2013 Year in Review: Top Tips for Your New York or New Jersey Business

Here, we recap some of our most popular legal tips for a business in New York and New Jersey last year.

You can also look for more posts geared towards reducing your legal when it comes to your business headaches in the New Year.

Updating Your Sick Leave Policy:

If you haven’t reviewed your sick leave policy in a while, it may be time for a check-up.  In both New York and New Jersey, new laws are taking effect that may impact your obligations to provide paid leave, even to part-time workers. In all cases, the key to avoiding liability is to have clear procedures in place that are uniformly enforced. For useful advice, please visit Does Your Sick Leave Policy Need a Check-Up?

Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan:

As the recent past highlights, small businesses are susceptible to a number of serious emergency situations, including fires, sinkholes, floods, severe storms, and cyber attacks. To increase your company’s chances for recovery, it is imperative to have a plan in place before disaster strikes.  For help getting started, please visit Small Business Fire and Emergency Precautions: Tips for Before and After a Disaster.

Terminating an Employee the Right Way:

AOL Inc. received a great deal of public scrutiny this year when it fired a staff member during a conference call attended by over 1,000 other employees. For tips on how to avoid a similar fate, please visit Terminating an Employee Without Damaging Your Company’s Reputation.

Relocating Your Business to Another State: Thanks to technology, businesses are increasingly mobile. However, to ensure that you continue to meet your legal obligations, you may need to jump through some hoops if you plan to move your business out of state. For specific tips on navigating the relocation process, please visit On the Move? Take Your New York or New Jersey Business With You.

Contracting With Companies Overseas:

While the global economy offers a host of new business opportunities, contracting with multinational companies brings a host of unique legal concerns, particularly if one of the parties fails to uphold its end of the bargain. To help ensure that your agreements protect your best interests, please visitContracting with Foreign Companies? Avoid These Traps for the Unwary.

Planning for a Change in Leadership:

Microsoft Inc. set a good example when it announced that Steve Ballmer would be stepping down as the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 12 months prior to his actual departure, highlighting that a smooth transition is integral to maintaining the confidence of investors, business partners, clients and staff. For specific CEO succession planning tips, please visit CEO Succession Planning: Did Microsoft Get It Right?

Avoiding Super Bowl-Related Liability:

 With the Super Bowl just around the corner, New York and New Jerseybusinesses need to be mindful that their marketing efforts do not land them in hot water with the National Football League. The NFL fiercely guards its intellectual property and has a proven record of pursuing trademark violators. For specific tips, please visit NFL Keeping Close Eye on Super Bowl Preparations: Tips for Your NY or NJ Business.