How does one value a law firm’s caseload at dissolution? The litigation over the dissolution of Brown Chiari LLP has already made its mark on business divorce jurisprudence. As it approaches its sixth birthday, the case continues to deliver, with Erie County Commercial Division Justice Timothy J. Walker recently authoring two notable decisions concerning a partner’s interest in the firm’s substantial caseload at the time of its dissolution.
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business valuation
Fueling the DLOM Debate: Control Transfer Restrictions and the Discount for Lack of Marketability

When valuing an owner’s interest in a closely-held company, the calculation and applicability of a discount for lack of marketability is among the most fertile grounds for sharp disagreement. One open question: should the DLOM account for any contractual restrictions on a controlling owner’s ability to transfer his or her control? …
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General Partner Breached Implied Covenants in Partnership Agreement, but Plaintiff’s “Apples-to-Oranges” Calculation Dooms Bid for Damages

If man’s first sin was eating the apple, a business valuator’s greatest sin is mixing apples and oranges. In Dieckman v. Regency GP, LP, Chancellor Bouchard denied the Plaintiff’s bid for $1.6 billion in damages, even after finding that the defendant general partner breached the partnership agreement’s implied duty of good faith and fair dealing. The decision rests on Chancellor Bouchard’s complete rejection of Plaintiff’s damages calculation on the grounds that it was akin to “comparing apples to oranges.”…
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Basics of Valuation Proceedings – Litigating an Appraisal from Start to Finish – Part 3
Read about the accounting principles, methodologies, and standards that apply in business valuation proceedings in this week’s New York Business Divorce – the final installment of a three-part series.
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Basics of Valuation Proceedings – Litigating an Appraisal from Start to Finish – Part 2

In this week’s New York Business Divorce – the second in a three-part series – learn about the legal rules and principles governing partnership, corporation, and limited liability company appraisal proceedings.
Continue Reading Basics of Valuation Proceedings – Litigating an Appraisal from Start to Finish – Part 2
Basics of Valuation Proceedings – Litigating an Appraisal from Start to Finish – Part 1
In this week’s New York Business Divorce – the first in a three-part series about the statutory triggers, legal rules, and accounting principles of business valuation proceedings – learn about the routes business owners can take to an appraisal proceeding.
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5 Reasons to Get a “Quick-and-Dirty” Appraisal in Business Divorce Cases

The so-called “quick and dirty” business appraisal can serve a number of highly useful purposes in the early stages of a business divorce, as explained in this week’s New York Business Divorce. …
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