What to Consider Before Signing an Employment Contract

Congratulations on being offered an employment opportunity. But before you sign that contract, make sure you read it thoroughly and carefully first to make sure that you are not agreeing to terms that can be disadvantageous to you in the future. 

Watch out for red flags that can indicate potential problems in the future. Here are some of the things you should look for in the contract: 

1. Your job description

The contract should include what your job description is or what your role is in the company. This will prevent the company from letting you do tasks that are not within your area of expertise and not what you signed up for and use that against you.

2. Basic employment rights 

It should stipulate basic things such as how many hours of work you will render in a week, the minimum wage, how many vacation and sick days you are getting and what the rules are regarding severance. 

3. Learn more about employment equity and discrimination in the workplace.

The Employment Equity Act aims to protect women, the minorities, aboriginal people and disabled people from suffering from discrimination in the workplace. Find out what the company’s stand and policies are when it comes to these discrimination issues. 

If you think your company is treating you unfairly, don’t hesitate to get the help of an employment lawyer in Vancouver. If you have been terminated illegally or you have experienced discrimination in the workplace, a Vancouver employment lawyer from law firms like Lakes, Whyte LLP can help you out. 

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Planning for Incapacity – What You Can Do

It’s not pleasant to think about a future where you might be unable to do the things you wish to do when it comes to your assets and finances. But it’s a possibility, so it’s important to plan for it.

When it comes to planning for incapacity, there are two types of documents you can go for. They are Enduring Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements. These documents essentially appoint someone else to make decisions on your finances, health care and personal needs on your behalf. 

The Ministry of Attorney General has previously published standard forms that the public can use to plan for incapacitation. People can opt to use these forms. But if you choose to make your own, it is important that the contents comply with the stipulations of the legislation. Additionally, the standard forms are called standard for a reason. They might not apply to all situations, so if you have special or unique needs, consulting a lawyer experienced in wills in Vancouver may be the best course of action. 

Another option when it comes to incapacity planning is to make advance directives. This is a written instruction or a document that details made by the testator of wills in Vancouver providing consent to another adult when it comes to making decisions on health care. 

The best thing to do if you are planning for incapacity is to assess your future needs. Talk to a lawyer from Lakes, Whyte LLP, so you can effectively plan for incapacitation and make sure you have all grounds covered.

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3 Things You Can Do to Beat the One-Year Failure Mark

They said more than 50% of businesses fail even before they reach their first anniversary. Only 25% of those who make it to their first anniversary make it up to their 15^th year. This can be due to a lot of factors such as lack of planning, not doing a comprehensive market research, not choosing the right location and not keeping up with the trends.

 

If you want to beat the one-year failure mark that usually plagues businesses, here are the things you can do:

1. Consult lawyers in Vancouver

There are many things business lawyers in Vancouver BC such as Lakes, Whyte LLP can help you with. They can help you organize your business model, to make taxation easier later. They can also help you out with contracts and many other legalities. By protecting your business from these legal disputes, you can prolong your business operations.

2. Know your target market

Don’t wade into any business without understanding who your target market is and what you can do to reach them. Just knowing your target market helps you determine what marketing strategies you can employ. Of course, you need people to patronize your business.

3. Hone your marketing and customer service skills

Once you have everything in place, the next thing to do is to market your products and services. Tap into digital advertising and increase your online visibility. Customers are also more likely to do business with you again if you have good customer service skills.

Use these strategies in order to grow your business successfully.

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The Role of a Business Lawyer to the Success of Your Business

Not all small business owners retain the services of Vancouver law firms at the beginning of their operations or right when they are starting out. Most would probably think to retain the services of law firms in Vancouver later in their operations or once they have grown substantially. But this is where legal problems often arise.

There are specific legal pitfalls that a lawyer from Lakes, Whyte LLP can save you from. Here are some of them: 

1. A lawyer can help you create a good employment contract. 

Too often companies get in a dispute with their employees because of regulations that are not in the employment contract or vague terms in the contract. It helps to be more specific in your company rules and in providing information on employee roles in order to avoid disputes in the future, especially one that involves money.

