Issue #3
June 4, 2012
Greetings!

Happy (almost) summer!  This month's Business Law Briefing examines three often overlooked areas in an employee handbook, announces the hiring of a new associate and notes some recent press we received including yesterday's MLive article mentioning our upcoming move to Detroit.  Thanks for allowing us to e-mail you!

 

Hubbard Snitchler & Parzianello PLC
Employee Handbooks:
3 Often Overlooked Provisions 
Cell Phone
Most employers have employee handbooks but many either have not been recently updated or omit some provisions which could prove to be important. Some overlooked ones include:
1.  Prohibiting Cell Phone Usage While Driving. Your company policies should prohibit cell phone usage of any kind while driving.  A recent Washington Post article highlighted the risks employers face if an employee causes an accident because of distracted driving.
2.  Prohibiting Employees From Bringing Proprietary Information From Previous Employers.  While confidentiality agreements with new employees are typical, a policy prohibiting new employees from transferring confidential information acquired from their previous employers is not.  Such a policy, however, could be useful if your company and your new employee are sued for the improper use of sensitive information acquired by the employee.
3. Restricting Use of the Employer's Electronic Devices.

The Supreme Court decision in City of Ontario v. Quon highlights that companies issuing computers and smart-phones to employees should have policies which: address whether an employee may use them for personal use; inform employees that the employer may monitor and search the devices; and advise employees that they have no expectation of privacy in messages sent over those devices.

HSP's Newest Associate:  Kenny Lee !

 

We are pleased to announce that Kenneth D. Lee has joined Hubbard Snitchler & Parzianello PLC as our first associate.  He will be focusing his practice on general commercial litigation.
 Kenny Lee

Kenny graduated cum laude from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. While in law school, Kenny obtained significant experience as a law clerk in a wide variety of matters including a large shareholder oppression lawsuit, various employment matters, and a complex breach of contract lawsuit between an automobile manufacturer and supplier.

 

Kenny became licensed to practice law after being sworn in to the State Bar of Michigan by Oakland County Probate Court Judge Kathleen A. Ryan.

HSP Attorneys In The News
 
The Bench and the Bar:  John Hubbard moderated a seminar titled "Jury Trials Under the New Rule: The Perspective From Both Sides of the Bench," at the Oakland County Bar Center. He was pictured in the internet and print versions of the Oakland County Legal News with Judy Susskind and Oakland County Circuit Court Judges Michael Warren and Wendy Potts.
 
Back in Detroit:  Eric Parzianello was quoted in yesterday's MLive article on Detroit's comeback.  We'll have more on our plans to be back in Detroit in future newsletters!
MICHIGAN OFFICE:
30665 Northwestern Highway, Suite 100
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Telephone: (248) 406-5400
Fax: (248) 406-5401


FLORIDA OFFICE:
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 200
Naples, FL 34108
Telephone: (239) 325-1802
 

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999 Vanderbilt Beach 
Suite 200
Naples, FL 34108
(239) 325-1802


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