Charles A. Krugel, Labor & Employment Law, HR LawCharles A. Krugel, Labor & Employment Law, HR LawDedicated to labor & employment law & HR. Articles, analysis & photos concerning law, trends & history. Original content from Charles Krugel, a Chicago based management side labor & employment lawyer. Articles
Death in the Workplace Question
2008-02-03 21:19:00 In my Yahoo Groups HR Community email, I recently came across the following question and engaged with the solicitor in the following dialogue: What is the process to be followed if there is a death at the work- place (not factory)? The death could be of an employee, contract staff or visitor. Is there any legal liability on the employer if the death is due to natural causes and not due to any negligence on part of the employer. Regards, Noel My answer follows: Interesting though somewhat morbid question :-) . Generally, the company is not legally liable (except for any negligent or illegal acts). The company should not do anything which tries to hide anything or alters the body or anything on or attached to the body (except to check for identification, external wounds ( e.g., blood, a knife or piece of glass sticking out of the body), health condition identification bracelets/jewelry or other sorts of health related external indicators. Moreover, even if checking for the aforemen... More About: Question , Workplace , Death
Interesting Comment: ?Response to Reader?s Questions Regarding Severance &
2008-01-20 06:15:00 Sometimes a reader’s comment is so on target that it’s worth its own post. Fellow attorney Michael Moore of Russell, Krafft & Gruber, LLP, in Lancaster, PA, sent me the following comment concerning my December 2, 2007, post “Response to Reader ’s Questions Regarding Severance & Separation Agreements.” Chuck: The strength of a severance agreement containing a nondisclosure ... More About: Interesting , Comment
Chuck Krugel Speaking @ Entrepreneur?s Conference
2008-01-06 02:14:00 On Saturday, January 12, 2008, I’ll be a presenter at the Ground Floor Entrepreneur Center’s FREE 2008 business development seminar. This event is from 1-7pm at the GFEC, 2616 W. North Ave., Chicago. I’ll be part of the “Staffing for Success” panel. I’ll be focusing on the legal issues established businesses must consider relative to ... More About: Hiring , Chuck , Speaking , Conference
Questions Regarding Immigration Visa and Employment Eligibility
2007-12-29 06:03:00 A reader recently asked the following: What are the penalties and consequences, if any, for knowingly hiring an individual as an independent contractor whose work visa (H1) had expired and offering part time employment to his wife, who is on a H4 Visa ? My answer follows: The below information in bold is directly from the United States’ Department ... More About: Questions , Immigration , Employment , Eligibility
Chuck Krugel Quoted in CFO Magazine?s December 2007 Issue
2007-12-12 17:34:00 Kate Plourd of CFO Magazine recently interviewed me for her December story “Thank You, and Good Night! How to make a graceful exit when you resign.” Also, I was quoted in her article. The article is below. The part where I’m quoted is highlighted. You can also ... More About: Chuck , December 2007 , Issue
Response to Reader?s Questions Regarding Severance & Separation Agreements
2007-12-03 04:08:00 Ritu Anand of GE India sent me the below questions concerning my October 28, 2007, post concerning severance and separation agreements. Hi Charles , Thanks for throwing light on this subject ! However, I have a few doubts and would appreciate if You could help resolve them: 1. What is the guarantee that the exiting employee ... More About: Questions , Reader , Separation , Severance , Response
Presentation Handout: Legal & Cultural Considerations for International Tr
2007-11-19 06:40:00 Below is the handout I prepared for my November 15, 2007, presentation at the World Trade Center Illinois’ “Breaking Down Trade Barriers” conference. You can view it in PowerPoint by clicking on the link below or just view the text version. My part of the panel discussion concerning legal, accounting and cultural considerations for international ... More About: International , Legal , Presentation , Cultural , Ural
Chuck Krugel Speaking @ International Trade Conference
2007-11-12 03:29:00 I’ve got two public presentations to tell you about. One involves me and the other involves my colleague Tony Ramos founder and president of The Integra Security Alliance, which I’m a part of. On Thursday, November 15, 2007, as part of the “Breaking Down Trade Barriers” day long conference, sponsored by the World Trade Center ... More About: International , Chuck , Speaking , Conference
Questions Concerning Severance & Separation Agreements
2007-10-29 01:31:00 One topic I get a lot of questions about is severance and separation agreements. Generally, severance refers to giving an exiting employee a monetary bonus or settlement above and beyond their regular compensation. A separation agreement usually refers to an agreement wherein the exiting employee promises not to sue, file a regulatory agency complaint, take business ... More About: Questions , Separation , Severance
2008 Projected Employer Health Care Costs
2007-10-16 02:53:00 Paul Shaheen, my associate from The Horton Group, an employer benefits brokerage and consultancy, sent me their latest LegalEase newsletter today. It’s worth posting because it’s an in-depth and fascinating article concerning projected employer health care costs for 2008. 2008 Per-Employee Health Care Costs To Exceed $9,300; Wide Disparities Foreseen By Stephen Miller, October 2007 [From SHRM ... More About: Insurance , Health Care , Small Business , Human Resources
The End
2007-10-11 05:40:00 Please visit www.charlesakrugel.com for my new site/blog. All content is now there. This blog will be gone in a few days. Thanks, Chuck Krugel.
