Using Corporate Structure to Manage Liability
As longtime readers know, many of our blog posts are born out of repeated client questions. The more often we hear a question, the more likely it is to become a post. This one is a good example. Over the past few months, we’ve received several questions about how corporate structure can help limit liability. For example, a single LLC owns the property, operates a summer camp, and also operates a retreat center during the off-season. The client asks: How can we insulate the s
36 minutes ago5 min read
Accommodating Campers with Diabetes: What Does the ADA Require?
Camps often ask about their ADA obligations to campers with diabetes. Based on how often camps run into these issues, it's not surprising that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has investigated and entered into settlement agreements with a number of camps concerning their treatment of campers with diabetes. Those agreements provide us with detailed guidance about what camps are expected to do. The questions tend to arise in different forms: Can we require parents of campers wit
Oct 177 min read
The Waves Are the Work: Reflections on Camp Management
Years before becoming a camp lawyer, I was, and still am, a camp founder and operator. Like many of you, my family and I spend every summer at camp, where I have the privilege of managing the organization alongside an exceptionally talented team of professionals. As longtime readers know, once we are in the depth of summer, I sometimes like to step away from legal topics and share some reflections on camp management. I find these particular posts cathartic to write, and reade
Jul 234 min read
Can We Turn Away an 18-Year-Old Camper?
Many camps share a common experience: Under various circumstances, a parent calls and requests to enroll an 18- or 19-year-old in the program, leading camp to question its legal obligations. Are we allowed to say that camp is only for those under 18 and turn away adult participants? While the answer is likely yes, the issue is not without legal nuance. This article briefly examines the relevant legal considerations. We begin with how “camp” is defined in the law, then turn t
May 214 min read
Buying or Selling a Camp: The Legal Roadmap
Thank you to my Potomac Law partner, Senwan Akhtar , for her thoughtful edits and valuable feedback on this article. After spending enough time in the industry, many camp professionals aspire to own their own camp, just as many former campers and counselors fondly recall their camp memories and dream of getting back into the industry. As a result, especially in certain regions, there are many more buyers than sellers. This often leads to a competitive purchase process and an
Apr 310 min read
Can Camps Employ International Staff Remotely After the Summer?
Camps increasingly find themselves asking a version of the same question: We have a great staff member from overseas. Can we keep them on year-round once they return home? Can they just work remotely for camp from their home country? It’s a reasonable question, particularly for camps that rely on international seasonal staff and would like to retain them beyond the summer months. The legal issue is that, once an employee is working from another country, the employer generally
Mar 42 min read
On-Site Employee Housing: Tenant Rights or Licensee Status?
Camps routinely provide on-site housing to key staff, including the year-round maintenance team, various members of camp leadership, and support staff. Of course, our seasonal staff also live on site throughout the camp season, but some of the most complicated questions arise as to year-round staff with long-term housing arrangements. When the relationship with an employee who lives on site ends, an important legal question often follows: Is that employee a “tenant” who is e
Feb 43 min read
