Most employers have a basic understanding of the differences between independent contractors and employees. Most fundamentally, you pay wages to employees and must withhold taxes and Social Security, pay unemployment taxes, pay worker’s compensation insurance premiums and provide various benefits. None of this is required for independent contractors, who are responsible for paying their own…

Mention the word copyright and most business owners will think it has nothing to do with them, and that it is only relevant to the publishing or music industry. While copyright certainly protects the authors of literary, musical, pictorial or graphic works, each of these categories are broader than commonly understood. Thus, an employee manual…

One of the challenges facing the small business is finding the right lawyer. Unlike larger businesses, which may have one or more attorneys in their organization, or a general counsel charged with responsibility for all of the company’s legal matters, for the small business, the task of finding and hiring the right attorney can be…

Most small businesses with more than a single owner typically opt to conduct their business as a corporation or as a limited liability company. When these businesses are properly established, the owners will enter into a shareholder’s agreement or a well-drafted operating agreement that provides a mechanism for the sale of a minority owner’s interest…

A common misconception that people unfamiliar with the litigation process share is the belief that a party needs a good faith basis to commence a lawsuit. Many inexperienced clients are absolutely mystified that a litigant can start a lawsuit against them on grounds that they believe are completely devoid of legal or factual merit. This…