Chuck Krugel: New Seminar & New Blog/Website
2007-10-06 21:44:00 Welcome to my new blog/website! It’s been more than 5 weeks since my last posting. The reason for such a long time lag is simple: This website was being created. All of my content (i.e., posts, links, comments, media, link exchanges, everything) has been transferred to this new site. My old site ... More About: Website , Human Resources , Podcast , Blog , Seminar
Chuck Krugel: New Seminar & New Blog/Website
2007-10-06 20:55:00 It's been more than 5 weeks since my last posting. The reason for such a long time lag is simple: I have a new website. My new site is at www.charlesakrugel.com. All of my content (i.e., posts, links, comments, media, link exchanges, everything) has been transferred to this new site. I'll be taking down this site shortly, and this is my final post here. The new site is on the WordPress platform and looks fantastic (in my opinion). Thanks to Alex Mielus and his brother George from Bucharest, Romania, and RentACoder.com for helping me with this.Also, on November 8, 2007, from 1 pm-3:30 pm CST, I'll be doing an unemployment compensation seminar to be broadcasted live for the Human Resources Training Center. I'll be doing this seminar in partnership with David Prosnitz, the President and Founder of Personnel Planners Inc., an unemployment compensation cost reduction and control company based in Chicago. Below is the HRTC's course description:Title: Learn How To Reduce Une... More About: Website , Blog , Seminar , Chuck , Mina
Colleague ArticleSuccession: An Opportunity for Growth
2007-08-26 23:27:00 The Horton Group has published the following article, in its law related newsletter--Legal-EASE, written by a mutual associate of ours Michael Zolno of Zolno Consulting.All businesses, especially law firms, go through succession, which can cause a great deal of internal and external turmoil.In fact the survival of the firm may well depend upon how well the succession is dealt with.Studies show less than 50% of all businesses ever make it from the first generation to the next.Even less make it to generation number three!However, if properly handled, the retirement of senior management and partners offers a tremendous opportunity for growth.The key for insuring a smooth transition to new partners is having a well thought out and written plan forsuccession and transitions. Such a plan would include: A clear definition of what is expected of the ?new leader.? The skills and attributes desired of the ?new leader.? A plan for how and when the ?new leader? will a... More About: Opportunity , Growth , Artic , Coll , Unit
Colleague Article - Succession: An Opportunity for Growth
2007-08-26 13:20:00 The Horton Group has published the following article, in its law related newsletter–Legal-EASE, written by a mutual associate of ours Michael Zolno of Zolno Consulting. All businesses, especially law firms, go through succession, which can cause a great deal of internal and external turmoil. In fact the survival of the firm may well depend upon how well ... More About: Article , Opportunity , Growth , Succession , Business Management
2 New Chuck Krugel Media Interviews-1 TV & 1 Radio
2007-08-17 01:08:00 On Tuesday, 7/17, I shot my 2nd TV interview for The Employment Hour. This 15 minute interview (hour long program) will air on Comcast local cable in mid-August and will be uploaded to YouTube around the same time. The subject of the interview is labor & employment law, particularly minimum wage and leave of absence issues). Also, Podcast and Internet versions will soon be uploaded to http://employmenthour.com/index.htm. My 9/1/06 interview is now part of Professor Todd Cheesman's Entrepreneur Law course at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, MA (see my 4/2/07 website post for more information). Additionally, on June 9, 2007, I was interviewed live on Kennedy-King College's radio station WKKC 89.9 FM talk program the Consumer's Eye hosted by Derek McNeal and Charles Young. For 40 minutes, Derek and Charles interviewed me regarding labor and employment law and human resources issues affecting employers and employees. This interview will soon be p... More About: Radio , Media , Interviews , Chuck , Adio
2 New Chuck Krugel Media Interviews - 1 TV & 1 Radio
2007-08-16 13:15:00 On Tuesday, 7/17, I shot my 2nd TV interview for The Employment Hour. This 15 minute interview (hour long program) will air on Comcast local cable in mid-August and will be uploaded to YouTube around the same time. The subject of the interview is labor & employment law, particularly minimum wage and leave of absence ... More About: Radio , Media , Interviews , Chuck , Adio
Chuck Krugel 8/15/07 Labor & Employment Law Seminar @ Chicago's City Hall
2007-08-06 04:36:00 The City of Chicago's Department of Business Affairs & Licensing has asked me to do another employment law seminar (my 3rd). This free seminar will be on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, from 3pm-4:30pm at City Hall , 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 805. Like my prior seminars, this will be largely Q&A and round-table discussion. Additionally, I'll be providing participants with a 19-page handout summarizing 56 federal, state and local labor & employment laws, and examining a variety of human resources related legal issues (to see a copy of an earlier handout click here). Thanks to the Department of Business Affairs & Licensing (especially Alfredo Camarena) for organizing this. If you would like to attend just let me know or contact Alfredo Camarena at 312-744-5344 or alfredo.camarena@cityofchicago.org. More About: Employment , Seminar , Labor
