When a client calls (whether you’re an inside or outside counsel), having key resources at your fingertips is invaluable.  LEXIS and Westlaw continue to play an important part of an attorney’s arsenal for seeking information. But often, they provide much more than is needed, or, in some cases, not enough.  An ongoing feature of this site will feature four websites that you may not have thought of relating to employment law in Connecticut.

For Connecticut employment law matters, there are several free resources and websites that I keep on my short list of bookmarks with many provided by the state. At the risk of giving out my "secrets", here are four websites that I’ve found invaluble to bookmark.  
  • Suppose you want to check on Connecticut’s laws regarding how frequently wages are to be paid.  The Connecticut Department of Labor website still has some gaps in their coverage, but they provide an easy to bookmark site with the wage payment laws here.
  • Similiarly, instead of having a actually library full of Connecticut laws taking up office space, the state has actually put all the statutes online in a variety of easy-to-search formats.  A link to the statutes can be found here.   
  • Many years ago, a client needed to establish that a former employee was violating his non-compete agreement. We thought: Wouldn’t it be great if we could show that the departing employee formed his business before he left our client? Well, it turns out that there is a free website where you can discovery that. All companies doing business in Connecticut must register with the Connecticut Secretary of State.  The state keeps the information on old-fashioned website entitled "CONCORD" where you can find out (using the company’s name) when a company was registered, who the officers are, and who is the company’s agent for service. NOTE: The inquiry is not like Google; you must list the company’s name verbatim.
  • Sometimes, you just need a headstart to some research and don’t feel like wasting time/money on fruitless Westlaw or Lexis searches. For these types of projects, I use the Casemaker service from the Connecticut Bar Assocation. It has Connecticut and federal cases, laws, and even regulations available in a boolean search format  For CBA members, it’s a free (if underutilized) resource.  It is fairly current and a great way to browse a subject.  It can be found here.  NOTE: I would still use LEXIS or Westlaw for the most recent cases.
What are a few of your favorite "secret" sites for Connecticut employment laws?  Add a comment to share yours below.