Investing In China Proposed Labor Contract Law

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If you are considering setting up a company in the People’s Republic of China (the PRC) you should be aware that Chinese law is more protective of employees than the laws of many western nations, particularly the United States. The current PRC Labor Law was enacted in 1994; however, a new PRC Labor Contract Law, intended to supplement the Labor Law, is expected to come into force at the end of 2006. This new law contains both bad news and good news from the point of view of the foreign investor; however, in general it further strengthens the protection of employees.

The Bad News:

Severance Pay

Because it is difficult under the PRC Labor Law to terminate open-term labor contracts, employers usually prefer fixed terms. The Labor Contract Law will address this issue by requiring employers to pay severance compensation to employees on fixed term labor contracts if these contracts are not renewed at the end of the contract term. The proposed compensation is at least one month’s salary for each year of service.

Company Rules/Employee Handbooks

No provision in the employee handbook or other rules affecting the employee’s “personal interest” may be put into force absent consultation with the labor union or other employee representative body (under Chinese law, virtually all employees are required to be unionized).

A Shorter Probationary Period

Currently, the probationary period may be agreed between the employer and employee in the labor contract, but the maximum probation may not exceed 6 months. The Labor Contract Law shortens this period to one month for non-technical work and two months for most technical work (the six-month maximum is still retained for senior technical work, probably because these highly skilled employees are seen as less vulnerable in the employment market. This is significant because it easier to fire an employee during the probationary period than afterwards.

Non-Competition Clauses

Foreign invested companies in particular have tended to insert post-employment non-competition clauses into labor contracts in order to protect their intellectual property rights in China’s wild west business atmosphere. Although the Labor Contract Law allows post-employment non-competition restrictions, it will limit their enforceability to two years and restrict the geographical area of applicability to areas where actual competition is likely to occur. In this respect the reform will render Chinese law more similar to US law, since the current Labor Law does not impose any geographic restrictions at all (but does permits a maximum duration of up to three years). The Labor Contract Law goes even further, however, by requiring the employer buy a non-competition clause by paying a minimum compensation equal to the employee’s annual salary upon termination of the labor contract. It is still unclear what, if any compensation will be due the employee if the period of restriction is less than a year.

Contract Interpretation

Any ambiguous term in a labor contract will be construed in favor of the employee. This rule does little more that codify what has long been the prevailing practice in PRC courts.

Representative Offices

The current Labor Law requires Representative Offices to go through designated agencies such as FESCO (similar to Manpower in the United States) in order to hire employees. The new Labor Contract Law offers Representative Offices greater flexibility by allowing them to directly contract with employees for their first year of employment.

In summary, the new Labor Law will restrict foreign investor’s flexibility and make it more expensive for them to operate. The only good news is that Representative Offices will find it somewhat easier to operate. Typically, the new Labor Contract Law does not bother to define terms like technical, senior technical; and personal interest However, foreign investors have long been used to waiting months and even years for ambiguous terms in Chinese law to be defined through the further issuance of implementing regulations to supplement the main law; meanwhile the government’s actual implementation of the law in particular cases will be closely watched.

Characteristics Of Elite Escorts

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Fortunately for escort companies, the United Kingdom is a place where escort services are considered acceptable commercial services which are provided by professional companies. Furthermore, most escort services include a legal agreement between the agency and the escorts that sign up with it. Thus, all parties will be protected from legal liabilities that might arise and people who resort to such companies can enjoy their services to the fullest.

Usually, high class escorts legal agreements are meant to prevent the escort company from giving out personal information about its models and they protect the reputation of the company, by obliging the escort to behave in a professional manner. Elite escorts companies might ask all their models to secure a personal insurance policy in order to provide them coverage. Thus, the escort will be protected in case she happens to suffer an injury while she is at work.

A well-organized high class escorts service has its own system by means of which it markets the escort services and solicits contracts from the public. Elite Escorts dont have to seek contracts on their own, although they are allowed to offer referrals about the company they work for. A clean and reputable escort service will definetely have long term benefits.

If you must attend a social event and if your date cant make it, than you can either go by yourself and risk spending a boring evening and being asked all the time wheres your date or you can find high class escorts who will turn a boring evening into a fascinating evening. Elite Escorts companies are able to provide you with lovely ladies even at short notice, within a couple of minutes from contacting the escort service.

Furthermore, some high class escorts companies will even allow you to specify the body type and other physical characteristics that you would like your escort to have. With the right specifications you will arrive at a suitable arrangement and enjoy a fantastic evening. Elite Escorts are trained to discuss different topics intelligently during a conversation and they wont stay by your side having an idiotic grin on their face. You will be proud to introduce one of our models to your friends, colleagues and other acquaintances and if you find a model you liked most you can go with her to all your future events.

However, it is good to know that most escort companies will ask you to pay up a certain amount of money before sending over the model who will accompany you at the event. Thus, they can be sure they wont loose anything if you decide to change your mind or cancel your date. Dont forget to choose high class escorts who will protect your privacy as much as possible and pay your escort in cash so that none can trace the transaction to you.

