Legal Advisor – Virtual Jury Duty — Pros & Cons
You may be asked to report for jury duty at anytime. With COVID dominating our “normal” activities, many court related actions have been transformed to “virtual” format. This means that instead of attending Jury Duty in person in an actual courtroom we attend virtually via ZOOM, FACETIME, LACourt System, or WebX . There are Pros and Cons to Virtual Jury Service.
Legal Advisor – Data Breach can cause irreparable harm to Businesses
Data breaches are on the rise and whether you are a large or small business it is important to take preventative action to protect your confidential information. Recently data breaches, even in law firms, have occurred through the hacking of outside vendors who perform services for a business.
Legal Advisor – Bug-A-Salt Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit
Skell, Inc., dba Bug-A-Salt, has filed suit against the department store chain Dillard’s and its distributor, William E. Connor & Associates, for infringing on Skell’s 2013 patent for a “bug killing gun” according to BugA-Salt’s attorney, Liat Cohen. The complaint was filed in United States District Court of Delaware, case 1:20-CV-01567- UNA. In the suit, Loren Maggiore, the inventor of Bug-A-Salt, defines his invention as, “A ‘gun’ that uses table salt as particulate projectiles to stun or kill insects, particularly flies.”
Legal Advisor – Protect Your Business
In California Trade Secrets is a broad term which includes all proprietary information, financial records, client lists, manufacturing or production details, formulas, operational strategies and anything related to your particular business which is not common knowledge to the public or in the industry.
Legal Advisor – Skell, Inc., dba Bug-A-Salt, Files Patent Infringement Suit Against Dillard’s Inc.
In the suit, Loren Maggiore, the inventor of Bug-A-Salt, defines his invention as, "A 'gun' that uses table salt as particulate projectiles to stun or kill insects, particularly flies." The patented Bug-A-Salt gun, which is safe around children and pets, has been on the market since 2013. More than three million Bug-A-Salt units have been sold; revenue from several versions of the product have resulted in sales in excess of $100 million.
Legal Advisor – Family Leave Big Changes
Employers of all sizes should review their existing leave policies because small employers who never had to previously comply with CFRA/FMLA leave and large employers who have worksites in California will need to develop policies and procedures for these new leave requirements and provide CFRA leave to all employees in California.
Legal Advisor – WORDS OF 2020 – A Whole New Vocabulary
Say goodbye to Covid-19 and hope it leaves the world in 2021
Notice the words you thought you knew. They now have A new MEANING:
- Social Distancing: Stay 6 feet away from other people.
- Quarantine: How many days you must stay inside.
- Face Mask: Wear one when outside or with other humans.
Legal Advisor – YEAR-END CHECK LIST
Put your business on the track to success by following this checklist - Review leases, vendor and services agreements and operating contracts, do they need revisions? An update? - Review your NDAs and modify where needed; is your Company's confidential information protected? - Is your Employee Handbook up to date? Does it include new Covid Rules?
Legal Advisor – NEW OSHA COVID Guidelines
The regulations require employers to provide COVID-19 testing to all employees if there is a workplace outbreak, which is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in an exposed workplace within a 14-day period. Employers are also required to provide free masks and personal protective equipment to all workers, to identify a "competent employer representative to establish, implement, and maintain an effective written compliance action plan to protect employees" and to "share the plan with employees and employee representatives."
Legal Advisor – IMPORTANT INFO ON NDAs
What are NDAs? NDAs are Non-Disclosure Agreements. These documents protect your business. Their purpose is to protect the trade secrets and confidential information of your business.
Legal Advisor – TELEWORK NOT FOREVER
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has provided guidance stating that Employers who accommodated employees by giving them permission to work remotely during the COVID crisis are NOT required to continue remote telework for employees.
Legal Advisor – EXPANDED PAID SICK LEAVE
Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1867, which gives all California workers who test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to the novel coronavirus that causes the disease access to paid sick time for the rest of 2020
Legal Advisor – VIRTUAL MEETINGS
Covid 19 has changed doing business in new and sometimes challenging ways. The old face-to-face meeting has become history in many places, especially with legal matters.
Legal Advisor – Trending Lawsuits Increase
Employee lawsuits are rising in California due to the new laws enacted related to the Coronavirus. In California employment is "at will" (unless you are under a contract) and employers may terminate employees with or without a reason at anytime with or without notice.
Legal Advisor – Why Retain Documents?
Every business should have a Document Retention Policy in place for their own use and in case of a lawsuit. Companies have a right to review emails and other communications exchanged between employees. This can only be done if the information is stored and kept.
Legal Advisor – Black Lives Matter at Work
As the country grapples with protests supporting groups like “Black Lives Matter” and their affiliates, Employers grapple with how to handle the protestors who are their employees.
Legal Advisor – Business Re-Open Checklist
As An Employer You Must Respond to a Variety of issues to Maintain and Re-Open Operations During the COVID-19 Outbreak Since this situation is unpredictable you, as an employer, must take a number of actions to ensure your business practices follow local and state guidelines
Legal Advisor – Time for Masks at Work
As we start getting back into the workplace, most local and state rules mandate the wearing of masks outside, at stores, places of public accommodations and in the workplace.
Legal Advisor – Coronavirus & Back to Work Important Guidelines
As restrictions start easing and businesses are re-opened, business owners will be facing a new “normal” in the workplace and employees will find changes, which if business owners are not careful, could lead to lawsuits.
Legal Advisor – Get it in writing
Recently I have been asked questions by people having work done on their homes. Sometimes it is a full remodeling, sometimes it is serious repairs or maybe a new water heater or air conditioning unit. My answer is always the same, for any project or purchase or workers hired
Legal Advisor – How “Stay At Home” Affects Your Business
The situation surrounding the Covid-19 virus, stay at home orders, testing, and treating infected individuals along with rules related to quarantine, staying at home, closure of businesses, and the continued work of essential businesses are constantly changing.
Legal Advisor – CoronaVirus Tips for Employers
In a situation that is constantly changing Employers and Employees need to adapt, use common sense, follow the law and remember to treat all similarly situated Employees in the same manner.
Legal Advisor – Changes in Employment Law for 2020
An applicant, employee or former employee now has three years (instead of one) to file a claim against an Employer with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) regarding any wrongful employment or termination issues.
Legal Advisor – Sexual Harassment Training Deadlines!
Training Requirements: Effective January 1, 2020, California Employers of five (5) or more employees, including employees who work outside California and/or seasonal workers, received a one-year extension through January 1, 2021 to complete required sexual harassment prevention training for ALL employees.
Why should a company or an individual hire me over another attorney?
There are many attorneys in California -- you can’t shake a stick without hitting one. Attorneys, like in any profession are basically mediocre, some attorneys are simply not qualified unfortunately and then there are the few that excel in the areas that they practice in -- and I am one of those that excels in my areas of practice