Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges The Prinz Law Firm

Some states require that certain business entities register as a PLLC (or professional limited liability company) and not simply as an LLC (limited liability company). Business and employment attorneys Katie Rinkus and Rebecca Chmielewski discuss the distinction between LLCs and PLLCs and the requirements for forming a PLLC under Illinois law. They specifically address both how to convert an existing LLC into a PLLC and how to establish a company as a PLLC from the beginning. They also explain the nuts and bolts of filing the necessary documents and the potential penalties that can be levied for not being registered correctly. Tune in to learn all about PLLCs and whether your business needs to be registered as one.
 
Stay Connected & Learn More:
Read Katie’s blog post on PLLCs
 
IDFPR’s PLLC page
The Prinz Law Firm
Katie Rinkus
Rebecca Chmielewski

Employment attorneys and business counselors Katie Rinkus and Poonam Lakhani discuss the top 10 essential things to know or do when hiring your first employee. From how to conduct a background check to when to use a confidentiality agreement or register with state agencies, Katie and Poonam cover the gamut of concerns that business owners encounter when they are finally ready to become employers.
 
Stay Connected & Learn More:
 
The Prinz Law Firm
 
Poonam Lakhani
 
Katie Rinkus
 
Read Katie’s blog post on hiring a new employee

Seasoned workplace investigators Kristen Prinz and Christina Hynes Mesco discuss one of their favorite topics: culture audits! They discuss how audits can help prevent workplace problems before they arise, enabling organizations to avoid the costs of poor company culture: legal liability, legal fees, and lost productivity. More than that, culture audits signal to employees that the organization cares about them and their input, and takes workplace culture seriously. This episode is for anyone who wants to get the pulse of their organization and maintain a healthy work environment.
 
Stay Connected & Learn More:
 
The Prinz Law Firm
 
Kristen Prinz
 
Christina Hynes Mesco
 

Kristen Prinz welcomes to the mic Chiquita Hall-Jackson, a lawyer, DEI consultant, and community advocate known as the “Discrimination Disrupter.” Chiquita strives to dismantle systems of bias, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace, and is recently the author of We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive's Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics.
 
In their wide-ranging conversation, Kristen and Chiquita address the difficulties that minority employees often face in the workplace, especially women of color, including remaining unseen and being passed over for promotion. Chiquita encourages employees to use these situations as opportunities to educate their colleagues, and she advises workers to use their voices to advocate for themselves and to make room in the workplace for the diverse talent that will come after them.
 
Kristen and Chiquita discuss their own experiences, the necessity of charting your own career path and goals, and the difficult choice workers must sometimes face: to stay within a system that can be difficult to navigate or to strike out on your own.
 
This episode will enable you to become a bolder you at work, more aligned with your own values and career goals. Perhaps more than anything else, you will learn some tools to “be alright” and continue navigating the dynamics of challenging workplaces.
 
Stay Connected & Learn More:
 
The Prinz Law Firm
 
Kristen Prinz
 
Chiquita Hall-Jackson’s personal website
 
We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive's Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics
 
Chiquita Hall-Jackson on LinkedIn
 
Hall-Jackson and Associates, P.C.

Employment attorney Amit Bindra unpacks two recent attempts to ban non-competes. Starting with the successful legal ban in Minnesota, Amit explains why the prohibition is novel and addresses certain exemptions under the new law. He then turns to the state legislature’s attempt at banning non-competes in New York, highlighting the proposed law’s exemptions and penalties. While ultimately unsuccessful, the move to ban non-competes in New York will likely see an Act 2 in the next legislative session. Amit closes by offering some practical guidance for both employees and employers as they navigate a new legal landscape in jurisdictions that have recently banned non-competes.
 
Stay Connected & Learn More:
 
Amit Bindra
 
Connect with Amit on Twitter
 
Read Amit’s blog post on Minnesota’s non-compete ban
 
Matt Tedeschi

Employment attorney and business counselor Poonam Lakhani joins marketing manager and paralegal Matt Tedeschi to address the most significant new employment laws taking effect in Illinois in 2024. From minimum wage increases and new paid leave requirements to increased employer liability for workplace sexual assault, the new year will see the evolution of work across the state. Whether you are an employee, in management, or a business owner, tune in to learn about what these changes might mean for you!
 
Stay Connected & Learn More:
 
The Prinz Law Firm
 
Poonam Lakhani
 
Matt Tedeschi
 
Read Poonam’s blog post on new employment laws of 2024
 
Read Matt’s blog post on Chicago’s new paid leave law
 
Read Matt’s blog post on Illinois’s paid leave law
 
Access the State of Illinois’s FAQ’s on the paid leave law
 
Read our post on pay data reporting
 
Read Laura Feldman’s post on the Illinois Gender Violence Act