The federal law called HIPAA requires anyone who has access to medical information to keep it confidential. Businesses that violate the law can face penalties from the government. A big new threat, though, is that recently some courts have also started allowing people whose information was improperly disclosed to sue for damages in court. This is significant, because the HIPAA law applies not only to doctors and hospitals but also to businesses that have even occasional acces

A company can conduct background checks on job applicants, but there are strict federal laws governing how to go about getting applicants’ permission to do so. Increasingly, businesses are using “off-the-shelf” forms for this purpose, or are contracting with third-party vendors to set up an online job application process. The problem is that if the forms or the online services don’t comply with the letter of the law, the company itself may be on the hook. This happened recent

Business-people who have agreed on the general terms of a deal often sign a “letter of intent” that lays out these terms in writing. The idea is to make sure that everyone is on the same page while a formal contract is being drafted. But what happens if you sign a letter of intent with someone, and then they walk away from the deal? Is that okay? In general, the answer is yes – a letter of intent isn’t a binding contract; it’s merely an expression of a plan to negotiate a bin