My partner and I are arguing about whether or not we can fire one of our employees for consistently being five minutes late to work. My partner says that we don’t have good cause, but I’ve heard California is an “at-will” state. Can’t I terminate the employee for any reason? You are correct that the […]

I recently hired someone to develop my business website, and now there’s some controversy about whether I can update and make changes to the site. Since I paid someone to do the website, don’t I own the website content and copyright? Copyright refers to the exclusive legal right a creator has to use and distribute […]

I’m in a dispute with someone, and I just took a look at our contract and it has an arbitration clause. I’ve heard of arbitration on the news, but it always sounds complicated. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? If it’s bad, can I get out of it? Arbitration is an alternative […]

My employer had me work on Labor Day. I just got my paycheck and he only paid me my regular hourly rate. Shouldn’t I receive overtime for working on a holiday? Is he even allowed to be open on holidays? Shouldn’t I be entitled to paid holidays? While Labor Day is indeed a federal and […]

I’m moving out of my apartment and I think my landlord is going to try to keep all of my security deposit. What exactly can she use the security deposit for? Landlords and tenants often ask what can be deducted from the security deposit. The answer, unfortunately, is rather murky. The law is ambiguous about […]

The earthquake really shook up our business. Now that our office is a mess, we’re taking the opportunity to throw away old records. How long do we have to keep records? Does it depend on the kind of records? I’m sorry to hear that your office was hit hard by the earthquake, but you’re right […]

I’m a single woman and I have a spare bedroom at my home in Napa and am considering renting it out to help me pay my mortgage. Is it legal to only accept a female tenant? Can I require that my tenant not cook in her room, have overnight guests or smoke at my house? […]

I’m thinking about bringing in a high school intern for my business. Can I do so without paying him or her? Interns have always been a popular option for businesses that want to save money and cut costs. Interns are typically students working as unpaid employees in order to obtain experience and school credit. It’s […]

I have an employee with diabetes who recently requested that I put a refrigerator in the office so that the employee can store their insulin. It seems like an expensive proposition to me — do I need to buy and run a refrigerator in the office for one person’s medicine? Whether an employer must provide […]

One of my employees recently pulled me aside and told me that he is becoming a she. I want to support my employee in this endeavor, but I’m also concerned about what changes need to be made in the workplace. What do I need to know? To start, begin referring to your employee as a […]