A shift in enforcement policy in dealing with illegal workers

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shifted its enforcement policy in dealing with illegal workers. In its recent enforcement guidance that was distributed to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, the DHS has made a notable shift in its recent worksite enforcement policies. The DHS has directed an immediate shift in ICE's resources to criminal prosecution of employers who hire illegal workers in an effort to root out illegal immigration. As part of this shift in policy, ICE is to specifically target employers who cultivate illegal workplaces by breaking the law and knowingly hire illegal workers. Unfortunately, the new guidance does not address how ICE is to determine how an employer "knowingly" hire illegal workers.

To review the DHS mandate go to: http://tinyurl.com/dgfp4u

___________________________________________________________
For information on how the shift in policy may effect your business, contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC.

New Offerings from Chicago's Business Attorneys

Image via Wikipedia

We are pleased to announce that we have a new Facebook (business) page at http://companies.to/gjlaw/


We also have a new twitter microblog - ChicagoBizLaw- that supplements this bLAWg by offering tweets on a mix of thoughts and resources for the business owners: www.twitter.com/ChicagoBizLaw

_________________________________________________________
For more information please contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum (312-236-8110 or at amf@gjlaw.com ) at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC.


Griffith & Jacobson, LLC - We know your business!

H1N1 Information for Business Travelers

If you are traveling on business, you can track the Swine Flu outbreak on Google maps: http://is.gd/vpZO

EEOC Issues New Employer Best Practices for Dealing with Caregivers

Image via Wikipedia

EEOC issued new best practices for employers of workers with care giving responsibilities (and help businesses reduce the possibility of being found to discriminate against workers with care giving responsibilities).

With a dramatic increase in the number of workers who have the additional responsibility of being the primary caregiver for their children, aging parents and/or relatives with a disability, the EEOC felt it was necessary to provide some guidance to employers to encourage the adoption of more flexible workplace policies that help employees achieve a satisfactory work-life balance.

The EEOC's best practices supplement the guidance issued by the EEOC in 2007 and provides specific suggestions for best practices that employers may adopt to reduce the chance of a violation of the various federal Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. You may read the best practice at the EEOC website at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/caregiver-best-practices.html.

____________________________________________________

Contact your business attorney and accountant or contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC (amf@gjlaw.com or 312-236-8110) for more information.

Time for a Spring Cleaning 2

It's Time to Complete a Business Check-up!

It's time to do so some spring cleaning. Business owners should perform a regular check-up and financial review of their business (and their personal situation too). Please note that this is an ongoing series- so the list below only addresses some of the key issues that should be part a of any business check-up.

For a thorough checkup and financial review, contact your business attorney and
accountant or contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC (amf@gjlaw.com or 312-236-8110) for more information.

Be sure to check Chicago Business bLAWg for more updates!

__________________________________________________

Protect your Intellectual Property: Are you maximizing your intellectual property rights, including your trade secrets and confidential/proprietary information? Put essential protective measures into place, such as confidentiality, nondisclosure or non-competition agreements with your employees, vendors, customers and prospective business partners. Monitor and enforce your rights in your intellectual property. Address any infringements or risk diluting or even losing your rights. Also, address any infringement of other's rights and obtain the appropriate licensing (e.g., software licensing, ASCAP license for music played in your store or on your phone system).

Inventory & assess all your liabilities: Do not stop at listing your loans, debts and open payables with vendors. Address known and potential problems and/or issues with customers, competitors and vendors that may Be proactive. Mitigate and head off potential liabilities as much as possible. Perform a thorough review of your business insurance and ensure you have the right coverage(s) & amounts for your risk. If you are experiencing cash flow problems, be proactive! Prioritize your liabilities and have a plan and communicate with your lender, landlord & vendors.

Check your group insurance plans & benefits: Review the terms and benefits of the group insurance plans (i.e., health, life and disability) you offer your employees. Determine if these plans are competitively priced - do they reflect the market conditions? Also compare the benefits offered and the contributions required from your employee to your competition - do they limit the business contribution to the employee? Does your competition still offer coverage to spouses and dependents?