Chuck Krugel 8/15/07 Labor & Employment Law Seminar @ Chicago?s City Hall
2007-08-05 13:11:00 The City of Chicago ’s Department of Business Affairs & Licensing has asked me to do another employment law seminar (my 3rd). This free seminar will be on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, from 3pm-4:30pm at City Hall , 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 805. Like my prior seminars, this will be largely Q&A and round-table discussion. Additionally, ... More About: Employment , Seminar , Labor
Reader Comment Concerning My 2/11/07 Post On Criminal Background Checks and
2007-07-23 16:35:00 Criminal Background Check left the following comment on my February 11, 2007, post "Employee Screening and Risk Assessment":The latest thing is what people have done/posted on online. Employers are now starting to scour perspective employees Social Networking sites such as Facebook, and MySpace to see what they are up to in their own time. Let alone their political views. Thanks for the comment.You're right. However, I think that this is a natural evolution in the use of the Internet by allowing employers to cheaply and easily see who they're hiring or considering to hire.More mature and sophisticated employers will be more tolerant of divergent political or social views which don't harm potential customers or the public, and don't hurt profits. Less sophisticated and mature employers won't hire those individuals, yet possibly shrink their pool of qualified and profitable prospective employees for more compliant employees. If my prior statement is correct, then those less sophi... More About: Post , Reader , Comment , Criminal
Attorney Feedback On My July 6, 2007, Post
2007-07-13 23:02:00 In repsonse to my July 6, 2007, post concerning a prospective client' s questions regarding employee severance and separation agreements, Pennsylvania employment attorney Michael Moore posted the following comment: Your comment about "precedent" is right on point for a number of reasons. First, even if your separation agreement includes a confidentiality clause, the information always seems to find its way to the employee grapevine and creates an expectation for future departing employees. Second, sometimes the terminated employee is surprised by being offered severance in return for signing a release. Some of these employees get the impression that the employer has something to hide and that's why the agreement is being offered. Overall, employers should spend more time thinking about the communication with the departing employee to manage the "perceptions". Wed Jul 11, 09:27:00 AM CDT Thanks much for the comments and compliment Michael. You've sparked a few additional... More About: Post , Attorney , Feedback
Prospective Client Inquires About Severance & Separation Agreements
2007-07-06 17:05:00 A prospective client asked me about separation and severance agreements. More specifically, the company asked about terminating a long time employee (who?s also over 40 years old), and if they should offer this individual a severance and/or have them sign a separation agreement. Generally speaking, whenever I?m asked about employment agreements (e.g., severance, separation, hiring, noncompete and nonsolicitation), I ask the company why they think they need such an agreement. It?s not an absolute necessity to offer an exiting employee a severance or separation agreement unless the employer needs protection from that employee, the employer desires to offer the employee a going away gift, it?s pursuant to company policy or practice, or the company is satisfying the terms of a contract or agreement. More specifically, some of the reasons why a company might need a severance or separation agreement are as follows: In part, when an employer considers using a separation a... More About: Separation , Severance , Prospect , Client , Prospective
Additional Questions From Reader About Starting Own Management Side Employm
2007-06-20 02:29:00 Thanks, Charles. This is really great. I have some follow-up questions on a few of the topics you raised. If you could address some of these questions in your post as well, that would be fantastic.Websites -- What is your opinion about the usefulness of blogging for gaining business? Several articles I've read suggest this is a cost-effective way of advertising one's expertise and availability for certain kinds of cases. I guess the idea is that nowadays clients often use the Internet to locate information and representation for legal problems. I'm thinking about starting a blog (in addition to having a traditional firm website) that focuses on New York employment discrimination law, since this is the area where I will be practicing. I know blogging can be fun and educational, but is this really a good use of time, from a business-generating perspective? Speaking -- I'm curious to hear a little more about the "nuts and bolts" of actually obtaining speaking g... More About: Questions , Management , Reader , Side
