Aaron Hotfelder is a legal editor at Nolo specializing in employment law and workers' compensation law. He has written for Nolo and Lawyers.com since 2011, covering topics ranging from workplace discrimination to unemployment benefits to employee privacy laws. He's a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).
Books and citations. Aaron has edited a number of Nolo titles, including The Manager's Legal Handbook, Dealing With Problem Employees, and Working With Independent Contractors, and is a co-author of The Employer's Legal Handbook. Aaron's work has been cited by U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet.com, the St. Louis University Law Journal, and the Minnesota Law Review, among many other outlets.
Early legal career. Prior to joining Nolo as a legal editor, Aaron worked at a small law firm in Columbia, Missouri, representing clients in Social Security disability, long-term disability, and workers’ compensation cases. He later spent three years serving as an employment law consultant for a human resources and benefits compliance firm.
Education. Aaron received his law degree in 2010 from the University of Missouri School of Law. He holds a B.S. in criminal justice from Truman State University, known by some as the "Harvard of Northeast Missouri."
Articles By Aaron Hotfelder
Wrongful termination is a catchall term that refers to all the types of legal claims employees can make against employers for firing them. Most employees in the United States work at will, which means they can quit at any time and they can be fired at any time, for any reason that's not illegal.
Many employers have policies that regulate employee appearance and dress. These might take the form of dress codes, uniform requirements, policies prohibiting visible tattoos or piercings, or grooming rules (such as that male employees must be clean-shaven or have short hair, or that female employees must wear makeup). Are these policies legal? It depends.
There's no question that favoritism is a bad management practice: It breeds resentment, destroys employee morale, and creates disincentives for good performance. Once employees see that benefits flow from being on the manager's good side -- rather than from doing a great job -- there's little point in working hard.
Losing employees - whether through layoff, firing, or voluntary resignation - can be stressful for California employers. If you are laying off or firing workers, you have to make sure you don't expose your company to wrongful termination lawsuits. And, you have to follow California's strict rules about
When an employee is terminated in Illinois, he or she may file for unemployment benefits; however, the claim can be contested by the employer. Here is how the process works from the initial claim to the contest, hearing, and appeal. Employees who are terminated can file for unemployment benefits with
If you are bringing a charge of employment discrimination at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, you're likely to settle the dispute through mediation set up by the Commission. Here's how it works. (To learn more about discrimination claims, check out the Discrimination and Harassment topic
Practices that are intended to promote opportunity for members of historically disadvantaged classes are referred to as affirmative action. Although most often associated with promoting opportunities for candidates of color and women, affirmative action may assist any disadvantaged group. For example, some affirmative action programs benefit people with disabilities or military veterans.
Unpaid internships offer students a chance to gain valuable employment experience, but employers need to be careful to avoid legal repercussions.
Question: I have taken a sales job recently as an outside marketing representative. My earnings are 100% commission. The amount I have been earning working full time for a whole month has been less than minimum wage per hour. Is this legal? Answer: It depends. Most employees are entitled to earn at
Travel time is the time an employee spends in transit for work. Are employees entitled to be paid for travel time? It depends on the reason for the trip, the employee's usual work hours, and whether the employee stays overnight for work.
