Employer Background Checks – Video by Attorney Bruce Coane

In this video, Attorney Bruce Coane speaks about criminal background checks that are done by employers when individuals apply for jobs. These individuals often question if they have a case when they are not hired or when they are fired because of an arrest history. Unfortunately, most states, including Texas, have no state law about criminal background checks in employment, so most of the time, they will not.

However, this year, the EEOC came out with guidance about these checks, and how the criminal justice system affects Hispanics and blacks, in particular. As a result, it is quite possible to bring claims to court for race discrimination after a criminal background check has been conducted. Although the EEOC guidelines only references these specific races, it could apply to anybody, as the EEOC investigates complaints of discrimination based on age, race, sex, national origin, religion and disability.

To see the EEOC Enforcement Guidance, click the link below.

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/arrest_conviction.cfm

Mandatory Detention of Lawful U.S. Residents by Attorney Bruce Coane

Attorney Bruce Coane speaks about Mandatory Detention for Lawful U.S. Residents. For more information, please contact Coane and Associates, PLLC either at our Houston office at (713) 850-0066, or our Miami office at (305) 538-6800. You can also visit http://www.coane.com, or send emails to houstonlaw@aol.com.

1995 Business Week Magazine article

In 1995, I represented a woman named Gloria J. Cruz for a dispute she had with her former employer, Southwest Airlines. The link to the article is here.

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Bruce Coane is a leading lawyer with 30 years of experience in the field of immigration law and employment law. He may be reached via email at houstonlaw@aol.com or his website at Coane and Associates.

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Remembering Joe Paterno

With the death this weekend of my favorite college football coach, Joe Paterno, it caused me to remember my one brush with greatness. I had the honor of personally meeting Joe.

I was in my last semester at Penn State, in the summer of 1979.

I had just finished my golf class and was walking back from the golf course towards Rec Hall, on the Penn State campus. It was a very quiet, peaceful walk, as the huge campus is very empty during the summer. I heard that Joe’s office was in Rec Hall and I got the crazy idea of stopping by his office. I was going to be graduating in a few weeks, and thought to stop by to see if his staff might have a photo of Joe that I could take with me after I graduate.

I found his office in Rec Hall and was greeted by his secretary. I told her I was graduating and moving south for law school in a few weeks. I asked for a photo of Joe and she told me to have a seat. She left to go to a back room, and when she returned, she told me to wait another minute as she could do even better than a simple photo. Soon after, Joe Paterno came up to greet me, and he had a big photo of himself and offered to autograph it for me. He chatted with me for a couple of minutes, asked me where I was planning to go to law school, and signed the photo, wishing me good luck in law school.

As a Penn State student, meeting the revered coach, one-on-one in his office, was an amazing experience. That was more than 30 years ago, but I still remember  it as if it was yesterday. I join the tens of thousands of former students , athletes and friends in mourning Joe’s passing.

photo from: Rollingout.com
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Bruce Coane is a leading lawyer with 30 years of experience in the field of immigration law and employment law. He may be reached via email at houstonlaw@aol.com or his website at Coane and Associates.