By Attorney Edward A. Jesson

The North Carolina Constitution, and North Carolina statutes, give contractors the right to file mechanic’s liens if they are owed money for completing “improvements” on real property. Improvements are defined in a statute, but generally speaking, anyone who performs work on real property, be it renovations, grading, architectural work, or otherwise, can file a mechanic’s lien in North Carolina.
 
The purpose of filing a mechanic’s lien is to have the debt owed to the contractor paid by the responsible party (often, the owner of the real property). A contractor has 120 days from the “date of last furnishing” to file the lien. The “date of last furnishing” is simply the last date that the contractor (or architect, etc.) performed work on the real property. It is best to be conservative with this date as courts have ruled in the past that punch list items performed after the date of last furnishing do not push that date out further. The mechanic’s lien has to be filed with the clerk of court in the county where the real property is located and formally served (like a lawsuit) on the property owner and any other contractors that may be affected by the lien. It is important that the lien be properly drafted when it is filed—if there is a mistake and the 120-day deadline passes, you cannot simply amend a lien. Instead, the lien must be released and a new lien filed in its place.
 
The contractor then has 180 days (again, from the date of last furnishing) to “enforce” the lien. To enforce a lien, you file a lawsuit and ask the court declare that your lien is valid and confirm the debt amount. Oftentimes, a lien enforcement lawsuit will also include other claims, such as a claim for breach of contract. If the contractor is successful, he/she can then request that the court order what is essentially a foreclosure sale on the property to satisfy the debt. If there are other liens attached to the property, like a mortgage, the contractor will have to get in line.  The existence of other liens is something to take into account when evaluating the benefits of moving forwards with a lien enforcement action.
 
In reality, most lien situations are resolved prior to a foreclosure sale, because (1) property owners don’t want their property sold and (2) attorney’s fees may be awarded in the lien enforcement lawsuit. North Carolina’s mechanic’s lien statute contains an attorney’s fee provision that awards attorney’s fees to the prevailing party. That is very rarely the case in the United States (normally, parties are responsible for their respective fees, regardless of whether they win or lose), so it can be a powerful negotiating tool.
 
If a contractor loses, they may have to pay the other side’s attorney’s fees, which can often total more than the debt owed itself, so it is important to seek the advice of a construction lawyer when evaluating whether you should file a mechanic’s lien.
 
There are many other factors to consider when getting ready to file a lien, and there are other types of liens that can be filed by subcontractors and others involved in the construction process. Should you have an issue with collecting money from a client or have had a lien filed against your property, please give us a call to help with your issue.

By Attorney Kelly Rains Jesson and Associate Attorney Danielle Nodar

​Forming a corporation in the state of North Carolina is pretty easy to do yourself, but that may get business owners into trouble.  Numerous corporations exist without any bylaws and without issuing any shares (especially those who do-it-themselves).  Failing to complete all the steps can have negative consequences. 
 
A corporation is owned by its shareholders.  Shortly after a business is incorporated, it should issue shares to the owner(s).  If there are no shares issued, there are no shareholders, and thus no owners.  Why do so many business owners fail to complete this step?  Probably for two reasons: (1) they don’t know this is the way it works and (2) in order to incorporate, all the Secretary of State’s office requires is that Articles of Incorporation be filed with its office.  It does not require proof of bylaws or shares.
 
Shareholders do not manage the business just because they are shareholders. The Board of Directors manages the business.  For small, family businesses, the shareholders and the directors are often the same people.  However, these are still two distinct roles.  Most business owners that have not issued themselves shares are simply acting like directors of the corporation. 
 
To incorporate, the incorporator (could be a future director, shareholder, or third party, like an attorney) files Articles of Incorporation.  North Carolina law states that if no directors are named in the Articles of Incorporation, the incorporator shall hold a “meeting” (can be informal) to name the initial directors.  “The incorporators or board of directors of a corporation shall adopt initial bylaws for the corporation.” N.C.G.S. § 55-2-06 (emphasis added). The law states that there SHALL be bylaws, not that there MAY be bylaws.  The bylaws govern the management and affairs of the corporation. The bylaws state how shares will be issued, how directors will be named/replaced, and how the company is managed. 
 
So why should you care?
 
First, the liability protection corporation owners enjoy is at risk if you do not follow the corporate formalities required by North Carolina law. You risk having a creditor ask a court to “pierce the corporate veil,” making you personally liable for debts and judgments of the corporation. When a court “pierces the corporate veil,” it determines that the corporation and owner are basically the same, with the corporation serving as merely a shell for the owner to act. If this finding occurs, your personal assets can be used to satisfy corporate debts, which defeats one of main purposes of owning a corporation in the first place.
 
Second, you will probably not be able to obtain an SBA loan if you do not have bylaws.  These loans are backed by government guarantees.  The government wants to make sure it is not lending to an entity that has not been set up properly. The SBA wants to make sure the bylaws do not contain provisions that make the loan risky.
 
Finally, another reason why we talk to our clients about shares and bylaws is for estate planning purposes.  When a person passes away, they leave their property to beneficiaries.  Shares of corporations are personal property.  If a business owner has not issued himself or herself shares of the corporation, what is there to pass to their beneficiaries? 
 
Further, as we explained above, corporations are managed by the board of directors and not the shareholders.  Therefore, even if a shareholder owner passes their shares to their beneficiaries, that does not mean that the beneficiary now suddenly starts managing the company as a new director.  If you are the sole director of your corporation, who will take over management when you pass away or are sick?  The bylaws of a corporation will govern what happens when a director passes away or otherwise becomes unable to act.
 
We can do some pretty creative estate planning with owners of corporations.  We can help them restrict management or ownership of shares to family members.  We can ensure that their shares stay out of probate through using trusts, saving their families money.
 
