Julie P. Cotant - Attorney Archives – Page 4 of 5

Surcharging Your Customers: What’s Involved?

April 21st, 2015

Merchants are charged varying rates for processing credit card payments. Prior to 2013, they were unable to pass along that cost to their customers. As of January 27, 2013, however, a legal settlement involving a group of United States merchants chan… Read More

Employee Theft Can Happen to You

March 3rd, 2015

Unfortunately, employee theft (asset misappropriation, corruption and financial statement fraud) is all too common and can hit small businesses hard. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) estimates that organizations worldwide lose five… Read More

A 2015 Resolution: Who’s With Me?

January 13th, 2015

As many of you may know, my husband, Joe, and I welcomed our second child, Cole Elizabeth, four months ago. (Our son, Callum, is now two and a half.) I look back on the two and a half years of being a parent, and am amazed by all of the planning, reo… Read More

Don’t Call Me! Compliance with the National Do-Not-Call List

December 2nd, 2014

Telemarketing calls: businesses rely on them, consumers hate them. As such, the federal government has enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to regulate commercial telemarketing calls or text messages trying to sell you a product or se… Read More

Governor Snyder Signs Bill to Raise Minimum Wage

June 3rd, 2014

Last week we discussed pending proposals to raise the state minimum wage. On Tuesday, May 27, Governor Snyder signed a bill raising the minimum wage by 25 percent gradually over the next four years, to $9.25 an hour by 2018. According to Governor Sny… Read More

A More Meaningful Thanksgiving

November 26th, 2013

The coats, mittens, hats, and boots emerging from storage signal that another festive season is upon us, and plans are already in the making for celebrating and feasting. What more wonderful way to begin a time of gifting and shopping, eating and dri… Read More

Joint Accounts: Less Convenient Than You Might Think

October 8th, 2013

Consider this scenario: Mom passed away in 1995. Mom is survived by Dad and their two children: Tommy and Jamie. Tommy lives close to Dad, visits him every other day, and helps Dad with shopping and other needs. Jamie lives two hours away and visits… Read More

Julie Cotant to Speak at Upcoming Seminars

August 27th, 2013

Associate Attorney, Julie Cotant, has been asked to speak at two fall seminars for the Young Lawyers Section (YLS) of the Michigan State Bar. The first seminar, entitled “Stand and Deliver: A Public Speaking Workshop,” will be given in conjunctio… Read More

How DOMA’s Demise Affects Michigan Employers

July 16th, 2013

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in United States v. Windsor (“Windsor”) on June 26, 2013, striking down Section 3 of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”). Section 3 prohibited same-sex marriages from being recognized under f… Read More

What’s Trending in Your Workplace?

June 4th, 2013

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) publishes a biennial survey of human relations professionals and recently came out with its 2013 edition. SHRM’s “Workplace Forecast” includes the ten overall key issues that HR professionals fee… Read More