When it comes to occupational injuries, the construction industry is among the most dangerous. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010 there were more fatal occupational injuries in construction than in any other private industry sector. And when a worker is injured, it sometimes leads to a lawsuit.…
Articles Posted in Business Law
Happy “National Small Business Week!”
As a mild spring finally melts into the heat of summer, perhaps you’ll soon take a moment to enjoy a small cup of lemonade from a small business on a sidewalk near you. After all it is National Small Business Week. But while you enjoy your refreshment, consider taking…
Righthaven Defendants Fight Back
On February 25, 2011 I wrote a blog post about Righthaven, LLC, a company that has made a business out of suing owners of web sites for alleged copyright infringement. At the time, Righthaven had filed at least 239 lawsuits against all sorts of defendants, including individuals, small businesses, and…
Form 1099 Reporting Changes Repealed
Last November I wrote about a new law that expanded the requirement to issue Form 1099 to include reporting of payments made to corporations and to suppliers of goods. The law was set to go into effect for payments made in 2012. In January I wrote that Representative Dan Lungren…
Is it legal for a nonprofit organization to use unpaid interns?
[Note: The Department of Labor guidance, Fact Sheet #71, discussed in this article has been superseded as it applies to the use of unpaid interns by businesses. See the discussion of the revised policy here. The guidance as it applies to the use of unpaid interns by nonprofit organizations…
Is it legal for a business to use unpaid interns?
[Note: The Department of Labor guidance discussed in this article, Fact Sheet #71, has been superseded. See the discussion of the revised policy here.] With summer vacation approaching, and with the job market being what it is, small business owners may be approached by college or high school students…
Always read agreements before signing them
Most people understand that signing a Krad v. BP Products North America, BP wanted to build a gas station on property owned by Dr. Krad. However, BP need only a portion of Dr. Krad’s property, not all of it. With the assistance of a real estate broker, BP approached Dr.…
Just what IS a limited liability company? Part 7. It’s a bundle of tax choices.
[This is the last of a seven-part series of posts discussing the characteristics of limited liability companies and comparing them to the characteristics of corporations, general partnerships, and sole proprietorships. Here’s the entire list. Part 1. Background on sole proprietorships. Part 2. Background on partnerships. Part 3. Background on corporations.…
Just what IS a limited liability company? Part 6. It offers choices of management structure.
[This is the sixth post in a seven-part series discussing the characteristics of limited liability companies and comparing them to the characteristics of corporations, general partnerships, and sole proprietorships. Here’s the entire list. Part 1. Background on sole proprietorships. Part 2. Background on partnerships. Part 3. Background on corporations. Part…
Copywriters Accused of Infringing Copyright
A few days ago I wrote about a whole raft of copyright infringement lawsuits that have been filed by a company called Righthaven, LLC. My hope was that drawing attention to those lawsuits might educate business owners and nonprofit organizations about the potential legal problems associated with posting copyrighted material…