Law firms and businesses across the country were provided with a high-profile reminder of the necessity of thorough due diligence following a recent court decision. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a critical document preparation error by General Motors' (GM) counsel would not be reversed—a mistake that could potentially cost one of GM's creditors $1.5 billion.

The SEC's EDGAR database system is a convenient tool that allows users to search millions of corporate filings.

To secure the debt funding, the business owners can use liens that run in favor of the holding entity or owner.