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30 guides matching your search
- Independent contractor vs. employee under U.S. law
Whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor decides who pays payroll taxes, who is owed minimum wage and overtime, and which workplace laws apply. U.S. law answers the question with several different tests, not one.
- Independent contractor or employee: misclassification
Misclassification happens when a business treats someone as an independent contractor even though the person legally functions as an employee. The classification can affect minimum wage, overtime, leave, tax withholding, benefits, workplace rights, and protection against discrimination or retaliation.
- Contractor agreements for freelancers
A contractor agreement sets out the work a freelancer will perform, the price and payment process, ownership of work product, confidentiality, and how either side can end the relationship. The written agreement is important, but the actual working relationship can determine whether the freelancer is legally an independ
- Remote work rules: expenses, hours and monitoring
Remote work usually does not remove ordinary rules about minimum wage, overtime, working time, business expenses, privacy, or workplace safety. The result depends heavily on whether you are an employee or an independent contractor, where you work, and whether your employer operates across borders.
- A contractor did bad work on your home
When a contractor does poor work, your possible remedies usually come from the contract, consumer-protection law, warranty law, and rules about defective building work. The outcome often depends on the written agreement, the seriousness of the defect, whether you gave the contractor a chance to fix it, and the deadline
- Getting paid as a freelancer: late payment rights
A freelancer’s right to be paid usually comes from the contract with the client, including any agreement about the amount, due date, milestones, and expenses. If payment is late, possible remedies may include interest, compensation, collection costs, a court claim, or a statutory payment remedy, but the available optio
- Hiring your first employee legally
Hiring your first employee usually involves more than signing an agreement. You generally need to decide whether the person is an employee, register for payroll and workplace obligations, provide lawful terms, and keep records.
- Unpaid overtime and who is entitled to it
Unpaid overtime usually means you worked more hours than the law or your employment agreement allows without receiving the required overtime pay or time off. Whether you are entitled depends on your country or state, your job duties, your employment contract or award, and whether you are legally classified as an employ
- Homeowners insurance claims after damage
Where damage creates an immediate risk from fire, gas, flooding, structural instability, or violence, contact emergency services first. A homeowners insurance claim usually involves proving what happened, showing the loss is covered, documenting the damage, and working with an insurer’s adjuster while protecting people
- Your employer has not paid your wages
When an employer does not pay wages, the unpaid amount may include ordinary wages, overtime, commissions, bonuses, holiday pay, or unlawfully withheld tips and deductions. The available remedies usually depend on where you work, whether you are an employee or contractor, and whether the employer disputes the amount or
- Workplace injuries and workers' compensation
Workplace injury laws commonly provide medical care and wage replacement through a workers’ compensation or workplace-injury system, usually without requiring proof that the employer was at fault. The system, deadlines, benefits, and dispute procedures differ substantially between U.S. states, Canadian provinces, Austr
- Non-disclosure agreements: how they work
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is most useful when it clearly identifies what information is confidential, why it is being shared, who may receive it, and what happens if it is misused. An NDA cannot protect information that is already public, independently developed, lawfully obtained elsewhere, or disclosed where t
- Parking tickets and towing disputes
Parking-ticket and towing disputes usually involve two separate issues: whether the parking rule was broken and whether the ticket, tow, storage charge, or sale process was lawful. The available review process, deadlines, and chances of recovering money depend heavily on whether the vehicle was towed by a government au
- Deductions from your pay that may be illegal
A deduction from your pay may be unlawful if it is not authorized, is made for an improper reason, or leaves your pay below a legal minimum. Rules differ depending on where you work, the type of deduction, your employment agreement, and whether the deduction is for taxes, a court order, benefits, equipment, shortages,
- Hidden defects discovered after buying a home
A hidden defect is a serious problem that existed when you bought a property but was not reasonably visible during an ordinary inspection. Your possible remedies usually depend on what the seller knew, what was disclosed, what your contract says, and the law where the property is located.
