ProfNet Experts Available on General Motors Recall, Tax Returns, More

NEW YORK, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to [email protected] with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition. 

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EXPERT ALERTS 

• Income Tax Returns
• General Motors Faulty Ignition Recall
• Business and Legal Risks of Commercial Real Estate

MEDIA JOBS

• Reporter - Baltimore Business Journal (MD)
• Reporter - The Dallas Observer (TX)
• Editor - Santa Monica Daily Press (CA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Protecting Yourself As a Freelancer Writer
• Media 411: Ways Journalists Can Use Facebook
• Grammar Hammer: Comma Placement in Quotes

EXPERT ALERTS:

Income Tax Returns
Jeff A. Schnepper
Financial, Tax and Legal Advisor
Estate Planning of Delaware Valley
"Your income-tax return can inflict a special kind of pain when you make a mistake. Even a simple error can cost you time, aggravation, stress and, yes, money. So doing your return dispassionately and carefully is a must."
Schnepper is a financial, tax, and legal advisor for Estate Planning of Delaware Valley and operates a tax, accounting, and legal practice in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was Microsoft's MSN MONEY tax expert, and currently is an economics editor for USA Today, and tax counsel for Haran, Watson & Company. He is also the author of multiple books on finance and taxation, including all 30 previous editions of "How to Pay Zero Taxes." The book, which is a bestseller, is a  guide that helps anyone save thousands at tax time, focusing on how to pay fewer taxes, rather than how to fill out the forms and figure out what you owe.  The book is organized into six sections: exclusions, credits, general deductions, "below the line" deductions, traditional tax shelters, and super tax shelters.
Media Contact: Elena Magg, [email protected]

General Motors Faulty Ignition Recall
Thomas Stroble
Michigan Personal Injury Attorney
Stroble Law
General Motors reached an out-of-court settlement with the family of the first known person to have died in 2005 as a result of faulty ignition systems on Chevrolet Cobalts. Families of two Wisconsin girls killed in a 2007 crash are considering a lawsuit. The automaker has declined to say how many other lawsuits have been filed. Says Stroble: "As early as 2004, General Motors became aware that Chevrolet Cobalt ignition systems were potentially faulty. GM engineers suggested a fix that year and the next, but executives nixed both proposals citing costs and lead time. After 10 years and a dozen related deaths in 31 crashes, GM has finally issued a recall of more than 1.6 million affected vehicles from model years 2003-2007. Anyone adversely affected by GM's willful neglect should seek legal counsel to address any damages they may be entitled to."
Stroble, a Michigan personal injury lawyer, is able to comment on what it takes to prove negligence in these cases, whether the ignition-parts manufacturer can also be held liable, what the legal burden is for car manufacturers to ensure product safety and what effect GM's public apology will have on current or pending litigation. (Facts collected from this NYT article: http://tinyurl.com/nod69tk).
Website: http://www.stroble.com
Media Contact: David Paul, [email protected] 

Business and Legal Risks of Commercial Real Estate
Andrew Maguire, Esq.
Associate, Real Estate Group
McCausland Keen & Buckman
"Buyers of commercial real estate must effectively use due diligence to assess business and legal risks prior to acquisition."
Maguire, an experienced attorney with particular expertise in representing buyers of apartment, self-storage and industrial properties, is available to discuss using due diligence to mitigate the risks inherent in acquiring and financing such properties.
Media Contact: Crystal Garcia, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/ 

• Reporter - Baltimore Business Journal (MD)
• Reporter - The Dallas Observer (TX)
• Editor - Santa Monica Daily Press (CA)

See more listings here.

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 [email protected] 

• PROTECTING YOURSELF AS A FREELANCE WRITER. It is important for freelancers to be able to generate new story ideas, but it is as equally important for freelancers to know how to protect their own work. In a recent #ConnectChat, Randy Dotinga, freelance writer and vice president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, discussed what freelancers should look for in a contract, the meaning of copyright, as well as information about ASJA'a annual conference: http://prn.to/1mhG9ch
• MEDIA 411: WAYS JOURNALISTS CAN USE FACEBOOK. As a journalist, you may be familiar with how Twitter can be helpful in your writing. But did you know that Facebook can be beneficial to journalists as well? Here's a list of the top 10 best ways that writers can use Facebook: http://prn.to/NxOedR
• GRAMMAR HAMMER: COMMA PLACEMENT IN QUOTES. Do commas go inside or outside the quotation marks? According to Cathy Spicer, this is one of the most common mistakes that people make with their writing. She breaks it all down in this week's Grammar Hammer: http://prn.to/1g8ywSd

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SOURCE ProfNet