Last week, Mark Cuthbertson gave a presentation to the East End Supervisors and Mayors Association on regulatory approaches to short-term rentals.  The presentation examined how different municipalities on Long Island have responded to the growing number of short term rentals caused by homestay companies like AirBnB, and detailed common themes and aspects of various regulatory schemes. Cuthbertson also gave a more detailed version of the presentation to the Suffolk County Bar Association as part of its Allen Sak Municipal Law Program. 

A copy of the powerpoint used in both presentations can be downloaded here. 

On February 18, 2019, Mark Cuthbertson spoke at the New York Association of Towns' Annual Meeting and Training School. His presentation, which was titled Ban At Your Own Risk: How Government Social Media Can Run Afoul Of The First Amendment, outlined recent developments in this rapidly changing area of law, best practices for social media use by municipalities and municipal officials, and provided tips on how to adopt a social media policy that could prevent legal exposure.

For those who could not attend the program, a copy of Mr. Cuthbertson's PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded here.

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On November 7, 2018, Mark Cuthbertson spoke at the Suffolk County Village Officials Association about New York State's newly passed sexual harassment law.  Among the topics discussed was how to create a sexual harassment policy that complies with the law's mandates, the available methods for providing now-mandatory sexual harassment training to employees, and the changes to the ability of local governments to indemnify officials found liable for sexual harassment.  Finally, Cuthbertson addressed how mandatory sexual harassment training provided an opportunity to give employees comprehensive training on workplace conduct, such as preventing other forms of discrimination, religious accommodations, and accommodations for employees with disabilities.

A copy of the powerpoint presentation can be found here.  In addition, the Firm has prepared a model sexual harassment policy and model complaint form, based on the model provided by the State.  However, Villages should consult their attorney or outside counsel before adopting any changes to their policies.

The firm recently represented a manufacturer who purchased a 70,000 square foot facility in the New Horizons Industrial Park in Amityville, New York.  The purchase included benefits from the Town of Babylon Industrial Development Agency (“IDA”) and financing from the United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”).  The transaction allowed the client to obtain significant real property tax and mortgage tax savings from the IDA as well as a very favorable interest rate for the SBA financing.

For more information on IDA and SBA transactions, please contact Mark Cuthbertson at [email protected].

Mark Cuthbertson was the recipient of the Suffolk County Village Officials Association 2018 Partnership Award, which recognized Mr. Cuthbertson's work to support Village officials across Suffolk County and his role as a lecturer on municipal topics. 

Super Lawyers has recognized Mark Cuthbertson as one of its New York Metro Area Super Lawyers for 2018. Super Lawyers has previously recognized Mr. Cuthbertson multiple times for his real estate work.

One of the nation's premier attorney rating services, Super Lawyers publishes annual lists of the top attorneys in various practice areas based upon a rigorous and strictly merit-based selection process. Candidates for recognition are initially nominated by their peers, and then subjected to a multi-phase review process, beginning with evaluation by a third party of twelve practice benchmarks. Ultimately, only 5% of candidates are deemed worthy of inclusion in the annual list.

Next week, Mark Cuthbertson will be speaking at the New York Association of Towns' Annual Meeting and Training School.  His presentation, entitled the Municipal Official’s Guide To Short-Term Rental Regulations, is scheduled for Monday, February 19, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. in the Astor Ballroom on the 7^th floor of the Times Square Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway, New York, NY).  Attorneys who attend the presentation will be eligible for CLE credit.  Attendees can register for the program on-site on the day of the presentation.  Please refer to the New York Association of Towns' for pricing information.

For those who cannot attend the program, or would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation that Mr. Cuthbertson will use, the PowerPoint can be downloaded here. Please note that this has been updated since the SCVOA presentation in November.

The Law Offices of Mark A. Cuthbertson are excited to announce that they will be starting a new blog on the intersection of the First Amendment and the Internet later this month.  This blog will emphasize issues such as government social media, privacy, and other related topics in this new and growing area of First Amendment law. We encourage all of our readers to check back in the coming weeks for the blog's first post.

Following his well-received presentation to the Suffolk County Village Officials Association, Mark Cuthbertson authored a journal article detailing the essential elements of his AirBnB presentation.  This article was published in both the online and October 23, 2017 print editions of the New York Law Journal.  A PDF of that article can be downloaded here.

On October 18, 2017, Mark Cuthbertson gave a presentation at the Suffolk County Village Officials Association's annual municipal training event.  Mr. Cuthbertson's presentation, entitled "Homestay Companies: A Guide To Short-Term Rental Regulations," examined different approaches to regulating short-term rentals in light of the unique regulatory challenges posed by companies such as AirBnB. 

A copy of the PowerPoint that accompanied  Mr. Cuthbertson's presentation can be downloaded here.