- Mould, damp and unsafe conditions in a rental
Mould, damp, leaks, poor ventilation, pests, cold, and other unsafe conditions may breach a landlord’s duty to provide a habitable or reasonably fit rental home. The outcome usually depends on the cause of the problem, how serious it is, whether the landlord knew about it, and the law where the property is located.
- Boundary and fence disputes with a neighbour
A boundary and fence dispute usually concerns where the legal boundary lies, who owns or maintains a fence, or whether one owner may enter the other’s land. The answer often depends on title records, surveys, agreements, long use of the land, and local property law.
- A contractor or tradesperson took a deposit and vanished
When a contractor or tradesperson takes a deposit and then disappears, you may have both a contract dispute and a possible fraud or consumer-protection complaint. Your options commonly include trying to reverse the payment, sending a formal demand, reporting the conduct, and bringing a court claim.
- Mechanic's liens on your house from an unpaid contractor
A mechanic’s lien, sometimes called a construction lien or builders lien, is a legal claim against a property for unpaid work or materials used to improve it. A valid lien can make selling, refinancing, or insuring title more difficult, but it usually does not transfer ownership of your house automatically.
- Copyright basics for creators and businesses
Copyright usually protects original creative expression, such as writing, photographs, music, software, artwork, video, and designs, once it is recorded in some form. The creator commonly starts as the copyright owner, but contracts, employment rules, assignments, licenses, and local law can change who may use the work
- Accidents in parking lots
Parking-lot accidents are usually handled through ordinary negligence, traffic, property, and insurance rules. Responsibility may be shared between drivers, a parking-lot owner or occupier, and sometimes a business or contractor.
- Water damage from an upstairs or neighbouring property
If water from an upstairs or neighbouring property damages your home, responsibility often depends on the source of the water, who controlled the relevant pipe or appliance, and whether someone failed to take reasonable care. Insurance, tenancy, condominium or strata rules, leases, and local property law may all affect
- Health insurance denials and appeals
A health insurance denial means an insurer has refused to pay all or part of a medical claim, treatment, or service. You can often challenge the decision through an internal appeal, and in some situations through an independent external review or an ombudsman.
- Permits and unpermitted work when selling a house
Unpermitted work can complicate a home sale, especially if the work affects safety, insurance, financing, valuation, or legal disclosure duties. The usual choices are to obtain approval after the fact, restore the property, disclose the issue, or negotiate a solution with the buyer.
- Injured on public property or by a government vehicle
Injuries on public property or involving a government vehicle are usually handled through ordinary negligence principles, but special rules may protect the government and impose extra notice and filing requirements. The responsible public body, its insurer, or another driver’s insurer may pay some losses, depending on
- Car repairs that were overcharged or done badly
If a repair shop charges more than you authorized or performs unsafe or ineffective work, you may have rights to a correction, partial refund, full refund in some situations, or compensation for related losses. The result usually depends on what you agreed to, what the shop represented, the quality of the work, and the
- Medical negligence: when to suspect it
Medical negligence usually means that a healthcare professional or organization provided care below the legally required standard and that this caused injury or loss. A bad result, unexpected complication, or disagreement with treatment does not by itself prove negligence.
- Elder financial abuse: warning signs and steps
Elder financial abuse is the improper or unauthorized use of an older person’s money, property, benefits, or financial authority. It can involve family members, caregivers, professionals, strangers, or scams, and may occur even when the older person appears to agree.
- Severance agreements: how they work
A severance agreement is a contract in which an employer usually offers money or other benefits in exchange for promises such as releasing legal claims, keeping information confidential, or not making negative statements. Signing can provide certainty and payment, but it may also limit your ability to sue, recover addi
- Diminished value after an accident
Diminished value is the possible loss in a vehicle’s market value after it has been repaired following an accident. A repair may restore the car’s safety and appearance but still leave a record of damage that makes buyers or dealers offer less for it.