2017 was a watershed year for the publicity of sexual harassment claims. Time Magazine even named its “Person of the Year” as the Silence Breakers. Business owners should expect those claims to become even more prominent in 2018 as the masses, not just celebrities, begin to break their silence as well. Just yesterday, I
Protect Your Confidential Business Information
I often see cases involving the theft of confidential business information by former employees. Attorney Eric Roth has some helpful tips in a recent blog post on how to deal with the problem.
The main take away reminder in my opinion is to take action to protect your trade secrets BEFORE it becomes a problem.
Roles of Shareholders, Directors and Officers in Closely Held Businesses
I came across this blog post from the Family Business Advocates Blog and thought it was worth sharing. The post describes the various roles of shareholders, directors and officers in closely held family businesses. It’s good information on a topic that is often misunderstood by small business owners.
Read the post here.
Iowa Governor Branstad to Cut $7.7 Million from Judiciary Budget
Governor Branstad announced his proposed budget yesterday with $110 million in cuts. This includes $7.7 million in budget cuts for the judiciary.
The budget cuts in the judiciary are alarming. Today, Chief Justice Mark Cady will give his state of the judiciary address. It will be interesting to hear his comments based upon the
Best Lawyers in America® Recognition for Brick Gentry Lawyers
Several Brick Gentry lawyers were recently recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for 2016-2017.
See the full article here.
Rush Nigut was named one of the Best Lawyers in America® in three categories including:
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) (Firm receiving a Tier I rating);
- Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law
- Franchise
Square One DSM Startup Stories to Feature iEmergent
Laird Hedlund Nossuli, CEO, and Bernard Nossuli, COO will join Mike Colwell for the September edition of Square One DSM Startup Stories to share the tale of a vision conceived and brought to life by company founder and Laird’s late father Dennis Hedlund.
I have had the good fortune of working with this company and
Coaches Beware! Lawsuits to Become New Norm?
It was reported that Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly and ISU have been sued by former player Nikki Moody. Fennelly is known as a “passionate” and “demanding” coach. In other words, he isn’t afraid to “get after” players in order to motivate them. Moody obviously took exception to his techniques and has
Important Reminder: Review Your Estate Plan
There is a really good article in the Des Moines Register today written by Frank Mokosak discussing how a periodic review of your estate plan will alert you to any necessary changes. It seems to come in waves in my legal practice but recently I have had a number of clients need to change
Individual Liability for Employer Wage and Hour Violations? Be Careful in California
I read an article this past weekend indicating that INDIVIDUALS in California may have liability for wage and hour violations of employers. A scary thought for employee managers indeed.
“…Enterprising members of the plaintiffs’ bar have recently sought to read the new law as authorizing a private right of action against individual managers. These lawyers
Former Franchisee Defeats Non-Compete Claim
In a recent case decided against AAMCO, a former franchisee and his spouse defeated a non-compete claim. The Florida franchisee had sold his AAMCO franchise after 21 years and opened a new business more than 90 miles from his former franchise location. The non-compete prohibited the franchisee from opening up a competing business within