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January 2017

Law

An Important Overview of Maintenance and Cure Payments

by Hitshopi George on

Everyone who has spent time on the open seas knows that the ocean can be a brutal and unforgiving place. For people who make their living on the open water, it is important that they have some form of safety net that will provide compensation if they are injured on the job. This is called maintenance and cure payments. These payments are meant to cover a variety of costs including daily living experience (called maintenance) and financial assistance for medical bills (called cure). Ideally, these payments would continue until they are fit to return to their work. Many companies will offer advances on employee payments while they are injured in addition to the maintenance; however, this has a few problems that people should be aware of when people are recovering from injuries.

Tax Law Regarding These Payments Can Get Confusing

Anyone who is receiving maintenance and cure payments should understand that they do not typically have to make tax payments on funding categorized as maintenance. The advances that many employers offer is a different story. If the employer categorizes these advances as wages, they are seen as a paycheck that is being paid while the worker is injured. Like any other wages, these advances are subject to taxation. If an employee has a choice regarding whether or not they receive these advances of wages or maintenance, they should always select to receive the advances as maintenance. This way, they owe fewer taxes at the end of the year.

How Advances Might Impact a Legal Battle

Most people would assume that employers providing wages to employees while they are injured and recovering is an altruistic gesture. Most of the time, this is true; however, there are some cases when employees and employers wind up in a legal battle regarding maintenance payments, cure payments, or other legal issues related to the job. The employer can point towards the advance payments as a sign that they were trying to do the right thing. This can score favor with the judge and potentially swing the legal case in their favor. An experienced defense attorney might have a way around this; however, this is still something that employees should be aware of.

How do Advance Payments Impact Potential Settlement Awards?

Sometimes, an employee is injured on the job as a result of a lack of oversight on the end of the employer. While an employee might be receiving advances, they might also be seeking a larger settlement due to a mistake on the employer’s end. If a settlement is awarded, the amount awarded is often decreased by the amount of the advance payments. Again, employees should make sure that these payments are categorized as maintenance payments instead of advance payments. This way, the settlement award isn’t reduced by the payments.

 

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Law

Three Things to Keep in Mind Before Your Custody Hearing

by Hitshopi George on

If your custody hearing is coming up, you’re probably nervous. Custody hearings involve the people that are the most important to us, our children. With so much at stake, it’s important to enter your custody hearing with as much preparation as possible. Here are some things to remember as your court day approaches:

First, make sure you’re doing everything you need to do to make your best case. You need to make sure that you never miss a scheduled parenting time and that you arrive on time to exchange the children. Don’t spend your time arguing with your co-parent because the other parent might use this against you in court. Keep all interactions with your co-parent business like and professional. Keep records of interactions with the other parent, such as text messages or emails.

As court approaches, make sure the children are not late for school or absent on your parenting days without a doctor’s note. Make sure the children attend their scheduled doctor’s appointments, including any counseling. Refrain from using alcohol during your parenting time and never use illegal drugs. At the Law Offices of Piazza, Simmons & Grant, they give clients honest and direct instructions as to how to present their case in the best possible light.

Second, if you’re working with an attorney, be sure you follow his or her instructions for your case. If they ask you to make notes for them about the case, make sure you do this as soon as you’re able to do so. If they ask you to help them gather pieces of information or read over documents that they file in court on your behalf, make sure you do what they ask. This helps your attorney help you.

Third, put together things that you need for the big court day. Don’t wait until the day of court to find a nice outfit to wear or try a new hairstyle. Make sure that your clothes are ready the night before court. For court, you need a pad of paper and something to write with. You need to be able to take notes and give notes to your attorney during your court hearing. Pack tissues and a power bar or cough drops in case you need them. The court might call your case first or they might call it last on a busy court day with many cases, so it’s important to plan for either eventuality.

It’s also important to make other arrangements for important matters that happen on the day you have court. If you have children to care for, you need to make arrangements for their care. You might need to make sure that you have the day off from work. Whatever you need to do to plan, take care of it before the big day so that you have less to stress out about. Also, make sure you have the numbers of the court and your attorney on hand so that you can make contact if the worst should happen and you face an emergency on your scheduled day in court.

