Articles/News

Feb 28 2024

Donahue Fitzgerald Recognized in the World Trademark Review’s 2024 WTR 1000 Ranking

Donahue Fitzgerald was ranked for trademark enforcement and litigation as well as prosecution and strategy. In addition to the firm’s ranking, four of our partners – Andrew MacKay, Daniel Schacht, Jonathan Osder, and Dawn Newton – have been individually acknowledged as top practitioners. The WTR 1000 is the only definitive guide exclusively dedicated to identifying […]

Feb 26 2024

Senior Counsel Amer M. Lakhani Joins Donahue Fitzgerald

Amer joins Donahue Fitzgerald’s Real Estate practice group and his practice focuses on commercial real estate, including leases, purchase and sale agreements, and related due diligence matters.  He also handles all phases of commercial real estate transactions, from the initial negotiations, to due diligence, to closing. Amer has experience representing a wide variety of parties […]

Feb 9 2024

Required Notice of Void Noncompete Agreements

New Laws As you may be aware, California law (Business and Professions Code section 16600) has long held that any contract that restrains anyone from engaging in a lawful trade or business is void and unenforceable (with certain narrow exceptions for the sale of a business or agreements involving the dissolution of, or disposition of […]

Feb 9 2024

Tips on Complying With California’s Updated Paid Sick Leave Law (SB 616)

What Is SB 616? SB 616 went into effect on January 1, 2024 and amends the state’s Labor Code to raise the minimum paid sick leave in California to 40 hours or 5 days, whichever is more. As a reminder, California requires that employers provide paid time off to employees for treatment, diagnosis, and preventive […]

Dec 29 2023

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) – Requirement and Rationale

Every entity required to report will have to disclose its beneficial owners. A beneficial owner is defined as either of the following: A natural person who exercises substantial control over the entity; or A natural person who owns or controls at least 25% of the ownership interest in the entity. A person with substantial control […]

Nov 2 2023

Donahue Fitzgerald Ranked in Top Tier of 2024 Best Law Firms®

Firms included in the 2024 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be eligible, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, which recognizes the top 5 percent of private practicing attorneys in the U.S. achieving a tiered ranking […]

Oct 3 2023

AB-1228 Essentials: A New Minimum Wage for Fast-Food Chains and Avoiding the Prospect of Joint Franchisor/Franchisee Liability

What does it do? Establishes a Fast-Food Council that is responsible for developing minimum employment standards for fast-food employees, including wages, working conditions and training. Sets a $20/hr minimum wage for fast-food workers. Five Things to Know About the Minimum Wage for Fast-Food Workers The FFW Minimum Wage applies only to employees of “National Fast-Food […]

Aug 17 2023

Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America® 2024 Edition

Dawn Newton, Franchise Law Kristin A. Pace, Tax Law Merrill J. Schwartz, Real Estate, Trusts and Estates Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers recognitions are compiled based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review® evaluation. More than 123,000 industry leading lawyers […]

Aug 9 2023

Quick Note for Employers Regarding Religious Accommodation

What Does “Substantial Increased Costs” Mean? This is to be determined. The Supreme Court provided minimal guidance on how employers meet the “substantial increased costs” standard. It will be up to the lower courts to determine how to apply this new standard on a case-by-case basis. What Does Groff v. Dejoy Mean for California Employers? […]

Jul 26 2023

I-9 Remote Verification Extended – But Only For Some

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security temporarily relaxed the requirement that employers physically inspect documents. Employers were allowed to accept copies transmitted by e-mail or other electronic means, and directed to annotate Form I-9. These were temporary measures designed to address workplace shutdowns caused by the pandemic.  They were not intended to […]