Feb 022010
Posted in Business Development, Business Management, Charles Krugel, Client Relations, Practices, Practicing Law
One of my favorite activities is visiting a client or prospective client’s workplace.
There’s nothing like face-to-face contact and on-site experience to help me better understand a client’s concerns and needs. Moreover, most business owners and operators (maybe even all owners and operators) love to showoff their business.
It was during my tenure in labor and employee relations for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that I started visiting worksites as part of my job. I noticed that many CPS principals and administrators would complain about how many of the central office employees made decisions directly impacting their schools without any regard for them. In other words, they complained about the same thing many employees complain about, top down management with little effort to understand their jobs or obtain their buy in concerning workplace initiatives.
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Jan 252010
Posted in Business Management, Charles Krugel, Human Resources, Labor and Employment Law, Practices, Presentation/Seminar Handout, Presentations, Seminar, Small Business
I’m excited to announce that on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 from 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM, I’ll be presenting the “Employment Law and HR Primer for Small Businesses” co-sponsored by the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, www.northbrookchamber.org, and SCORE, www.scorechicago.org. The seminar will be held at the Northbrook Chamber, 2002 Walters Ave., Northbrook. It costs $15 in advance and $20 at the door and includes lunch. You may register by phone at 847-513-6361. Comprehensive handouts/resources will be provided.
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Jan 222010
Posted in Employment Agreements, Presentations, Seminar
A friend of mine, Daliah Saper, of Saper Law Offices, is giving the following seminar. Daliah is an intellectual property and business attorney, and an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago College of Law.
Does your company manufacture, distribute, or sell products and/or services by utilizing a sales force?
Are you a sales professional, selling for a company on either a base salary plus commission basis or as an independent contractor?
Not sure what terms you should be negotiating in your sales representative agreements?
Concerned that your agreement is not comprehensive enough in case there is a dispute?
January’s seminar at Saper Law focuses on the topic of Sales Representative Agreements. Daliah Saper, Principal Attorney at Saper Law, will lead the presentation using case studies and sample contracts. Her discussion will address payment and commission structures, non-compete and confidentiality agreements, territorial and geographical boundaries, intellectual property ownership, as well as the Illinois Sales Representative Act.
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Jan 112010
Posted in Charles Krugel, Chicago, Client Relations, Media
I just updated my Client Testimonials page today. Julie Savitt, President/Owner of AMS Earth Movers Inc., added her testimonial. Two very cool things about Julie’s company is that, just yesterday, it was announced they just won a huge technology makeover prize from Chicago’s Women’s Business Development Center (see this blurb at bottom of page), and she was quoted and discussed in yesterday’s Crain’s Chicago Business in an article discussing business in 2010.
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Dec 272009
Posted in Business Development, Business Ethics, Business Management, Charles Krugel, Client Relations, Customer Service, Practicing Law
Although I’ve posted general client testimonials, and will continue to post them, I’ve avoided discussing details about specific client cases and disputes.
Besides, the valid and usual reasons of maintaining the confidentiality and credibility of negotiations and dispute resolution, and other evidentiary concerns, there are additional reasons to not get into specifics.
A client’s competitor or adversary may be able to identify a client by recognizing the facts or circumstances described, and they may use this information against my client.
Furthermore, client advocacy involves representing businesses before government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board and other similar federal, state and local agencies. Plus, a lot of this work involves dealing with difficult employees, their representatives and other third parties. Many of these third parties can be really difficult to deal with due to a lack of transparency in their conduct and labyrinthian rules which usually leads to seemingly arbitrary, illogical and capricious decisions. In fact, sometimes a client and I can win or lose a dispute, and we may not even be clear as to why we won or lost. This recently happened with an Illinois case where the judgment went against my client, but the monetary penalties assessed against my client were reduced by 99%! We don’t know why, and won’t inquire lest we learn that they made a mathematical mistake.
Consequently, in order for my clients and me to maintain productive relationships with all of these parties, I’ve decided not to publicize in detail about the various disputes that we get into. This way, I don’t risk vindictiveness against my clients due to exposure to their competitors, public embarrassment, vilification and the loss of bureaucratic anonymity.
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