Social media can be a great way to stay connected to current events, but we’ve seen it used more and more frequently as a tool for harassment and retaliation, including in the workplace. The ongoing lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is just one recent example, which features claims of a social media smear campaign—and the court of public opinion is taking sides. Employment attorneys Kristen Prinz and Laura Feldman provide an overview of the dispute and unpack the power dynamics bet...
Jun 24, 2025•30 min•Season 3Ep. 37
The first 100 days of the new Trump administration have been nothing but unprecedented. From terminating federal agency heads to signing controversial executive orders to the targeting of DEI efforts, both businesses and individual workers are dealing with a lot of change—and likely navigating a lot of confusion. Prinz’s marketing manager Matt Tedeschi welcomes senior associate attorney Mary Charlton to the mic to analyze some of the most significant changes from an employment law perspective an...
May 28, 2025•58 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Earlier this year, an amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act invalidated non-compete clauses that would make it more difficult for a veteran or first responder to obtain mental health services. Without timely access to proper mental health care, these groups are at a higher risk of developing conditions like PTSD from their line of work. Partner Amit Bindra unpacks the new amendment with Operations Manager Angelia Salgado, a licensed professional counsel (PLC) who holds a master's in clin...
May 02, 2025•13 min•Season 3Ep. 35
After the Trump Administration issued an executive order targeting Perkins Coie, we signed on to an amicus brief in support of the firm’s lawsuit challenging the order. Since then, the administration has gone after three more firms, making collective action even more necessary to protect the rule of law. Prinz partners Kristen Prinz and Amit Bindra provide context around the executive orders and explain why they decided to add their voices to this critical lawsuit. Why are these firms being targ...
Apr 04, 2025•21 min•Season 3Ep. 34
Business attorney Katie Rinkus welcomes Amy M. Gardner to the mic to discuss common ways they see conflict show up in the workplace. Amy is a certified Career and Career Transitions Coach and Team Development and Leadership Consultant and the co-owner of Apochromatik, which offers team and leadership development programs to help organizations resolve conflict and reach their goals. One of the primary causes of conflict in the workplace is a poor culture: there is a lack of vulnerability-based tr...
Mar 26, 2025•37 min•Season 3Ep. 33
Illinois has seen several new employment laws take effect since the beginning of 2025. Prinz’s marketing manager and employment paralegal Matt Tedeschi joins employment attorney and business counselor Katie Rinkus to recap some of the most significant changes and what they mean for both employees and employers. From minimum wage increases to an expansion of the Illinois Human Rights Act and new whistleblower protections, these new changes will have wide-ranging impacts on workplaces and employme...
Mar 14, 2025•41 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Are you looking for a new role or hoping to advance beyond your current one? Certified Career Coach and Facilitator Carmelina Piedra joins attorney Katie Rinkus to discuss what you can do to take that next step and succeed! Carmelina offers a host of tips for those wishing to make a career transition, based on her many years of experience coaching job seekers and professionals in numerous sectors. She focuses on the significance of a positive mindset and relationship-building, including online t...
Feb 12, 2025•35 min•Season 3Ep. 31
You’re starting a new venture and it’s time to finally create your business as a formal legal entity, but what kind of entity do you choose: a corporation, an LLC, something else? Business counselors Katie Rinkus and Kristen Prinz decode the major differences among sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and LLCs, providing insight into the benefits and drawbacks of each. Katie and Kristen touch upon how to reduce personal liability, various tax classifications, and the differences amo...
Jan 29, 2025•30 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Business clients routinely ask our attorneys whether their workers are actual employees or instead function as independent contractors (ICs). Drawing upon their expertise as employment and business lawyers, Katie Rinkus and Poonam Lakhani discuss the differences between employees and ICs, and why it’s so important for businesses to properly classify their workers. Katie and Poonam briefly touch upon the laws and agencies that regulate these distinctions, before moving on to why businesses might ...
Dec 31, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Business attorney and advisor Katie Rinkus welcomes Corbin Beastrom to the mic to discuss the current reality of remote work. Corbin is founder of Illyrian Group, a fully remote professional search company. But there’s a plot twist: he prefers to work most days in an office setting. Katie probes Corbin’s own professional path and his current approach to work, before they consider whether fully in-person, hybrid, or remote work is best for business and for recruitment. Corbin provides insight int...
Oct 22, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Three-time WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby has sued the WNBA and her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, for pregnancy discrimination. Shortly after securing the Aces' first WNBA Championship and signing a two-year contract extension with the team, Hamby revealed she was pregnant. Within months of her disclosure, Hamby was told she was being traded and losing certain employment-related benefits. Alleging violations of Title VII and Nevada state law, Hamby has opened discussion about pregnancy and discr...
Sep 30, 2024•21 min•Season 3Ep. 27
While the Federal Trade Commission’s non-compete ban languishes in litigation limbo, various states are continuing to modify their regulation of non-competes. Employment attorneys and business counselors Amit Bindra and Katie Rinkus discuss a variety of recent state-level changes taking place nationwide, from Maine to California. Tune in for a run-down of these developments. Stay Connected & Learn More: Read Amit’s blog post on recent non-compete changes Amit Bindra Connect with Amit on Twit...
