Business Law for Business People
Big Changes to Connecticut’s Unemployment Compensation Scheme Coming January 1
By: Amy E. Markim Effective January 1, 2024, significant changes to Connecticut’s unemployment compensation scheme will take effect. Public Act 21-200, which was signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont more than two years ago and which the Governor described as...
LEAVING AN LLC: THE LAW DOES NOT GUARANTEE A BUYOUT
By: William J. O’Sullivan Members of a limited liability company are sometimes dismayed to learn, when they are ready to retire, that the law does not require the LLC to buy them out. Under the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, which has applied in...
THE BATTLING TERMS AND CONDITIONS: WHOSE PREVAIL, THE BUYER’S OR THE SELLER’S?
By: William J. O’Sullivan When businesses place an order for goods or equipment, they often trigger a “battle of the dueling Terms and Conditions.” The would-be buyer attaches its T&C to the purchase order, and the would-be seller replies with its own...
Hacked E-mails and Fake Wiring Instructions: A Growing Business Risk
By: William J. O’Sullivan A new and growing risk for businesspeople is a phenomenon called "BEC" – business email compromise. Here is how it works. A bad actor, usually overseas, hacks into the email account for Ashley at AAA Accounting. The hacker sits...
Warning to Ex-Employees: Copy, Delete, Get Sued
By: William J. O’Sullivan Here’s a to-do list for your last day at work. (1) Pack up your family photos. (2) Brag to your co-workers about the great benefits you’ll be getting at your new job. (3) Steal and destroy company property, without even getting up from...
CO-SIGNING OR GUARANTEEING A LOAN: EASY TO GET IN, HARDER TO GET OUT
By: William J. O’Sullivan How often have you seen this letter in an advice column? “Dear Columnist: When I got divorced, I got the house and the judge ordered my husband to make the mortgage payments. Now my husband has stopped paying and the bank is...
Read Before you Sign
By: William J. O’Sullivan Here’s a good way to create work for your favorite lawyer: sign legal documents without reading them first. One of our partners was reminded of this when he went to the hospital for some minor surgery on his knee. At the check-in desk,...
CAN I GET LEGAL FEES? CAN I GET INTEREST?
By: William J. O’Sullivan There are very few things that gall a business owner more than being stiffed for the price of goods sold or services rendered. One of them is paying a lawyer to chase down the missing money. As a result, when a client contacts a lawyer...
How to Discourage Your Employees From Stealing Your Company
By: William J. O’Sullivan It happens more often than you think: employees stealing the owner’s company. Not stealing from the company. Stealing the company. Could it happen to you? Picture this real-world scenario. An entrepreneur starts a new business. Early...
Court Decision Illustrates Importance of Choice-of-Forum Clauses in Contracts
By: William J. O’Sullivan A recent court decision shows how important it is for Connecticut businesses to include a provision in their contracts, whenever possible, designating Connecticut as the forum to litigate disputes arising out of the contract. In a case...