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March 2, 2015
Be Careful Making a DIY Estate Plan Doing your estate plan on your own can lead you to lose protections you don’t even know you had. Jake and Laurie were married when they purchased their home in Wheaton. Knowing that they purchased the home as their primary residence, their attorney […]
February 11, 2015
Tenancy by the Entirety Available to Trusts You can still have the protection of tenancy by the entirety even if your home is in a trust. Illinois allows spouses to hold their primary residence by what is called “tenancy by the entirety.” Like joint tenancy, tenancy by the entirety allows […]
February 11, 2015
Illinois Changes the Statutory Power of Attorney for Healthcare The Illinois legislature changed the form Power of Attorney for Healthcare. Effective January 1, 2015, the Short Form Power of Attorney for healthcare has been changed. Among the changes in the law are that no health care provider may act as […]
February 11, 2015
What is “intellectual property”? Intellectual property is any type of idea, invention, or other tangible or intangible work that is protected by common law or statute. While there are federal laws governing the protection of intellectual property rights, there are also various state protections as well. The three most common categories of […]
February 10, 2015
The Latest Chapter on the Enforceability of Non-Compete Agreements in Illinois New Illinois cases further muddy the waters for enforcement of non-compete agreements. Last year we told you about the case of Fifield v. Premier Dealer Servs., Inc., 993 N.E.2d 938 (Ill. App. Ct. 1st Dist.2013), in which the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District held that, absent other adequate consideration, an at-will employee’s […]
February 10, 2015
New Illinois statute protects pregnant women and new mothers form workplace discrimination. Effective January 1, 2015, pregnant women and new mothers have sweeping news protections from discrimination in hiring and in the workplace. In a major shift, the Pregnancy Fairness Law (“Act”), 775 ILCS 5/1-103(L-5), amends the Illinois Human Rights Act […]
November 25, 2014
New Penalties for Wage-and-Hour Violations Additional penalties for employers who fail to comply with wage payment requirements. A new Illinois law increases the fee amounts for employers ordered to pay unpaid wages to employees. See Pub. Act 098-0527 (eff. Jan. 1, 2014) (amending 820 ILCS 115/14). The Illinois Wage Payment and […]
November 25, 2014
Employers Cannot Ask About Criminal History on Job Applications Starting January 2015, a new Illinois law will prohibit criminal history questions on job applications. Beginning in January, employers of 15 or more employees won’t be allowed to require prospective employees to disclose their criminal history on a job application. The “Job Opportunities […]
November 25, 2014
U.S. Department of Labor Reclassifying Interns as Employees If you are using “interns,” they may be reclassified as “employees.” Beware the U.S. Department of Labor is investigating and prosecuting small businesses, and David Letterman, for failing to pay minimum wage and overtime to interns. There are some circumstances under which […]
November 25, 2014
Seventh Circuit Invalidates Franchise Arbitration Provision One-sided arbitration provisions may now be unenforceable in Illinois. It is commonplace for franchise agreements to contain a dispute resolution provision requiring a franchisee to pursue claims against a franchisor through the use of private binding arbitration, as opposed to the judicial court system. However, the […]
August 21, 2014
What is a “non-compete agreement”? Non-compete agreements are contracts in which one party agrees not to compete in the marketplace against another party. Although most often seen in the employment context, non-compete agreements also often appear as part of buying and selling a business. In Illinois, courts generally start from […]
July 4, 2014
Happy Independence Day! Celebrate Independence Day with Lofgren & Wentworth, P.C. In honor of the Fourth of July, Rick and Charles are offering a free one-hour consultation in July for anyone looking to gain some “independence” in their work. Come by and talk with us about your non-compete agreement, a […]
May 20, 2014
Lofgren & Wentworth, P.C.’s attorneys have been hard at work. Here are recent matters Rick and Charles have been handling: Rick and Charles established multiple new corporations and limited liability companies for clients starting businesses in the massage, insurance, actuarial, and real estate industries. Charles obtained summary judgment for his client, resulting […]
May 20, 2014
L&W Attorneys to Discuss Hidden Tax Issues April is over, but taxes never go away. On Thursday, June 12, Rick and Charles will be speaking from 8:00 to 10:00 am at a presentation hosted by Precision Payroll of America LLC on various things you may not realize your business is doing (or […]
April 1, 2014
L&W Celebrates Its One-Year Anniversary! One year ago today Rick and Charles joined forces to form Lofgren & Wentworth, P.C. Thanks for helping us make this a successful and productive year! Send Rick and Charles an email to congratulate them!. If you liked this post, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign […]
April 1, 2014
What are “terms”? Every business deal has layers of terms, some of which are more important than others. We like to call these layers the boulders, rocks, and the sand. Boulders are the biggest terms, the deal breakers. Often times these are non-negotiable. Rocks are the next level in. They […]
April 1, 2014
What is a “Letter of Intent”? A Letter of Intent, or term sheet, outlines the basic terms of a business deal, making sure the parties understand generally what it will look like and forcing them to think through what the deal breakers are. It doesn’t do anyone any good to […]
March 28, 2014
What is an “assumed name”? An “assumed name,” “dba,” or “doing business as” is a name that an individual or an entity uses to do business separate and apart from their official or legal name. In Illinois, individuals must register an assumed name with the county in which they are […]