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The Small Business Administration has released the application for the Paycheck Protection Program and loans available pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The Treasury Department has released an information sheet for borrowers, which can be found here. Additional information can be found at the Treasury Department’s website, found here. The Treasury Department has encouraged…

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FCCRA”) was signed into law on March 18, 2020.  Since then, questions as to scope and applicability have been raised by employers and employees alike.  The U.S. Department of Labor has and continues to provide guidance as to how employers and employees should interrupt the FFCRA.  A summary of the FCCRA can be…

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is Congress’s initial economic stimulus plan in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Additional economic stimulus packages are expected. The CARES Act was signed into law by the President today. The $2 trillion package provides relief to businesses, individuals, families, the healthcare system, states, and more. We are continuing to review…

As we hunker down during COVID-19, here are seven tips to make sure your estate plan is in good health: 1. Make Sure Your Basics Are Covered At a minimum, every adult should have a Will, Power of Attorney for Health Care, Power of Attorney for Property and HIPAA Designation. Parents of minor children should be certain their Wills include…

On Monday March 23, the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) confirmed that cannabis businesses are ineligible for disaster relief loans to assist with the detrimental effects of the Coronavirus outbreak. In the recent Twitter post, the SBA stated, “With the exception of businesses that produce or sell hemp and hemp-derived products [that were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill],…

On March 18, 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”).  Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor provided sample posters for private and public employers to post prior to April 1, 2020. Here is a link to the DOL poster for private employers. Also, the DOL provided guidance regarding the manner of providing notice to employees…

The economic uncertainty caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses and commercial relationships worldwide.  As COVID-19 continues to spread, businesses may experience disruptions that make it difficult or impossible to fulfill their contractual obligations.  Under certain circumstances, those disruptions may justify non-performance.  One such escape hatch is a force majeure clause, which is a provision contained…

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses and commercial relationships worldwide. As commercial operations continue to be shuttered and revenues cut off, principals of companies will likely find themselves questioning where their obligations and responsibilities lie when the entity’s solvency is questionable.  When a corporation is solvent, the fiduciary duties of the corporation's board of directors run to…

Covid-19 is disrupting businesses, their supply chains and their customers and causing major losses. Governors of Illinois, California, New York and Pennsylvania have issued “stay at home” and similar orders impacting employees and many businesses. Are any of these losses covered by insurance? The answer is maybe. The type of insurance a business carries and the specific insurance policy language are critical to determine…

This afternoon, Governor Pritzker issued an Executive Order in response to COVID-19 (No. 8).  The Order is effective as of Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. through Tuesday, April 7, 2020.  Here is a link to the Order. The Order provides that: All individuals in Illinois are to stay at home or at their place of residence, except as…

On March 19, 2020, Chicago Mayor Lightfoot announced that the City of Chicago will extend the due date for “small businesses” to pay the following Chicago taxes to April 30, 2020: Bottled Water Tax, Checkout Bag Tax, Amusement Tax, Hotel Accommodations Tax, Restaurant Tax, and the Parking Tax. The City requires that taxpayers pay these taxes on or before the…

On March 18, 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”).  Below is a summary of the employer requirements under the Act: Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act Covered Employers Employers with fewer than 500 employees and covered public sector employers must provide up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave for a qualifying need related to…

UCC-1 Financing Statements are an integral tool in a secured creditor’s toolbox. They perfect a lender’s interest and broadcast notice of this perfected lien to all present or future creditors, putting out the warning that a security interest against the debtor’s collateral exists. An effective financing statement has three requirements: (1) the debtor’s name; (2) the creditor’s name; and (3)…

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the globe and we wanted to assist you in considering all risk assessment and mitigation tools available.  We recommend assembling a management team to determine best next steps and implement an emergency plan.  Plan considerations should include cash flow concerns, remote working possibilities, IT considerations, quarantine possibility and company specific concerns. Businesses should…

The Cook County Assessor’s Office has recently begun mailing invitation letters to solicit participation in its Real Property Income and Expense (“RPIE”) system. The goal of the system is to collect extensive data to assess commercial properties in Cook County. It utilizes both an online portal and mailed forms for data collection. The Assessor will target properties used for the…

Two thirds of all states and the District of Columbia have, to varying degrees, legalized cannabis. With the recent addition of Illinois, eleven states now allow adult recreational use. But cannabis entrepreneurs’ rush of excitement and dreams of cashing in is met with fierce competition and economic risks that makes the dreams, which look so dank at first, end up…

Changes to Federal and Illinois laws will likely require you to update your employment practices and policies. Below is a summary of new acts and amendments affecting Illinois employers. Federal Updates The Fair Labor Standards Act Overtime Rules (effective January 1, 2020) Raises the “standard salary level” for executive, administrative and professional exemptions from $455 per week to $684 per…

New Beneficiary Notice Requirements For Trusts that Become Irrevocable After December 31, 2019 Effective January 1, 2020, the Illinois Trust Code (“ITC”) will replace the Illinois Trust and Trustees Act as the law governing Illinois trusts. With the adoption of the ITC, Illinois becomes the 34th state to adopt a form of the Uniform Trust Code. Most of the new…

Ordinance Prohibits Initial Inquiry of Tenant Criminal History On April 25, 2019, Cook County Commissioners approved an amendment to the Cook County Code, known as the “Just Housing Ordinance," that prohibits the denial of a tenant’s application or continuing occupancy of residential real property based on criminal convictions. Specifically, landlords may no longer inquire about, consider, or require disclosure of…

Read the full article on Tax Notes here (subscription required). Samantha Breslow discusses how the sluggishness of legislation does not often adjust itself to the speed and terminology of technology. However, there are a few states that are adapting to overcome the discrepancies. Download a PDF of the full article here. Debugging the (State Tax) Code: Outdated Sales Tax Terminology…

The original case was brought in California federal district court in 2017 by a company (hiQ) trying to protect its business of using publicly posted user data on LinkedIn. The California federal district court awarded a temporary restraining order against LinkedIn. This order allowed hiQ to keep scraping data off of LinkedIn’s platform on employees in connection with one of…

Chicago Passes New Legislation Effective Immediately On September 18, 2019, the Chicago City Council unanimously passed a new ordinance that increases the percentage of owners required to approve the sale of a condominium building in the City. The ordinance, introduced by Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), increases the required unit owner vote on a deconversion condominium sale to 85% of…

With President Trump’s signature August 23rd, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (“SBRA”) will officially take effect in February 2020. The SBRA is designed to fill a gap in the current bankruptcy laws by providing a framework for small businesses to successfully reorganize in bankruptcy court.  As noted by the senate bill’s sponsor, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, “Chapter 11…

Starting October 1st, 2019, two new Amnesty programs will arrive in Illinois. One will cover all taxes administered by the Department of Revenue. The other program will cover franchise taxes. Before these programs come into play, members of the HMB State and Local Tax practice provide insight into what these changes will look like. Taxes Administered by Department of Revenue…

Business Email Compromise ("BEC") is a scam perpetrated by cyber criminals to attack businesses that first began to be tracked and reported by the FBI in 2013. BEC typically consists of phony or phishing emails that appear to originate from a company executive or member of a company's accounting or finance department containing fraudulent payment instructions with the objective to…