Tenant rights
Tenant rights basics
Security deposits, repairs and eviction notices. What a landlord may and may not do, and why your rights do not depend on your immigration status.
About 5 min read · Updated August 26, 2026
Laws & your rights
US law gives you more rights than most people realize: worker rights, tenant rights, immigration, consumer protection and family safety. Explained plainly, with where to find free legal help.
Immigration
The US citizenship (naturalization) process
Eligibility, Form N-400, the English and civics tests, the age-based exemptions, the oath ceremony, and when to speak to a lawyer before filing.
About 5 min read · Updated August 26, 2026
Consumer protection
How to spot a scam and where to report it
Every scam shares the same four signs. How to recognize them, what a real government agency will never do, and what to do if you already paid.
About 9 min read · Updated September 14, 2026
Worker rights
Nail workers - employee or independent contractor
Getting a 1099 does not make you an independent contractor. The three groups of questions the IRS uses, and the two forms to file if you were misclassified.
About 5 min read · Updated September 1, 2026
Worker rights
Pay, overtime and tips in a nail salon
The federal minimum wage, the time-and-a-half rule after 40 hours in a week, and the rule that owners and managers may never keep a worker's tips.
About 4 min read · Updated September 1, 2026
Worker rights
Nail salon chemicals and how to protect yourself
The chemicals OSHA names, why a surgical mask does not protect you, how much ventilation matters, and the safety data sheet your employer must let you see.
About 4 min read · Updated September 1, 2026
Worker rights
Getting hurt at work, and what to do first
Workers' compensation is a state system, not a federal one. Six things to do in the first week, and why being misclassified as a contractor costs you cover.
About 4 min read · Updated September 1, 2026
Worker rights
Pregnancy and work: time off, pay and keeping your job
Federal leave around a birth is unpaid, and FMLA has four eligibility tests many salon workers fail. What you get and where pay comes from.
About 12 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Worker rights
Losing your job: what at-will employment actually means
At-will means no reason is required, not that any reason is allowed. Some reasons are still illegal, and wages you already earned are owed regardless.
About 12 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Worker rights
Unemployment benefits: who qualifies and how to file
There is no national unemployment program. Your state writes its own rules. Who qualifies, what a base period is, and why a 1099 worker is usually shut out.
About 13 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Worker rights
Hiring staff at your nail salon: what the owner must do
You own the shop now: the EIN, first-day paperwork, payroll tax, the tip credit that now reaches nail salons, and what paying cash really costs.
About 35 min read · Updated October 17, 2026
Family
Protective orders: how to make the abuse stop legally
What a protective order can force someone to do, how to ask for one without a lawyer or a fee, and what is different when you are not a citizen.
About 12 min read · Updated September 21, 2026