P&M CONGRATULATES LAURA WEDEKIND, HONORED AS WELD WOMAN YOU SHOULD KNOW

Perez & Morris offers heartfelt congratulations to Laura Wedekind of Steiner + Associates on her selection as a 2015 WELD “Women You Should Know” honoree.  Laura is one of just 12 women selected from the Central Ohio community on the basis of her professional success, community involvement and work to elevate women and promote diversity.  WELD is a Central Ohio organization focused on economic and leadership development for women.  P&M is proud to offer its support to the cause!

Perez Morris partners with WELD Ohio as a Corporate Sponsor

Perez Morris is honored to announce its recent partnership with WELD Ohio. WELD stands for “Women for Economic and Leadership Development” and focuses on development of leadership and economic growth opportunities for women throughout Ohio. We believe WELD offers a great deal to our community and to aiding in the advancement of women in the workplace at all levels. Over half of our firm’s employees are women and we are committed to the promotion of women in the workplace. We are truly excited about this new partnership!

Attorney Megan Gonzalez named one of Litigation’s Rising Stars

Megan Gonzalez was recently honored as one of Central Ohio’s Rising Stars in the area of litigation. Megan has significant experience in insurance defense, premise liability and general commercial litigation and we are proud to have her as part of the P&M team. Congratulations, Megan!

Perez Morris joins the Worthington Chamber of Commerce

Perez Morris, located just north of Worthington, Ohio, is one of the newest members to the Worthington Chamber of Commerce. We are deeply committed to giving back to the communities in which we live and work and we are excited about the opportunity to come alongside the Worthington Chamber of Commerce to do just that!

Columbus CEO Magazine Names P&M Attorneys “Top Lawyers”

Columbus CEO Magazine has released its list of “Top Lawyers” in the Central Ohio area and we are proud to have John Perez, Angela Savino and Bob Nichols from Perez & Morris included in that list. John, Angela and Bob each have decades of trial and transaction experience for clients of all sizes and covering a wide range of business-focused practice areas. Congratulations to each of them on the recognition!

John Perez Elected Chair of the Board of Directors of Mount Carmel Health System

We are pleased to announce that John Perez, Managing Partner of Perez & Morris was recently elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mount Carmel Health System. Mount Carmel has four Central Ohio hospitals as wells as a free-standing emergency department and numerous surgery centers, outpatient facilities, physician offices and community outreach sites. Mount Carmel’s team is made up of more than 8,000 employees, 1,500 physicians and 1,000 volunteers—quite a network—and services more than a half-million patients each year. Congratulations to John and thank you to Mount Carmel for the invaluable service you provide to Central Ohio. For more information about Mount Carmel visit www.mountcarmelhealth.com.

THE EEOC AND FTC TEAM UP ON BACKGROUND SCREENING GUIDANCE

Last week the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) co-published guidance for both employers and employees related to use of background checks in employment.  According to one study conducted by the Hay Group in 2012, the turnover rate for part-time retail store employees is as high as 67% and for full time employees, the turnover rate was 24%. http://www.bloomberg.com/article/2012-05-08/aWdgOKjbTBXY.html.  Given these high turnover rates, retail employers are screening potential hires constantly.  Part of this screening process often, if not always, includes some level of background screening.  From the EEOC’s standpoint, employers must ensure everyone screened is treated equally.  No employment decision may be made based on race, national origin, color, sex, religion, disability, genetic informatio or age (if over 40).  The FTC added applicants must receive written notice they are going to be subject to a background screening.  This should be a standalone notice, not part of the general employment application.  When using information gained through a background or credit check, be sure the same standards are applied to all potential employees and take special care when basing employment decisions on problems that are more common amoung people of a certain race, national origin, age, etc.  Also, be mindful of problems that arose in an individual’s background because of a particular disability.  Such a person should be given the opportunity to demonstrate whether he or she can now perform the requirements of the job safely and effectively.  If you do choose to make a hiring decision based on background screening results, provide the potential employee with a copy of the report you are relying upon; the name, address and phone number of the company that provided the report; and that he or she may dispute the report and get an additional copy from the reporting company within 60 days.

For a complete copy of the recent guidance visit:http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/background_checks_employers.cfm.

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT COMPLIANCE A RISK FOR RETAILERS IN COMING YEARS

Analysts have recently reported compliance with the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) is one of the greater risks retail employers may face in 2014 and the coming years.  In the retail industry, as with many other industries, full time employees are typically those who work more than 40 hours per week.  However, the ACA mandates that health insurance must be provided to employees working 30 hours per week or more.   This requires significant adjustments be made by human resources, legal and compliance departments for retailers nationwide.  On February 10, 2014,  The U.S. Deparatment of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations implementing the employer responsibility provisions of the ACA.  The National Retail Federation applauded the agencies’ efforts to simplify and streamline compliance with the ACA.  http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1768.   The biggest change in regulations for large employers (with 100 or more employees)  is that the percentage of employees to whom such employers must offer coverage will be phased in to assist in a smooth transition and hopefully avoid large penalties.  In 2015, large employers must offer coverage to 70% of full time employees and in 2016, that percentage increases to 95%.  Further, for mid-range employers (with 50-99 employees), employers must report coverage in 2015 but will have until 2016 before employer responsibility payments will apply.  To view a fact seet from the U.S. Treasury Department outlining these changes, visithttp://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%20021014.pdf.  The level of complexity of the ACA makes implementation daunting and is certainly something for retailers to make high priority in the coming years.

P&M is Now a Proud Member of OBBA and BOMA

Perez & Morris has joined the Ohio Business Brokers Association (OBBA) and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). For many years our attorneys have practiced in the areas of real estate transactions and real estate litigation. We are proud to now be members of these two strong organizations to continue to engage with other professionals in the real estate practice area and build the key relationships and breadth of up to date knowledge essential to providing our clients with effective, quality service.