Firm partner, Shellie Reyes has been elected a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Fellows of the foundation are selected because of their outstanding professional achievements and their commitment to the improvement of the justice system in Texas. About the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation Each year, one-third of 1% of Texas lawyers are invited to become Texas Bar…
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) recently released its highly anticipated guidance for employers concerning Covid-19. The guidance from OSHA primarily focuses on healthcare workers, but it also addresses recommendations geared toward all types of employers. These recommendations come at a pivotal time as many employers have implemented back to work in-person strategies, or a hybrid thereof. As an…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is planning to bump up its audits of small businesses as well as their investors by around 50% this year. In part, this is due to years of consistently low rates of examination among small businesses. According to this story from Bloomberg, a surge in audits is expected and will be for “companies ranging from…
Recently, the EEOC (US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) updated its ongoing COVID-19 guidance with questions and answers that specifically address mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies within the workplace. In short, the guidance provided suggests that employers can implement and enforce mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for employees. However, there are certain exceptions and caveats to be aware of. What to know about…
Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, all businesses have been forced to adjust how they operate. Given changes in resources, labor, and even the ability to travel, some businesses have been left struggling to fulfill their contractual obligations. Consequently, businesses are left wondering what relief they are entitled to as a result of the pandemic, as well as what…
During Monday night’s coronavirus briefing, County Judge Nelson Wolff said there have been more than 700 compliance checks around the county to ensure that businesses are requiring masks within their establishments – a mandate that went into effect early last week without opposition from Texas Governor, Greg Abbott. The governor had previously issued an executive order that banned local governments…
On Monday, in a ground-breaking decision, the Supreme Court ruled that federal law protects LGBT workers from discrimination. With this ruling, employers who fire workers for being gay or transgender will be violating civil rights laws. This decision comes just days after the Trump administration announced it was going to remove nondiscriminatory health-insurance and health-care protections for LGBTQ people. The…
On Wednesday evening, the Senate passed by voice vote a House-passed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reform bill. This brings Congress one step closer to enactment of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, which will give small businesses owners more flexibility in using PPP loan money. The PPP was enacted in order to help small businesses with an emergency loan as…
Today, the United States House of Representatives passed new legislation which would make it easier for businesses to have their Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven by relaxing restrictions on how the loan money can be used and extending the period that businesses have to use the funds. The bill would extend the forgiveness period for PPP loans from eight to…
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the Texas Supreme Court had issued a temporary pause on both debt collection and eviction proceedings. Now, the Texas Supreme Court is saying that these proceedings can resume this month. Translation? Businesses and debt collectors are going to start asking for payment and/or filing lawsuits. What is Going into Effect and When? Evictions The first day…
