Author Archive for: Brian Ripley
Entries by Brian Ripley
California Supreme Court Clarifies Law Regarding “Rest Breaks”
A recent California Supreme Court decision, Augustus v. ABM Security Services, Inc., has concluded that state law prohibits on-duty and on-call rest periods. The decision will require California employers to re-examine their rest-break policies and practices. ABM Security Services required its guard employees to keep their radios and pagers on and respond to needs such […]
An Ounce of Prevention
As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” As we continually emphasize to our clients, the best time to establish written agreements and procedures is before disputes arise. Given the fact that many business owners embark on new business ventures with family members, close friends, and other familiar […]
New Labor Code Section 925 Restricts Employer’s Rights
It goes without saying that the playing field between corporate employers and employees is not always level. That disparity of power can result in employers imposing conditions of employment that create enormous hardship for an employee in the event of a dispute with her or his boss. Among those conditions are terms that mandate where disputes are physically […]
Tax Reporting Deadline Earlier for Tax Year 2016
Business owners with employees or 1099 consultants need be aware of an important change in federal tax reporting law for the 2016 tax year. Specifically, in an effort to reduce fraud, a provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress has changed the filing deadlines for employer copies of Forms W-2/1099-MISC. Starting in tax […]
An Ounce of Prevention
The following is a reprint of an article I wrote for the March 2016 edition of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s monthly magazine. Everyone understands the value of lawyers if you are sued or need to sue someone who has damaged your business. Yet far fewer owners appreciate the value of consulting experienced business […]
Oakland Business Review: Business Succession Planning
We are proud to announce that the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce recently featured us in the September issue of the Oakland Business Review special section entitled, Law Offices of Oakland. The article highlights how business owners often overlook succession planning when they first start out their businesses. The reality is you can’t plan your path […]
Employers’ Right to Require Arbitration Restricted in 2015
Effective January 1, 2015, employers will face tighter restrictions on their ability to impose arbitration of employment claims. Assembly Bill 2617, recently signed by Governor Brown, reverses prevailing legal trends that have expanded the use of arbitration clauses in many types of contracts. Presently, many companies require new employees to sign agreements waiving their rights to file […]
New California Law Defines “Sick Leave” Requirements
Governor Jerry Brown has just signed a new law passed by the California legislature that expands significantly the obligations of business owners to provide paid sick leave to their employees beginning in mid-2015. The new law, AB 1522, also called the “Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014,” requires virtually all California employers to provide at […]