As a business owner, you may be considering starting an internship program for your company. Internships can be beneficial to both you as a business owner and the intern. Interns can receive hands-on training in their field of interest while assisting your company in reaching its goals. However, it is important to keep in mind the various legal considerations and …
This expansive outline on farm labor laws was created for the 2018 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agri-Tourism and Organic Conference in Springfield, Illinois. It covers employment classifications (e.g., employer, employee, independent contractor), unpaid farm labor (e.g., internships, apprenticeships, volunteer farm labor, hiring and firing practices, wage and hour laws (including child labor laws), the Family Medical Leave Act, and employee handbooks.
Most businesses at one point or another come across the process of hiring interns. The decision to bring on an intern may be easy to take, but whether or not he should be paid is a matter that is more complicated. Many employers believe that as long as you label the person being hired as an intern that paying that …
I recently wrote this article giving an overview of local food law in New York. It gives an overview of the myriad of legal issues affecting farmers and food entrepreneurs involved in the local food movement including direct farm marketing, cottage food operation law, and a checklist of other legal issues such food safety, contract law, land use and zoning, insurance …
Summer is around the corner.. and ’tis the season for unpaid interns! I recently came across this helpful factsheet from the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, on internship programs under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The factsheet clearly defines the test that is used for determining whether the “trainee” test for interns is satisfied so that …
I get a lot of emails from folks who would like to learn more about being an agriculture lawyer — some folks who are interested in going to law school and others experienced practitioners who want to reach out to agriculture clients. Beginning on April 6, 2012, I will have an “open mic” on the first Friday of the month …