Legal-Ease: Work Responsibility during quarantine

Regardless of the contemporary classification of a business as essential or non-essential, many employers have temporarily or permanently dismissed employees from their work positions.  Further, some employees who have been asked to work have refused.  As explained below, most employers may permanently terminate an employee’s employment during the virus crisis regardless of the business’s classification […]

Legal-Ease column: “Emergency financial resources for small businesses”

On March 27, 2020, the federal government passed economic stimulus legislation commonly known as the CARES Act. The most popular aspect of the CARES Act has been the imminent payment of over $1,000 each to most Americans.  The legislation also supplements state unemployment compensation for unemployed people. For small businesses, the federal government instituted two […]

Legal-Ease column: “Coronavirus and working from home”

The recent introduction of the Coronavirus has prompted several employers to encourage or require their employees to work from home.  Obviously, not everyone can work from home, because not everyone’s jobs can be done from a remote location. When employees work from home, there are legal implications for the employer and the employee. For employers […]

Legal-Ease: Hot weather and electricity

During the hot summer months, electric companies request that we cut down on the usage of electricity in our homes and businesses. This request may seem odd, but utility companies such as electric, water and sewage companies are heavily regulated. The laws and regulations on utility companies help ensure that electric service and other utility service is always available without the concern for rolling blackouts and brownouts. 

Legal-Ease: Valuing components of co-owned property

Sometimes we can find ourselves co-owning property with one or more co-owners wanting to be bought out. Even if we are in the process of converting ownership of the co-owned property into assets owned by an LLC, it becomes important to value the property and each person’s portion.

Legal-Ease: Extra insurance or LLC? Both

While it may seem logical to get more insurance rather than establishing an LLC, it’s clearly improper once someone understands the true purpose of a limited liability company. Most businesses should have both good liability insurance as well as a complementary business structure to go with the insurance. It’s best to think of an LLC as being insurance beyond traditional insurance. LLCs offer protection in the worst situations when traditional insurance would cover only part or none of the damage.

Legal-Ease: Non-compete agreements

More often than not, jobs today require specific training that require a large investment from an employer when hiring a new employee. Further, the value of many businesses is in the relationships and reputation of the business. Many businesses that invest heavily in relationship-building or training want to protect their investment, and primarily these investments are protected with non-compete agreements.

Legal-Ease: New manure laws start June 21

A new law will go into affect in a few months that will necessitate that most farmers monitor the weather before spreading manure. While several applications and farming operations are exempt from the ruling, farmers in northwest and west central Ohio will be under more specific requirements when it comes to spreading manure.

Legal-Ease: Is scalping event tickets legal?

The term scalping refers to the original practice of selling counterfeit tickets. Now, scalping just means selling any tickets individually instead of through a service. While some states allow scalping, many have rules and restrictions dictating what can be done with tickets.