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EXPERT ALERTS
- Planning Can Help Avoid Tax Uncertainty
- FRC Not Best Solution for Oilfield Workers
- Don’t Trust Repairs to Door-to-Door Help
- Combating Workplace Heat Starts With Employees
MEDIA JOBS
- Reporter - NYC
- Arts and Culture Editor - Richmond, Va.
- Reporter - Port St. Joe, Fla.
- Editor - Lubbock, Texas
- Assignment Editor - Phoenix
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
- Upcoming #ConnectChat: How Social Media Is Changing PR
- Do You Have Confidence in Television News?
- Dear Gracie: Personal Branding Tips Every Social Media User Should Know
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EXPERT ALERTS
Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts
Planning Can Help Avoid Tax Uncertainty
Dan Baucum
Tax Attorney at Shackelford Melton & McKinley in Dallas
Former Special Assistant to the IRS Associate Chief Counsel
"With promised gift and estate tax changes, and the expiration of the $5.12 million gift tax exemption at the close of 2012, the well-to-do are turning to exotic techniques in a last-ditch effort to save their investments from the looming tax uncertainty. Some families have tried to delay the inevitable death tax through provisions in their Last Will and Testament documents, and a few have created 'Family Limited Partnerships.' But for those with working assets, such as a family farm or business, these options won't work. Instead, they are opting for a ‘Defective Grantor Trust’ where parents make a seed gift or sale to a trust with special terms that treat themselves as the owners. This gives them control, but gifts future appreciation to their heirs."
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
FRC Not Best Solution for Oilfield Workers
Celeste Yeager
Labor & Employment Attorney
Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Dallas
"With fires, one of many dangers facing oilfield workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has pushed to require flame-resistant clothing (FRC) for all oilfield workers while at jobsites. However, FRC only protects against short-duration flash fires, rather than sustained fires. So despite OSHA's efforts to require all oil and gas employees to wear FRC, the benefits in the unlikely event of a flash fire are outweighed by the additional risks, including increased heat-induced illnesses such as heat stroke. Injuries from fires are better prevented through engineering, mechanical and administrative controls, rather than use of FRC as an additional item of personal protective equipment."
Yeager recently successfully overturned Wyoming OSHA citations against a client who was targeted after a crew member died in a fire while not wearing FRC.
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Don’t Trust Repairs to Door-to-Door Help
Marc H. Fanning
Insurance Attorney
Fanning Harper Martinson Brandt & Kutchin in Dallas
"Homeowners trying to find an available contractor for repairs to storm-damaged roofs may be tempted by the ‘too-good-to-be-true’ deals promised by workers who arrive on their doorsteps. While they may promise to handle all the insurance claim details in addition to the needed repairs, these contractors far too often are inexperienced and untrained for the job at hand. Assigning part of your insurance claim to these so-called contractors could be a huge mistake. After suffering any type of home damage, consumers need to contact their insurance agent immediately, then work with the adjuster assigned to the claim and gather estimates from licensed, reputable contractors. Working with a random ‘Chuck in a Truck’ can jeopardize your ability to get your home properly repaired and the claim resolved in a timely fashion."
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Combating Workplace Heat Starts With Employees
Matt Scott
Labor Attorney
The Kendall Law Group in Dallas
"As the dog days of summer drag on, it may be up to the employees who bear the brunt of the heat to remind supervisors about keeping common sense in mind when managing work assignments. No labor statute requires additional breaks when the weather gets warmer. However, if employers are working employees into the ground, or to the point where they are getting ill, then you are facing a situation where a workman's compensation case is possible. Threatening a lawsuit isn't the most productive way to speak with an employer at a worksite, so workers should first make requests for additional shade, regular breaks for water and cooling down, and other reasonable accommodations aimed at combating the extreme heat.”
News Contact: Dave Moore, dave@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
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MEDIA JOBS:
Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard
- Reporter - NYC
- Arts and Culture Editor - Richmond, Va.
- Reporter - Port St. Joe, Fla.
- Editor - Lubbock, Texas
- Assignment Editor - Phoenix
See more listings here.
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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:
Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
- UPCOMING #CONNECTCHAT: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING PR: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne will interview PR expert Deirdre Breakenridge on Tuesday, July 17, from 3-4:30 p.m. EDT, on emerging PR practices: goo.gl/5pbvH
- DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN TELEVISION NEWS? ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti discusses the significance of the recent Gallup poll that confirmed people are losing faith in broadcast news: goo.gl/9gZGx
- DEAR GRACIE: PERSONAL BRANDING TIPS EVERY SOCIAL MEDIA USER SHOULD KNOW: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne shares expert advice on how to control and enhance your online reputation: goo.gl/XVX4u