Business Continuation Planning: Update your business continuation plan - or create one if you do not have one! Who will manage the business if you or other key people die, become disabled or leave? Consider purchasing life insurance and/or key man insurance for the (active) business owners & key employees - at least to cover the "replacement" costs (i.e., a recruiter's fees and/or the fees charged by a management consultant, who may temporarily fill-in until the business is stabilized or sold). Develop and implement a business disaster plan: are you prepared to handle a natural disaster or a casualty (such as a fire or flood) that may prevent you, your employees or customers from accessing your store, factory, data, records or inventory. What would you do if your business lost a key supplier, customer or piece of equipment?

To be continued...
__________________________________________________________
At Griffith & Jacobson, LLC, we can help you complete a thorough business check-up and maximize your business' profitability. For more information please contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum (312-236-8110 or at amf@gjlaw.com ) at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC.

Also check out our microblog at www.twitter/ChicagoBizLaw for more frequent updates.

Griffith & Jacobson, LLC - We know your business!

Time for a Spring Cleaning

It's Time to Complete a Business Check-up!

It's time to do so some spring cleaning. Business owners should perform a regular check-up and financial review of their business (and their personal situation too). Please note that this is an ongoing series- so the list below only addresses some of the key issues that should be part a of any business check-up.

Be sure to check Chicago Business bLAWg for more updates!

For a thorough checkup and financial review, contact your business
attorney and accountant or contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum at Griffith &
Jacobson, LLC (amf@gjlaw.com or 312-236-8110)
for more information.

• Corporate governance: Assess corporate governance & comply with any statutory requirements (and formalities recommended by the local corporate legal bar). Otherwise you may lose the protections of limited liability offered by your corporation or limited liability company. So, make sure your licenses are up to date, your annual report is filed and corporate taxes paid. Also, be sure you have corporate resolutions evidencing at least one annual meeting of your shareholders/members and board of directors/managers.
• Do not rely on oral agreements! Get them reduced to a written contract. Oral agreements can be difficult to prove if a dispute ever arises.
• Review your (written) contracts & forms: Address key provisions of your contracts (i.e., dispute resolution, venue, warranties, liability limits, etc.). Make sure they are up-to-date, your financial terms meet or beat your competition's, and your warranties reflect industry standards. Be sure you understand and your forms deal with the "Battle of the Forms".
• Review your employment policies & procedures: Ensure the required posters & notices are up to date and posted appropriately. For new hires after April 3, 2009, make sure you are using the new I-9 form (for employment verification). Also, make sure you (or your payroll company) has adjusted your employees' payroll deductions to reflect the recent tax regulations. Determine each employee's duties and responsibilities, the lines of authority and look for ways to improve your bottom line (or cut costs). Engage your employees in an honest and open discussion on the "State of your Company". Ask them for their suggestions and how to improve their efficiency, job satisfaction marketing to your customers. Train your employees (especially under-utilized or underemployed employees) on marketing & cross-selling your products and services.

To be continued...

__________________________________________________________

At Griffith & Jacobson, LLC, we can help you complete a thorough business check-up and maximize your business' profitability. For more information please contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum (312-236-8110 or at amf@gjlaw.com ) at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC.

Also check out our microblog at www.twitter/ChicagoBizLaw for more frequent updates.

Griffith & Jacobson, LLC - We know your business!

Last minute tax filing tips

With the income tax filing deadline looming, here are 10last minute filing tips from the IRS: http://tinyurl.com/dk6ygd

Or if you need an extension, read these tips from the IRS: http://tinyurl.com/9g55.

_________________________________________________________
For more information please contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum (312-236-8110 or at amf@gjlaw.com) at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC.

Griffith & Jacobson, LLC - We know your business!
Check us out at www.GJlaw.com

There's life in Business loans

We have heard from several contacts in commercial banking that their banks have money to lend and are looking to make loans. With the Obama administration actively trying to stimulate the business finance sector, the SBA has been revamping its loan programs. For a primer on how the recent changes in the SBA can help your business get a loan read the recent article in Businessweek http://twurl.nl/ttgqtb.


For additional useful resources for business loans & commercial mortgages go to http://www.credentrust.com/.


___________________________________________________________

For more information please contact Arieh M. Flemenbaum ( 312-236-8110 or at amf@gjlaw.com) at Griffith & Jacobson, LLC.

Griffith & Jacobson, LLC - We know your business!
Check us out at http://www.gjlaw.com/