Articles Posted in Business Law

New Jersey’s “Ban the Box” law goes into effect next week on March 1, 2015. Employers in New Jersey may no longer have an employment application that contains either a box that must be marked or a question asked that relate to an applicant’s criminal record or lack thereof. Employers also cannot ask about an…

On Thursday City Council in Philadelphia passed a paid sick day bill which Mayor Nutter immediately signed into law. In essence, an employee will accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked which works out to be about 5 days of paid sick leave per year. Employers with less than 10…

Foreign corporations may not transact business in Pennsylvania without first obtaining a Certificate of Authority from the Secretary of the Commonwealth. All that is required is a simple application, docketing statement and a small fee. The specific requirements are clearly set forth on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website. What happens if you decide to…

On January 14, 2015, in a unanimous decision, the New Jersey Supreme determined that the ABC test is the proper test an employer must use to determine if its workers are independent contractors or employees. Of all the various tests used by New Jersey and other states, the ABC test sets the bar the highest…

To all of our clients with offices in New Jersey, please remember that effective January 1, 2015 the New Jersey state hourly minimum wage will increase from $8.25 to $8.38. Please remember that just because you may pay your employees a set salary, they still may be entitled to overtime under state and federal laws…

On November 13, 2014 the New Jersey Supreme Court added New Jersey to the growing number of states that have established complex business litigation programs. Effective January 1, 2015, designated judges in each county will provide individualized case management to complex commercial and construction cases that meet the required criteria. The Supreme Court of New…

Last month I had a business client come into my office concerned about a data breach. A disgruntled former employee hacked into the company server. While it appears this employee did not enter into any sensitive areas on the server, my client wanted to know what his responsibilities were with regarding to notifying customers of…

On September 23, 2014, the New Jersey Supreme Court in a unanimous decision held that an arbitration clause in a consumer contract was unenforceable because it did not clearly and unambiguously signal to the consumer that she was surrendering her right to pursue her claims in court. The Court was troubled that the arbitration clause…

On August 11, 2014, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the “Opportunity to Compete Act” (Bill 1999) into existence. The Act will become law in New Jersey on March 15, 2015. The Act limits the ability of “covered” New Jersey employers from looking into an applicant’s criminal record at any time during the “initial application…

On July 15, 2014 House Law 1429 went into effect and drastically changed what is required under financial powers of attorney (POAs). The new law was in response to rising incidents of elder abuse where agents placed their own self-interests before the principal. As such, the new law, among many other changes, places limitations and…