Whether you are a landlord, a small business owner or an individual undoubtedly you will find yourself in a position in which someone owes you or your business money.  Collections can be difficult to pursue on your own, especially when the debtor is resistant to paying his or her debt.  Attorneys are often contacted for assistance with collecting debts.  Various legal theories can be used when filing a lawsuit, such as breach of contract, […]

Hiring workers can involve liability for homeowners and businesses alike, even if the workers hired are only part-time or temporary.  An employer should be careful when deciding to classify a worker as an employee versus an independent contractor.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) imposes severe penalties upon businesses and homeowners if a worker is misclassified as an independent contractor, rather than an employee. Effective January 1, 2013, Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) […]

With more and more workers relying on e-mail and other forms of electronic communication, there is a natural tendency to occasionally use the company e-mail for personal matters. In earlier issues of On Law, we summarized the employer’s right to view e-mails vs. the employee’s right of privacy. The rule has been: provided the employer provides the employee with notice that an employee’s e-mail at the office does not have […]

Whether you are a small, medium or large sized business owner or human resources professional, working your way through the State of Michigan unemployment process can be daunting at best. The fact that the state recently shortened the name of its agency from the Michigan Employment Security Commission to the less unwieldy Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has done nothing to simplify the process of dealing with former employees who apply […]