Representing Business in the Fox Valley
When considering franchise opportunities, due diligence is absolutely necessary prior to purchasing any franchise in order to protect yourself and your investment. What are your options when a franchisor misrepresents the estimated costs to operate a franchise in a disclosure document? Specific contract language for franchise liability...
A common question we are asked is whether employers may require non-management personnel to sign a non-compete agreement. The answer is yes, but there are limitations of which employers should be aware. To be enforceable in the State of Illinois, the agreement must (1) have adequate consideration, (2) be reasonably necessary to protect the...
Gender identity is a protected class against discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights Act.[1] http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=2266 The law protects employees against discrimination in all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, selection, promotion, transfer, pay, tenure, discharge, and discipline. To...
Beginning with 2014, it is mandatory that businesses report changes in responsible parties to the IRS. For non-publicly traded entities, a responsible party is the person who has a level of control over, or entitlement to, the funds or assets in the entity that as a practical matter enables the individual, directly or indirectly, to control,...
There are several new state, municipal and county paid sick leave laws in Illinois that will affect employers’ Paid Time Off policies and benefits. Some or all may apply to your business depending on where you do business or where you have employees working. The following is a brief description of the main points of each new law. ...
In a recent decision, Carney v. Union Pacific Railroad Company, 2016 IL 118984 (Oct. 20, 2016), the Illinois Supreme Court provided some guidance to owners and general contractors on limiting their liability to subcontractor employees in construction injury cases. Under the common law, anyone who employs an independent contractor is generally...
The Department of Labor (DOL) has made some pervasive changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which will affect the minimum salary requirement for employees to be considered Exempt from overtime. As of December 1, 2016 the DOL has raised the minimum salary for administrative, professional, and executive positions from $23,660 to $47,476 to...
On December 4, 2015, House Bill 1285 was signed into law, codifying how the industry defined employee misconduct for purposes of unemployment insurance claims. With the new legislation, the question becomes whether the clarified misconduct violations will automatically bar a former employee from obtaining unemployment benefits. Prior to House...
Effective January 1, 2015, Illinois legislature enacted a law that requires private employers with 15 or more employees to remove “the box” on their employment applications which asks whether or not the applicant has been convicted of a felony. Thus the name “Ban the Box”. Some employers ask that potential applicants complete an employment...