If you are a new company just starting out, or an established business, one essential item your business must have is an employee handbook. This essential business tool provides uniformity regarding expectations, job performance, and benefits for all employees. An employee handbook helps employees understand what to expect from their employer, as well as establishes boundaries and regulations regarding employee requirements. Ultimately, an employee handbook protects business owners who find themselves in challenging employee disputes and protects employees who feel that employers are not following their own guidelines. Common Policies to Include in an Employee Handbook Although every employee handbook [...]

If you are an owner, landlord, or tenant of a property classified as a “public accommodation,” you have an obligation to understand and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — a federal law designed to prohibit the discrimination of people with disabilities. How does the ADA apply to property owners? Title III of the ADA requires all private places of public accommodation be accessible for the disabled. Examples of public accommodations include privately owned, leased or operated facilities such as: Hotels Restaurants Retail merchants Doctors’ offices The California Disabled Persons Act makes non-compliance with the ADA a violation [...]

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Trademarks on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Louis Vuitton's Damier checkerboard pattern continues to lack trademark protection. According to the European Union's General Court on April 21, 2015, the design is considered to be too commonplace to be owned by one brand. The EU's decision affirmed a 2011 ruling by the First Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM). According to that decision, the checkerboard pattern was composed of very simple elements and had been commonly used in relation to various goods. Without any features to distinguish it from other [...]