These three steps can help ease your worries and help you prepare for a smooth day in court. Planning and preparation can make the big day less stressful. Take the time to make your best case by doing the things you need to do ahead of your court date. Remember not to lose your cool when interacting with your co-parent. With these tips, you can arrive at court prepared and ready to focus on the children that matter so much to you.

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Law

Three Employer Laws You Must Follow In Canada

by Hitshopi George on

Setting up a business in Canada can be quite the ambitious pursuit, but it is a great country for such a pursuit.  There are many laws in Canada that are designed to encourage entrepreneurialsm, committed to encouraging people to starting a new business and employing their fellow citizens. It is a strategy that holds society together.

Of course, operating that monavocat Canada business is not quite as fantastical.  If you want to run your business properly and effectively, you need to have a grip on the many laws that ensure all businesses are running legally and in the best interests of all people.  As such, here are a few basic regulations you should know as you are getting started. You can learn more as you go, but these should help you to start and operate your business at the very basic level.

HIRING and PAYROLL

Most businesses require that you hire at least a few employees. Maybe you can manage much of the operations yourself at first but eventually you will need someone to help you delegate some of the responsibilities as you begin to expand.  And when you begin to hire people, you will need to understand how to pay your people and track your payroll, including information on:

  • employment insurance premiums
  • personal income tax
  • Canadian pension plans

To manage a payroll you will need to:

  • open payroll account numbers for each employee, at your bank
  • get key, payroll-related information for each of your staff members
  • calculate and pay according to associated deductions
  • keep accurate, long term records

SAFETY and INSURANCE

The Canadian government also requires that employers register their staff with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) within 10 days of hire.  The WSIB is dedicated to reducing the likelihood of work-related injuries, illness, and fatalities.  Benefits of WSIB registration can include:

  • assisting employees who have recovered from illness or injury back to work
  • insurance which covers the cost of lost earnings from such an injury
  • no-fault liability insurance
  • protection from potential work-related law suits
  • accident prevention
  • safety training

EMPLOYER HEALTH TAXES

In addition, all employers must also pay the Employer Health Tax to all employees who:

  • are employed at the employer’s permanent establishment, or
  • are attached, in some way, to this permanent address, or
  • work at another address but are paid through the financial department which is located at or via the permanent address
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Legal

Reasons Why You Need a Lawyer for your DUI Arrest

by Hitshopi George on

Being charged with DUI could be an uncomfortable legal experience that you never prepared for, however can be strongly helped and accelerated with the services of a quality defense lawyer. From assisting you understand the parameters of your case, to ensuring your rights are safeguarded, a DUI lawyer can provide a wealth of ability and expertise needed for your success in and out of the courtroom. If you have recently been charged with DUI, here’s how a decent attorney can help get your life back on track.

Managing the Process

Even though you received this charge, it doesn’t mean that you can put your life on hold while you sort out your legal future. You still have work to do, errands to run, chores to perform – and you can’t spend all your extra time setting up meetings, filing papers, or making calls to figure out the status of your case.

In this situation, a DUI attorney can greatly assist you by performing all the necessary legwork to ensure everything is always taken care of.

Figuring Out What’s in Store

Perhaps you had not been consuming at all that fateful evening, however a policeman put you under arrest and failed to take your blood alcohol material. Or possibly your BAC was a bit high, but the policeman pulled you over without any reason at all. However, whatever took place, you still wound up having to fight a DUI charge that can destroy your name.

For this instance, a DUI attorney can assist you realize the depth of your scenarios, and can even inform you if there are alternate measures you can require to guarantee your innocence. And for whatever reason, while your preliminary instinct could be to plead guilty due to the obvious evidence against you, an educated DUI lawyer can examine the whole of the case, and utilize their training and experience to assist you in deciding what needs to be done.

