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Startups and Trademarks
You and your friends have discussed, with increasing enthusiasm, your idea for a new business. Maybe you want to produce an app, or maybe a restaurant pairing different cuisines. You know what you are going to do, and how you are going to do it, but you also know that you will be cash-strapped, with […]
Credit Card Surcharges Will Soon Be Legal in California
By: Andrew K Jacobson A group of California small businesses have successfully challenged California’s long-time ban on credit card surcharges. However, for the moment, they are the only ones to benefit. Credit cards are great for cash flow, but they cause headaches for small businesses. People rely upon them for even the smallest transactions – […]
21st Century Law
August 10, 2017. By: Andrew K Jacobson The California Supreme Court will be deciding if it will lower the admissions standards for the State Bar. California currently has one of the highest admission requirements in the country. Deans from law schools in the state want the cut score (the minimum passing score on the bar […]
AV Preeminent: Andrew Jacobson Receives Peer Review Rating™ for Bay Oak Law from Martindale-Hubbell®
This just in — Martindale-Hubbell has just given Andy Jacobson the “AV Preeminent” Rating for Business Law, Intellectual Property, and Labor and Employment. That is the highest rating available for both legal ability and ethics, and it was chosen by Andy’s peers . We very much appreciate everyone who provided a rating. Read what […]
Rest Break ≠ On-Call
Employment rights have long been a fertile source of conflict in California courts, which have been trying to find a proper balance between the interests of the employer and those of the employees. The most recent skirmish was in December 2016. The California Supreme Court restored a $90 million judgment against ABM Security Services. Security […]
Congress Saves Social Media by Nixing the Non-Disparagement Clause
As it has exploded into prominence, social media is a regular fixture in the legal news. Entire generations live through their social media links, finding friends, products, and restaurants online. Instead of a single review from a newspaper or magazine, you get feedback from actual regular customers – sometimes in the hundreds. Non-Disparagement Clauses. As […]
FOR $6, YOU CAN BE AN AGENT!
Secret Agent. Not a Copyright Agent. Photo courtesy of Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANeFo), 1945-1989 I’m going to be honest. Procedural requirements are important, but man, they are boring to read about. So when you can be an agent registered with the government, it’s exciting – so long as […]
Update Your Privacy Policy NOW
It’s understandable if you don’t think that website privacy policies are not on the top of your newsfeed. Apparently, Google, the world’s most popular website, changed its website’s privacy policy in June 2016, and nobody noticed. However, that anonymity may change soon, because the California Attorney General’s office is now providing a complaint form that […]
Way Ahead of You, Mr. President
A big drag on the health of the economy is labor mobility – or rather, the lack of it. People trapped in jobs that they don’t want to be in do not supply productivity and innovation. Non-competition agreements contribute significantly to that lack of labor mobility. Some employers like them because they suppress threats of […]
Getting a Notice from Your ISP
It’s been a long day. You pull the snail mail out of its box. You find a letter from your ISP, your internet service provider. Maybe it’s a special offer to such a loyal customer? You open it and find a notice that your subscriber information has been subpoenaed as part of a lawsuit for […]
