http://www.farmgt.com/

Outline….

What happens if I die without a Will?

• You spouse’s share.
• How heirs are treated.
• Nothing goes to charities, the Church, and others.
• Grandchildren.

 Who will raise my children?

 Probate.

 Property division: An equitable distribution of assets. Or…does money make people funny?

 How to draft a will. Holographic Wills. Michigan’s statutory Will.

 How an attorney can help you.

 Subjects and issues.

• Children.
• Funeral arrangements.
• Money.
• Personal property.
• Real estate.
• Automobiles, boats, mobile homes, and trailers.
• Life insurance.
• Charities.
• Bequests to the Church. 

 Your Personal Representative (Executor).

 Durable Power of Attorney.

 Patient advocate.

 

 ABC and Attorney Tom Fredericks present:

 12 THREATS TO YOUR BUSINESS

-and how to-

STAY IN BUSINESS AND OUT OF COURT

Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Eagle Eye Golf Club

Protect your business.

• Labor/employment laws every owner must know.
• Avoid legal trouble and attorney fees.

 THE LAW An overview of Federal and Michigan employment laws.

 UNIONS  Save more than 30% in operating costs- stay union free!

 WRONGFUL DISCHARGE LAWSUITS  How they can put you out of business.

SAFETY/MIOSHA Criminal penalties and jail for willful violators.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND CIVIL RIGHTS  MDCR/EEOC- employer liability.  

10 MOST FREQUENT WAGE/HOUR VIOLATIONS  USDOL audits and penalties.    

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. New penalties, risks, and liabilities.

EMPLOYEE DISABILITY.  FMLA, ADA, and Michigan Law.      

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. Can you afford to be wrong?

ILLEGAL WORKERS Compliance with tough immigration laws.  

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST and UNFAIR COMPETITION

 COMPUTERS, E-MAIL, and the INTERNET. What every employer must do.

Don’t miss this one-hour fast paced workshop designed to keep you out of trouble .

Please RSVP-  by: Monday, February 6th for FREE Admission, and avoid a $10 admission charge.

Email: office@abccmc.org

Fax: 517-394-6275  Call: 517-394-4481

 Name:________________________________              Cost:  FREE Seminar, FREE Wings!!!

 Company:_____________________________     

How many will attend in your party:___________

 12 THREATS TO YOUR BUSINESS

-and how to-

STAY IN BUSINESS AND OUT OF COURT

Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 5:00pm – 6:00pm….Eagle Eye Golf Club

Please check out a video summary of this presentation at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tomfredericks84/20110105?authkey=Gv1sRgCK6S16i_gbbOzQE#5558749961271555490

• Twelve (12) threats and how to protect your business.
• Labor/employment laws every owner must know.
• How to avoid legal trouble and attorney fees.

THE LAW An overview of Federal and Michigan employment laws.

UNIONS Union free workforces save their employers more than 30% in operating costs.

WRONGFUL DISCHARGE LAWSUITS  How they can put you out of business.

SAFETY/MIOSHA Criminal penalties and jail for willful violators.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND CIVIL RIGHTS  The EEOC and employer liability.  

10 MOST FREQUENT WAGE/HOUR VIOLATIONS  USDOL audits and penalties.    

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. New penalties, risks, and liabilities.

EMPLOYEE DISABILITY.  FMLA, ADA, and Michigan Law.      

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. Can you afford to be wrong?

ILLEGAL WORKERS Compliance with tough immigration laws.  

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST and UNFAIR COMPETITION- steal from you.

 COMPUTERS, E-MAIL, and the INTERNET. What every employer must do.

Don’t miss this one-hour fast paced workshop designed to keep you out of trouble .

2335 Rowley Road

Williamston, MI 48895-9133

Attorney & Business Counselor

Telephone (517) 655-4100 Cell (517) 525-1413

Electronic Mail: tomfredericks@cablespeed.com

Web Site: http://tomfrederickslaw.com/

Value Billing: Success-based Retainers and Fee incentives

Value billing and success-based fees allow us to talk with clients about compensation in terms of adding value to their organization. What separates us from our competitors is not simply that we do quality work, but that we provide a unique understanding of the value of our professional services provided to our client. We avoid hourly billing, which is often the opposite of value-based services.  By providing value added services, we become trusted advisors focused on our client’s business success, rather than a mere service provider sending invoices based on an hourly rate.

Value billing is based on:

1. Defining the client’s goals and objectives.
2. Conducting a value analysis: analyzing the value of obtaining those goals and objectives from the client’s point of view.
3. Defining the value of the professional services driven by long term client growth, operational success, and profitability.

Essentially, the client agrees to pay a flat fee over a period of time for a given project irrespective of hours of work.  It is both achievable and preferable. It results in benefits for both the firm and the client. Compensation is based on the outcome and/or the type of service the client prefers. Sometimes the outcome or value isn’t a financial result, but is a combination of factors. The fee is then set based upon what the client wants or believes to be significant.

Some important aspects of value billing seem to be frequently overlooked. One of the main components of the value based fee system is that the fee is set up front. Unlike an hourly fee arrangement, the client knows in advance- based on the specific criteria outlined- what the total fee will be. Should the client’s objectives or the scope of the matter change or deviate from what was originally agreed, the value fee system contemplates a system of ‘change orders’ which would adjust the professional fee accordingly.

We build in professional fees for outcomes that exceed client expectations and create success-based fees and other incentives that demonstrate the consultant’s desire to partner with the client to achieve a successful result.  

