Several new employment laws go into effect in September and will affect employers in every state. Independent Contractors rules: The US Department of Labor adopted a six-factor test in January for classifying independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This replaces the previous two-factor approach. The result is more…
A New Era of Tax Policy for Business Owners On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law, ushering in sweeping changes to the federal tax code. While the law has drawn national attention for its b roader political implications, it contains several key…
Small business owners and startup founders now have a powerful reason to take another look at Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS). A new federal law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on July 4, 2025, makes QSBS more valuable than ever for growing companies and their stakeholders. These changes…
Many employers rely on confidentiality agreements to protect sensitive business information. But not all confidentiality provisions are created equal, and if your agreement isn’t drafted properly, it may not hold up in court. While courts tend to scrutinize non-compete clauses, confidentiality provisions are usually enforceable, provided certain legal requirements are…
A new federal law, officially titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, has introduced significant tax changes that directly impact employers in service-based industries. The legislation, signed into law on July 4, 2025, offers new income tax deductions for employees who earn tips and overtime pay, while also expanding tax…
Regulations for Small Business What new regulatory requirements from the federal government on down are small businesses facing in 2025? In this first of a three-part series, we will cover some of them, related to changes in and current status of tax policy. First of all, the new year brings…
New Laws, New Year Part 2 Illinois small businesses need to get up to speed on a variety of state legislation passed in the previous session that came online on January 1. We covered several new provisions in a post last week, including a higher state minimum wage and legislation…
Illinois Employers Face New Laws 2025 Guest Author: Kelsey Feucht, Associate Attorney with Bellas & Wachowski Illinois small businesses need to get up to speed on a variety of state legislation – particularly employment laws – which became effective on January 1. Key new laws (or amendments to existing legislation)…
Rarely does something that is forced affect a lasting difference, much less result in an improved circumstance. That said, as I considered another flip of the calendar, I decided to at least partially break my own rule and to offer what I will call a few suggestions that just might…
Corporate Transparency Act Updates WHO’S ON FIRST? ANOTHER UPDATE ON THE CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT New Reporting Deadlines and Ongoing Legal Drama On December 23, 2024, a federal appeals court granted a stay over the nationwide injunction issued by a federal court which flipped the requirements for filing around (again!). The…