Crisis Prevention

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
October 14, 2024

The way in which companies and nonprofits prevent and manage both legal and reputational crises has a profound effect on their ability to succeed and focus on their business operations. It is imperative when faced with a potential crisis to employ a robust crisis management plan. This involves dual strategies: A legal strategy to address liability issues and a public relations strategy to deal with any public fallout.

Crisis Preventionsecureadmin2024-10-22T21:17:27+00:00

Navigating Legal Disputes in New York City

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
September 27, 2024

Legal disputes with New York City come in many different types. With its $112 billion budget, the City has immense numbers of contracts with companies and nonprofits that provide vital services to New Yorkers but is chronically late in paying for those services. As such, legal disputes with the City over payment for work performed is an increasingly significant issue. At the same time, the City has multiple agencies with investigatory powers who can issue subpoenas or other demands on companies that do business within the City. Thus, responding to City investigations can seriously impact the day-to-day as well as long-term prospects of the companies and nonprofits that operate within the City’s investigatory ambit. Finally, the City can take administrative actions that negatively impact an entity’s operations and these too may turn into legal disputes that need to be resolved.

Navigating Legal Disputes in New York Citysecureadmin2024-10-22T21:17:21+00:00

How Do I Keep My Business Going if I Am Being Investigated?

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
August 7, 2024

Government investigations are serious business and require a serious response. To begin with, they can lead to fines and penalties that can affect the very viability of a company or nonprofit. Even if the investigation ends without a finding of liability, the process itself can be debilitating to some companies and nonprofits, in terms of cost to defend against the investigation, time taken away from core business activities and reputational risk.

How Do I Keep My Business Going if I Am Being Investigated?secureadmin2024-10-22T21:17:34+00:00

Is My Employee Handbook up to Date?

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
July 7, 2024

It is important to regularly update the employee handbook and modify for changes in the law as well as changes in your company’s own internal policies. A thorough once a year review is important to make sure that no laws/policy changes have been overlooked and that all policies remain relevant and have been upheld consistently within the organization. (If policies have not been upheld, you must make a decision as to whether the policy should change, or the enforcement of the policy needs to be bolstered.) All changes should be run by legal counsel and then given to HR for further distribution and training.

Is My Employee Handbook up to Date?secureadmin2024-10-22T21:17:42+00:00

What to expect during an Internal Investigation

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
June 6, 2024

Internal workplace investigations are an important tool to manage a company’s or nonprofits’ risk. They can be done prior to any public accusations of wrongdoing or government investigations to determine general compliance, or they can be done in response to either public accusations of wrongdoing or a government investigation. Either way, there are certain basic steps that any investigative attorney will take to complete such an inquiry.

When should you conduct an internal workplace investigation?

What to expect during an Internal Investigationsecureadmin2024-09-29T22:55:38+00:00

Common Legal Issues in Internal Investigations

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
February 13, 2024

An internal investigation is a formal inquiry conducted by an organization to determine whether external laws or regulations or internal policies have been violated and to allow either discipline of wrongdoers and/or changes to internal compliance policies. An internal investigation can also allow an organization to respond to inquiries from law enforcement and regulators, improve internal procedures and respond to public inquiries and manage reputational risk. Below are some areas of law to be mindful of when determining whether to conduct an internal investigation, and if so, how to proceed while avoiding common mistakes.

Common Legal Issues in Internal Investigationssecureadmin2024-10-04T19:10:44+00:00

Common Regulatory Matters FAQs

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
January 8, 2024

In an increasingly regulated environment, businesses and nonprofits often get inquiries — formal and informal — from government agencies at the municipal, state and federal level. Sometimes the issues raised by the government are quickly resolved with a letter or meeting and sometimes they evolve into a full blown, white collar, investigation that can divert time, resources and attention away from other business matters. It is important to have attorneys who can determine whether your organization is in compliance with all relevant rules and regulations, and manage formal investigations when they cannot be avoided.

Common Regulatory Matters FAQssecureadmin2024-10-04T19:11:43+00:00

How to Avoid Common Regulatory Violations

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
November 2, 2023

In an increasingly regulated environment, businesses and nonprofits often get inquiries — formal and informal — from government agencies at the municipal, state and federal level. To manage their risk, it is important for businesses to stay up to date with their industry’s rules and regulations. Additionally, it is incumbent upon businesses to have a robust compliance program which includes regulatory updates and training.

How to Avoid Common Regulatory Violationssecureadmin2024-10-04T19:12:40+00:00

Does Title IX Apply to Private Schools in New York?

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
October 17, 2023

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) applies to all schools – public and private – that receive federal funding. Once a school receives federal funding, its existence as a private or independent school does not exempt it from Title IX’s requirements except in certain specific ways, discussed below.

Does Title IX Apply to Private Schools in New York?secureadmin2024-10-04T19:27:19+00:00

Labor Laws For Salaried Employees

Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
October 3, 2023

There are a number of laws that regulate how employers must treat salaried employees, including laws related to paid overtime for working more than forty hours a week. Federal, State and City government all have a variety of legal and regulatory schemes that offer employees protection, and it is important that both employers and employees understand these interlocking laws.

Labor Laws For Salaried Employeessecureadmin2024-10-04T19:28:07+00:00

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