| There are a myriad of things you must think | | | | |
| about when opening any type of business | | | | Do you happen to work in the international |
| whether it is a small business or a large | | | | arena? If you have anything at all to do with |
| corporation and one of those is how business | | | | international business, then you should be |
| law may affect you. Failure to pay attention | | | | aware of the many ways in which international |
| to business and corporate law can land you in | | | | business law can affect you, your business |
| a world of trouble-both legal and financial. | | | | and your bottom line. At a minimum, you need |
| The good news is that you do not necessarily | | | | to make sure that you meet general |
| need to be a graduate of a fancy business law | | | | international business laws, specialized |
| college or have a business law major to brush | | | | export laws, import laws and any laws of the |
| up on the basic ideas of small business law | | | | foreign country in which your business |
| and corporate business law. | | | | operates. |
| | | | |
| If you've paid attention to the headlines | | | | And what about the business law scene at |
| lately, you probably know that employment law | | | | home? Were you aware that in addition to |
| for business is one of the number one areas | | | | Federal business law and international |
| where you can get into trouble if you aren't | | | | business law, you are probably required to |
| up on all the employment laws and | | | | meet State business law regulations? Do you |
| regulations. There are numerous laws that | | | | know whether you need a business permit or |
| govern the employment of both regular | | | | license? Failure to obtain one can result in |
| employees and contract employees. Just for a | | | | the shutdown of your business and hefty fines |
| broad overview, take a look at all the | | | | and penalties. This is just one of the ways |
| employment business laws you must meet: | | | | that state business law, such as California |
| | | | business law, can affect the health of your |
| · Civil Rights Act of 1966. | | | | business if you aren't careful to stay on top |
| | | | of things. |
| · The Equal Pay Act of 1963 | | | | |
| | | | Finally, what about Internet and online |
| · Americans with Disabilities Act | | | | business laws? Were you even aware that there |
| | | | was such a thing? The Internet has exploded |
| · The Immigration Reform and Control Act | | | | so much in the last decade that the |
| of 1986 | | | | government has found it necessary to |
| | | | institute Internet compliance laws. If you |
| · The Age Discrimination in Employment Act | | | | operate a website of any kind and do not meet |
| | | | the compliance regulations, that site could |
| · The Equal Employment Opportunity Act | | | | be shut down and you could face criminal |
| | | | prosecution and hefty fines. |
| · The Bankruptcy Act | | | | |
| | | | Of course, no one should ever attempt to |
| · The Occupational Safety and Health Act | | | | navigate the complexities of any type of |
| | | | business law alone and the best course of |
| · FMLA, the Family Medical Leave Act | | | | action is to always seek the qualified |
| | | | professional advice of a business law firm, |
| · Employee Polygraph Protection Act Labor | | | | but hopefully these tips will help you to |
| Law | | | | understand a little bit more about business |
| | | | law requirements. |
| · FLSA, the Fair Labor Standards Act | | | | |
| | | | Summary: When operating a business, |
| And that's not even counting the various | | | | regardless of whether it is a small business |
| state employment business laws that might | | | | or a large corporation, you need to be on top |
| apply to your business! If you aren't sure of | | | | of business law compliance. Even if you hire |
| whether you are meeting all the regulations, | | | | a business law firm, it's still a good idea |
| it's a good idea to get a checkup for your HR | | | | to understand what regulations you must meet. |
| department. | | | | |