Non-competition agreements (“non-competes”) have long been viewed as viable means for Chicago area business owners to prohibit former employees from taking confidential information and using it to unfairly compete against the business. Non-competes are actually prohibited in some states, but not Illinois. Illinois allows the use of non-competes with some…
Illinois Cannabis Laws create new issues for Property Owners Cannabis may be legal in Illinois after January 1, but it is still illegal under federal laws. This will make for some interesting discrepancies in how the laws will be applied. Federal law remains in direct conflict with the new Illinois…
Lung injuries related to vaping began to appear on hospitals’ radar screens last summer, and the e-cigarette industry has been singed by criticism ever since. Chicago Business Lawyer George Bellas warns about health issues with vaping The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 42 deaths based on…
The new Illinois laws legalizing cannabis has a benefit to old stoners – expungement of criminal records. Among the several provisions of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act which takes effect on January 1 are provisions that include some dramatic criminal justice reforms. The most important of these provisions…
Is Your Website ADA Compliant? UPDATED APRIL 14, 2021: A federal appeals court in California has held that the protections of the ADA do not apply to websites. Its ruling also finds that Title III applies to tangible, physical places. It does not apply to intangible places such as a website. …
George Bellas explains Blockchain Technology What is bitcoin? Is it the same as blockchain? The quick answer is that bitcoin is not the same as blockchain. “Bitcoin” is a form of cryptocurrency and “blockchain” is the concept technology that underlies it. The concept of a blockchain was first conceived in…
Employment Discrimination issues explained by George Bellas Chicago Business Lawyer The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all other places that are open to the general public.[1] When…
Employers who collect fingerprints, face scans, or other biometric information such as retina or iris scans from employees or customers would be well-advised to ask permission and explain their purpose for collecting this data. If they don’t, they could be legally liable. That’s in the wake of a relatively liberal…
Legal Marijuana Shouldn’t Mean Dazed and Confused Workers! Starting on January 1 consumers will be able to buy marijuana for recreational use from licensed sellers. Pot users will no longer need to worry about fines or jail time – but employees will need to pay attention to their employers’ policies…
You might not realize it’s happening, and you definitely might not realize you have the right to object. But when you enter an airport in 2019, it’s possible that your airline—or the federal government—are scanning images of your face for their security-related purposes. Say No to Airport Facial Recognition This…