Civil and matrimonial trials in NJ Vicinage 13 (Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties) have been temporarily suspended by order of the NJ Supreme Court. The stated reason is the large number of judicial vacancies in the three counties, requiring the current judges to handle what are seen as more pressing cases, such as criminal and juvenile matters. The court has not set a target date to resume of civil and matrimonial trials. This is not good news as it will inevitably lead to increasing the case backlog that already exists as part of the hangover from the Covid closures. What can litigant ..read more

New Jersey has just enacted a new law that makes it easier for teenagers to get summer employment through the working papers process. Perhaps the changes will help businesses to add much-needed employees in a tight labor market, at least in the summer. The new law (Assembly bill A4222) covers a good bit of ground but helps in two principal ways. First, a minor between ages 16 and 18 may work up to 50 hours per week, up from 40, and 10 hours per day. This provision is in effect right now. Second, the process for issuing the traditional "working papers" needed for youth employment will be taken ..read more

When a company’s internal investigation into an incident or employee complaint is handled poorly, the consequences can be significant. Not only could it cost the company money (millions of dollars, in some cases), but it can also damage its reputation as a desirable workplace. Since it often falls to human resource professionals to conduct these investigations, it’s important that they avoid certain common mistakes. Mistakes to Avoid During Internal Investigations When a complaint comes into the HR department, it must be taken seriously, particularly if it involves a claim of harassment, discr ..read more

As a New Jersey employer, you are subject to some of the most aggressive employee-protection laws in the country. It is vital that you understand your rights and responsibilities in order to protect yourself from a potential lawsuit over wage & hour or employee misclassification violations. A key responsibility you have is to keep detailed records on each employee for a period of six years. Information You Must Keep on Each Employee According to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, you are required to collect, maintain, and report specific information on each of yo ..read more

The language has been fairly standard in most commercial contracts for a long time. In what laypeople might consider the fine print, the force majeure clause has been having its day in court over the last couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We take a look at this clause and whether your contracts are vulnerable because of it. What Is a Force Majeure Clause? Even if you don't know what it is, it's probably in the contracts your business has with vendors, suppliers, tenants, and service providers. Before Covid, it was often overlooked as a farfetched list of very unlikely disasters. Th ..read more

If you witnessed your employer defrauding the federal government in 2020 or 2021, you are not alone. After quickly enacted legislation to help businesses and workers weather the coronavirus storm, the government discovered many incidents of fraud. If you reported your employer or assisted federal investigators in their prosecution, you might be able to file a lawsuit to get a portion of the money recovered in the prosecution. This is known as a qui tam lawsuit. Examples of Defrauding the Government As an upstanding employee, you couldn’t sit idly by as your employer committed fraud. Whether yo ..read more

Severance is the act of cutting off—or severing—a relationship. The term is most commonly used these days in describing the deal you might be offered when you are let go from a job—as in severance agreement or severance package.  If you are offered a severance package when you are laid off, you might feel fortunate. After all, your employer does not have to give you money and benefits when they fire you, so it must be a good thing, right? That all depends on why you are being terminated. Know the Reason for Your Firing There are several reasons that an employer will offer a severance pack ..read more

In the first two articles of this series we outlined the FAA's recent enforcement focus on illegal charters and the special problems that arise from ownership of aircraft through corporations (and LLCs).  That kind of ownership is considered ownership by a flight department company and subjects the owner to the requirements of Parts 119 or 135. This is far beyond the intention or compliance capability of most pilots who simply seek the protection from liability that a corporate form of ownership might provide.  In this installment we consider how to avoid these problems. First ..read more

Like a marriage, a business partnership can run into problems for a variety of reasons. When you go into a partnership understanding the risk, you can be prepared to weather the storm.  Steinberg Law works with clients to form smart partnerships and also represents partners when a dispute arises. Learn more about partnership disputes here. How a Solid Partnership Agreement Can Avoid Big Problems When you first go into business with a partner, it is essential that you draft a detailed agreement that outlines how the company will be run and addresses each partner’s responsibilities. When a ..read more

In our last article we looked at why the FAA considers a corporation or LLC that owns an aircraft to be a flight department company, cannot be operated under Part 91 of the FAR's, and is subject to the more stringent requirements of Parts 119 or 135 certification.  Yet common sense tells us that thousands of private aircraft that are used exclusively by their pilot owners are owned in exactly this way --- through a corporation or LLC.  That being the case, are the risks to the owner-operator theoretical or real? The answer is becoming clear: the risks are real.  For the last cou ..read more