Category: Business

THE seniors are husband and wife aged 70 and 65. The wife is a young and healthy 65, while the husband is a healthy 70 who still looks strong. Both are still working with good income. The husband grosses about $100,000 a year and the wife grosses about $70,000 a year. With $170,000 gross for…

“Once you fall behind on your debt obligations, it is easy to ignore the situation and hope that things will get better on their own. But that will never happen until you do something about it.” MOST people who are struggling with debt problems for the first time are often confused and don’t know what…

EDGAR Orozco was an electrician working as an hourly employee for Ardent Companies, Inc., which provide services to drilling operations off the California coast, including on fixed off-shore oil platforms. Ardent Companies employees work on these oil platforms and travel between them. The workers are assigned to work in “hitches.” During their hitch, employees also…

THE first client is 82. He is married. “What’s the problem?” I ask. He says that he owes about $15,000 of credit cards and his wife owes about $10,000 of cards. Together they owe $25,000. He says he doesn’t know how much longer he has before he dies but it doesn’t appear like they can…

ONE common misconception people have is that if they file bankruptcy, they will lose everything that they’ve worked hard for. For this reason, a lot of people continue to suffer needlessly in debt when the law provides a solution to their debt problems. Not good. Don’t get me wrong. Bankruptcy is certainly not the answer…

Q: I WAS diagnosed with herniated disc and severe anxiety. I want to request leave but want to keep my privacy at work. Do I need to tell my employer about my medical or psychological condition? A: No. The employee is not required to disclose the nature of the employee’s medical condition or disability (i.e.,…

THE client is 50 and single but has a cousin who lives with him. The cousin has been employed on and off and has lived with him for 10 years. The cousin is also 50. The client does not own a house so he rents an apartment for $1,600. Unfortunately, the cousin is unable to…

Independent contractor status harm most workers With nearly $200 million in funding from app-based companies like Uber and Lyft, California’s Proposition 22 was voted into law by Californians. It is now legal for these app-based companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors (ICs). This means that these drivers are no longer covered by the…

ARE you sick and tired of being in debt and having bad credit? Do you want to start over but simply don’t know where to begin? Is filing bankruptcy an option for you, or are other options available? As we go move towards the end of 2020, this is a good time to look at…

Commission-based employees owed for non-sales work STEVE Johnson and Scott Scollitt worked as mortgage loan originators for U.S. Bank National Association. These employees sued their employer for unpaid wages and for not being provided meal and rest periods. They alleged that the bank improperly averaged their commissions which resulted in them being paid less than…

THE client just turned 67 and has been working for 40 years at a job that pays him $70K a year. He retired two months ago so he doesn’t make the $70,000 a year anymore. He now gets a public pension that gives him $1,800 a month and social security that pays him $1,900 a…

MANY people find themselves in the position of facing overwhelming debt, with constant calls from creditors and no obvious way out. For some, job loss sent them into a downward spiral, and they are now unable to pay their bills and meet their responsibilities. For others, a recent divorce or costly medical emergency drained their…

FAMILY of 3: $40,000 credit cards owed Client no. 1 is so young. She is in her late 30s. I remember when I was that young —a young lawyer with a decade and a half of experience. Seems only yesterday. Yeah, time flies and waits for no man or woman. That is certainly true. The…

The overtime compensation for ‘live-out’ employees is computed in the same way as that of a regular non-exempt employee who works in other occupations. This means ‘live-out’ household employees must be paid time and a half for all hours worked that are more than 8 hours in a day or more than 40 hours in…

FIRST of all, you are not alone. I just read the news today and experts are warning us again about expected spikes in COVID cases for the rest of the year. I know this is downright scary and depressing especially considering that a lot of people everywhere seem to have already suffered enough since the…

Q: WHEN California’s Safer at Home Order took effect in March 2020, I and my co-workers were instructed to work from home. Since then, I have had to buy a new laptop (something basic), a new printer, ink cartridges, reams of copy paper, envelopes, scotch tape, and staples– all of which I need to do…

Qualify for different chapters of bankruptcy code Most debtors prefer to have a Chapter 7 wipe out of debt. This is called a fresh start without debt. Most debtors who qualify for Chapter 7 debt relief get to keep everything they own but are able to get rid of all of their debt, thus, they…