Do your employees have to give you a two weeks’ notice?

Employment Law

It is customary in most industries to provide a two weeks’ notice to an employer when one is going to leave a job. This is often done so that the employer can hire someone else as a replacement, and it’s a sign of goodwill. The employee may want your...

Making a step-by-step plan helps protect business trade secrets

Business & Commercial Law

You might not think your Woodland Hills, California business has trade secrets in need of protection. However, this is probably not entirely the case. Even things like how you arrange employee schedules may be worthy of protection. If you have created an innovative...

Can you control what employees wear when working from home?

Employment Law

With many employees now working some of the time from home, it pays to look at your company’s dress-code policy. While you may not see how anyone working remotely dresses most of the time, sometimes, you or others might. With many workers dressing more casually than...

Employers should consider these factors in employment contracts

Employment Law

Contracts form the basis of most legal relationships, including those between employers and employees. Whether you are growing your business or seeking to retain its success, it is important to get contracts right.  Legal disputes often arise when contracts are...

How can employers defend against false discrimination claims?

Employment Law

Members of the American workforce have put great effort into asserting their rights, especially in recent years. The growing awareness of employee rights makes it somewhat easier for workers to find resolution, which is a positive thing for all employees. Still, with...

Can you sublease your commercial space?

Real Estate Law

When you rented your commercial space, you asked all the right questions. You talked about the square footage, what changes you could make, what your operations would be like and whether it was a net, double-net or triple-net lease — among other things. Did you...

If an employee works overtime, can comp time be used instead? 

Employment Law

As most employees and business owners know well, the pay for overtime is time and a half. An employee who makes $20 per hour would need to be paid $30 per hour for every hour of overtime they worked.  In some cases, this extra time is nearly unavoidable. Maybe an...

Investigations into harassment claims are critical

Employment Law

Employees who believe they’ve been subjected to harassment of any sort at work may opt to file a complaint about the behavior. Employers must ensure that the workers know the appropriate channels for filing these.  Once the report is made, an investigation must be...

Can an employer ask staff to work more than 40 hours per week?

Employment Law

Occasionally, business demands may require employees to work more than 40 hours per week. Questions often arise as to whether this practice of “mandatory overtime” is legal.  In short, the answer is “Yes.” However, there are various circumstances and legal...

What is a triple net lease?

Real Estate Law

When people think of leases, they probably assume that all real estate leases are the same. This is far from the truth. Commercial leases are much different from residential leases. Understanding the differences can help you as you review the options you have for a...