Most personal injuries, such as car accidents and premises injury claims involve an insurance company to settle an injury claim. In Fort Worth or Dallas, a claim may settle with the adjuster or the insurer may hire local Texas lawyers. The time and complexity involved in settling an injury claim or suit depends upon the injuries, the […]
How long will it take to settle an injury claim? Read More »
In Texas, it is illegal for an employer to create a hostile work environment, or workplace harassment, on the basis of sex/gender, race, religion, age (over 40), qualified disability, national origin, ethnicity, or status as a current or veteran military service member. Discrimination laws prohibit more than just sexual harassment. Harassment leads to a hostile
If I am harassed at work, what should I do? Dallas employment lawyer Read More »
Vehicle accidents are an unfortunate result of our automobile-driven transportation system in Texas. In Tarrant County alone, there are over 20,000 traffic accidents each year. With over 1.8 million people in the county, that is one accident per ninety people each year. (Although this is somewhat inaccurate because non-Tarrant County residents also get in accidents
Common places car accidents occur Read More »
No, although many employers continue to present this as a written or unspoken rule. Employers generally do not want you to share your salary, hourly wage, or bonus numbers with your colleagues. They fear those who make less will demand more pay. The National Labor Relations Act protects your right to discuss conditions of your
Can my boss fire me or write me up for talking to other employees about my pay? Read More »
Divorce in Bedford, Dallas and Fort Worth is a judicial process to dissolve a marriage. It requires the help of the courts. Divorce in Texas can be a fairly simple process though. The family courts in Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Denton counties can make the divorce as painless as possible. There are two ways a divorce can
What is the process for divorce in Texas? Read More »
It depends. Generally you cannot hold anybody else responsible for market losses on your investments. However, there are some situations where another party may be responsible for your investment losses. Some claims against brokers do not relate to market losses but to other negligent or fraudulent acts by a broker or adviser. When considering lawsuits
Can I sue my Texas broker for investment losses? Read More »
Generally, both plan formats defer compensation because the employee has elected to defer taking cash in hand to obtain some additional benefit, such as deferring taxes on the money or investing on a tax deferred basis. Under more specific legal definitions, there is a distinction between how these different plans work. Today’s post will discuss
What is the difference between a 401k plan and a deferred compensation plan? Read More »
It is extremely common for employers to establish the first thirty, sixty, or ninety days as a probationary period. Employers do this to set the expectation that they are “test driving” an employee. Although employers can terminate employees (at least non-union employees or those who do not work under an employment contract) any time, companies have
For what reasons can I be fired during my first 90 days in Texas? Read More »
Tara Costa was a contestant on season seven of the well-known NBC reality show Biggest Loser. Ms. Costa did not win her season but she was a fan favorite. She used her popularity to elevate her career from plus-sized model to motivational speaker and fitness spokesperson. After leaving the show, Ms. Costa signed an agreement with
Biggest Loser to Contract Breacher Read More »
By now you received fee disclosure statements on your 401k, ESOP, 403(b) and profit sharing plans. These fee disclosure statements, known as 404a5 Participant Disclosures, ensure retirement plans provide participants with a minimum amount of information about the fees charged by plan investments and fees paid by the plan (often from those investment fees) to companies that
ERISA Retirement Plan Participant Disclosures Read More »
LegalZoom is a modern version of the do-it-yourself legal forms available at office supply stores. This DIY approach to the law treats legal forms like mad libs: just fill in the form and that’s it. Typically the justification for LegalZoom for divorce in Texas is cost. While I understand the cost perspective, there are key concerns
Can I use LegalZoom for my Texas divorce? Read More »
In Texas the value of a personal injury is the result of a complex array of factors including the insurance company, the insurance policy, the type of injury, where the injury occurred, the severity of injury, lost wages and other personal financial costs, the expected future medical expenses and lost wages, the incentive to the
How do I calculate the value of a personal injury claim? Read More »
This is probably one of the most contentious and biggest question marks in employment law in this country. In 2012 there was a fight over religious organizations and health insurance plans over whether they must offer contraceptive coverage. (Remember, Georgetown law student Sarah Fluke testified before Congress and Rush Limbaugh called her a sl*t?) Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical
When employees leave employment, the common response is to want to sever ties and move on, especially if the employee left involuntarily or on bad terms. However, withdrawing or rolling over your 401k may not be the best decision in every case. There are important financial and legal considerations. Before making decisions about your 401k
Benefits of staying in your 401k after you leave an employer Read More »
This year’s Masterchef season is plagued with allegations of sexual harassment by a few female contestants, including one actress and former Playboy model. We don’t know much about the details of the allegations. All contestants are under contract with Fox not to discuss what happens behind the scenes. I suspect these allegations will turn into a
Ramsay, Masterchef, Tipped Employees, Sexual Harassment…What’s Going On? Read More »
KSOP is jargon used within the financial and employee benefit industries as shorthand to explain the arrangement where a 401k plan houses an ESOP of the employer’s stock as an investment option. An ESOP is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that allows employees to purchase company stock through a retirement plan. It is an ERISA
Consumer debts tend to be a huge part of divorces, which my firm handles a lot. In terms of marital property in Texas, credit card debt is usually within the top six financial components within the household (along with the house, cars, mortgage, retirement accounts and car loans). Under Texas law, divorces can divide consumer
Consumer credit cards and debt in a Texas divorce Read More »
A question was asked whether an employer could schedule an employee for a set of hours and if there was no work to do, have the employee clock out but be required to stay in a particular area of the work premises until he or she was needed to clock back in, with the threat
Can I be forced to clock out but keep working in Texas? Read More »
We live in a social media-driven world. It has its tentacles wrapped around almost every part of our life. Our news media relies on it for content. We interact with family members, friends and coworkers over it. It invades our pants, purses and backpacks through our phones and computers. With immediate access through our smartphones
Be careful about what you say on social media Read More »
Discrimination still occurs in the workplace. Sometimes it’s people who find it difficult to treat other people with respect. Sometimes it’s people not realizing the effect of their actions on others. This is true not only of more recently acknowledged and prohibited forms of discrimination, such as disability discrimination, but also of traditionally visible forms
Does employment discrimination still occur in the workplace? Read More »