In my experience, clients want to follow their counsel's advice. But… they get busy… move fast… and sometimes, the good advice falls victim to hectic business days.

And then, along comes a stiff reminder of why that advice is so important, in the form of a Court decision. I don't often quote these to clients (they don't want to hear it; they just want the solution). But here goes…

Headline in Lawyers Weekly: "Company can't sue independent contractor for stealing trade secrets… defendant never signed confidentiality agreement."

Ugh. The facts showed that the company had hired an individual as an independent contractor. First mistake, since the Court decided that the so-called independent contractor should have been classified as an employee and should have been briefed on what was company confidential information.

Second mistake: If the company had at least asked the hire to sign a confidentiality agreement, and while the decision on employee vs. independent contractor status might not have been different, the company could have shown that it clearly intended to protect its confidential information.

The case involved two very important issues —

1. A clear warning about treating someone as an independent contractor when they should be classified as an employee, and

Have you ever picked up a book at 2:00 in the afternoon and found yourself finishing it at 2:00 AM in the morning? That is how "Bloodlines," by local author Neville Frankel, worked its magic on me.

Bloodlines is a novel, but rings with the horrifying truth of a country going through the convulsions of apartheid, played out on the canvas of a family who experiences the same wrenching heartbreak of love, betrayal and separation as the country in which they were born and grew up.

Frankel's descriptive style reveals the truth of his subjects, whether the subject is complicated family emotions or the ever-present rumbling just underneath the surface of South African lives, where the color of their skin defined where and how they grew up, if and how they were educated, whether and how they made their lifelong living and, most telling, what human relationships they could form.

Each primary character tells a version of his or her truth to the book's protagonist, who must then decide what to believe and what to discard. Bloodlines is a sad, beautiful, heart-wrenching, eye-opening novel. I urge you to read it.

Widett and McCarthy specializes in advising small business owners in the area of contracts. Whether reviewing a contract for services with your customer, negotiating a lease with your landlord or finalizing financing documents with your lender, we make sure your best interests are protected.

In addition, and for those clients whose successful growth requires a more comprehensive relationship, we act as "general counsel:" On-call when you need us as a sounding board, legal advisor and strong right hand.

Do you ever wonder how long you need to hold onto that ever-growing stack of business records cluttering up your office (or, even worse, costing you money in off-site storage!)?

If so, let the accountants give you some helpful advice. Visit The G.T. Reilly Advisor and get your copy of the useful "Record Retention Guide," compiled by the Massachusetts Society of CPAs.