Elite Escorts meet important qualifications and they always know how to draw a line between elegant outfits and trivial ones. They are also highly educated because people who hire them expect them to be sophisticated and intelligent. With such an escort company, nothing can go wrong and you will definetely have an unforgettable time.

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Typical Job In Law

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Working as an attorney can be fascinating, monetary-friendly and captivating. On the other hand, they can also experience feelings of extreme regret, strain or disengagement after dealing with criminals throughout a long career. Of course, the drawbacks and the benefits will vary dependant upon the individual themselves. There are many people who are unsure if this is really the correct career path for them until they have already made it through law school at which point there is no real hope of turning back.

It is very exciting being a lawyer. If you are a criminal attorney then you will be involved in intricate cases with a lot of highbrow sparring. People who like debating, high-stake scenarios and drama, a career in law will be very fulfilling. Defending your case against a qualified legal professional is often quite engaging and entertaining.

Although some forms of law may not appeal to certain individuals, another wonderful thing about a career as a lawyer is that since our legal system is so intricate, there is a myriad of types of law that one can practice. As an example, there is even such a thing as an entertainment lawyer, who works in any number of places within the entertainment industry. Additionally, as the additional benefit, a career as a lawyer promises one of the best paid jobs in America. A lawyer’s income is only rivaled by other incredibly high paid professions

Then again, this all requires hard work and can be quite exhausting. You have to be on the top of your game all the times given that you never know when an important case would pop up that might baffle you completely. The future is never certain, or even predictable, in this career. It can be hard; there is always the possibility of failure.

Some lawyers will inevitably become the victims of threats or violence. When an attorney takes on a case against a member of an organized crime group, things can get violent. Lawyers are sometimes faced with death threats unless they back off their prosecution. While these threats from crime syndicates are not always real, they can be very stressful to the lawyer and their family.

On the whole, the life that a lawyer leads is very exciting and his job is extremely lucrative from a monetary point of view. Having said that,it is definitely not for faint of heart or those that cannot cope with the stress that comes along with the job. Therefore, prior to taking out massive student loans for law school, make sure you know this is exactly the career you want.

Top 10 Law Office Billing Pitfalls – How You Can Avoid Them

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Law firm billing and accounting requirements are inherently different from other service businesses. Even among legal practices, billing requirements can vary greatly from one area of practice to another.
Because time spent on billing and accounting is administrative and not billable, a law firm’s profitability depends on capturing all billable time and expenses, generating invoices in a timely manner and managing collection efforts proactively. Another highly important aspect that sets law firm billing apart from that of other businesses is that law firm billing and trust bookkeeping come under the purview of state ethics guidelines.
Law firms today cannot function without a legal billing software that fulfills the firm’s practice-specific billing needs and helps them avoid common billing pitfalls. The top ten most prevalent mistakes law firms make, when it comes to billing and accounting are:
Pitfall #10 Not Using Matter-Based Recordkeeping
Many service businesses perform multiple types of jobs for a customer and generate one invoice that covers everything. The same billing process does not work for law firms.
Matter based recordkeeping is unique to law firms. All transaction details must be kept at a matter level rather than client level. Law firms are usually required to keep each task (called “matter”) completely separate from other matters for the same client or other clients. For law firms, matter-based recordkeeping is critical because it allows them to produce proper records with ease for client billing inquires, billing disputes or state audits.
Pitfall #9 Not Accounting for Varied Types of Legal Matters
Accounting for retainers, time and expenses, etc. will vary depending upon the nature of the matter in question. Most law firms handle a variety of cases and use an assortment of client billing arrangements , such as hourly, retainer based hourly, fixed and contingency. A firm’s billing system must be able to handle all types of billing arrangements and the intricacies of each case.
Pitfall #8 Missing Flexibility in Setting Billing Rates
Professionals (or Timekeepers) at law firms are likely to have standard hourly rates for different tasks. An attorney billing software must be able to set Timekeeper rates accordingly, support discounted rates or a previous year’s rates for old matters, without much manual intervention.
Pitfall #7 Failure to Track and Allocate Disbursements
While law firms focus on capturing all billable hours, they often neglect to properly track and allocate expenses for billable matters. Expense tracking is just as important as time tracking. If you do not allocate expenses to a matter as expenses are incurred, you might never collect them. Matter expenses you forget to allocate are lost profits.
Expenses are typically paid in variety of ways (checks, credit cards and cash), adding another layer of difficulty. A trust account disbursement, however, is not an issue because the expense will come out of client funds.
Pitfall #6 Not Preparing Customized Professional Quality Bills & Reminders
The billing process is a direct reflection of your firm and is a vital part of your client communication. While law firms are conscious of providing top quality legal services, their high standards often fall short when it comes to client communications such as invoice and payment reminders. Not only is it important to generate invoices on a fixed billing cycle, but it also equally important to prepare professional quality invoices. Cluttered and hard to understand invoices are a recipe for late payments and client questions and are aspects of legal billing that become even more important when payments are in arrears.
Pitfall # 5 Not Utilizing Built-in Software Collection Support
Many law firms let unpaid bills pile up and end up with a collection problem. Take a proactive approach to debt collection rather than grappling with the issue after the fact. An efficient law office billing software will provide built-in collection support. Don’t wait for a billing cycle, if a matter’s unbilled balance has reached a low threshold point. Remember, bill collection is an on-going and vital practice management process.
Pitfall # 4 Not Checking for Client Conflict of Interest
For most law firms, conflict checking is a must. Your firm’s roster of clients is already available in your billing system. Instead of duplicating work, make every attempt to use the same system as a conflict checker. While developing a bulletproof conflict of interest system is challenging, development in today’s computer software makes it easy to build an integrated database that quickly identifies conflicts of interest.
Pitfall #3 Not Handling Client Advances Properly
Pitfall # 3 involves a host of potential problem areas. A law firm’s cash flow and profitability depend upon client advances (or retainers). However, from an accounting/bookkeeping perspective, client advances (retainers) need special treatment and must be handled carefully. The varied nature of client advances, an initial deposit to a trust and/or operating account, and reducing balances, as fees are earned, can significantly complicate your back office operation, if your billing system is not capable of processing retainer transactions systematically.
And, apart from itemizing legal fees and expenses, a legal time & billing software must always display remaining retainer balances on your client invoices.
Pitfall # 2 Loosing Track of Trust Funds
Every law firm endeavors to keep trust books clean and accurate, but most either fail or spend significant time and resources trying to do so. Ninety percent of the trust fund tracking battle is won, if your system provides integrated billing and trust bookkeeping . The trust bookkeeping portion of the system must prevent common trust errors (e.g. ledger card overdraft), provide a bank reconciliation tool and three-way reconciliation reports.
Pitfall # 1 Choosing Complex Software and Failure to Protect Data Integrity and Security
The most common and the most dangerous of all legal billing pitfalls include trying to cope with complex software, failure to protect data integrity and implement secure measures. Technological tools are more hindrance than help, if the tools are too complex to use. Software that isn’t user friendly and requires external consultants or trainers consumes valuable time and eats profits.
Data integrity and security are a matter of taking precautions to protect data from unauthorized access and use. You can minimize threats and easily avoid Pitfall #1, if your billing system has built-in features for controlling access to data, has checks in place for error detection and a regular data back-up function.
Reap the Benefits of Legal Billing Software Development
Computers and software have changed how companies everywhere do business. Technology today allows law firms and other businesses to compete with their larger counterparts on many levels.
Choose software with care and reap the benefits of technological developments in legal billing systems. Before you purchase legal billing software, analyze program features to ensure that the software’s design can help you avoid the ten common legal billing pitfalls. The right software will not only enhance your firm’s in-house capabilities and productivity, but will also help you comply with state ethics guidelines and increase profitability.