Question From Reader About Starting Own Management Side Employment Law Prac
2007-06-02 21:50:00 Reader, Michael W., emailed me the below question about starting his own management side employment law practice in New York City. My answer follows his question. I am interested in starting my own law practice in New York City, representing management in employment discrimination cases. I believe there is a real economic opportunity in this area for high-quality solo or small-firm lawyers, who can litigate these sorts of bread-and-butter cases as well as big firms but at a reasonable cost. My background: I am a 1997 law school graduate, with federal clerkship, big firm, and now U.S. Attorney Office experience (I am a Civil AUSA). I have seen your website, through various Google searches, and noticed that you have a similar practice to what I would like to build. My question to you is, do you have any suggestions for obtaining business from large and medium size companies? Everything else about setting up my own firm seems easy. It's finding someone to pay me for... More About: Question , Management , Reader , Employment , Side
May 24, 2007, Labor & Employment Law Seminar @ The Evanston Public Library
2007-05-14 01:08:00 On Thursday, May 24, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., I'll be giving a free labor and employment law seminar sponsored by Illinois SBDC at the Technology Innovation Center in Evanston. It's at the Evanston Public Library , 1703 Orrington Ave. (intersection of Orrington & Church St.). Parking is available; check their website. Registration is via e-mail to Victoria Gheorghe, the SBDC's Director, v.gheorghe@sbdc-evanston.org or phone 847-866-1817. This is my 2nd seminar for this SBDC. Free reference materials will also be provided (to see the materials from my January 2007 seminar at Chicago's City Hall click here).The seminar is sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network, the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center in Evanston, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Evanston Public Library.Thanks to Victoria, the Illinois' Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Evanston Public Library for setting ... More About: Employment , Seminar , Labor
A Client & I Are Quoted in the Spring Edition of Business Week's Small Biz
2007-04-26 01:06:00 In the cover story of the April/May 2007 hard copy edition of Business Week Small Biz and the Spring edition of the Business Week Online, SmallBiz Cover Story, a client and I are quoted and cited in Amy Barrett's article: "Blindsided-Five H.R. mistakes you can't afford to make." What is unique about this is that I arranged for my client, Steve Skertich owner of Pro Med Staffing, and I to be interviewed together by Amy. A full-page photo of Steve is included in the magazine edition of the article.Steve and I were interviewed together about employee noncompete agreements, and I was interviewed separately about differences between federal, state and local labor and employment laws.Thanks Amy. More About: Edition , Client
This Blog on Southern Illinois University's Law Library Website
2007-04-17 22:40:00 Southern Illinois University Law Library 's website has included this website/blog as one of only 3 blogs listed on its labor and employment law page. More About: Website , Blog , Southern
All Media Links Fixed
2007-04-16 18:45:00 All media links have been fixed. More About: Media , Links , Fixed
Broken Media Links Will Soon Be Fixed
2007-04-16 05:05:00 I just discovered that Snapdrive is unreliable and that some of the MP3s I've stored on there aren't working anymore. They used to work. So, I'm in the process of fixing these links. They're some of my media interviews in the left column. This shouldn't take more than a few days to fix. More About: Media , Links , Broken , Fixed
Chuck Krugel TV Interview Is Now Part of A Law School's Curriculum
More articles from this author:2007-04-03 05:06:00 Recently, I discovered that 2/3 of my September 1, 2006, TV interview on the Chicago local cable access show "The Employment Hour" (click on the link to see it on You Tube) hosted and produced by Mohammed Faheem and Paul Kutylo, has become part of the optional materials for a law school course.The 1st two segments of the interview (20 minutes) are part of Professor Todd Cheesman's Entrepreneur Law course at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, Massachusetts. More specifically they're in the Optional Materials section of week 6 of the course which is Employment Law. If you click on the following link it will take you to that part of Todd's syllabus-- http://www.concord-law.net/Entrepreneur/W eek%206.htm.Here's a course description of Todd's Entrepreneur Law course: This course will inform the student of relevant matters in the creation or acquisition of a business. Specific legal theory covering personal and business planning, selection of the right entity at the right ... More About: Interview , Curriculum , Part , Chuck 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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