Legal Insights
You Must be a Current Employee to Review your Personnel File!
July 18, 2018 By Thomas D. Rees, Esquire Last year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that only current employees have the right to review their personnel files under the Pennsylvania Personnel Files Act. This decision in Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Inc. v. Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, 162 A.3d 384 (Pa. 2017), does not […]
Social Security Disability: Meeting the Financial and Medical Eligibility Requirements
Being diagnosed with a potentially disabling medical condition and not being able perform the work you used to do is not a guarantee that you will be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits. There are stringent rules and requirements, both financial and medical, which must be met in order to be approved for Social Security […]
Watch out for Non-Hire and Anti-Poaching Agreements!
You are the CEO of Company A, a cutting-edge developer of new software. Over golf (or sushi), you agree with the CEO of equally cutting-edge Company B that each of you will not hire or try to hire away the other’s top talent. Is anything wrong with this? Yes! The Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits contracts […]
Franchisee’s Struggle: Creating a Viable Business When Someone Else Calls the Shots on Your Social Media Presence
Social media has changed the way we see the world. From its modest beginnings as a way to connect people, social media has grown into an ever present force that cannot be ignored. We get the news (fake and otherwise), learn about new products, and keep in touch through social media. I’d imagine you’d be […]
Be Prepared for Motorcycle Season
As the long cold and rainy spring of 2018 fades into memory, motorcycle riders across the Commonwealth are taking out their bikes and getting ready for a glorious season of riding. However, the unfortunate truth is that motorcycle accidents can and do happen. Here are some thoughts about how to increase your chance to have […]
How to Plan a Funeral
People love to make plans-the perfect wedding, that dream vacation, a comfortable retirement, the kitchen remodel. Making plans is one of the great joys of life- except for when it comes to making plans for the end of it. Understandably, we don’t like to think about—much less make specific plans for—our own deaths or the […]
Update on the Philadelphia Wage Equity Ordinance
The Ordinance On January 23, 2017, the Philadelphia Wage Equity Ordinance (“Ordinance”) was signed by the Mayor. The Ordinance made it unlawful for any business that employs individuals in the City of Philadelphia to (1) inquire about a job applicant’s wage history (“Inquiry Provision”); or (2) to rely upon wage history information in determining a […]
Be Wary of “Binding Mediation”
Over the last 100 years, High Swartz attorneys have engaged in countless cases involving alternative dispute resolution, representing litigants in arbitrations and mediations and serving as arbitrators and mediators. Recently however, I have noticed a newer concept being incorporated into contractual provisions and settlement discussions: “binding mediation”. Such a provision raises immediate questions. What is […]
Alcohol Abuse and Custody: What Safeguards are Available?
A straightforward custody case can be made extremely complex and contentious when accusations are raised regarding alcohol use and abuse. Regardless of whether the concerns are legitimate or not, alcohol use that may have been problematic, but tolerated while a relationship was intact, becomes magnified many times over when the parties separate and custody has […]
Leave No Stone Unturned
As stated in previous articles in this series, when faced with unexpected economic harms and losses due to personal injury, it is important to explore -- and understand -- all legal avenues and options which may be available to seek and secure appropriate benefits and compensation. Depending upon the surrounding circumstances, there may be multiple […]