In 2017, a $40 million settlement was awarded to a North Providence man in what is believed to be the largest medical malpractice award in Rhode Island history. In 2015, $25 million was awarded to an Exeter man in what was the highest…

Keyless ignition is yet another big convenience added to our vehicles over the last decade or two. No longer having to fumble with a key to start up the car? Sounds great.  At Tapalian Law, RI personal injury lawyer David Tapalian is all…

Falls are the most common reason for emergency room visits in the U.S. each year. This type of accident accounts for 1 million ER visits yearly. A slip and fall can happen anyplace, in a residential setting or a commercial setting. Falls…

A new post on Estate Planning for new babies is up on our firm's website here. Among the topics addressed are how to nominate a guardian for your child, why you should obtain life insurance, how to pay for college, and how to make sure your…

It's been a while since I've posted any new content on this blog and wanted to make sure that readers were aware that my firm and I are still actively creating new content, but instead of post here, most of the time we post our new material…

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the basic federal estate tax exclusion for the estates of decedents dying during calendar year 2017 will be $5.49 million, up from $5.45 million for calendar year 2016.  In addition,…

Bankruptcy is designed to assist people with starting fresh, but many wait too long before seeking help. A major benefit of bankruptcy is a fresh financial start. Even courts recognize that bankruptcy law is designed to give…

Online court records offer a great, quick and cheap method for screening tenants (and even landlords). Whenever I’m involved in a landlord/tenant case, whether in Rhode Island or Massachsuetts, one of the first thing I do is peruse…

A writ of execution is a formal document needed to move a tenant from a rental unit with the help of a constable or sheriff. An eviction judgment, by itself, is insufficient to remove a residential tenant from a rental unit. The landlord must…

It's a bit late for a year-end wrap-up, but better late than never, right?  For those who may have missed some of these, here are my picks for some of the more important developments in Cyberspace law that occurred in 2014. This is not…

Last week’s grand opening of the Tilted Barn Brewery in Exeter got me to thinking.  The craft beer industry is exploding in Rhode Island.  Branding and identification are very important to these companies.  They spend a…

After a slow third quarter, venture capital investments rebounded in the last quarter of 2014, according to the MoneyTree Report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association based on data from Thomson Reuters.Venture…

CIRCUMFRANCE DIFFERENTIAL - No, this is not a mathematics exercise. When someone is complaining that they have great pain in an "extremity" (arms being upper extremities and legs being lower extremities), the IME doctor will often…

THE TERM "INDEPENDENT" IS INAPPROPRIATE IN DESCRIBING MANY EXAMINATIONS OF THIS TYPE   When a doctor performs an examination on behalf of an employer, an insurance company or any other private party paying for the doctor's time, use of…

STRAIGHT LEG RAISING TESTS - This is a popular and important test for persons who complain of pain running or radiating into one or both of their legs. In the absence of clear diagnostic evidence, some claimants (with "bulging" discs…

The Rhode Island Film Tax Credit, although a controversial law, is not unlike similar laws passed in over 30 States. The Rhode Island legislature recognized that the television and movie industries can generate an infusion of capital into…

For many possible reasons, artists inquire with my entertainment law office because they feel that they are owed royalties. Sometimes, artists believe that they have not been paid enough in royalties, or sometimes, no royalties at all have…

An option agreement is one of the most common contracts by which producers secure rights to a story or concept from the screenwriter, novelist or owner of the intellectual property that is being considered for a film or television show. In an…