Auto loans are the third largest source of outstanding household debt after mortgages and student loans.  Those loans should be administered fairly without discriminatory practices.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently gave notice to lenders that offer auto loans through dealerships that they are responsible for any unlawful or discriminatory pricing.  The CFPB reported that discriminatory markups in auto lending may result in tens of millions of dollars in consumer harm each year.

Continue Reading CFPB to Crack Down on Disrcriminatory Car Loans

There is no guarantee that you will not be audited by the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), but there are four (4) simple steps that you can take to minimize your chances of being audited and, if you are audited, to minimize your chances of having to pay additional taxes, penalties and interest.

Continue Reading Keeing the VI Bureau of Internal Revenue at Bay on Audits

BoltNagi Senior Associate and Virgin Islands Bar Association (VIBA) President-Elect Nycole A. Thompson attended this year’s ABA Bar Leadership Institute (BLI) in Chicago, March 13-15, 2013. Sponsored by the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services and the Division for Bar Services, the ABA Bar Leadership Institute is the premier program for bar association leaders. The program features a variety of substantive courses in bar leadership and management and attracts Presidents, President-elects and Executive Directors of bar associations large and small from throughout the country.

Continue Reading BoltNagi Attorney Attends ABA Bar Leadership Institute

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided that the recess appointments made by President Obama for openings on the National Labor Relations Board were unconstitutional. The President appointed Sharon Block, Terence F. Flynn, and Richard F. Griffin on January 4, 2012 pursuant to the authority granted to him by the Recess Appointments Clause of the Constitution.  This section of the Constitution allows the president to fill “vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate.”

Continue Reading Recess Appointment to NLRB Run Afoul of Constitutional Guidelines

April 1st is the earliest that employers are permitted to file an H1B petition for the following fiscal year, which starts October 1st.  An employer cannot file an H1B petition earlier than six months before the date of the actual start of the individual’s sponsored services.

Continue Reading Does Your H1B Position Fall within the Exemption? Are You Sure?

On March 8, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), a subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security, introduced a revised Form I-9, the form that all employers must use to verify the employment authorization and identity of each new hire.

Continue Reading Homeland Security Introduces New I-9 Form

Did you know that April 1st is the earliest that employers are permitted to file an H1B petition for the following fiscal year, which starts October 1st.  An employer cannot file an H1B petition earlier than six months before the date of the actual start of the individual’s (beneficiary) services.

U.S. mainland, as well as Virgin Islands businesses have used the H1B program to employ foreign workers in specialized positions that require technical expertise in fields like science, engineering, and computer programming.  This program provides foreign nationals an opportunity to be employed on a temporary basis in the United States and provide needed services for an employer in a pre-determined professional position.  These jobs are required to be in a specialty occupation and require the minimum education of a bachelor’s degree to participate.

Continue Reading April is Right Around the Corner and that Means Getting H1B’s Ready to File

BoltNagi PC Senior Litigation Associate Nycole A. Thompson has been elected President-Elect of the Virgin Islands Bar Association. As a Member of the VIBA Board of Governors since 2010, she has previously served as Secretary and Co-Chair of the Bar’s CLE Committee. In January 2014, She will become the 57th President of the Territory’s unified organization of attorneys and judges.

She has been an attorney with BoltNagi PC since 2007 where she serves as Senior Litigation Association with the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group; a member of the Real Estate and Financial Services Group where she concentrates her practice in environmental matters; and a member of the Government Relations Group.
 

Continue Reading BoltNagi Attorney Elected President-Elect of VI Bar

Last month was quite busy for BoltNagi’s Managing Attorney, Tom Bolt, as he was re-elected as Delegate-At-Large of  the American Bar Associate (ABA) House of Delegates, as well as Secretary of the ABA’s Law Practice Management (LPM) Section, at the ABA Annual Meeting in  Chicago, Illinois.

While Bolt has served, and continues to serve, several roles for both the ABA and LPM Section his new role, as Secretary, will be his first position as an officer within the LPM Section.  When asked about his new responsiblility he stated, “I am looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities within the LPM Section.  The LPM Section of the ABA plays a distinctive role of bringing firm leaders together throughout the country and deriving value from their unique insights and it is truly an honor to be part the leading organization for law practice management.”

Continue Reading BoltNagi Managing Attorney Selected for National Offices

Divorce is hardest on children. Regardless of how young kids are, they know when something is wrong between their parents. However, when a couple uses traditional divorce methods, the process of separating can be even harder on children. In addition to being more cost-effective, mediation enables a family to sustain a divorce in a gentler manner. Mediation is a positive process that focuses on moving forward instead of arguing over mistakes from the past. The process takes place in a comfortable environment agreed upon by each spouse. While this may not seem like a big change, a venue other than a courtroom can significantly reduce hostility between spouses.

Continue Reading Mediation: A Better Choice than Divorce if You Have Children