Category Archives: Legal / Accounting

By Maureen Werther

The federal tax bill that passed the House and Senate in the final weeks of 2017 had accounting firms of all sizes scrambling to read, understand and interpret the new legislation for clients, with most working long hours through the holiday season to ensure their clients would be in compliance with the new law.

Dan Kumlander, of Kumlander, Donofrio, Hay, Pehl CPAs, LLP, on Route 9 in Malta, said that the passage of the new tax laws caused what he referred to as a “scramble” to ensure that planning for clients was being done correctly and in keeping with those new laws.

“We’ve tried to lessen the tax liability as much as possible for our clients and make sure they take advantage of every possible tax savings. When the IRS makes these announcements, we all scramble,” said Kumlander.

He said fortunately, the new changes did not affect 2017. However, they will have a big impact on 2018-2025. He said his clients are all, understandably, looking for clarity.

One big question that arose for clients was whether to pay their 2018 real estate taxes in advance. Kumlander said that making the pre-payment would not have benefitted all their clients. He also added that the IRS mandate that taxes had to be assessed in the same year they were being paid set off an even bigger scramble.

Martin Deposition Services in Malta, a court reporting agency in the Capital Region, is celebrating its 50th year serving the legal community throughout the state.

Martin Deposition Services was founded in 1968 by Donna Martin, a certified shorthand reporter and notary public who served as a senior reporter for the Unified Court System of New York and was the first female reporter in the 4th Judicial District.

The business, which started as an agency sending court reporters to lawyer’s offices and court rooms, has expanded to include suites, where attorneys and businesses have the opportunity to rent nicely appointed suites for the purpose of holding depositions, legal video services, video conferencing, meeting room rentals and also avail themselves of virtual office solutions.

McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams, PC, a law firm headquartered in Albany, has expanded kits services with the announcement that the attorneys of Fox & Kowalewski LLP in Clifton Park have joined the firm. Fox & Kowalewski is a public construction law firm. The combination will augment and strengthen McNamee’s current construction law practice,...

In an increasingly technology-driven, globally
connected world, there is an escalating
need for legal specialists in data protection,
privacy and cybersecurity. In recognition of
this need, Albany Law School announced it
will be offering a new concentration in law
and cybersecurity beginning in the fall.

The program–a collaboration with the
University at Albany’s School of Emergency
Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
(CEHC)–will prepare J.D. graduates
to provide counsel to a broad range of industries
and individuals on an array of legal
matters, including: data breach; cybercrime;
compliance with state, local, federal, and
international privacy laws and regulations;
implementing security policies; records management;
digital media privacy; litigation; and
more, college officials said.

“The security of our personal information
and technological infrastructures in business
and government is an ever-growing concern.
The need for legal experts in this field will only
become greater as networks expand and the
value of data increases,” said Alicia Ouellette,
president and dean of Albany Law School.
“Our law school, located in New York’s capital
and the heart of Tech Valley, is an ideal lab for
studying these areas.”

“This program is precisely the kind of collaboration
we envisioned when we developed
an affiliation with Albany Law School,” said
UAlbany President Robert J. Jones. “Together,
our two institutions are leveraging capacity
that will provide highly specialized training
for cybersecurity professionals and meet a
massive and growing need both regionally
and nationally.”