I-9 Forms: Do’s and Don’ts

Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) for all new hires. On March 8, 2013, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of the I-9. Employers must begin using the new version by May 7, 2013. The updated I-9 provides employers with an opportunity to review their employment eligibility verification practices. In this Tip, we provide some do’s and don’ts for completing and retaining the I-9 form.
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What Employment Laws Apply to My Company?

Employers are required to comply with numerous federal, state, and local employment laws. Certain laws affect virtually all employers, including but not limited to, the FLSA, IRCA, the OSH Act, and USERRA. Other laws, such as COBRA or FMLA, only apply to employers of a certain size. In this Tip, we provide a summary of some of the major federal employment laws based on employer size.
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Get Your Business Legal Ready for 2014

We’ve entered the home stretch of 2013 and the holidays are in full swing. The next few weeks will be hectic for everyone, but particularly for small business owners as it is easy to get overwhelmed this time of year. It’s time to take a moment to stop and make sure your business is “legally fit” for 2014.
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Is This Partner Arrangement Fair?

I get these emails, summarizing one side of an argument, asking me to guess or comment on fairness. For example, in an email I just received, the one asking me has worked for 18 months “with significant intellectual contribution.”
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Business Licenses 101

Starting a business involves a great deal of filling out and filing the appropriate paperwork to get up and running. A lot of it is fun to work on—picking a business name, logo, color scheme and location—but there’s also plenty of legal work that new small business owners need to think about.
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