Dismuke & Waters Legal Blog

On May 21, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision upholding the ability of arbitration agreements to limit collective or class-action claims. While the decision is controversial and was hotly debated by the Justices, it was hardly unforeseeable, given the increasingly expansive reading given by ...

It just takes one thumb-drive and a few keystrokes. Theft of trade secrets by employees is a virtually idiot-proof endeavor, especially if, like most employers, your budget for cybersecurity is limited. Every employee who has access to your systems has the potential to quickly and quietly spirit ...

Dismuke & Waters, P.C. is excited to announce the addition of Rob Ghio to our firm. Rob is an accomplished lawyer who has spent more than twenty-five years representing companies in the area of employment litigation and immigration matters as a partner in some of the largest national firms in the...

Every workplace is different, in terms of size, type of operations, culture, and location. But there are some things that every employer should be vigilant about regardless of whether they are small shops or international monstrosities. Is my employee handbook current, comprehensive, and comprehe...

Some of the most controversial provisions of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) relate to providing tax relief to small business entities. Some of the impactful changes effecting small businesses are as follows: Lowers the income tax rate applicable to C corporations to ...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) was recently signed into law and with it significant changes in the taxes our clients may pay. We will be providing a few summaries of some of the more substantial of these changes as well as some thoughts on how to respond to those changes. This arti...

Yesterday after our blog was posted the IRS issued a new advisory (IR-2017-210) saying that prepayments of property taxes not yet assessed will not be deductible on your 2017 tax returns. This goes beyond what the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) provides as it is silent as to the...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) was recently signed into law and with it significant changes in the taxes you may pay. We will be providing a few summaries of some of the more substantial of these changes as well as some thoughts on how to respond to those changes. While your CPA mi...

Dismuke & Waters, P.C. is pleased to announce that, effective August 1, 2017, it will be moving its Southlake location to larger offices in order to accommodate its continued growth. The new office space is located on the second (2nd) floor of the newly constructed Granite Place at Southlake Town...

January is often begun with resolutions that are discarded quickly into the New Year. The next major milestone of the year is frequently associated with tax filing deadlines.  Once you file your tax returns, you often turn your attention to taking a fresh look at your planning.  Our clients often...

Now that the somewhat surprising election results have had some time to be digested, practitioners within the estate planning community have been busy trying to advise clients within this uncertain environment.  A few conclusions seem to be commonly expressed. Quick and permanent estate tax re...

We are pleased to announce that William L. Dismuke has been selected to the 2016 Texas Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rat...

Happy New Year! First, we would like to thank you for making 2015 a record year for the firm.  Much of our success is attributed to our incredible clients and professional relationships, and we look forward to continuing our service to and strengthening our relationships with you in 2016. As a ye...

Frisco, Texas – November, 2015 – Dismuke & Waters, P.C. is pleased to announce the contribution of our firm to Headnotes, a professional publication of the Dallas Bar Association and an important source of professional development, community involvement and continuing education for Dallas area la...

The age-old wisdom to begin investing early and diversify across asset classes dictates that time and energy should be invested not only where the money is now, but where it will be in the future – the emerging market. That is where future philanthropists, who may not have substantial financial g...

“There are numerous questions and issues to consider when thinking about selling or transferring your family business to outsiders or to children. There are a lot of parents who have built successful businesses. They've put in long hours and have sacrificed a great deal. They are now at the point...

The IRS has recently announced that they are working on a project that could impact many who hold assets in limited partnership form, especially if the partners of that partnership are family members. In recent years when a family member makes a gift of limited partnership interests, sells those ...

Unfortunately, Will and Trust contests are becoming more and more prevalent.  As the likelihood of litigation around estate planning continues to grow, so does our approach to ensuring your documents are honored.  First, the most common grounds for attacking Wills and Trusts are (1) lack of capac...

For the past twenty-five years, Dismuke & Waters, P.C. has been committed to sharing our expertise in fields including Estate Planning, Business and Tax Planning, Commercial Real Estate Transactions, Estate and Trust Administration and Mergers & Acquisitions to provide high quality legal services...

Arlington, Texas – February, 2015 – Dismuke & Waters, P.C. is pleased to announce the contribution of our firm to Lexis Practice Advisor®, an innovative practical guidance product from LexisNexis® Legal & Professional. Lexis Practice Advisor is an online solution that offers easy access to practi...

We are pleased to announce that William L. Dismuke has been selected to the 2013-2014 Texas Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is ...

On June 12, 2014, a watershed decision was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court that affects almost all of our clients.  The question answered was whether or not IRAs that are inherited by children would be protected from their creditors in the same way they are protected when owned by their par...

More than ever, employees are sharing their lives and work experiences on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Not surprisingly, a sizable percentage of those posts convey negative information about the person's employer or co-workers. At the same time, employee...

“Unless you're rich, you may think the term “estate planning” doesn't apply to you.Well, think again. The need for an estate plan has nothing to do with whether you're worth millions or just a few hundred dollars. Everyone has something to pass on.” The preceding quote is an excerpt from an infor...

Last week, a Florida Supreme Court decision was released highlighting the importance of relying on professional counsel rather than a do-it-yourself Will.  In the Florida case, after countless attorneys' fees were incurred and a journey up the court system to Florida's highest court, the deceased...