PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BUSINESS LAWSUITS: An Employee's Guide to Avoiding Workplace Liability

Virtually everyone agrees that the process of corporate litigation has spun out of control. Thomas Schweich, an attorney who focuses on the negotiation, mediation, and arbitration of commercial disputes, believes that all of us should therefore be working to lessen our companies' susceptibility to lawsuits--while simultaneously shoring up our own professional reputations--by avoiding the "eight big mistakes" and constructing the "four shields" that he says can ultimately make or break any firm. In Protect Yourself From Business Lawsuits (...and Lawyers Like Me), Schweich begins with his theories on the legal system's problems and their direct and indirect ramifications for business owners as well as employees. He then presents his detailed suggestions for lawsuit protection, starting with a list of the primary blunders to bypass, such as Bad Writing (not knowing when, and when not, to write information down), Speculating (discussing something that you're not qualified to discuss), Bad Research (doing business with the wrong people), and Getting Personal (letting emotions get in the way of common sense). He concludes with explicit details on a quartet of defensive tactics related to document protection, corporate definition, alternative dispute resolution, and the wise choice of business partners. --Howard Rothman