Connections and Court Representation

If you don’t retain the services of a well-known DUI attorney, like Duffy Law, then to all the court officials and law enforcement personnel you may be nothing more than another criminal who failed to respect the reaches of the law. And this immediate reputation won’t help you get anywhere you want to be.

Having a trusted DUI attorney by your side in the courtroom though, can be a boon, as their developed connections with those in and out of the court could lead to a lessened sentence or even a deal that you might wish to take immediately. Furthermore, even if the DUI attorney you work with has no associates in this court system, they can still utilize their agent capabilities to show your innocence or demonstrate the infringement upon your rights, leading you to walk away from the situation with your reputation intact.

Hire a DUI Attorney Today

If you have been charged with DUI, don’t wait any longer to hire an attorney today. A skilled attorney can manage your case, provide a strong defense, and ensure the outcome you want so that you can finally put this in your past forever.

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Law

Role of SSI Attorney in Presenting your Social Security Disability Claim

by Hitshopi George on

Hiring an attorney would prove beneficial in a number of cases. However, you would be required to hire a competent and experienced attorney. It would not be wrong to suggest that an attorney has comprehensive understanding and knowledge in the field of law as compared to any other person. They would be more appropriate in handling your case, rather than you handling your case independently. In event of your social security disability being denied, you should hire a SSI attorney immediately. The SSI Attorney would be your best bet for presenting your case in an appropriate manner before the administrative law judge.

Need for hiring SSI attorney

One or the major reasons for social security disability claims to be denied has been inability of the claimants to prepare the case before the hearing. It would not be wrong to suggest that hiring a SSI attorney would be imperative for appropriate handling of your case. The disability attorney would prepare your case prudently and present it in a suitable manner before the administrative law judge. However, merely hiring of a disability lawyer to present your case in a prepared manner would not ensure success of your claim. Nonetheless, you would have your case being presented in a prepared manner.

When should you contact the SSI attorney?

It would be pertinent to mention here that more than seventy percent of the claims made for social security disability face rejections. Claimants who handle their cases independently might not be able to provide enough medical evidence for substantiating their disability. As a result, their claim is declined. Hiring a disability attorney would increase your chances of success, as they would prepare the case in the best possible manner. In case, when you should hire the SSI attorney, it should be done at the earliest. You should not wait for your claim to be declined and then hire an attorney for reconsidering the case. It should be done as and when you have suffered injury that disabled you to earn in future.

What help does SSI attorney provide

The SSI attorney would help you in presenting your case in an appropriate manner before the judge. The attorney would be well equipped with the legal stipulations and regulations for preparing and presenting your case in the best possible manner. In event of your SSDI claim being rejected on a relevant ground, the SSI attorney would peruse your denial notice. They would also guide you on the chances of winning the case, whether they are strong or slim.

 

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Business

eLearning Course Development: A How You Can Guide

by Hitshopi George on

This eLearning White-colored Paper provides an introduction to the steps active in the growth and development of an eLearning course. It’s should have been helpful tips for staying away from common pitfalls that often occur during the introduction of a brand new eLearning course. With respect to the scope of the course some steps might not apply.

The Ten steps that’ll be discussed are:

1. Defining and looking after a practical project scope through the development process.
2. Defining and documenting the company situation/demand for training program.

STEPS TO Creating A Effective ELEARNING COURSE

1. DEFINE THE SCOPE From The ELEARNING COURSE

This might appear just like a logical starting point and many companies do start at this time. Regrettably, a lot of companies don’t document the program scope and because the course grows the same is true the scope. Thinking about that this can be the very first time you have developed an eLearning course, coupled with because you is going to be using a new vendor my recommendation is you limit the scope from the project. Make it simple and permit for expansion when the first form of the program is deployed. Usually the second form of the program will need additional functionality according to finish user’s input and feedback. Additionally, you will probably have to add content according to feedback.

The main factor to effective course development is that you follow the initial scope for that first version and also to share this scope using the user community whenever you deploy the program. Do not get depressed by comments in the Beta testing group which are outdoors the scope from the course. When I pointed out you should document the scope throughout the course development as Beta testing might be several several weeks later, after which you might be just a little fuzzy around the exact scope from the initial project.

