Topics: Small Business Law - 346 results

If you’re a business owner or HR manager, the federal government has a message for you: Don’t hire illegal workers—and make sure you have a process in place to prevent hiring them. If not, US Immigration & Customs Enforcement is coming for you. The agency, which conducts audits and raids to ensure businesses are only hiring legal workers, has stepped up enforcement efforts in recent years. According to the Associated Press, in fiscal year 2011 ICE audited 2,496 companies, a …

If you’re starting a small business, one of your initial concerns may be, "Which business structure is right for me?" A recent Small Business Administration study finds that within the first four years of a small business’s life, about one in 10 reorganizes, usually moving to a more complex legal form of organization (LFO). Of course, you’ll save yourself some headaches if you choose the right LFO at the outset. But how do you know which business structure is right …

A recent Small Business Administration study finds that 36% of small business owners start off as a sole proprietorship, 31% begin as a limited liability company and 20% form as an S corporation. Much smaller percentages of new businesses begin as C corporations, general or limited partnerships, the report says. The SBA study "How Do Firms Choose Legal Form of Organization?" surveyed 4,928 new businesses started in 2004 and then tracked the firms in recent years to see whether the …

The copyright-enforcing troll of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and (formerly) the Denver Post is smarting from a recent judgment in Colorado federal court. The court dismissed Righthaven LLC’s copyright infringement case against a blogger, saying it had no right to sue. It awarded the defendant blogger costs and attorney’s fees.   Infringement plaintiff had no right to sue Adult film downloaders shamed into paying stiff license fees Ruling should let prudent bloggers breathe easier   Copyright Owners Getting Creative in …

Do you have some money saved and want to be your own boss? Like other, you may have considered investing in a franchise. McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Supercuts and even Hampton Hotels are among the better-known franchising companies. But what are the pros and cons of investing in a franchise? Franchise Basics Before we get into the advantages and disadvantages, here are some franchise basics. A franchise is a license that allows you to operate a particular business, such as a Denny’s …