Buyer of Nontraditional Legal Services, Beware All kinds of business forms are offered online, and many of them for free. Stand-alone paralegal services are offering various sorts of assistance to small businesses for significantly less than lawyers generally charge. Accounting and bookkeeping services that organize businesses are increasingly positioning themselves…
Cyber Security Insurance UPDATED AUGUST 23, 2020 – A federal judge in Kansas has ruled that three Missouri restaurants can proceed with their claims against Cincinnati Insurance Company alleging that the policies also covered “physical loss,” which the insurers failed to define in the policies. The insurance company’s argument is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
We all get them … and we get them all the time … and we are all tired of them … and we all cuss them out! Many of those calls are illegal. Some of the robocalls you may have agreed to receive when you signed up for certain services…
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…
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…
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…