Please review the following proposal of professonal service and contact Tom today:   

Employee Handbook Proposal 

A properly drafted employee handbook is critical to your organization:

1. Legal protection against costly lawsuits, discrimination claims, and litigation.
2. Discourages plaintiffs, reduces the cost of employment-related lawsuits.
3. Communicates effective human resources policy: saving you management time and making sure your employees know your work rules and policies.
4. A contract with employees- making a unions less attractive during union drives.
5. An arbitration clause within your employee handbook can keep you out of court.

Why should you call me to either draft a new handbook, or to revise an old one:

• Identity Theft: Effective immediately, your handbook must be in compliance with Michigan’s Social Security Number Privacy Act.

• Sexual Harassment: Recent cases establish employer liability for sexual harassment by co-workers.

• Arbitration: Reduce your statutory liability for lawsuits from years to only a few weeks. But, do not attempt to pass along arbitration costs to an employee.

• Workplace Violence: Employers must have zero tolerance policies against threats, bullying, and physical confrontations. Failure to address workplace violence may be a serious MIOSHA/OSHA safety violation.

• Union Organizing Campaigns: Your employee handbook addresses, pay, benefits, job security, and other key items promised by labor unions.

• Electronic Mail, the Internet, and Computers: Employees are generally protected under the 4^th Amendment from employer intrusion into their work computers and electronic data unless employers draft a written policy allowing employer intrusion, monitoring, and inspection.   

To get started on your new employee handbook: please send me your company’s employment policies, work rules, posted memorandums, and letters to your employees. 

If you already have one, please send me your existing handbook, ideally in “Word” to: tomfredericks@cablespeed.com

Please call me at (517) 655-4100 with your questions.

Tom Fredericks and Brian Calley   

This event was hosted by JoAnne Kean candidate for Vevay Township Clerk. Ms. Kean thanked the Ingham GOP for selecting her to represent the Party. Ms. Kean spoke of the importance of fair elections, her impressive and extensive qualifications to serve as VeVay Township Clerk and introduced Susan Kosier, her supporter/mentor, and former VeVay Township Clerk for 26 years. Rep. Calley expressed that our State of Michigan needs a completely new management approach. That our current state classified employees are great workers in need of new leadership. That Michigan businesses are stifled by excessive regulations. Calley wants a new approach to everything, and suggested that his running mate, Rick Snyder is an expert at developing business systems. Rep. Calley suggested that the Democrat opponent is looking into his rear view mirror at a Michigan that no longer exists, while the Snyder-Calley ticket plans creative solutions to bring jobs back to Michigan.   

-New Management Seminar-

How To Stay in Business and out of Court

• Twelve threats to every employer.
• Labor/employment laws that every manager must know.
• Tom’s approach to keeping out of legal trouble

THE LAW

 An overview of every Federal and Michigan employment law having an impact on every employer.

UNIONS

Union free workforces save their employers more than 30% in operating costs. Here are just a few extra costs of having a union: collecting union dues, paying labor attorneys during labor negotiations, grievances, whistleblowers, professional contract administration, higher benefit costs, and having to fire employees who don’t want to join the union. What should you do before a union representative knocks on your door.

WRONGFUL DISCHARGE LAWSUITS

I do not generally recommend having an employment at will policy. Civil rights, veterans’ rights, whistleblower’s, disability and other employment laws can be used by plaintiff attorneys to sue employers anyhow.  This policy offers you minimal protection from lawsuits and is a red flag to the union organizer- who usually  offer your employees job in beijing security through the arbitration clause of a collective bargaining agreement.

 MIOSHA AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

MIOSHA has the ability to shut your business down. Criminal penalties may be assessed for willful violations of MIOSHA Safety Standards. Focus on and improve the company safety record, housekeeping, and  security. HAZMAT and storm water management. How to deal with inspectors.

 SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND CIVIL RIGHTS

Recent cases establish employer liability for sexual harassment by co-workers. This subject must be included within your employee handbook. You should establish an in-house complaint and problem-solving procedure.

 10 MOST FREQUENT WAGE/HOUR VIOLATIONS

1. Exempt versus non-exempt: non-payment of overtime pay due to improperly classified “exempt employees.”
2. Bonuses not calculated within a non-exempt employee’s regular rate of pay to determine overtime pay.
3. Banking of hours for vacations and time off outside of the regular work week.
4. Allowing non-exempt employees to work off the clock- no pay for time worked.
5. No payment of wages for attending mandatory company meetings..
6. No daily or weekly work records kept for non-exempt employees.
7. Working minors excessive numbers of hours.
8. Minors operating dangerous equipment.
9. Minors operating company vehicles.
10. Docking a non-exempt employee’s pay below the minimum wage with a signed deduction slip or docking a non-exempt employee without a slip.

 UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

How to reduce your unemployment insurance costs. When to pay unemployment benefits, and when to appeal.

 ADA, FMLA and DISABILITY ISSUES.

FMLA, ADA, and Michigan disability law. Create job descriptions and work with a company physician to establish physical requirements for each job.

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS

The IRS’s” Twenty Factor Test.”

 ILLEGAL WORKERS

Compliance with the Immigration Laws. I-9 forms. Identification documents.

NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENTS, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AND UNFAIR COMPETITION

How to deter an employee from stealing your customers.

COMPUTERS, ELECTRONIC MAIL, DATA BASES, AND THE INTERNET.

What an employer must do to prevent unauthorized use of company computers, the internet, and  electronic mail.

 Kurt Boegner, Owner

Value Tire, Okemos, MI, and Tasmanian Tire, Holt, MI