Employment Law

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The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear an important employment discrimination case in which a Coca-Cola bottling company fired a black employee.  The case involves allegations that a supervisor was motivated by racial bias and influenced a human resources manager to fire the worker.  The human resources person was located elsewhere and did not…

Employment lawsuits are continually on the rise.  Here are seven things that may help you avoid employee lawsuits:

1.  Treat Employees with Respect:  Seems like a basic philosophy but it is amazing how many employers forget to treat their employees with respect.  Employees that are humilated or treated in a disrespectful way are much…

George’s Employment Blawg, written by attorney George Lenard of St. Louis, has some excellent posts (see here and here) on the risks and liabilities associated with using Facebook for employment background checks.   Some of the risks may include discrimination claims and Fair Credit Reporting Act violations.  The use of other social networking sites such…

The core of this Iowa business and corporate law blog consists of six main categories found on the right hand side margin including incorporation and LLC formation, starting a business, franchise law, employment law, business litigation and buying and selling a business.  I attempt to cover many of the basics…

In December’s issue of Inc. Magazine, Norm Brodsky describes a paradox of successful negotiation.  The less interest you have in doing a deal, the more likely you are to get one you’ll find difficult to refuse.

Brodsky is considering selling his businesses (records storage, secure document-shredding and delivery).  He turned down an offer from…

The time to hire a business attorney is before you get into legal trouble.  It is much easier and more cost-effective to prevent problems rather than solve them.  Further, if you do get into legal trouble it will be much easier to deal with the issues if you already have a solid relationship with…

Business.gov is the "Official Link to the U.S Government".  This Web site is an excellent resource for the start-up business. 

The site has many helpful areas including:

1.  Business Resource Library – contains information on a variety of regulatory topics including taxes, managing and hiring employees and intellectual property;

2.  Government forms search – by…

In Iowa, non-compete agreements are enforceable under certain circumstances.  The best time to secure a non-compete is when you hire the employee although continued employment may be sufficient consideration to bind even current employees.  Iowa courts have developed a three-part test to determine whether a non-compete agreement is enforceable:

1.  Is it necessary for the…