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A contractor who responds to a midnight call must still reduce the work to writing once the scene is safe. For jobs over a modest dollar threshold, New Jersey requires a written contract that identifies the parties, the business address, the contractor’s New Jersey registration number, the scope of work in plain language, the total price or a firm method of calculation, and estimated start and completion dates.

Year end closures and reduced staffing create the conditions where evidence goes missing. New Jersey courts expect parties to preserve relevant information once litigation is filed or reasonably anticipated. That duty does not pause for holidays.

New Jersey applies Restatement section 344 to businesses that invite the public. The store must protect patrons from physical harm caused by the condition of the premises or by the conduct of third parties, when the store knows or should know of the risk. On Black Friday, foreseeability is rarely in dispute.

Guests in a private home are social guests under New Jersey law. A host must warn about dangerous conditions the host knows about and the guest is unlikely to discover, and must act with reasonable care when activities on the property create a risk of injury.

Public AI tools are now part of daily business work. Employees use them to draft emails, summarize meetings, and build policies.

I see this every December. Small business owners discover they're stuck with vendors they wanted to fire back in March. Or they get hit with surprise price increases they didn't authorize. Or they realize that "standard service" somehow morphed into something completely different from what they're actually paying for.

New Jersey bars expiration of the underlying funds during the first twenty four months and prohibits dormancy fees during that same period. If a dormancy fee is charged later, it cannot exceed two dollars per month.

Seasonal roles do not erase wage and hour duties. New Jersey’s Wage and Hour Law and the federal FLSA still govern pay, overtime, and recordkeeping. Classify workers as employees unless a true independent contractor relationship meets the New Jersey ABC test.

Attorney-client privilege in New Jersey protects confidential communications between a client and an attorney for the purpose of obtaining legal advice. Once a third party is introduced, privilege is usually waived unless that third party is necessary to the rendition of legal services and bound by confidentiality.

As the fourth quarter approaches, small and mid-sized businesses in New Jersey should view September as the time to prepare. Waiting until the end of the year to address risks and obligations often leads to unnecessary disputes and expenses. A careful review now can prevent problems later.