USCIS Requires Employers to Use New I-9 Form Beginning January 22, 2017

In Employment Law by Coolidge Wall

In November 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new Form I-9 for all employers to use when hiring new employees. Starting January 22, 2017, all employers must use this new Form I-9, which has been referenced as a “smart” form because it can be filled out online and includes drop-down menus, hover text with instructions, and error messages. Failure to use the new Form I-9 beginning January 22, 2017, may result in civil fines. The new changes are specifically designed to help employers reduce technical errors. Some of the changes include: Additional spaces to enter multiple …

Mergers, acquisitions: proven counsel can promote positive results

In Business Organizations by Coolidge Wall

One thing that is centrally true of any successful company in Ohio, nationally or internationally is that it is not static. That is, its business operations are overseen by principals who understand that purposeful change — well-considered and carefully prepared adjustment — is often a necessary component for sustained excellence and enduring profitability. Winning businesses are dynamic, inquisitive, exploratory and always on the lookout for continued company development. That “eye on growth” mentality often results in business owners and ranking officers proactively searching for new ways in which to expand and prosper. One such strategy focuses upon purchasing another company …

Sam Warwar is Panelist at Event Hosted by The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP)

In News by Coolidge Wall

On March 3, 2017, The Greater Dayton Partnership for Philanthropic Planning Council will present “4 Perspectives on the First 40 Days of the New Presidency,” with a discussion by four local experts, including our own Sam Warwar.  The panel will address a variety of topics (taxes, philanthropy, investing and business) as related to a new Presidential administration. The panelists’ specialties include law, finance, taxes and philanthropy. The four panelists are: Sam Warwar, Attorney, Coolidge Wall Co., L.P.A. Tom Mangan, Sr. VP, and Portfolio Mgr. James Investment Research Lynn Burns, CPA, JD, CFP. Owner, Burns Tax Consulting, LLC Mike Parks, President, …

Workforce issues: many and challenging for any business

In Business Organizations by Coolidge Wall

A well-trained, diverse and employer-committed workforce is at the top of any list of variables that define and centrally contribute to business success. A company in Ohio or anywhere else with exemplary employees is already halfway home when it comes to a prospering bottom line. Notwithstanding that, though, it is a flat business reality that employee-related matters can be challenging. As we stress on our business law website at the historically long-tenured and proven commercial law firm of Coolidge Wall in Dayton, “managing personnel issues … can be a difficult and delicate task.” That is precisely what we help employers …

Coolidge Wall Shares Its Holiday Spirit

In News by Coolidge Wall

Each year, the employees of Coolidge Wall join together to share their holiday spirit by giving to needy families in our community. Contributions are raised through the firm’s “Casual Day” program, where employees pay a nominal fee to dress casually one day per month. Those contributions are then used to purchase food for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as Christmas gifts for each family. The families we assist are always delighted to be the beneficiaries of the firm’s generosity.

The 21st Century Cures Act Allows Small Employer Standalone HRAs

In Healthcare Reform by Coolidge Wall

On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act. Title XVIII of the Act overturns a portion of ACA regulations (IRS Notice 2013-54) that prohibits employers from offering employees standalone health reimbursement arrangements (i.e., HRAs that are not integrated with a group health plan). This change will allow eligible small employers the opportunity to contribute money to HRA accounts of their employees that can be used to pay health insurance premiums as well as deductibles, copayments, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses. The prohibition on standalone HRAs is lifted somewhat, but only as to small employers who employ …

Tax considerations for an Ohio business: running the gamut

In Business Organizations by Coolidge Wall

Businesses in Ohio and throughout the country vary significantly, of course, with the goods and services they offer consumers being richly distinct. Given that reality, shared uniformity among businesses, although seen to some extent, seldom exists in any broad-based way. If one company is a grocery retailer and another an auto-parts distributor, for example, their respective business plans will obviously differ in material respects. At least in one sense, though, all enterprises share a common bond, regardless of their business pursuits, and that is this: a close and unremitting tax-related focus. We reference that truth on the business and commercial …

Wage-Hour Update: Latest on Salary-Exempt Status Litigation

In Employment Law by Coolidge Wall

In our blog entry dated November 23, 2016, Coolidge Wall announced that a federal judge in Texas had issued an injunction halting the Department of Labor’s new wage and hour regulations from being implemented on December 1, 2016, as anticipated. These amended regulations purported to increase the threshold salary requirement for most exempt positions from $455 to $913 per week, which would have impacted more than an estimated four million workers throughout the country. Many employers were poised to implement changes in compliance with the amendments, and others had already implemented such changes in advance of the effective date. Since …

Coolidge Wall Attorneys Speak on FLSA Wage-Hour Regulations

In News by Coolidge Wall

On December 7, 2016, Marc Fleischauer and David Pierce presented on the topic of the Fair Labor Standards Act to a group of lawyers as part of the Dayton Bar Association’s Annual Labor and Employment Law Roundup. The presentation focused on the Department of Labor’s proposed amendments to its wage and hour regulations that had been set to take effect on December 1, 2016, before a last-minute nationwide preliminary injunction was granted by a federal court in Texas. Pierce and Fleischauer provided background on the proposed regulations and up-to-the-minute information and analysis on the legal battle now taking place before …

Corporate Landlords: Why You Must Have an Attorney File and Handle Your Eviction Actions

In Litigation by Coolidge Wall

The statute governing forcible entry and detainer claims, often referred to as evictions, allows landlords to file complaints against their tenants for a number of different reasons, including breaching a lease agreement, failing to pay rent, or engaging in illegal drug activity. If the landlord is a corporation, that corporation is required to be represented by an attorney in filing complaints for eviction and appearing before the Court. Non-lawyers are not permitted to file legal papers or represent the interests of a corporation before a Court except under very limited circumstances which do not apply to eviction actions. See /blog/2016/09/claim-limits-in-ohio-small-claims-court-increase-to-6000–.shtml. …