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Are you planning on hiring some new employees? There’s a lot to consider besides qualifications these days. Chief among them is your own potential legal exposure. But don’t worry. FindLaw is here to help. Download our latest free guide “The FindLaw Guide to Hiring” It’ll help you piece together what you, as an employer, can and can’t do during the hiring process. The guide summarizes many of the complex in-depth employment law articles available on FindLaw....

When determining whether a specific injury will be covered by workers’ compensation insurance, the deciding factor is whether the injury was work-related. Did it happen while you were working? Or because of the kind of job you were doing? Were you on your way to work or at a work function? Answers to these questions will determine if you can get workers’ comp for your injury. But does that mean any and all injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance?...

The first Cyclospora lawsuit from this summer’s outbreak, now linked to salad served at certain restaurant chains, has been filed. A Texas woman is suing the Darden Corporation of Orlando, Florida, which owns the Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains. Suzanne Matteis says she became ill in July and tested positive for Cyclospora infection, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Nationwide, there have been at least 378 confirmed cases of Cyclospora-related illnesses in 16 states since mid-June....

Your small business should be paying attention to proposed net neutrality changes, because they may end up crippling your online presence. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Thursday to put forward new rules governing net neutrality, including the possibility of companies paying for faster access to consumers. Take a more proactive stance towards net neutrality and your business for these three reasons: The FCC’s proposed rules allow for the possibility of “prioritized” access to broadband services based on a “commercially reasonable” arrangement between the broadband provider and the content provider, reports Forbes....

When making your mental list of the things you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving, laws might not necessarily be among the first things that come to mind. But 2014 saw the passage or implementation of a veritable cornucopia of significant laws which may be worthy of appreciation – or at the very least notable for their importance. From laws affecting marriage equality, to others impacting marijuana enjoyment, 2014 provided a number of changes to state and local laws across the country....

Having dogs at work is fun and some businesses are now allowing them to come in all the time, not just on ‘bring your dog to work’ day. Big companies like Google make headlines for their pet policies but small companies also embrace ‘man’s best friend’ as an officemate. That’s great when the pet is well behaved but not all of them are. The dog’s owner is liable for the pet’s actions but if you allow employees to bring dogs to work you could be on the legal hook as well....

Some companies never learn, and that has led to one grueling week for Bird. They were kicked out of San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California. All because of their mistaken belief that it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Bird, the rental dockless electric scooter company, has been told to fly the coop, at least temporarily, by many cities across the country, including Nashville, Denver, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Perhaps at the time, Bird wasn’t too concerned, believing they would have another chance to the petition the city with a better, permanent plan....

The Kardashians are hard to keep up with, but Kris Jenner wants to make it easier by going back to the family name. It’s a little strange because Jenner was not born a Kardashian. She become one through marriage and the man she married is deceased, but some of her children do have the now-famous family name. Can she do that? The answer is most likely yes. Although states have different statutes that outline the process of reclaiming a name or changing a name, generally speaking people are free to change their names within some limitations....

If you have children and are getting a divorce, chances are it will not be a clean break with your ex, even if you want it to be. You will still need to work with the other parent on custody decisions, see the other parent during custody transitions, and you will both be involved in the children’s lives going forward. And whether you will be in contact with your soon-to-be ex reluctantly or you’re looking forward to co-parenting following the divorce there are some legal steps you can take to make the whole process easier....

It will cost the United States government approximately $100 billion dollars to keep unemployment benefits extended to the masses of unemployed Americans out there. As we wrote about earlier in Law and Daily Life, the unemployment rate had reached 10.2% at the beginning of November 2009. As a result of this news, President Obama signed a bill that would grant an extension of time on umemployment benefits. He released a statement that said that he hoped that the bill he signed “will help grow our economy, help create and save jobs, and help provide necessary relief to small businesses....

The reigning king of deadbeat dads, a Tennessee man who’s fathered 22 children is being sued for child support – a lot of it. Orlando Shaw, 33, admits to having 22 kids by 14 different women. Like an informal class action lawsuit, the 14 women have taken Shaw to court for tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid child support over the years, but to no avail. Shaw’s reaction to the ordeal suggests he subscribes to the “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” worldview....

The BP oil spill has prompted a number of lawsuits against the company. However, those lawsuits are now in jeopardy of facing a legal limbo as a Department of Justice probe could temporarily bring the lawsuits to a halt. The U.S. Justice Department opened the investigation to determine whether there has been any criminal wrongdoing. Once the government begins a criminal investigation, the companies involved in the lawsuits will have a legally valid reason to stop cooperating in the civil suits....

Last week the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied trademark registration for the designs of three famous Fender electric guitars. The case illustrates the limits of using trademarks to protect your product designs. To many guitar heros (real and would-be), Fender guitars represent the iconic electric guitar. Despite this, as Musical Instruments Professional reports, the designs of Fender’s Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision guitars were denied trademark registration. The reason? Trademark protection is designed to protect symbols that indicate the origin of a product or service....

In 2006 a Toyota Camry smashed into a vehicle on a Minnesota highway, killing three people. The driver was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide and sentenced to eight years in prison. For more than two years everyone thought the case was over. Except for the driver, Koua Fong Lee, who continued to maintain his innocence. In a wild legal twist worthy of a Law and Order episode, Lee has been set free after two and a half years in prison....

Segway Inc. and General Motors Corp. have unveiled a new Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (or “PUMA”) program and plans to develop a new two-wheeled (and mostly electric) vehicle being billed as a safer, cleaner alternative to traditional automobiles. But with groundbreaking vehicle innovation typically comes concerns about safety – for drivers/riders, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles – and legal wrangling over restrictions on the new vehicles’ use on city streets....

Small claims court is an attractive option for those seeking small amounts of money. You can sue for an injury and for only a relatively small fee. The only concern is that you’ll likely have to represent yourself . A number of states don’t permit lawyers in small claims court, and the rest encourage litigants to go at it alone. If you’re a little hesitant about this part, don’t worry. Here’s how you prepare for small claims court....

What is grocery store shoplifting, exactly? The answer is obvious if someone takes something without paying for it, and leaves the store knowing they didn’t pay. But what about everything in between? It’s not uncommon to see a customer tear open a bag of chips to munch on while shopping, nab a couple of grapes from a bunch, or sample a jelly bean or two from the bulk foods section. Most of the time, store workers may not even bat an eye or give this a second thought....

As long as zombies remain a fictional trope of movies and television, they’re pretty fun. But a real-life zombie would be horrifying. It’s pretty much the same with zombie debt: not so threatening in theory, but when put into practice it can have catastrophic consequences on your life. So what kind of debt can rise from the grave and try to feast on your brains wallet? Here’s a breakdown of zombie debt, and whether the companies trying to collect on it are doing it legally....

A group of Colorado janitors claim discrimination at their workplace has led to unsafe and unfair working conditions. The janitors’ discrimination complaint, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleges the lack of communication in their native language amounts to national origin discrimination. Do they have a case? The failure to provide instructions in Spanish has created an unsafe work environment, the janitors’ lawyer told the Post – for example, some have been pricked by discarded needles....

Pot growers around California are concerned about the economic backlash that comes along with legalizing marijuana. An initiative to legalize pot is headed for the November ballot. According to the New York Times, legalizing pot has sparked fear for growers especially in Humboldt County. The area is known as the “Emerald Triangle” for its supply of marijuana crop. If there are more people growing and selling marijuana, then the price of the product would decline with the diminishing demand....