When you own a business, issues with employment law always come up. Because of the complexity of this area of law, it is important for your business to work with a good business and employment attorney so you are protected from lawsuits and other disputes. Companies of all sizes need a business law firm serving San Jose on their side. Here is why business attorneys are so essential to managing your employees.
Employment law is multi-faceted. It encompasses everything from offer letters, equity incentive plans and employee handbooks and policies to employee terminations and severance agreements. Every agreement you enter into with an employee, and every policy that you put in place for your employees, should be vetted by a lawyer to protect your company from liability. Although a good payroll company and a good human resources person are critical to keeping wage and hour employee problems away, business attorneys can assist you with documenting agreements and HR policies to prevent problems. Business attorneys can also help if your company enters a dispute with an employee over issues like wrongful termination or labor law violations. Companies should use a business law firm for dealing with employee issues at all stages. A startup lawyer can help you file the right paperwork with the Employment Development Department to become a registered employer and to hire your very first staff, while a corporate lawyer can help you draft executive employment agreements and stock deals as your business grows.
A good employment attorney will also help you navigate the confusing criteria separating employees from independent contractors to make sure that you do not get hit with payroll tax penalties or labor issues as a result of a misclassification.
The information appearing in this blog does not constitute legal advice or opinion. Such advice and opinion are provided by the firm only upon engagement with respect to specific factual situations. Specific questions relating to this article should be addressed directly to Strategy Law, LLP.