2. DEFINE BUSINESS Situation/ Demand For ELEARNING COURSE

Once more make certain that this is accomplished up front. Getting a obvious and defined business situation/demand for project will become important during all phases from the project. Getting a document that you could reference (and point naysayers to) is going to be invaluable for you. You may also make use of the ideas that you simply produced for the company situation inside your deployment letter to strengthen the need for the program towards the audience.

3. IDENTIFY BUSINESS SPONSORS/CHAMPIONS For That ELEARNING COURSE

This is not merely an astute political move, but business sponsors may also be a great financial and political resource throughout the development, testing and deployment phases from the project. Attempt to get business sponsors from diverse functional areas because there will likely be mix business interactions that may be smoothed out by getting the best mixture of business sponsors aboard.

4. IDENTIFY AND RECRUIT TEAM People TO Have Fun Playing The ELEARNING COURSE DEVELOPMENT

Before describing the details with this step I must allow it to be obvious that it is important to identify and assign project leader/s for that project. Who definitely are the primary contact between your eLearning vendor as well as your company? Who must be copied in on emails? Who’s ultimately accountable for making the ultimate decisions? I would suggest assigning one team leader. It is always good to possess technical people in your organization that will help your eLearning vendor with technical questions that they’re going to have relating to your hardware and software standards. However, ultimately they leader in consultation using the group experts needs to help make the ultimate decision. Without having a main contact/team leader your eLearning vendor can become unclear about who they ought to connection with questions they have.

Give your employees a chance to update their skills in a hassle-free manner from the comfort of their desks. Opt for any relevant skill improvement program offered by one of the well-known and leading elearning content development companies in the world.

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Business

Advance Your Management Career by Participating in Leadership Training

by Hitshopi George on

Trainee manager roles and schemes lead to directing staff members, planning and supervising projects, and meeting financial mandates. Customer-facing sectors such as retail banking, retail, and hospitality as well as such areas as logistics, construction, and the public sector offer management job opportunities that can lead to leadership or executive careers.

Why You Need to Continue to Update Your Training

However, if you wish to work in the above-mentioned sectors as a manager, you will find the competition can be fierce. That is why you need keep advancing your career by attending training seminars to hone your skills and leadership abilities. If you are already working in a management role and wish to gain more training, then you need to review the skills that are needed for advancing in your career.

Many people believe that a degree in management or business is all that is needed for management training schemes. Whilst this type of education can be advantageous, you also need to keep enhancing your skillset over time. That is why it is imperative that you sign up for a management course in the UK that emphasises your interests. Having the right attitude and skills is frequently more important and more attractive than merely possessing certain prerequisites.

Interpersonal Communications

One of the major areas that will help advance you in your career involves interpersonal communications. In fact, this particular skillset is often considered a key consideration when sizing up a management candidate. One aspect of this type of skillset is diplomacy. In other words, you need to be able to deal with people in a tactful manner, especially in difficult situations.

Emotional intelligence is also highly regarded. Good managers know that anything worthwhile takes an enormous amount of hard work. Therefore, being able to understand and empathise with your employees is a priority. That is because this type of ability helps build strong working relationships. Also, listening skills and the ability to be flexible tie in with this type of understanding. Managers must be open to change as well as to the ideas of others in order to show their employees that they are valued.

Managers Need to Be Able to Think on Their Feet

In addition, managers also need to think on their feet, which means they must be confident and persuasive when it comes to making decisions. This characteristic directly ties in with the ability to express directions clearly and succinctly.

Another interpersonal skill is the ability to motivate a workforce. Great leaders are able to inspire others to be their best selves. That means managers must learn the leadership traits necessary to keep things positive in a working environment. Because work can be stressful, they need to be able to show a calm and resilient attitude regardless of the atmosphere.

So, if you are looking for a managerial job or are working as a manager and wish to advance in your current career, make sure you regularly participate in training seminars. By taking this approach, you will not only be more valuable to your company but you will enjoy your job just that much more as well.


 

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