Social media is increasingly ubiquitous in the corporate world. From marketing campaigns to talent acquisition, today there is at least some social media component in almost everything a successful company does. Yet, despite the prominent role social media plays in modern business, it retains something of its origins among college students and garage bands. The … [More]
Endorsements, Testimonials and the FTC
The fast-forward button on a DVR and other advancements make it easier for consumers to avoid advertisements on traditional media platforms, leading more and more businesses to rely on endorsements, testimonials and reviews on social media platforms to market their products and services. While favorable reviews of an advertiser’s product on Twitter or a picture of a celebrity … [More]
Preparing to Sell Your Business
There are many considerations you must consider when you are getting ready to sell your business. Most owners are quick to jump to how much money they will receive or when the deal will close. But before you spend a lot of time and energy on the sale of your business, you should take a few steps to prepare your business for sale: at worst, it will make the sale process go more … [More]
A Business’s Accountability in Human Rights Violations
Corporate human rights abuse is a topic getting more and more visibility, and most companies today are aware of violations across the world and are keen to not promote such abuses. But how much of a duty does a company have to actively monitor whether its activities lead to human rights abuses? Do companies face legal or reputational risks if they don’t take steps to actively … [More]
Raising Money for a Business
All businesses need cash to operate. Sometimes a business may need outside financing for buying a new piece of equipment, research and development, buying inventory, or adding sales and marketing capacity. There are two ways to finance the capital of a business: The business can borrow money, called “debt financing,” or the business can sell part of its ownership to an … [More]
Starting a Business? Make Good Choices on Entity Type
One of the first and most important decisions an entrepreneur will face in launching a new business is what type of entity to incorporate as. In this article, we’ll focus on some of the pro and cons associated with three common choices — corporation (also sometimes referred to as a “C corporation” because it is taxed as a separate legal entity under Subchapter C of the Internal … [More]
The Employer Shared Responsibility of the Affordable Care Act
After considerable fits and starts, the employer responsibility provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) are now in full play. While implementing regulations and related notices can be complex, business owners should understand the basics in order to avoid penalties, identify the best-suited healthcare solutions for their workforce and remain … [More]
Politics in the Workplace: A Primer for Arizona Businesses
‘Tis the season for contentious conversations, as the 24-hour news cycle is in overdrive with Clinton, Trump, immigration policy, Black Lives Matter, LGBT rights and healthcare concerns, to name just a few. The proper handling of hot-topic politics in the workplace should be paramount for all employers during this fiery political season, as these emotionally charged political … [More]
Congress Gives EPA More Authority to Regulate Chemicals
In June, President Obama signed into law the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, landmark legislation modernizing the decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the little-known but very important federal law that regulates chemicals in the United States. Approved by large bipartisan majorities in Congress, the Lautenberg Act addresses some of … [More]
File this Under: The Complexity of Managing Personnel Documents
The basic management of personnel files used to be pretty simple: Collect some basic information and stick the files on a shelf somewhere. Today, the matter of collecting and storing private employee information is not as simple, even with the available option of going digital. For example, today’s employers and human resources managers have to track immigration forms, Equal … [More]
Navigating Commercial Leasing to Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Growing and selling marijuana may be the most controversial business in America, but, due to changing public opinion and the current political climate, it shows no signs of slowing down. Unless the Federal government decriminalizes the manufacture, sale and use of marijuana, it remains a very risky business, not just for the business owners but also for the landlords who lease … [More]
New Overtime Rules to Impact Arizona Employers
Beginning December 1, 2016, the minimum salaries for most exempt jobs will more than double, to $47,476 from the existing $23,660 required. On May 18, the U.S. Department of Labor dealt its long-anticipated regulatory amendments for “white collar” overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which included increases to the mandatory base salary requirement. The … [More]
How to Know When to Litigate
Back in the day if a person was wronged, a business defamed or promise unfulfilled, the offended party could challenge his opponent to a duel, meet at high noon, step off his paces, and pray to God that neither his opponent’s aim nor his pistol were more accurate than his own. Historically, we’ve too often solved disputes with threats or violence (or at least by sending Luca … [More]
The Employer Shared Responsibility of the Affordable Care Act
After considerable fits and starts, the employer responsibility provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) are now in full play. While implementing regulations and related notices can be complex, business owners should understand the basics in order to avoid penalties, identify the best-suited healthcare solutions for their workforce and remain … [More]
Litigation on the Rise from Americans with Disabilities Act
Arizona is quickly joining the ranks of California, New York and Texas as a hotbed for lawsuits arising under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Over the past six months, a handful of serial plaintiffs — known as “testers” — have filed hundreds of lawsuits against Arizona businesses. First there was Theresa Brooke, a wheelchair-bound woman who filed more than 150 lawsuits … [More]
Cuba: Opening for Business?
What’s important for people eyeing opportunity for business in Cuba to keep in mind is, in spite of the opening of diplomatic relations, there still is a U.S.-Cuba embargo in place. Lifting the embargo will take an act of Congress; what has changed, explains Melissa Proctor, a partner in the law firm Polsinelli, is the two agencies that have jurisdiction over commerce under the … [More]
Considerations with Funding a Company
Determining the best capital structure for a business is one of the many difficult decisions owners and founders must make. Capital structures vary widely, and what may work best for one company may be completely wrong for another — depending on the industry area, resources available and management team. Different capital structures include bootstrapping (completely financed by … [More]
Keeping Business in the Family Way
Earlier in May, Cathy Hughes, an attorney-adviser for the Estate and Gift Tax Policy Office for the United States Department of the Treasury, sent shockwaves into the tax and estate planning community by announcing that new regulations would be implemented to make it much more difficult for families to transfer a family business to the next generation utilizing business … [More]
