Posts

Depending on where your business is located, minimum wage laws can be governed by federal law, state law, or even local law. In the absence of local laws, state law will control. If there is no state law, then federal law controls. If there is a difference between the local, state, and federal requirements, the highest wage requirement controls. Notably, there are only 5 states that do not have their own minimum wage laws, and therefore rely on the federal mandate....

Injury victims often complain that lawyers aren’t willing to take their cases. And while some attorneys may simply be too busy to take up your personal injury claim, there are a few things you can do to make yourself a more attractive client. No, not more physically attractive (although dressing professionally couldn’t hurt). Rather, there are ways in which you can make your case more appealing to your prospective attorney....

Schoolyard bullies grow up, graduate, and get jobs. And sometimes their bullying doesn’t stop once they’ve left school. Harassment, stalking, and other forms of bullying need to be a concern for small business owners, especially now that their employees are often connected through social media as well as through a shared office. So how do you create a corporate culture that prevents workplace bullying? And how do you deal with bullying incidents should they arise?...

Anti-psychotic medications Seroquel, Zyprexa, and Geodon should receive FDA approval for prescription to adolescent patients, an advisory panel of medical experts told the agency this week. As the Washington Post points out, doctors have begun prescribing these drugs (which are currently approved only for adult use) to younger patients in recent years, and now the advisory panel wants the FDA to officially endorse such use “for children 10 to 17 years old who suffer from schizophrenia and manic depression....

You’re lucky if you work 40 hours per week. Many other employees work 50, 60, or even 70 hours per week. Constantly working too many hours can have serious negative impact on your health, your state of mind, and even your social life. Are you overworking yourself because you need extra money? Or, is your employer overworking you because the business doesn’t want to hire another employee? Can you sue for being overworked?...

Come on, who among us hasn’t fudged a little on their resume? Maybe you inflated your job title or embellished your management experience. (No, managing to not get fired doesn’t count as management experience.) But you’re not going to get tossed in jail for a tall tale on your resume, are you? Well, if you fabricate federal work experience you might. Fox News guest commentator Wayne Simmons found that out the hard way when he was arrested last week for lying about his work for the Central Intelligence Agency....

Aside from the sugar overload that is necessary for a fun Halloween, there are some important things to remember about candy safety. Every year there are stories of children who get sick or die as a result of unsafe candy and treats. Just because no one is intentionally trying to hurt your child doesn’t mean there aren’t health concerns you should avoid. Before your little ghouls and heroes go out trick-or-treating, make sure you have some ground rules to keep them safe this Halloween....

Is your business is located in California, Ohio, Oregon, Alaska, or one of the other earthquake prone places? Do you have earthquake insurance? Do you really need it? Can you afford an earthquake without earthquake insurance? Commercial Property Insurance Won’t Cut It. In the same way commercial property insurance won’t cover flood damage, your commercial property insurance policy will not cover any earthquake damage. It may protect against specific damage caused by other phenomena after an earthquake....

Thirteen year NBA veteran Lorenzen Wright was found dead in a densely wooded area fifteen miles outside of Memphis, Tennessee this week. The 34 year-old Wright was missing for 10 days before his body was discovered by Memphis police. Over his professional basketball career, Wright played for five NBA teams and was living in Memphis at the time of his death. Although local police did not initially suspect foul play when his disappearance was first reported by family, CBS News reports Memphis Police Department’s statement that “it has some of its finest homicide investigators working on the case....

Sanctuary. What does that mean to you? For many undocumented immigrants, sanctuary means being able to go to work or school or just the DMV without the constant fear of being reported to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported. However, does living in a sanctuary city mean an undocumented immigrant will never be deported? How does a sanctuary city protect immigrants? What Does It Mean to be a Sanctuary City?...

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. Many of the small business owners that I have worked with are sole proprietors. This is not surprising given that setting up a sole proprietorship is a simple process. And completing the sole proprietorship’s taxes is fairly simple as well. All business income and losses are simply reported on the business owner’s personal income tax return. Yet, I am careful when speaking with small business owners to point out that there are serious risks of a sole proprietor to watch out for....

A new California “immigrant driver’s license” bill will allow unauthorized immigrants to obtain a special driver’s license by January 1, 2015. The license would be for driving only, and would not be valid for voter registration, the collection of public benefits, or even for use as an ID to board a plane. It’s a major victory for California’s immigrants’ rights movement. Over the last decade, similar bills failed to pass time and time again....

You are reading this on your phone at a café because your landlord locked you out today, and you’re wondering if that is okay. Is it legal? Landlord-tenant law does vary from state to state, and it is difficult to say in the abstract what precisely should have happened without knowing more. But there are some general principles of eviction we can consider. Generally speaking, a landlord must provide notice to a tenant of intent to evict....

How do you legally evict a roommate? While the answer depends on your specific situation, there are some general principles to keep in mind. Although getting a roommate can be a great way to share the costs of renting a house or apartment, sometimes things just don’t work out. But similar to when a landlord wants to evict a tenant, you’ll want to make sure the law is on your side when considering evicting a roommate....

As any business owner knows, mistakes happen and lessons are learned. But when is it appropriate to make a business apology? Small business owners are often confounded by when an apology makes sense and how to go about making one. Here are three legal tips on making a business apology: Sometimes, sorry does cut it. Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+. Related Resources: How Not to Deal With Disgruntled Customers (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise) How To Avoid Being Defamed By Your Customers (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise) 5 Reasons to Hire a Small Business Attorney (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise) 7 Questions When Hiring a Small Business Lawyer (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise) You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help Civil Rights Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court...

The Medical Board of California claims that the doctor of Nadya Suleman (who is referred to as Octomom), was grossly negligent by allowing Ms. Suleman to continue fertility treatments over the span of 11 years which resulted in the birth of her 14 children. According to the LA Times, Dr. Michael Kamrava is accused by the state medical board of creating a “stockpile” of unused frozen embryos and failing to assess the mental health of Ms....

Rescue workers have found at least one person trapped in the rubble of a collapsed parking garage in Hackensack, New Jersey on July 16. Two or three others who are missing might also be caught under the remains of the underground garage of a 15 story, 300 unit apartment building. Rescue workers found evidence of the trapped person via camera, they will not be allowed in until the structure has been shored up....

Redmond O’Neal, the son of actor Ryan O’Neal and actress Farrah Fawcett (sadly also in the news after being hospitalized in relation to her cancer treatment) was arrested over the weekend on charges of bringing narcotics to a jail facility and possessing a controlled substance. As described by CNN: TMZ added that apparently O’Neal had dropped off two friends at the detention center in Castaic, California, to visit an inmate when his car was stopped while on prison grounds....

Should you sue for medical malpractice? It’s one way to get compensation for medical mistakes and omissions, but there are many factors for you and your medical malpractice attorney to consider. In fact, “the great majority of patients who sustain a medical injury as a result of negligence do not sue,” a 2006 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported. But when patient-victims do sue and win, payouts can be substantial....

A Michigan college student has filed suit against a Detroit meat-packing company claiming she developed a severe E. coli infection after eating tainted ground beef. The suit against Wolverine Packing Co. comes after the company recalled 1.8 million pounds of ground beef for possible E. coli contamination. What’s this co-ed’s legal beef? As reported by NBC News, Rachel Tamminga’s lawsuit claims that after eating ground beef manufactured and sold by Wolverine at a Michigan restaurant and one other location, she became severely ill and was diagnosed with an E....