On March 21, 2017, Ohio’s Three Foot Passing Law goes into effect! The law found in Section 4511.27(A)(1) states that “When a motor vehicle or trackless trolley overtakes and passes a bicycle, three feet or greater is considered a safe passing distance.” The Ohio Legislature deserves a big “Thank You” from all of us who ride bicycles. Now we need to educate the driving public about the law so that the three foot passing distance becomes the practice on Ohio’s roads and not just another law in the Ohio Revised Code. Organizations like Bike Cleveland are spreading the word. Hopefully, each of us, whether through cycling advocacy groups, local bike shops, local government or friends and family, can do our part to get the word out and make Ohio a safer state for those who ride bikes.

Ohio Senate Bill 199 goes into effect on March 20, 2017.  The law expands under certain specified circumstances the rights of individuals with valid concealed handgun licenses to bring and to store handguns on an employer’s property.  It also restricts an employer’s ability to prohibit handguns on its premises.  Although not necessarily covered in this article, the law also modifies “the prohibition against carrying a concealed handgun onto institutions of higher education, day-care facilities, aircraft, certain government facilities, public areas of airport terminals, and school safety zones”  as those terms are defined in the law. Continue reading Expanded Concealed Carry Gun Law Affects Ohio Employers →

As a business and employment law attorney who appears in court on behalf of individuals, businesses and other organizations, I value the important decisions that Ohio voters will make when selecting judges and justices in the General Election on Tuesday November 8, 2016. It may not be easy to find substantive information about the judicial candidates, but there is a site that I recommend you visit if you want to learn more about the ratings and endorsements that the judicial candidates received from four bar associations and the media. It is: www.Judge4Yourself.com. I hope you find it useful when you exercise your right to vote.

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has published a new Fact Sheet on the bathroom access rights for transgender employees.  The EEOC’s position is straightforward and easily understood.  However, employers and employees in North East Ohio would be seriously mistaken if they assumed that their respective rights and obligations ended at the bathroom.  Rulings by the EEOC and various federal courts offer broad protections to transgender employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Continue reading Protection of Transgender Employees Against Sex Discrimination: More Than Bathroom Access Rights →

On September 6, 2016, House Bill 523 goes into effect legalizing, with certain restrictions, the use, possession and distribution of medical marijuana in Ohio.  The soon-to-be enacted law specifically addresses issues related to medical marijuana in the workplace and provides guidance for both Ohio employers and employees.  Workers and employers alike should educate themselves on the law in advance in order to avoid problems once the law goes into effect. Continue reading Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Law and the Workplace: What Employers and Employees in North East Ohio Need to Know →

On site training sessions on workplace issues for supervisors and employees work.  I have seen positive results for employer-clients I’ve worked with over a period of years. Continue reading Workplace Training Benefits Both Employers and Employees →

Our jobs are far more than something we do to earn a pay check.  Don’t get me wrong, we understand that pay check is really important!  What we all do for a living in part defines who we are.  It organizes our days and stabilizes our lives.  When you lose your job, get fired, discharged, suspended, put on a performance improvement plan or you don’t get that promotion at work, it’s personal and upsetting.  It’s about you, your family and your life that’s been impacted.

When you’re looking for a lawyer to help you after being fired, disciplined or laid off, you want someone who has knowledge, experience and compassion.  An attorney who can help solve your problems.  You also want an attorney who is available to meet with you about your employment situation.  My firm can meet your needs.  Over the years I have met with people experiencing employment problems at my firm’s location in Beachwood.  I will continue working on Cleveland’s East Side.  Now, I am able to meet with you on Cleveland’s West Side, in Avon, Ohio.

If our firm’s location at 24700 Chagrin Boulevard, Suite 309, Beachwood, Ohio 44122 is not convenient for you, we can schedule an appointment and discuss your employment situation at 36368 Detroit Road, Suite B, Avon, Ohio 44011.  Should you need to speak with an employment lawyer, I am close by.

After much talk and speculation, the Department of Labor has issued its Final Rule updating overtime regulations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and significantly affecting the executive, administrative and professional exemptions.  The Rule goes into effect on December 1, 2016. Continue reading Final Rule Expands Who is Eligible for Overtime →

On March 23, 2016, the Ohio legislature joined a number of cities in Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland, Akron, Warren and Youngstown as well as some counties and other states by prohibiting public employers from including “any question concerning the criminal background of the applicant” on their applications for employment. Continue reading Ohio, Cleveland, Akron, Warren, Youngstown and Other Public Employers “Ban the Box” on Felony Convictions →

It’s Monday (more likely Friday) and your employer just fired you.  The company put you on a performance improvement plan.  You were harassed and/or discriminated against, again.  You believe your employer should be paying you overtime, but isn’t.  You have an upcoming appointment with a North East Ohio employment lawyer.  What should you do?  What can you expect? Continue reading Fired, Harassed Or Discriminated Against: Making The Most Of Your Meeting With An Employment Lawyer →