Yearly Archives: 2013
The Black Box in Your New Car
It is not well known that 96% of all new vehicles sold in the United States this year will come equipped with a box known as an event data recorder, or commonly known as a “black box.” The electronic device is designed to record the… Continue reading
Charitable Remainder Trusts
The Charitable Remainder Trust has become an increasingly popular vehicle for charitably minded individuals who are not quite ready to make outright gifts to charity. These trusts essentially provide for a long-term stream of payments to the donor or other designated party, while at the… Continue reading
Protecting The Attorney-Client Privilege
The law recognizes certain communications as being so important as to warrant legal protection from mandatory disclosure in judicial proceedings. We have all heard of the physician-patient privilege and the clergy-penitent privilege, but the law also recognizes a privilege between attorney and client which protects… Continue reading
What is At-Will Employment?
Most workers are considered employees at-will which means generally that they can be fired at any time and for any reason. The employment at-will doctrine evolved over many years and provides that an employer or employee can end the employment relationship with no legal recourse… Continue reading
What is a Nuisance Bar?
In 1990, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (“LCB”) established the “Nuisance Bar Program” as a method of dealing with licensed establishments which were chronic offenders of the Liquor Code. In 1998, the program was expanded to allow the LCB to consider activity occurring on or… Continue reading
Tips and the Minimum Wage Laws – 2013 Update
As of the date this article goes to press, both the federal and the Pennsylvania minimum wage laws set the minimum wage at $7.25. For some employers however, the minimum wage calculation can be more complicated than simply multiplying the number of hours worked by… Continue reading
Employment: Offer Letter v. Employment Agreements
Employers are requiring restrictive covenants much more frequently than they have in the past. This is because “knowledge” workers are able to move among competing companies and may cause damage to a prior employer by revealing trade secrets or enticing co-workers or clients to move.… Continue reading
Queen’s English Fragments that Enhance
We are taught to use complete sentences when we write, that every sentence should contain a subject, a verb, and convey a complete thought. However, Roy Peter Clark in his “Glamour of Grammar” maintains that there are times when sentence fragments can be injected… Continue reading
Update on Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act
In our Summer 2009 Newsletter, we discussed in detail the new Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, which requires contractors performing home improvements to register with the State. The Act also requires that certain terms be included in any home improvement contract, and prohibits certain… Continue reading
Micro Producers of Alcohol
Most of us are familiar with the micro-beer movement which is characterized by small, independent and traditional breweries that produce craft beers in limited quantities. The products of such breweries are often tailored to specific tastes and regions. Similarly, the limited winery or boutique winery… Continue reading