Sep 26, 2024•21 min•Season 3Ep. 26
In an unusual turn of events, the New York Knicks filed a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors in August 2023, right before the start of the NBA season. The Knicks alleged theft of confidential and proprietary information after the Raptors hired a former Knicks employee. Now a court has ordered the dispute to go to private arbitration. Amit Bindra and Kristin Hendriksen break down this unique sports episode, explaining what they believe to be the motivations behind filing the lawsuit and how this...
Aug 28, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 25
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) effectively banned non-compete agreements nationwide, a rule set to take effect on September 4, 2024. Yet two federal courts have arrived at opposing conclusions as to whether the FTC has the authority to enact the ban, and one of the courts will only make a definitive ruling in late August, days before the rule is set to become law. What are businesses and employees to do? Employment attorneys and business counselors Amit Bindra and Katie Rinkus explain the FT...
Aug 28, 2024•22 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Business attorneys Katie Rinkus and Amit Bindra will tell you all you need to know about independent contractor agreements in this episode. They begin by distinguishing between employees and independent contractors, or “1099” workers, and the dangers of misclassifying workers. Then they dive into the main provisions to be included in a 1099 agreement, explaining key terms along the way, such as “statement of work,” “MSA,” and “indemnification.” This episode will help both hiring companies and co...
Jun 27, 2024•35 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Employment attorney Kristin Hendriksen draws on her experience in a past life in restaurant operations to discuss the WARN Act and recent business closures with Matt Tedeschi, an employment paralegal and Marketing Manager at the firm. Kristin and Matt explain what the WARN Act is and why it was passed before discussing the sudden shuttering of all locations of Dom’s and Foxtrot and the termination of all employees. They also touch upon the closure of the Signature Room in Chicago and a lawsuit t...
May 29, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 22
In a sweeping action, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently published its final rule on non-competes, effectively banning them completely. Both individuals and businesses are wondering what this means for them currently and in the future. Employment attorneys and business counselors Amit Bindra and Rebecca Chmielewski examine what is likely to happen next and what both employees and employers need to know. Stay Connected & Learn More: Read Amit’s post on the FTC ban The Prinz Law Firm ...
May 01, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 21
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 t...
Apr 19, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 20
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 po...
Mar 23, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 19
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 wh...
Feb 19, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 18
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 wom...
Feb 07, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 17
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 sessio...
Jan 08, 2024•18 min•Season 3Ep. 16
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 f...
Dec 28, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Employment attorney and business counselor Poonam Lakhani discusses various types of workplace leave with marketing manager and paralegal Matt Tedeschi. They address recent trends in leave requirements as well as compliance challenges for businesses across jurisdictions. Poonam and Matt particularly focus on new paid time off laws in Illinois and Chicago, exploring their main components and what they might mean for you, whether you are a business owner or an employee. Stay Connected & Learn ...
Dec 14, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Does your business want to throw a holiday party but you’re afraid of potential shenanigans…and the liability that might result from them? In this episode geared toward employers, Marketing Manager and paralegal Matt Tedeschi welcomes Laura Feldman, plaintiff’s employment attorney and specialist on workplace sexual assault, to discuss what every employer should do before, during, and after a party to minimize the likelihood of harassment, assault, and other legal claims. Perfect for HR represent...
Nov 27, 2023•35 min
Managing Partner Kristen Prinz and transactional attorney Katie Rinkus discuss the Corporate Transparency Act, a new federal law requiring all companies to report information related to company ownership. Although the law’s intent was to combat the creation of shell companies, Kristen and Katie discuss what this means for your business: who can see your information, when and how to file, and whether there are exemptions under the law. Tune in today to ensure your business is compliant with these...
Nov 08, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 12
This episode focuses on the mental health benefits that workplaces can provide to workers. Kristen Prinz welcomes to the mic Sarah Malavenda, a trained psychotherapist and the Co-Founder & COO of Samata Health, and Angelia Salgado, the firm’s Operations Manager who recently earned an M.A. in mental health counseling. Kristen, Sarah, and Angelia discuss the prevalence of burn-out, the fact that it’s become more acceptable to discuss mental health in the workplace, and whether there is a short...
Oct 25, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Prinz Partner Amit Bindra elucidates three recent rulings of the Delaware Chancery Court, one of the nation’s foremost non-compete courts. Two of the decisions involved business acquisitions, while a third addressed forfeiture clauses. Notably, the Court refused to enforce non-compete agreements in all three of these cases. Find out why in this episode, as Amit walks us through the Court’s reasoning, the potential impact these decisions could have on businesses, and how these holdings are part o...
Oct 09, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 10
What would you do if an employee reported that a colleague kissed her without her permission at the company holiday party? Our attorneys say: investigate! From their experience as employment attorneys and workplace investigators, Kristen Prinz and Christina Hynes Mesco outline the nuts and bolts of conducting a workplace investigation in this episode. Using the true-life example of the involuntary kiss, they address what to do if your employee reports harassment, including the importance of avoi...
Sep 15, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Allegations from former dancers that Lizzo created a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment and even false imprisonment have rocked the singer and body positivity icon’s image, leaving many of her fans stunned. Employment attorney Christina Hynes Mesco and paralegal Allison Wolcott clarify the situation and explain what it can reveal to us about our own workplaces. Allison provides insight into the allegations by drawing on her years as a professionally trained dancer, reveali...
Sep 06, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 8