For assistance with drafting bylaws, issuing shares, and implementing an estate plan, give Jesson & Rains a call!

​As the summer comes to an end and we start switching gears, there are some important things to remember for your college student.  With the chaos that accompanies getting them back to their college campus, it can be easy to forget about your child's healthcare documents. 

It is important to consider asking them to execute healthcare documents naming you agent.  Once your child is 18 years old, you may not be able to make medical decisions for them or access medical documents.  If you have a child returning to college this Fall, consider giving Jesson & Rains a call to consider your options.  It is never too soon to start thinking about being prepared for all possibilities, and you can have peace of mind knowing that you are prepared.

By Kelly Rains Jesson

​529 plans are named after IRS Code Section 529.  A person can make “gifts” into an investment account that is then used, in the future, by minors or young adults to attend college or a private K-12 school.  There are a few benefits.  First, the money that goes into the investment account grows and earns interest income that is not taxed when it is withdrawn in the future per the account terms.  Theoretically, if a parent started early, they could gift a small amount to a 529 account and have a much larger amount available for their child when the child enters college.  Second, the value of the account is not considered part of your taxable estate.  A 529 account offers the ability to control what a beneficiary spends the money on instead of gifting it to them directly.  Plus, someone can make gifts to a beneficiary via a 529 account when they’re under the age of 18.  You wouldn’t want to give a ten-year-old a few thousand dollars!
 
North Carolina 529 plans allow the owner (also called a “participant”) to designate a successor owner, who will take over the account in the event the primary owner dies or is incapacitated.  If the primary owner does not make this designation, North Carolina allows the estate to become the owner.  The estate can then transfer to another owner.  We typically recommend our clients designate a successor owner so they can have peace of mind that the new owner is someone who they’d want to take over.   Give Jesson & Rains a call if you have any questions!

By Attorney Edward Jesson

​It happens more often than we would like to see, but sometimes work is complete, a dispute arises, and suddenly it is discovered that the contract that everyone assumed to be in place was not signed. This happens frequently in construction cases (most often seen with contracts between General Contractors and Subcontractors) but the issue can also rear its ugly head in any other contractual setting, especially where independent contractors are involved.
 
In legal terms, in order for an agreement between two parties to be binding and valid, there needs to be a “meeting of the minds”. Put simply, it needs to be clear that the parties to the contract intended that contract to govern the relationship between them. Most frequently, a signature on a contract signifies each party’s intent to be governed by that contract.
 
So what happens when, sticking with the construction industry example, a subcontractor performs all work under its subcontract agreement with the general contractor and then a dispute arises and it turns out the contract wasn’t signed?
 
Generally, when courts are confronted with an unsigned agreement, their default opinion will be that the parties never reached that “meeting of the minds” and therefore they did not intend to be bound by the terms of that contract.
 
However, this doesn’t mean that no contract between the parties existed and that the party seeking to enforce its rights under the agreement has no recourse. The court will next look to all other evidence which indicates what the agreement was between the parties. For example, if there were multiple drafts of a contract with different terms included, the court may decide that the earlier draft contracts that had parts removed from them at a later date is evidence that those removed contractual terms were not a part of the parties’ agreement.
 
Courts may also look to whether there was a “contract implied in fact” between the parties. In the general contractor subcontractor example, evidence that the general contractor asked the subcontractor to perform work and the subcontractor did perform that work would certainly be evidence of a “contract implied in fact”. It would be unreasonable for a court to decide that the subcontractor did that work and did not expect to receive any payment for that work. Oral agreements are oftentimes valid.  There is no requirement that many types of contracts be in writing.  Therefore, if you’re on the other side (someone completed work for you but you didn’t sign the contract), you don’t get a free pass!  If you do not pay, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit.
 
In any event, it is important to have a written contract signed by the parties.  It sets the expectations of both parties – what they’re supposed to do in exchange for compensation. When it is reduced to writing, there are less evidentiary issues in court.  When it is reduced to writing, it is less likely that there will ever be a lawsuit about the terms because a signed contract shows that all parties agreed to the terms.
 
The attorneys at Jesson & Rains are ready to assist with drafting and review of contracts, and, importantly, assist clients who find themselves in disputes arising from unsigned contracts. Just because you do not have a signed contract, it does not mean you have no rights. 

By Associate Attorney Danielle Nodar
​
If you have ever formed a business through the Secretary of State’s office, you know that you get a lot of junk mail shortly thereafter. Recently, there have been some new schemes targeting North Carolina business owners through the mail. These mailings look like official government documents, and they quote statutes, cite scary penalties, and prompt the business to pay a fee for a certain “required” form.
 
One misleading mailing comes from the Filing Labor Compliance Department Services (FLCD), a Florida company that sends a “2019 Certificate of Status Request” form. This form implies that all business entities are required to obtain a Certificate of Status and return the form with a $78.00 fee.  Another misleading mailing comes from NC Certificate Service, offering a 2019 Certificate of Existence for $74.50. 
 
However, there is no state requirement that each registered business entity obtain an annual Certificate of Existence. A Certificate of Existence is only required if a business does business in another state. The certificate is issued by the North Carolina Secretary of State for a whopping fee of $10.00 online!
 
Finally, another mailing scheme comes from the Labor Compliance Department, also based out of Florida, and asserts that businesses are required to purchase state and/or federal labor law posters to display at the business address. The scam offers to provide a labor law compliance package for an $83.00 fee. This scam cites scary penalties for failing to display these posters in a visible location at the business. While the posters really may be required depending on the type of business, these posters can be obtained for free online from the North Carolina Department of Labor.
 
Do not blindly mail in a check when you receive mail like this.  Read it carefully.  Contact your attorney or the Secretary of State’s office before paying anything.