The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (“HSR Act”), as amended, requires all persons contemplating certain mergers or acquisitions that meet or exceed the jurisdictional thresholds (shown below) to file a premerger notification (an “HSR Filing”) with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Premerger Notification Office and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division and to wait a period of time before consummating the transaction.
Each fiscal year, the jurisdictional filing thresholds are adjusted to reflect the percentage change in…
Continue Reading FTC Announces Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino Premerger Notification Filing Thresholds Increase for 2026

Health care organizations planning major capital projects, such as hospital expansions, surgical centers and outpatient facilities, often face familiar frustrations: delays, cost overruns, redesign cycles and coordination breakdowns. Traditional delivery models like design‑bid‑build or construction manager‑at‑risk can unintentionally reinforce silos. Integrated Project Delivery Agreements (“IPDA”) offer a collaborative alternative designed to align incentives, reduce waste and improve project performance.
What Is an IPDA?
An IPDA is a single, multi‑party contract that binds the owner, architect, contractor and key consultants…
Continue Reading From Silos to Synergy: Integrated Project Delivery Agreements for Today’s Health Care Facilities

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a new set of opinion letters addressing recurring questions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The latest batch addresses employee classification, overtime calculations, collective bargaining agreements, commission exemptions, and FMLA leave usage. Below, we summarize the most significant takeaways for employers.
Continue Reading U.S. Department of Labor Issues New FLSA and FMLA Opinion Letters: Key
Compliance Takeaways for Employers

What to know if childbirth recovery, postpartum depression, or anxiety keeps you from returning to work
Pregnancy and childbirth are often described as joyful milestones—but they can also bring unexpected medical challenges. For many working parents, short-term disability (STD) insurance provides critical income replacement during pregnancy and recovery after birth. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that disability benefits don’t have to end simply because the “standard” recovery period has passed. When complications arise, benefits can frequently be extended, and…
Continue Reading Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Benefits for Pregnancy and Postpartum Complications

The reality for many individuals with severe disabilities is that they cannot afford to stop working altogether while waiting for their Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) application to be processed. The SSDI process can be lengthy and, if a claim is denied at both the initial and reconsiderations stages, it may take years to reach the hearing stage. For some claimants, more than two years can go by before a final decision is made which can be unreasonably long…
Continue Reading  I have a disability, but I am working. Am I eligible for SSDI?

The health care transactional landscape may have been quieter than anticipated at the beginning of 2025, with providers experiencing financial strains, but the year finished out with a high level of activity, marked by opportunistic growth strategies. Transactions will continue to be anything but “cookie-cutter.” In this article, we highlight eight M&A trends demonstrating how the financial landscape, regulatory considerations, cross-disciplinary strategies and market disruptors shaped deals in 2025 and how these same factors will continue to impact deals…
Continue Reading Bottom Line: Health Care Transactions Are More Bespoke Than Ever – Lessons Learned from 2025 and What’s to Come in 2026

We frequently get calls from hospital systems, health care providers and investors regarding negotiating on-campus ground leases. They are certainly unique. Here are 10 business points to consider when negotiating on-campus ground leases.

  • Premises – The land being leased can vary widely. We often see hospitals ground leasing only the footprint of the building. There are some instances, on larger campuses, where the hospital allows the developer to lease the land needed for the footprint of the building, plus

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: 10 Tips for Negotiating On-Campus Ground Leases

    State-level employment regulation continues to evolve in California independently of broader federal enforcement priorities. On October 12, 2025, California enacted the Workplace Know Your Rights Act (S.B. 294) intended to “equip workers with knowledge of their rights that they can also use to protect their families, neighbors, and communities at a time of potential disruption, dislocation, and fear for many Californians.” The Act contains five primary requirements.
    Continue Reading California Employers Face February 1 Deadline Under Workplace Know Your
    Rights Act

    Health care employment professionals face an all-too-familiar challenge entering 2026: keeping pace with a patchwork of state employment laws that show no signs of slowing down. The employment law landscape continues to evolve rapidly, presenting health care employers with new compliance challenges. Outlined below are just a few of the key legal trends impacting the health care HR landscape this year.
    Paid Family Leave Programs and Expansion
    State-level paid family and medical leave programs are growing in popularity across…
    Continue Reading Legal Trends Impacting Health Care Human Resources in 2026

    Hall Render is pleased to announce that Susan James has joined the Firm. With over three decades of dedicated experience, Susan James advises a broad range of health care industry clients on complex legal, operational, strategic and governance matters. Susan represents hospitals, health systems, physicians, physician group practices, ambulatory surgery centers and physician-owned hospitals. She enjoys navigating the complex and constantly evolving health laws and regulations while offering practical solutions to her clients.
    Susan counsels clients on compliance with…
    Continue Reading Susan James Joins Hall Render

    Ohio has adopted a new workforce verification law that will directly affect many construction companies operating in the state. Beginning March 19, 2026, certain construction employers will be required to use the federal E-Verify system for new hires. Because the law carries meaningful penalties and applies broadly across the construction supply chain, contractors should begin preparing now.
    Continue Reading Ohio’s New E-Verify Requirement: What Nonresidential Construction
    Contractors Need to Know

    Physical placement disputes are often some of the most contested issues in family law cases. The current physical placement standard directs courts to maximize the time children spend with each parent consistent with their best interest. This strikes a thoughtful and flexible balance that a more inflexible presumption of equal placement cannot match. By focusing on the unique circumstances, needs, and family dynamics of each case, the existing framework preserves both parental involvement and judicial discretion. This ensures that…
    Continue Reading Why Wisconsin’s Balance Placement Standard Works without a Presumption of Equal Time

    Effective January 1, 2026, the Illinois Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA), as recently amended, now prohibits employers from disciplining employees for using company-issued technology such as phones, laptops, or tablets to record evidence of domestic, sexual, or gender-based violence, whether inside or outside of the workplace.

    This change in the law immediately puts many employers at odds with their own “no-recording” and “acceptable use” policies, which often prohibit any form of recording on company property or…
    Continue Reading VESSA’s Expanded Recording Protections: What Illinois Employers Must Do Now

    This post is the fifth part in a series on Minnesota Paid Leave. Feel free to check out Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. The previous post focused on deadlines and taxes. This post will focus on when the leave can be taken, for how long, and in what forms.

    Let’s start with the when. The general rule is intuitive: the option of leave is available to the employee as long as the underlying condition or event exists. For…
    Continue Reading Minnesota Paid Leave: How Much Time and How to Take it?

    Significant collective bargaining agreements are set to expire in 2026, notably in the entertainment and professional sports industry, drawing attention to high profile disputes that could have an impact for employers facing upcoming collective bargaining. More than 700 CBA’s are slated to run out in 2026, according to a Bloomberg law database.

    Unions have been hard at work engaging current membership in negative corporate campaigns, much as we have seen with Starbucks and Amazon organizing efforts. Unions have recently…
    Continue Reading Union Corporate Campaigns and Their Current Impact on Collective Bargaining

    As we start the second full week of January, we bring employers a second employment law resolution: a comprehensive wage and hour audit. So, even if you’re sticking to your commitment to less screen time in 2026, this is worth a read.

    In addition to lawsuits brough by individuals, either on behalf of themselves or on behalf of a class of similarly situated employees, the Department of Labor remains focused on enforcement of the FLSA. In fiscal year 2025,…
    Continue Reading Employer New Year’s Resolution #2: Comprehensive Wage & Hour Audit