Frequently Asked Questions
We’re business law and franchise lawyers in Chicago providing customized legal services to businesses and their owners, franchisors and franchisees, and the restaurant and hospitality industry. Our knowledgeable, effective, and responsive attorneys counsel clients in connection with contracts and franchise agreements, corporate and LLC issues, leases and real estate transactions, employment issues, estate planning and business succession, and lawsuits and alternative dispute resolution.Search For:
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Author Archives: mboxerman
What are the best practices for employee termination?
When you are considering an employee termination, look to applicable employment contracts, your employee handbook, and the employee’s personnel file to find the information you need. Illinois is an at-will employment state, but employment contracts and the disciplinary practices in … Continue reading
What is employment discrimination and how can I avoid it?
Discriminatory employment practices include bias in hiring, firing, promotion, job assignment, compensation, retaliation, and harassment based on the protected characteristic of an employee. Employment discrimination may be overt or subtle but is always illegal when based on an employee’s race, … Continue reading
What are some common compliance issues faced by employers?
Many employers face compliance issues because they don’t realize that compliance begins with the hiring process. For example, in Illinois, employers may not ask about an applicant’s credit history and are restricted in when they may ask about an applicant’s … Continue reading
How should I maintain my employee personnel files?
Thorough recordkeeping is the key to defending your decisions as an employer, and employee personnel files are the right place to store important information about your individual employees. Your documentation should begin before you even hire an employee, recording reasons … Continue reading
What are the best practices for developing and enforcing employment policies?
When you’re updating your employment policies, remember that a good employee handbook is an employer’s first line of defense. Keeping your handbook up-to-date ensures that your employees know your expectations and provides evidence of your policies and procedures in the … Continue reading
What is employment law and why do I need an experienced employment law attorney?
Employment law consists of thousands of federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions that govern the relationship between employers and employees. This area of the law is constantly changing, but an experienced employment law attorney can help you … Continue reading
What is a landlord’s lien and how does it affect my business?
Commercial leases often include something called a landlord’s lien. A landlord’s lien is a provision granting landlords a first lien in all of the personal property located on the premises. Do not agree to such a provision, because if your … Continue reading
How can I limit personal liability in a commercial lease?
Reduce your personal liability by placing a limit on personal guarantees. Personal guarantees are required by most landlords, but the scope of those guarantees is often negotiable. You can reduce your personal exposure by limiting the guarantee to a set number … Continue reading
What do common area maintenance fees include?
Don’t let your landlord pass the buck to you with inappropriate common area maintenance (CAM) costs. Common area maintenance clauses require tenants to pay their proportionate share of the maintenance and operation costs but exactly what’s included varies from lease … Continue reading
How can I be sure the square footage is calculated correctly?
Only pay for the space you get by double checking landlord measurements of rental spaces. Commercial tenants often overpay for their spaces because of the inaccurate measuring of the premises. “Phantom space,” the extra space listed on lease agreements that … Continue reading