Employment Law | Expert Employment Attorneys
FBLG Law
Expert Employment Law Counsel for Your Business
In today’s complex business environment, navigating employment law is a critical, high-stakes challenge for any employer. Federal and state employment laws are constantly evolving, creating a minefield of potential liability for unwary businesses. Issues like wage and hour requirements, employee classification, and wrongful termination claims can expose your company to significant risk and distract you from your core mission.
At The Franchise & Business Law Group, we provide the expert counsel you need to manage these complexities with confidence. Our employment attorneys do more than just solve problems; we partner with you to implement proactive strategies. Staying true to our founding principles of expertise, excellence, and dedication, we help you build a compliant and productive workplace, protecting your business for long-term success.
Navigating Your Employment Law Needs
Our employment law firm provides comprehensive legal services tailored to the unique needs of franchisors, franchisees, and non-franchise businesses. Our goal is to help you create fair, lawful, and efficient practices that support your growth.
Our services include:
Drafting and reviewing employee handbooks and HR policies
Advising on wage and hour compliance
Auditing worker classifications (Independent Contractor vs. Employee)
Drafting and negotiating employment and separation agreements
Counseling on hiring, disciplinary, and termination procedures
Advising on non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements
Representation in employment-related disputes and regulatory investigations
Our Process: Your Path to Compliance
We believe in a transparent, collaborative partnership. Our process is designed to provide you with clarity and deliver exceptional, client-focused service from the very first call.
Step 1: Initial Consultation & Needs Analysis
You will meet directly with an experienced employment lawyer to discuss your specific concerns, operational challenges, and long-term goals. This is a dedicated session for us to listen and understand your business.
Step 2: Strategic Review & Risk Assessment
Our team will conduct a thorough review of your existing agreements, handbooks, and policies. We identify immediate compliance gaps and potential areas of future risk, providing you with a clear, actionable summary of our findings.
Step 3: Implementation & Proactive Counsel
We don’t just hand you a stack of documents. We work with you to implement the new agreements, policies, and procedures. We then provide ongoing counsel to help you navigate day-to-day issues before they become costly legal problems.
Understanding Key Employment Law Challenges
Employment laws are vast. Our team provides expert guidance on the issues that most commonly impact businesses, ensuring you are compliant and protected.
Independent Contractor Classification
A worker’s title does not determine their legal status. Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can result in significant liability for withholding taxes, Social Security, and unemployment. The IRS uses a complex 20-factor test to determine classification, focusing on behavioral control, financial control, and the nature of the relationship. Our employment attorneys analyze your entire business relationship to help you make the correct determination and avoid these costly penalties.
Wage and Hour Issues
Wage and hour laws regulate minimum wage, overtime pay, and record-keeping. Employers must ensure that non-exempt employees are paid proper overtime depending on the amount of time those employees worked during a pay period. Overtime payment requires payment of time and a half if overtime applies to a specific employee. Employers must also post required notices and maintain precise payroll records. We can help ensure your pay practices are fully compliant with both state and federal overtime and payroll requirements.
Discrimination, Harassment, and Wrongful Termination
Laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibit discrimination and harassment in the workplace. We help you implement clear anti-harassment policies, provide management training, and navigate the difficult process of disciplinary action and termination—ensuring every step is well-documented and legally defensible.
The FBLG Advantage: Your Partner in Protection
Working with our employment law firm provides more than just legal documents; it provides a strategic advantage for your business. When you partner with us, you benefit from:
Proactive Risk Mitigation: We help you identify and fix problems before they lead to audits, lawsuits, or fines.
Expertise at the Nexus of Law: We are one of the only firms that possesses deep, specialized knowledge in both employment law and franchise law, understanding the unique “joint employer” risks that franchisors face.
Peace of Mind: Knowing your policies, agreements, and procedures have been drafted and vetted by an expert employment attorney allows you to focus on what you do best: running your business.
A Dedicated Partner: We build relationships for life. We are dedicated to being your long-term legal partner, providing the ongoing counsel you need as your business grows and employment laws change.
The Critical Link Between Employment Law and Franchise Law
For franchisors and franchisees, employment law is uniquely complex. Issues of joint employer liability where a franchisor may be held liable for the employment practices of a franchisee are a significant and growing threat.
Most employment law firms do not understand the nuances of the franchise relationship. Our attorneys do. We are experts at the intersection of these two complex legal fields. We structure your agreements and policies to build a strong wall between the franchisor and franchisee, protecting the integrity of your system while ensuring compliance for all parties.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should my business hire an employment attorney?
The best time to hire an employment attorney is before you have a problem. We recommend seeking counsel as soon as you hire your first employee. Proactive legal guidance for drafting handbooks and agreements is far less expensive than defending a lawsuit.
What is the most common mistake businesses make regarding employment laws?
A common and costly mistake is misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Another is using generic, “one-size-fits-all” employee handbooks from the internet. These documents are often not compliant with specific state laws and can create more liability than they prevent.
My business is small. Do employment laws still apply to me?
Some federal laws such as employment discrimination and disability laws and the family medical leave act may only apply to employees with more than 15 employees. However, there are other core employment laws that can still apply to smaller businesses of less than 15 employees such as whistleblower claims, wage and hour claims, other federal fair labor claims as well as other state applicable employment claims. Some state discrimination and disability laws may also apply to small businesses less than 15 employees. We can help clarify what rules apply to you.
FBLG Law
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Our business and franchising attorneys are honored to be the recipient of multiple national and state awards for our law firm and our attorneys. Since 2014 The Franchise & Business Law Group has been awarded with the US News Best Law Firms for Franchise Law; for the second consecutive year, The Franchise & Business Law Group has been awarded “Best of State” for legal services in the State of Utah, and our attorneys are recognized as Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Legal Eagles, and as Utah Legal Elite by Utah Business Magazine, among other awards and honors.
