NOTE: This rule is currently in litigation and has not taken effect. We will continue to monitor and update this post. Employers should be aware of the continuing trends toward employee rights and be prepared for this kind of rule from states and the federal government. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has rolled out... View Article
On July 18, 2023, Oregon joined the growing number of states in signing into law comprehensive data privacy legislation. Effective July 1, 2024, the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (the OCPA or the Act) will create meaningful privacy protections for Oregon consumers and new data protection obligations for businesses operating in Oregon.
On August 2, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued the Stericycle, Inc. decision, creating a new standard for scrutinizing employer “work rules”. Work rules can consist of company handbooks, policies, and procedures. This decision specifically addresses employer work rules that could reasonably be construed as restricting employees’ rights to engage in activities protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), like unionization or openly discussing wages or benefits. Employers should carefully review their handbooks, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with this decision and prepare for potential challenges.
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is a federal law enacted as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 meant to reduce financial crime in small businesses across the United States. Specifically, the CTA requires that smaller, otherwise unregulated, companies file a report with the US Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network within their new Beneficial Ownership Secure System (BOSS), which the network may share with other government agencies and financial institutions who request it. The Act will come into effect on January 1st, 2024, for newly formed companies and on January 1st, 2025, for already existing companies.
Discover what you need to know about AI transcription services in this insightful legal update by Danica Paddock. As professionals seek ways to gain more time in their busy schedules, meeting transcription services powered by AI offer a solution for efficient note-taking, transcription, and analysis of voice conversations. However, security concerns arise regarding the confidentiality of client-attorney privileged communications and sensitive internal company discussions. The article highlights potential risks associated with data breaches, the collection of participant information, and the ownership of transcribed content. It advises users to carefully consider the implications before using AI transcription services and to evaluate the level of risk they are willing to accept.
Employers should be aware that the FTC requires disclosure of an employee's employment relationship when making an endorsement on social media for the company they work for. The disclosure must be in simple and clear language and placed conspicuously. The FTC recommends that companies establish a social media policy that includes these disclosure requirements, consistently enforce the policy, and provide employees with training. Employers that direct employees to create or share social media posts should implement a policy and monitor the posts for compliance. To avoid potential legal issues, it is important for employers to follow these guidelines to ensure compliance with the FTC's rules.
Small businesses face numerous challenges, from competition to financial instability to legal risks. By using the power of law, small businesses can protect themselves, level the playing field, and succeed. In this blog post, we'll explore how small businesses can use the law to protect the business they love, like Elle Woods in the movie "Legally Blonde" shows us that anyone, regardless of their background or stereotypes they may face, can make a positive impact using the law.
How small businesses and entrepreneurs can affordably and effectively implement the benefits of legal infrastructure (entity structure, insurance, and contracts) for both a preventative and proactive strategic advantage for growth.
It’s hard to have a successful business without a healthy Sales and Marketing operation. As a business grows so does the complexity of protecting product production, sales, and marketing from liabilities and vulnerabilities. Yet many business leaders go blindly at it alone “not knowing what they don’t know” leads to mistakes. “Learn from the mistakes... View Article