Whenever many people hear the terms “workplace discrimination” or “workplace harassment,” they think of employees’ receiving poor treatment at their places of employment. While that general description is on the right track, poor treatment at work must be due to a specific characteristic of an employee for it to rise to the level or discrimination or harassment. These characteristics are referred to as “protected Read More

Everyone loves to play April Fool’s pranks this time of year, but it’s important that business owners realize that trademark registration is no joke! For various reasons, some business owners choose not to go through the process of formally registering their trademark with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). This is true even though most business owners understand that brand protection is vitally Read More

We have arrived at that time of the year when surprises are the norm. Although you may be playfully fooled by a friend, coworker or relative, you don’t want to be painfully fooled when it comes to the importance of protecting your brand. As we’ve discussed here on our blog before, building a brand is among the more difficult things to do in business. What’s more, branding plays a huge role in the overall success of a Read More

Whether a worker be classified as either an employee or independent contractor (IC) is a very significant determination. In some ways, independent contractors face disadvantages relative to employees. For instance, independent contractors have to grapple with a disparate tax situation when compared with employees; they also may miss out on benefits, overtime, and other perks. However, independent contractors also Read More

Plenty of workers (and employers) routinely confuse two common terms in the context of employment law: “right-to-work” and “at-will.” Many people assume that the two terms are, more or less, interchangeable; that they both refer to the freedoms of employers and employees. While there is some overlap between the two concepts, they are actually quite different from each other. After reading this blog, you will have a Read More

Romano Law, Innovative New York lawyers Businesses often have disputes arise from a number of situations.  The dispute could be with an employee, business partner, customer or vendor, or another entity.  When these disputes go beyond what a business can handle internally, litigation often becomes a course of action that a business owner must consider. Litigation can consist of a breach of contract, a business Read More

In the past, we’ve discussed certain topics relating to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is a highly important piece of federal law governing employment in the U.S. The FLSA sets forth certain requirements which must be met for certain workers, specifically “non-exempt” workers. Employers must adhere to the standards on minimum wage, recordkeeping, overtime pay and youth employment for those workers who are Read More

The franchise business model is quite attractive to those looking to dip their toes in the entrepreneurial waters. As a franchisee, you have access to a proven business, operational support, marketing efforts, and other resources. However, you are somewhat constrained by the rules laid out by your franchisor. For instance, you’ve probably eaten at at least a few different McDonald’s locations in your lifetime. How Read More