I often tell clients it is important to establish relationships with at least four individuals when they start a business:

  • Lawyer
  • Accountant
  • Banker
  • Insurance Agent

But in order to have a starting five we need to add a fifth professional.  Who would I add?  How about a marketer? 

But the real reason I wrote this post was so I could shamelessly plug the best team in Iowa.  The Drake Bulldogs basketball team has now moved to 19-1 with a hard fought win over Creighton last night.  The 16th-ranked Bulldogs are clutch this year and have found ways to win at the end of the close games.  Excellent free throw shooting never hurts and last night was no different.  It was a great crowd and great fun.  If you get a chance be sure to catch a game this magical season.

It’s been a long time Drake fans had this much to cheer about.  Go Bulldogs!

When searching my feed reader last night I ran into this distressful thread on BlueMauMau.org, a pro-franchisee Web site.  In the comments below the initial post, franchise lawyer Richard Solomon says he is giving up on trying to help franchisees.  Richard says,

I’m about ready to climb down off the due diligence cross and go do something less stressful, like crisis management counseling. In crisis management, people really do want help and are willing to provide a budget for it.

I’ll admit it.  There have been times where I have felt the same way as Richard when trying to assist franchisees in reviewing their franchise agreement and conducting due diligence.  There are times when a franchisee is going to do the deal come hell or high water.  But at this point I am not willing to stop trying to help these people. 

I think Richard’s point is simple.  Isn’t it unbelievable that people would be willing to invest their life savings in a franchise business but refuse to spend a little time and small expense to properly conduct due diligence?

The purpose of a franchise agreement and disclosure document review is not for the lawyer to talk the client out of their franchise business opportunity.  An appropriate review will help point out the legal and business risks and possible areas of negotiation.  After the review, the client must still  make their own decision about whether to proceed forward.  I have been told by more than one client that a review opened their eyes to help them better understand the franchise opportunity.  Some moved forward while others backed away from their deal.

I have been very fortunate to work with prospective franchisees that are serious about their due diligence.   Recently I had a prospective franchisee client that encountered all the classic warning signs from a franchisor.  I know this client felt disappointed the deal didn’t go through but I was sure proud they were willing to walk away.  Only someone serious about their business would have done so.   

So don’t give up Richard (and other franchisee lawyers).  It takes just one client to make you see this is all worthwhile and they definitely need our help.

 

Under a new Iowa immigration bill, employers that repeatedly employ illegal aliens would face civil penalties of up to $10,000 and up to a year in jail under legislation being proposed in the legislature.  Employers would be exempt from penalties if they seek verification of a worker’s citizenship status through the Department of Homeland Security’s verification system.  But many employers complain that system is dreadfully slow.

House File 2026 has sparked significant debate.  Democrats claim it is a human rights issue.  Republicans claim it is pure politics in an election year and intended to protect unions while harming non-unionized independent contractors.   The Hispanic community in particular has great fears that jobs will no longer be available in Iowa under the new law.

This bill may have the biggest impact on Iowa businesses this legislative season.  Read  House File 2026 here.

 

 

Respect Employee lawsuits are continually on the rise.  So how do you keep your employees happy and stay out of court?

While it is technically not a "legal requirement" I have long suggested that treating employees with respect is the best way to avoid employee lawsuits.  Building on this thought I recently saw a couple of excellent posts from employment lawyers John Phillips and Jon Hyman concerning fairness as the Golden Rule of Employee Relations.

Treating others as you want to be treated is a concept that even young children understand.  But while the concept is easily understandable employers still have a difficult time being fair.  To this end, Phillips offers five areas of fairness where employers should concentrate their efforts:

  1. Appearance: does an employment action appear fair to an outside observer?
  2. Counseling: except in the most egregious of cases, was the employee told of a deficiency and given a chance to correct it?
  3. Consistency: are similar disciplinary problems handled similarly and to the same degree?
  4. Documentation: can you point to a performance review, written warning, a note in a personnel file, or some other contemporaneous piece of paper that supports the personnel decision?
  5. Rationale: was the employee given a reason for the decision, and was it the real reason?

As Hyman points out, juries are big on fairness.  It is critical to remember that in a jury trial your jurors are likely to be employees rather than employers.  Being fair will not only reduce the employment claims against you but increase your chances of success if you are sued.

So next time you deal with an employee disciplinary situation be sure to remember the Golden Rule of Employee Relations.  It will make a difference.

The Iowa Farm Bureau is sponsoring a business development seminar on February 7, 2008 at the Iowa Farm Bureau Auditorium in West Des Moines, Iowa.  (I didn’t see a start time on the Web site but for further information you should contact 1-800-254-9670).

The Renew Rural Iowa is an Iowa Farm Bureau program that combines an innovative mentoring model for entrepreneurs with a rural vitality investment fund.  The program is designed to enhance the enterprise value of existing or new small town businesses to encourage their reinvestment within the community, thereby increasing the overall wealth of that community.  The program combines the relationships, network and resources of IFBF with the business mentoring muscle of Cedar Rapids-based Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc. (EDC).

 

Read this post from Indiana lawyer Sam Hasler to find out why it is so important to respond promptly and appropriately to sexual harassment complaints. 

In the case mentioned by Sam, Chili’s Grill and Bar escaped liability even though the employee established a prima facie case of harassment in her lawsuit.

Sam also has some great advice:  "Having a harassment policy is not enough. Having a that policy in an employee handbook is not enough. Having the policy and enforcing the policy is the key to success."

 

 

I’ve said it before (and also here) but it bears repeating that wage and hour class actions are booming.  Just this past week Iowa’s Casey’s General Stores was hit with a wage and hour lawsuit with allegedly more than $5 million at stake.  If that isn’t enough to convince you to examine whether your company has vulnerabilities you better read this informative blog post from Mark Toth of Manpower.

The 4th Annual Workplace Class Action report from Seyfarth Shaw shows the volume of wage and hour class action continues to grow exponentially.  As the report’s editor says, “identifying, addressing, and remediating class action vulnerabilities” should be at the top of every employer’s list of 2008 priorities. 

This post from the New York Business Divorce Blog will make you think twice before becoming involved in a business with your romantic partner.

I recently wrote on the firm’s Iowa Law Blog that one way to avoid a volatile business divorce is to draft and enter into an effective buy-sell agreement with your partner(s).  This is true whether you are entering into a business arrangement with your spouse, significant other or friend down the street.  Rarely do partner spouses enter into buy-sell agreements.  Like prenuptial agreements, it may not always be comfortable to form a buy-sell agreement  with a spouse.  But it is advisable nonetheless.

Today I’ll be pinch hitting for Brett Trout at the Des Moines Partnership’s Biz Networking Luncheon.  I will cover how to stop doing things online that will land you into court.  The best part of this presentation is I get Brett’s material.  I hope to see you there today.

This event will be held in the Arthur Davis room at the Greater Des Moines Partnership on January 15th. The luncheon will begin at noon and will conclude at 1:30. The cost of the event is $10 for members and $12 for non-members.  To RSVP for the event, please email Cathy Spenceri at caspenceri@dmacc.edu . We hope to see you there!

photo on flickr by jimcchou

This Wednesday morning (Jan. 16th) I will speak at the IowaBiz breakfast series on the How To Avoid Legal Surprises for Your Company.  The presentation begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Professional Solutions Insurance Services’ Building, 14001 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.

Thanks to our hosts from Professional Solutions Insurance Services.  So far, the series has been fantastic including talks from Drew McLellan, Shirley Poertner, Brian Honnold and Mitch Matthews.

I hope to see you there.