Significance Of Hiring Employmentlawyers

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Everybody is struggling to establish their career as the economy is going through some crises. For you to have a good job, you must double the effort that you usually do since employment competition is on the higher level now. Nevertheless, the economy isn’t always stable, and when recession sets in, businesses will be pushed to lay off a few employees. In lots of cities like New York, business abuses are undeniably present. As a matter of fact, a few workplaces are discriminating the jobless.

In the present times, individuals are not hired due to some reasons. Cronyism is just one of these reasons. Only those people who have connections are the ones who can simply get the job. As it is, it is harder for most New Yorkers to search for a job than to find a property. This is because the present unemployment rating is on the rise. It has also become harder for people to secure their current jobs.

Navigating the modern workplace is extremely tough that is why you need the help of NYC employment lawyer. When it comes to employment and civil litigation matters, they are the ones who can help employees from large and small companies. Usually, their services aren’t just limited to the local community because they give it internationally also. Employees’ race, age, sex, disability and religion discrimination is not new to them. Businesses will offer people a chance instead of stereotyping others through their assistance.

Whether your case involves harassment, gender equality issues, sexual harassment, breach of contract, executive compensation, or problems within partnerships, the employment lawyers can surely assist you. Counseling and advice for financial institutions and also other companies in different states, assistance concerning new business initiatives, acquisitions, joint ventures and the likes, drafting and revising employee handbooks, as well as other employment-related documents are also offered by the employmentattorney. What they do is to maintain a sense of fairness and equality among all employees. They prevent businesses from abusing their authority to merely undermine the rights of their employees. Through them, every staff would be treated with utmost professionalism. Keep in mind that laws are implemented so that both parties can benefit.

Other than the above mentioned services, employment lawyers are also helping out companies and businesses in keeping a strong connection to their employees. Several companies give their employees “value exchange. It turns the workplace into an enjoyable and engaging environment for workers to do better in their work. This is to turn the workplace into a different environment. Apart from providing employees a sense of freedom, this will also help them to become productive as they are very pleased with what they’re doing.
When it comes to legal issues regarding your business and job, it is best to have the help of the employmentattorney. They know how discrimination revolves around a certain workplace for both social and professional classes. Additionally, they can be of service to financially incapacitated small businesses that are bombarded with legal issues. With the aid of their expertise, skills and experience in civil legal actions, you can be sure that you’re in the safe zone. To discuss things up regarding your legal issues, you can personally visit their office.