2. You can avoid costly litigation with the help of a lawyer. 

One way to avoid getting in costly litigation with clients and business partners is by having all contracts read and studied by your lawyer. You can avoid getting in agreements that might have loopholes and clauses that could put you at a disadvantage in the future. 

3. You can rely on your lawyer to help you organize your business model. 

It is not uncommon for business owners to make the mistake of registering their business incorrectly. Choosing the right and the most applicable business model can help you a lot in organizing your business methods. 

If you plan on growing your company, work with lawyers such as Lakes, Whyte LLP in order to minimize your company’s legal risks.

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How to Get the Real Value of Your Personal Injury Insurance Claim

Just because you filed for an insurance claim after an accident doesn’t mean your insurance company will give you the real value of your claim. In fact, their first offer is most likely going to be a low-ball offer. You can use these tips instead to ensure that you get the real value of your claim:

   1. Know how much your personal injury insurance claim is worth.

If you don’t know how much your personal injury claim is worth, how are you going to know your insurance company isn’t giving you a fair offer? It is important to assess your injuries and losses first. Aside from the costs of your medical treatments and supplementary therapies, you should also assess your invisible injuries. Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder require treatments as well.

Consider how much wage you have lost and will continue to lose because of the injuries and what its implications are to your ability to provide care for your family.

  2. Provide concrete evidences of the extent of your injuries and losses.

The next thing to do is provide all evidences that will prove the extent of your injuries. Give evidences of your injuries including medical records and photos.

  3. Retain the services of the best Vancouver law firms experienced in personal injury cases.

Make sure you get the help of Law firms in Vancouver when filing for a claim. Law firms like Lakes, Whyte LLP will help negotiate your claim, so you will be able to get a fair compensation.

These are the things that you can do to increase your chances of getting the real value of your claim.

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3 Will-Making Mistakes You Can Avoid with the Help of a Lawyer

Making a will is a complicated process. Those DIY will kits you can find online will not cut it. Since we all have different situations, different needs and different preferences, it is imperative that you create a will based on your own unique situation.

When you make a will with the help of lawyers in North Vancouver, you avoid doing the following common will-making mistakes:

1. Forgetting to include important assets and properties. 

Making an inventory or accounting of all your assets and properties is important. You need to cover all bases when it comes to making a will, so you can prevent the will from getting into probate as much as possible.

2. Changing some parts of the will without learning more about its repercussions. 

If you add concessions or clauses but this contradicts the other parts of the will, that can cause confusion later during the execution of the will. A lawyer can help you in adding clauses to the will without affecting it as a whole. 

3. Not taking tax implications into consideration.

Not preparing for tax implications could be disastrous. If you want to maximize how much money your surviving family members will get, you need to plan how to minimize taxes. That can include putting some assets through trust or giving some away as gifts.

Lawyers in North Vancouver such as Lakes, Whyte LLP will also make sure that you will be able to follow estate law properly, find the right beneficiaries and include all properties in order to prevent your will from going into probate.

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What to Do If Someone Sues Your Business

All business owners should prepare themselves for a lawsuit. Even if you take precautionary measures to ensure that will happen, something could happen that will put you in that position. If this happens to you, here are the things you need to do:

1. Consult lawyers in North Vancouver experienced in litigation cases.

Never contact the plaintiff directly. You should consult Lawyers in North Vancouver such a Lakes, Whyte LLP first to review your case and discuss what needs to be done. You might not even have a case at all and your lawyer can advice you accordingly on what to do.

2. Let your insurance company know.

If you have a business insurance, find out first if it covers litigation cases. File for a claim after letting your insurance company know of the lawsuit. Your insurance company will take care of some of the costs of the litigation case.

3. Come up with a strategy on how to mitigate the lawsuit.

You and your lawyer should create a strategy on how to best avoid a court battle. Once a plan is made, let your lawyer act on your behalf. From negotiating with the other party to preparing the necessary documents such as gathering evidences to support your case, your lawyer can help you out.

Choose a law firm experienced in dealing with business litigation cases. With law firms such as Lakes, Whyte LLP, you can get the best service and be guided on what to do in the event of business lawsuits.

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