New York Employment Attorneys & Lawyers

Updated July 27, 2020:

What Is Cliff Vesting?

Cliff vesting is the process where an employee gets fully vested on a given date. The employee receives his or her full benefits of the retirement plan on a specific date instead of in amounts over time. The "cliff" described is the date on which you become fully vested. A four-year vesting schedule with a one-year cliff is common.

Cliff vesting is the way that employees of a company can acquire full ownership of incentives or assets of the company's qualified retirement plan account on a specific, agreed-upon date, instead of over a longer period. This period cannot exceed six years. The "cliff" is usually one year in.

Companies put vesting

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Updated November 26, 2020:

HIPAA law is meant to protect information that could be used to identify a medical patient. This law also includes language that is meant to protect patients seeking healthcare from discrimination.

Learn about HIPAA Law

You may not be aware that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is actually a 1996 amendment to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

HIPAA was added as an amendment to help protect more workers and their loved ones by limiting new employers from excluding coverage for preexisting conditions. Additionally, it prohibits discrimination against employees and their family members based on any preexisting conditions and providing new rights to individuals who lose their coverage.

HIPAA also protects patients' paper and electronically stored medical information through the Privacy Rule, while the Security Rule r

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Statement of Work: What Is It?

A statement of work (SOW) is a document that lists all the work a supplier will do during a project. It will define the amount of work, the expected quality of the job performance, and the timeframe for completion.

A well-written SOW will help both parties understand the parameters of a successful project. A poorly worded SOW could lead to conflict. The parties may argue over unclear expectations and the definition of good work.

To avoid such arguments, a well-written SOW should include:

• A list of expected products and services
• A list of tasks leading to the product's creation
• Specifics regarding who will handle each of the listed tasks
• Due dates for deliverables
• Payment schedule and deadlines
• Determination of which party will helm the project

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Updated November 2, 2020: 

Preferred stock is a special class of equity that adds debt features. As with common stock, shareholders receive a share of ownership in the company. Preferred stock also receives special rights, including guaranteed dividends that must be paid out before dividends to common shareholders, priority in the event of a liquidation, is listed separately from common stock, and trades at a different price than common stock.

Why Is Preferred Stock Important?

Preferred stock gives you a financing alternative to taking on debt. You generally maintain greater control over your company than if you issue new common shares.

You can also re

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Updated July 13, 2020:

Work for Hire: What Is It?

Work for hire is any created work that can be copyrighted like songs, stories, essays, sculptures, paintings, graphic designs, or computer programs. In the U.S., work for hire — shorthand for the term "a work made for hire" — applies if the created piece is part of a person's job or made by an independent contractor.

Instead of the creator keeping the copyrights, the copyright and publishing rights belong to their employer. For example, when a staff writer drafts a blog for his employer, the company becomes the author and assumes

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