Cyber Security Issues while working remotely. Does your cyber liability insurance cover data breaches that occur while employees are working at home, using their personal devices such as tablets and laptops? There’s no time like the present to look into this issue, with most employees telecommuting and hackers perhaps sensing…
Chicago Business Attorney Blog
Family and Medical Leave: Sick Leave Upgraded Through 2020
Business FAQs about the COVID-19 Pandemic Small and medium-sized businesses with up to 500 employees are required to provide employees with up to 14 weeks of leave, most of which must be paid, for circumstances related to COVID-19, under a pair of temporary pieces of legislation that passed Congress last…
Is an E-Signature valid in Illinois?
As Chicago area business litigation lawyers this is a question we frequently are asked. Electronic Signatures are Enforceable under Illinois Laws. E-Signatures are permissible and valid in Illinois under the Illinois Electronic Commerce Security Act (the ECSA). Under the ECSA e-signatures can be used for all contracts except for real…
Business Interruption Insurance and the COVID-19 Pandemic
What to do when your business is forced to close due to the CoronaVirus? Does your business insurance policy cover the lost business due to the pandemic? Most businesses carry commercial property insurance, which often includes business income coverage provisions. Recent events have caused our Chicago area business clients to raise…
Workplaces on Lockdown: How Should Employers Handle COVID-19?
As coronavirus puts workplaces and indeed whole states including Illinois into “shelter in place” mode, employers need to respond quickly and sensitively to a host of health-related issues that no one anticipated dealing with as recently as a few weeks ago. COVID-19 Pandemic and Employment Issues These questions apply less…
Financial Assistance to Small Businesses in the COVID-19 Pandemic
SBA Loans to Small Businesses affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. THERE IS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. Practically every small business is feeling the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world. The restaurant and hospitality industries have been hit the hardest, but every business has seen…
After Health… Businesses Must Consider Legal & Economic Impacts of COVID-19
Did someone say force majeure? COVID-19 Pandemic and Force Majeure clauses According to Black’s Law Dictionary, force majeure is defined as “An event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled.” It is generally viewed as an unexpected event that prevents someone from doing or completing something that he…
#MeToo Could Affect Your Business, Too, Unless You’re Careful
As Harvey Weinstein rape trial moves forward, has your Chicago area business kept up with the increased awareness of sexual harassment and moved forward with adequate policy and cultural safeguards to ensure that you’re not the next target of the #MeToo movement? #MeToo Movement is changing business environment protections. A…
Illinois Dispensaries Need Federal Law Changed So Banks Don’t Just Say No
Marijuana became legal in Illinois on January 1, yet licensed cannabis dispensaries are generally forced to operate like their street-corner, black-market counterparts in at least one respect: They are cash-only businesses because they have no access to banking services. Illinois Cannabis Laws create new issues That’s because federal law still…
Gimme 3 Steps to Starting an LLC
Borrowing a line from Leynrd Skynrd’s song, three quick steps to the doorway of business organization will get you into today’s preferred format for your business – a limited liability company (“LLC”). So here are the three quick steps: Draft and file the Illinois Articles of Organization. This is…