News and Legal Articles From Our Team

In a breach of contract case last month (January 2013), a Pennsylvania trial court correctly ruled (in my humble opinion), that a seller did not violate the terms of a covenant not to compete in an asset purchase agreement by providing services to its former clients. The new owners of the company argued for a…

Earlier this year (January 22) I blogged about workplace notices that are required by a business that maintains an office in Pennsylvania. Our New Jersey clients have spoken and I apologize. Set forth below is a list of the posting requirements for New Jersey businesses. These posters are in addition to the federal posting requirements…

For all of our clients who maintain offices in New York: By February 1, all New York employers are required by the New York State Wage Theft Prevention Act to provide a written notice regarding specific wage information to each employee. Fines for not following the below listed requirements can be up to $2500 per…

As a reminder to our business clients, federal and state law requires that employers post notices informing employees of their rights in the workplace. Notices that are required are specific to the type of employer and the number of employees employed. Failure to post these notice can result in fines. Below are posters that most…

On January 23, 2013, Pennsylvania will become one of twelve states to have created a new type of corporation known as the “benefit corporation.” Titled the “Pennsylvania Benefit Corporation Act“, the act allows “social” entrepreneurs to focus not only on the bottom line but to also consider other non economic societal factors (community, environment, employees…

The General Counsel’s Office for the National Labor Relation’s Board has recently provided guidance regarding at-will employment disclaimers in employee handbooks. In the past, challenges of unfair labor practices (violation of Section 7 rights) have been successful before administrative law judges where the challenged language was read to imply that the at-will employment relationship could…

On July 9, 2012, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) implemented a new securities rule governing the obligation of brokers to make “suitable” investment recommendations to customers. While FINRA Rule 2111 is based upon NASD Rule 2310 – the prior suitability rule – FINRA Rule 2111 expands the old rule in several significant ways. The…

Just this spring, what is usually seen as a pro-business Supreme Court issued a ruling clearly on the side of workers. The case, Kasten v Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., addressed the question of protection for workers who file complaints against their employers. Smart business owners, with the right policies, will be able to turn this…

Confidentiality terms in settlement agreements are fairly commonplace, but most people do not know that until recently the courts would often ignore them. Historically, the public’s “right of access” to judicial records outweighed a party’s desire to keep their settlement confidential. This makes sense when the issues involve public interests or safety concerns. But when…

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a recent decision stated that residential and commercial property owners who hire contractors are not responsible for personal injuries happening during construction on their property. Previously, plaintiffs had argued for a “retained control” exception where property owners could be held responsible for injuries to workers if the owner was present…