This week we are talking about the issue of criminal background checks for employees. Do we perform criminal background checks on new employees and existing employees? If you missed part one of this post, you can read it here. Now the question is what should...
A while back I had a post on this blog about “ban the box,” which is a legislative effort being undertaken nationwide to eliminate the question on job applications related to criminal history. Check out that post here, but this post targets the issue of...
We are back on the topic of drug screenings for employees. How can we ensure that our policies are fair and reasonable? If you missed part 1 of this series, you can read it here. In Maryland we have an interesting situation because the use of...
I recently had a client ask me a question about a drug and alcohol testing policy. This particular client actually has a very specific need. They have employees who are driving vehicles on public roads. They have employees who are going to be in people’s...
One of the listserves I belong to recently posted a very interesting question, and it is a question that comes up quite frequently in the small business world: How do partners resolve disputes? And, most importantly, how do partners resolve disputes when they are fifty-fifty...
As a small business owner, making the change to general counsel legal services is a big jump. There is no doubt about that. There is an element of fear that comes along with this investment. Businesses often think: Will it cost too much? Will it...
A couple of times a year I give a talk to small business owners and prospective owners about legal risk management. We say “legal risk management,” and we do talk about specific kinds of legal risk that are present, but what we really do is...
One of the most important functions of any contract is identifying and managing risk. Most people prefer to avoid confrontation. With conflict avoidance comes a reluctance to address what could go wrong that could possibly ruin a relationship. But, identifying and managing the risk is...
One of the frequent talks that I give to small business owners who are just starting out is the concept of legal risk management. Part of that discussion with new business owners is really what should happen when something goes wrong with the business. I advise...
On a daily basis, any small business owner has to think about finances, legality, relationships, insurance, customers, vendors, suppliers. It is almost impossible for one person to be able to manage all of those aspects all of the time. But a business doesn’t have to...