Originally published as an Op-Ed by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce on February 16, 2023.

Introduced as a ballot measure, Oregon’s Employer Liability Law (ELL) was described in a voter’s pamphlet from 1910 as “a law requiring protection for persons engaged in hazardous employments, defining and extending the liability of employers, and providing that

In a very recently published case dealing with issues of first impression in California, here, the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles determined that the disgorgement penalty under BPC 7031(b) triggers a one-year statute of limitations given that it is a penalty, and the cause of action accrues from either the completion or cessation

Some economic indicators point to a recession in the not-too-distant future, and parties involved in construction projects should take steps to avoid (or perfect) liens and protect their rights if there is a downturn. The complexities of Oregon’s lien laws are best negotiated with the assistance of experienced counsel. In my inaugural article for the

There is no doubt that our national economy relies heavily on e-commerce.  This is true with regard to contractors in California as well. As individuals and businesses look for quality builders, trades and services in the construction field, they look for sources of on-line information to evaluate whom to hire.  Would you think that an

In the recently issued but unpublished decision Reed v. SunRun, Inc. (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BC498002, Feb. 2, 2018), the Second District Court of Appeal ruled that a solar power purchase agreement (“PPA”) provider that only sells solar energy to homeowners is not required to be a licensed California contractor under certain

It seems that almost weekly, and certainly monthly, I receive a call or inquiry from colleagues and/or prospective clients as to whether a license is really required if the prospective “contractor” is not actually building anything but is merely facilitating a “deal” or is hiring otherwise qualified and licensed contractors and trades. Virtually every time

The California Labor Commission, also known as the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, which is a division of the Department of Industrial Relations, is “reinvigorating” its enforcement actions against public contractors that try to dodge the state’s wage and labor laws. Recently, the Commission issued orders and hefty fines to nine contractors for violations totaling over