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August, 2004   P r i v i l e g e d   I n f o r m a t i o n   Experience • Integrity • Dedication August 04 Vol 2 Issue 1 LEGAL BRIEFS What's Happening at C&B C&B Adding More Space in Current Building • In Next Month's Newsletter: C&B Wins Big for MBE in Certification Court Battle • Tiedemann Wins Mt. St. Mary's Teacher of the Year Award • Gabriele Bruce Named Client Advocate and Point-of-Contact for Client-Relations Issues • Our Web Site Continues to Expand. Check it out! Tiedemann and Coover Quell Problem Owner with Strategy and "Poison Pill" Contract Term Recently, Steve Tiedemann of C&B represented a custom home builder against a "problem homeowner". The new owner constantly sought clarifications and delayed payment for change orders. The last straw was the Owner's complaint to the Maryland Attorney General's Office. With a few phone calls, and a well mapped-out strategy, Tiedemann was able to secure full payment of all change orders, as well as attorney's fees. The key to this outstanding result was the inclusion in the contract of a builder "poison pill" contract term created by Fred Coover. For more info on our firm, click here: Barr Bars Bar at Liquor Board One of John Barr's clients sought to oppose a renewal of a liquor license in Prince George's County. One method of addressing this problem was to confront the matter head on. John did this, but he did much more. Dealing with government bodies sometimes requires deft work behind the scenes. In this case, John was able to garner the support of the Prince George's County delegation to the General Assembly. Since that delegation appoints the liquor board, John's client had a "leg up" going into the liquor board's proceedings. For more info on our firm, click here: Should You Accept a Check Marked Paid-in-Full? It used to be the case in Maryland, based upon hundreds of years of common law, that a check endorsed as payment-in-full might not actually limit the ability of the payee to collect more money on an account. However, recent enactment of an altered section of the Maryland Annotated Code has changed the landscape. Now, if a debtor pays you with a restricted endorsement on a check, that restriction may very well limit your ability to collect future monies from that debtor. The only way to properly address this potential problem is to have your counsel work with you to develop a clear, consistent policy regarding check acceptance. For more info on our firm, click here: Bid Protest Warning: Protest All Lower Bids or Lose Government Contractors: When losing a bid for a government contract and protesting the award, you must remember to protest the bids of all lower bidders. This issue recently faced Branch Office Supply in its protest of a state-wide office supply contract. Branch came in third in the bidding. Branch believed that the contract was improperly awarded because the winning bidder's bid was "non-responsive", i.e. , the bid did not comply with the strict requirements of the invitation to bid. However, Branch did not complain about the second-place bidder. Failing to do this could be a million-dollar mistake. Just ask Branch! For access to the full text of the Board's opinion, go to www.msbca.state.md.us/decisions/pdf/2372branch.pdf COOVER, BARR &TIEDEMANN, LLC ATTORNEYS AT LAW (410) 995-1100 • (301) 621-5090 • (410) 997-7600 Email Us