Most employment situations are considered employment at will, meaning that an employee can be fired as you (the employer) sees fit. But there are limitations. You still cannot fire employees in a discriminatory fashion. Downsizing can create many legal problems, especially if you employee more than 100 people. 

If your business is this large, make sure you review your layoff plan with a lawyer before moving forward.

Q: There are certain covenants in the neighborhood association where I live. Are they legally binding?

A: Covenants are rules put into place by communities to ensure certain standards are met in a neighborhood. For example, a covenant may restrict the homeowner's ability to erect a satellite dish if that is felt to be unsightly by the association's governing body.

While covenants aren't laws, they are enforceable by the association. If you violate them, your homeowner's association may be able to sue you - so if you are buying a home in a community with such rules in place, make sure you are familiar with them before moving forward.

You have a right to expect that your job won't expose you to known health risks. Under the OHSA Health Act and various state laws, employers must protect employees from known hazards, ensure that buildings comply with safety standards, create plans for an emergency evacuation.

Q: I'm having some personal problems and would like to see a therapist under my company's health plan. Will my boss find out about this?

A: The highest level of privacy afforded an employee is reserved for medical records. For that reason, many employers have their medical benefits administered through their health-care provider. If they do need to see the information, they're required to maintain it in a confidential manner and not release info to anyone in the workplace except those who need to know.

Our friends and collaborators as Lone Star Crowdfunding, a new venture, placed a crowdfunding FAQ on their homepage to help potential investors in the state of Texas learn more about how regulation changes will effect their investment plans in 2015.

This concept is interesting and has grown in popularity in other states. Now the Lone Star State gets in on the action and the business lawyers behind Lone Star Crowdfunding realized they were spending hours a day answering questions from prospective investors. Hence, the FAQ.

This is a great read that clears up a lot of misconceptions about how new laws in 2015 will affect micro-investing. Soon, the site will become a full-on business portal.

Two more premium dot coms we purchased and plan to offer to local lawyers:

• www.harriscountydefenselawyers.com (this is ideal for criminal defense lawyers in the Houston area)
• www.familylawyerdentoncounty.com (this is ideal for family and divorce lawyers north of Dallas)

Both of these sites were fought for and won during a bidding war on Godaddy and we are proud to own them. If you are a local lawyer in Texas, these could be great additions to your domain portfolio as they are "exact match" and can serve a variety of needs.

Harris County is also huge and this would hit over 4 million people. While Denton County isn't as big, it is home to the University of North Texas and any college town is a good fit for these services. More updates to follow.

In a recent article from ABA Journal, a team of researchers set out to determine the average lawyer wage in various regions across the US. The results are interesting. Alaska and Hawaii actually had comparable salaries of around 100k per year.

The poorest fairing areas: The midwest and less populated areas of the country.

The big winners: Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, the Northeast and California.

San Jose, San Francisco and New York were the clear standouts at right around $200,000 a year. El Paso, Oxnard and Los Angeles also moved up the list this year.

The article also speculates that there might be an overabundance of lawyers produced in this country over the last few years.

Q: Who is at fault if a foundation repair company comes out to do a basic repair job (after a previous owner messed up the foundation, admittedly) and makes the job worse? Keep in mind that this is on a rental property I own.

A: This is a grey area. We spoke with the owner of Hercules Foundation Repair in Dallas and he provided some good tips on how to pick a quality company. First, look for referrals and references from previous customers. Any quality concrete company should have these upon request. Secondly, look for accreditations like being involved with the BBB, Angies List and other such organizations. Third, ask for a proof of insurance. Most quality home improvement companies will have no problem providing these documents.

Three new guest posts from local lawyers - thanks to the law firms involved for their help in answering basic legal questions:

Used Car Disclosure Laws
Cost of Obtaining a Homestead Exemption
What If a Free Prize Isn't Actually Free?
Unintentional Deception When Selling Boat
Should I Help a Friend Co-Sign?
Who Owns Dential Records?

More FAQs coming soon.

I am a U.S. citizen but I have noticed (and spoken with an immigration attorney here in NYC) about the fact that I am having trouble getting hired because my union won't hire anyone without an ID and green card. Is this legal from an immigration law standpoint? I am a fourth-generation American and I resent having to prove I am legal - what's the best course of action to take?

Answer: This is a common immigration legal question. Employers must screen all new employees as a way of determining if they are eligible for employment. They must ask the same questions and require the same forms and paperwork of everyone. There are no sanctions for employers who have in the past hired an undocumented employee but there may be further penalties for people hired more recently. Whether in NYC or anywhere in New York, all employees must be treated the same during the hiring process.

Dear My Hometown Lawyers,

My boss is now requiring that all employees carry plastic see-through bags as purses to work. Can this be legal? I do not like the idea of co-workers knowing the contents of my purse.

Answer: Under the law, employers generally may impose whatever dress-code restrictions they want on employees. There really isn't anything illegal about see-through purse requirements. While you and your co-workers may not agree with the methodology, it sounds like your boss is concerned with theft via employees. Although the law may give your employer the right to ask for see-through purses in the workplace, you also have the right to find employment elsewhere.