This seminar will show how to use the new Incoterms and negotiate international contracts more effectively according to the U.N. Convention on the International Sale of Goods.

For additional information or to register, visit www.mentormeansbusiness.com.

As I look ahead to the coming New Year and a new decade, I am prompted to pause and reflect upon an eventful and productive 2019. At Mansour Gavin, we not only consider and appreciate all that we accomplish for our clients, we are thankful for the diverse contributions of time and effort from many of our lawyers to make Greater Cleveland a better place. In addition to providing effective legal services, we encourage our lawyers to be servant leaders in the community. I am proud to say that Mansour Gavin has a number of servant leaders who are not only great lawyers, but are committed citizens who spend countless hours volunteering in the community and participating in public service.

Just consider:

• Bruce Rinker’s commitment as a commissioner of the Metroparks
• Mickey Quinlan’s longstanding work on the Board of The Up Side of Downs of Northeast Ohio;
• Ken Smith’s role as a Legal Aid Society Ambassador
• John Monroe’s Vice Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of Vocational Guidance Services of Northeast Ohio, as well as service on the City of Euclid Planning Commission
• Tracey McGurk’s leadership as a member of the Board of the Cleveland Public Library Foundation (and in 2019 celebrating the Library’s 150^th Anniversary!) and as a Ladder Down participant with the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel
• Amy Kullik’s long tenure on the Board of Directors of the Easter Seals of Northern Ohio and the Board of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Association Cleveland Area Chapter, again leading Mansour Gavin’s team for the 2019 Alzheimer’s Walk
• Veronica Garofoli’s advancement of the mission of UH’s Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital through her responsibilities as President of the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Foundation Associate Board, her role on the Associate Board of The Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and her participation as a Ladder Down participant with the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel;
• Jeff Embleton’s signature support of the American Heart Association, also serving as Chairman of the Great Rivers Affiliate
• Jim Budzik’s role with the Boy Scouts of America Troop 526
• Brendon Friesen’s advisory role on the Board of Trustees for the Aberdeen Community Master Association of Highland Heights
• Tim Boyko’s Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of the University Hospital Parma Medical Center

Service to our community is as valuable as service to our clients. This year, we designated Providence House to receive a special gift from the firm to support all of their incredible work for children in need.

This Holiday Season, I am grateful for the special opportunities to represent clients from all around the globe and for the special privilege of leading the great lawyers at Mansour Gavin who work so well to advance the interests of our clients, our community, and our profession.

I wish you and your families the best of health, happiness, and prosperity in this Holiday Season and the New Year as we enter the third decade of the 21 ^st Century.

Regards,

Anthony J. Coyne
President of Mansour Gavin

By: Edward Patton

House Democrats and President Donald Trump struck an agreement to revise a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, delivering a win for the president on a top legislative priority on December 10, 2019. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the revised trade pact “a victory for America’s workers.”

Congress agreed to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), sometimes called NAFTA 2.0. The agreement updates the North American Free Trade Agreement, the 1994 pact that governs more than $1.2 trillion worth of trade among the three nations, for the 21st century. The new USMCA will support mutually beneficial trade leading to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in North America. The agreement is expected to be formally voted on before the end of the year.

The USMCA provides changes to Intellectual Property and Digital Trade protection. These changes would potentially liberalize financial services markets and facilitate a level playing field for U.S. financial institutions, investors and investments in financial institutions, and cross-border trade in financial services. Labor protection and new trade rules of origin will drive higher wages by requiring that 40-45 percent of cars and trucks be made by workers earning at least USD $16 per hour. The USMCA requires Mexico to change its laws to make it easier for workers to unionize.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada have agreed to stronger rules of origin that exceed those of both NAFTA 1.0 and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), including automobiles and automobile parts and other industrial products such as chemicals, steel-intensive products, glass, and optical fiber. This deal exceeds NAFTA 1.0 and the TPP by establishing procedures that streamline certification and verification of rules of origin and that promote strong enforcement. This includes new cooperation and enforcement provisions that help to prevent duty evasion before it happens. The new rules will help ensure that only producers using sufficient and significant North American parts and materials receive preferential tariff benefits. For example, in the automotive industry, there are big changes in the rules of origin. The goal of the new deal is to have more car and truck parts made in North America. Soon, to qualify for zero tariffs, a car or truck must have 75 percent of its components manufactured in Canada, Mexico or the United States, a substantial boost from the current 62.5 percent requirement.

Finally, unlike NAFTA, the USMCA has a sunset provision meaning the terms of the agreement expire, or “sunset” after 16 years. The deal is also subject to a review every six years, at which point the U.S., Mexico, and Canada can decide to extend the USMCA.

The White House has yet to release a final copy of the USMCA, so not all of the details are known. This deal was first announced in September 2018 but House Democrats have demanded several changes since then. The latest full version of the text, which was released publicly in May, does not include changes negotiated in recent days. The effective date of the agreement is not known.

Attorneys Ken Smith, Veronica Garofoli, and Tim Reid recently secured a defense ruling at federal jury trial in the case Hunt v. Sundquist, et al., Case No, 1:17-cv-01444 in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio.

The Plaintiff, a county jail inmate, had alleged excessive force and a failure to intervene in the use of excessive force against the two defendant corrections officers. At the close of evidence, the Mansour Gavin team moved for judgment as a matter of law under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50 as to their client, the corrections officer accused of not intervening in the alleged use of excessive force. After oral argument, the Court granted the motion thus dismissing all claims against the officer. The jury subsequently found in favor of the other defendant corrections officer,  finding he did not use excessive force against the Plaintiff despite having pled criminally guilty to assault from the same incident involving the Plaintiff.

Mansour Gavin’s John Monroe served as a panelist at the Legal Netlink Alliance’s Fall Meeting in Atlanta, GA where firm leaders discussed associate retention, succession planning and business development efforts. Read more.

Dan McGuire will be discussing “Key Elements of Effective Wills” at the National Business Institute’s “Step-by-Step Guide to Drafting Wills and Trusts” seminar on November 21 in Independence, OH. Additional details and registration information can be found here.

Jim Budzik will be speaking at the National Business Institute’s Mini Law School for HR Professionals (a comprehensive primer on labor and employment law) in Canfield, OH on October 21. Jim will be discussing “Controlling Unemployment Compensation Costs.” Additional details and registration information can be found here.