Everyone is aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially disrupted businesses of all types throughout the country, and construction has been no exception. At the project level, the pandemic has impacted construction sites in a wide variety of ways. Some projects were completely shut down, whether by state or local mandate, by unilateral owner decision,…

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An opinion piece by Ruberto, Israel & Weiner hospitality attorney Adam Barnosky was featured in the Boston Globe. The article, titled “How municipalities can help restaurants reopen,” discusses the proactive role local governments can play as the restaurants prepare to reopen. Read the full article here. Adam Barnosky is a shareholder and co-leads the firm’s Hospitality &…

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On Monday, May 18, 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced plans to cautiously reopen Massachusetts businesses in accordance with the previously announced Four-Phase Approach to Reopening Massachusetts.  Pursuant to the plans announced by Governor Baker, created in conjunction with the Reopening Advisory Board, the first phase of reopening Massachusetts is scheduled to go into effect…

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The Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) quietly released on Friday May 15th, the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application (the “Application”). The instruction included as part of the Application provides borrowers with much needed guidance on how to calculate loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”).  The instructions, in part, advise PPP borrowers…

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David Robinson, shareholder and the coordinator of RIW’s Employment Law Practice Group, will co-host the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce “Back to Work Webinar” with Ken DeMoura of DeMoura Smith on May 20, 2020 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. This webinar will cover the steps you should take to reopen as well as best…

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Pursuant to Division A, Title I of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (“CARES”) Act, as amended, Congress, among other things, established a framework for the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”). In the weeks and months following the signing of the CARES Act by President Trump, the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) and the…

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After all but shutting down civil litigation in mid-March 2020 (as discussed in a prior alert), Massachusetts state courts are beginning to chart a course forward for handling non-emergency civil litigation matters. For example, in the weeks after the March 17, 2020 Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) order closing courthouses and postponing trials (and its subsequent…

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Based on the latest guidance from the IRS in Notice 2020-32, businesses that use Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan proceeds to pay payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utilities will not be allowed to deduct those expenses to the extent that the PPP loan is later forgiven. Under the PPP, a business that gets a…

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The novel Coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of our daily lives. The current crisis presents unprecedented obstacles that can only be remedied over time. This alert will address recent developments related to the crisis in the estate planning context.  Massachusetts Temporary Virtual Notarization Act Signed Into Law On a practical level, mandatory shutdowns of…

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Adam R. Barnosky, shareholder and co-lead of Ruberto, Israel & Weiner’s Hospitality & Retail Services Practice Group, will co-host the MCLE online webcast, “Hospitality Law Primer: The 60-Minute Lawyer” with Kristen L. Scanlon of Scanlon Law LLC on May 14, 2020 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. The online webcast will feature the fundamentals of hospitality…

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