February 2025

Wisconsin Supreme Court sign in State Capitol building
Feb. 18, 2025 – “Aggrieved” meant something different to the Wisconsin Supreme Court majority and dissent in Brown v. Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), 2025 WI 5 (Feb. 18, 2025), leaving a citizen who complained to the WEC about the city of Racine’s alternate absentee voting sites without judicial review.

In an opinion written by Justice Jill J. Karofsky, the 4-3 majority held that the standard definition of “aggrieved,” unless the Legislature specifies differently, required an individual have “an

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Continue Reading Supreme Court: Complainant to Wisconsin Elections Commission Lacked Standing

The outlook for 2025 tax policy in the U.S. can be characterized as a series of “known unknowns.” We are only a few weeks into President Trump’s second term, and these weeks have felt like an eternity for those of us paying attention to the happenings and discourse coming out of Washington. After these first few weeks, we undoubtedly know that 2025 will be a year of sweeping policy changes. What is unknown, though, is what those policy changes

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Continue Reading Estate Planning in Uncertain Times

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) remains on hold due to a nationwide injunction granted by a federal District Court in Texas in Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury. However, given pending legal battles and legislative movements under the new administration, the status of the CTA could be facing imminent change.

While there are several pending legal proceedings with respect to the CTA, the two most prominent are summarized below.

(1) Smith, et al. v. U.S. Department of Treasury,…
Continue Reading It’s Tricky! Tracking the CTA

On February 14, 2025, William Cowen, the acting general counsel (“GC”) for the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) rescinded several Guidance Memorandums that were previously issued by the Board’s former GC, Jennifer Abruzzo, during the Biden administration. The recissions made through Memorandum GC 25-05 impact very significant and slightly controversial policy priorities under Abruzzo.

The action appears to be part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to reorganize and overhaul government and government agencies. Indeed, Acting GC Cowen explained:
Over…
Continue Reading NLRB’s Acting General Counsel Rescinds Biden-Era Guidance Memorandums

Given the mass layoffs of late happening with federal employees, some information for how federal employees can claim unemployment benefits is probably needed.

In general, the administration and eligibility calculations/determinations of unemployment benefits is handled at the state level. The benefits themselves, however, come from the federal government. Because the administration varies from state to state, the claim-filing process and benefits vary according to the state handling that unemployment claim. So, a federal employee filing in Minnesota rather…
Continue Reading Unemployment Claims for Federal Employees

On February 1, 2025, the American Arbitration Association published Due Process Guidelines for the Arbitration of Disputes over Sports Participation and Name, Image, and Likeness. Frieser Legal Principal Attorney Joshua Frieser served on the Sports Advisory Committee that supported the AAA in preparing these guidelines.

The Due Process Guidelines can be viewed here: AAA Due Process Guideliness for NIL Disputes

The post AAA Publishes Due Process Guidelines for NIL Disputes appeared first on Frieser Legal.
Continue Reading AAA Publishes Due Process Guidelines for NIL Disputes

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services recently launched a new workers’ compensation dashboard that provides information about workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims in the state. The data published through the dashboard provide some interesting insights into trends, common injuries, and the compensation awarded to injured workers and their families. Here are some highlights based on the most-recent data available:
More than 20,000 Employees File Workers’ Compensation Claims in Wisconsin Each Year
According to the latest data in the

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Continue Reading New Worker’s Compensation Dashboard Highlights Injury and Claim Statistics in Wisconsin

For employers seeking to sponsor foreign national professionals, awareness of the H-1B cap registration deadline is critical. Registration for the FY 2026 H-1B Cap lottery will start at 12 p.m. Eastern Time on March 7 and end at 12 p.m. Eastern Time on March 24. This year, the registration fee has been increased to $215.

The FY 2026 H-1B Cap lottery will use the same beneficiary-centric selection process as was used in FY 2025. Employers will again be required…
Continue Reading USCIS Unveils Key Dates and Fee Increase for FY 2026 H-1B Cap Registration

Valentine’s Day is all about showing love to those who matter most to you. While flowers and chocolates are classic tokens of affection, consider going the extra mile this year by planning for your loved ones’ future through comprehensive estate planning.
As a trusted estate planning attorney serving Libertyville, IL, and the greater Lake County area, our firm has seen how a well-crafted estate plan can provide peace of mind and long-lasting security for families. This Valentine’s Day, let’s

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Continue Reading Show Your Love This Valentine’s Day with Estate Planning

Maintenance, which you may know as spousal support or alimony, is governed by Wisconsin Statute 767.56. Though maintenance awards are determined by a number of statutory factors, judges have quite a lot of discretion in determining whether to award maintenance at all, and if so, how much. The first factor is the length of marriage. The longer the marriage is, the more likely that maintenance is warranted. Generally, a marriage that only lasts a couple, or even 5 years,…
Continue Reading Maintenance 101

Each year, Wisconsin Lawyer Magazine does a round-up of the latest legal trends. For the third year in a row I shared my thoughts on a legal marketing trend everyone should be paying attention to. “Successful attorneys have always relied on referrals to build and maintain their book of business. That is nothing new,” according to Emily Kelchen of Kelchen Consulting, past chair of the State Bar’s Communications Committee.“But there is a renewed focus on this sort of business…
Continue Reading The Top Legal Marketing Trend of 2025

I devote a not-so-small portion of my practice to serving as a guardian ad litem in cases involving minor settlements. I scratched my head a number of times last year at anecdotes I heard and things I witnessed myself when it came to dealing with minor settlements.

And that got me thinking; maybe we should all think a bit more about how to most effectively and efficiently approach settlements offered to minors.

I am hopeful that anyone reading this…
Continue Reading Some Thoughts on Minor Settlements and GALs in Personal Injury Cases

The Super Bowl is over. Days are getting longer. The best words in the English language are: “Pitchers and catchers report.” Baseball will soon return!

With America’s pastime in mind, I have to ask the  what they were thinking when they recently issued their (gulp, 28-page) opinion in Morway v. Morway? I mean, it’s one thing to swing and miss at a 100 mile per hour fastball. It’s quite another to swing and miss…
Continue Reading Swing and a miss!

In this brief state law updateUnited States Map, we’ll cover new and updated posters required by state and local law for employers operating in those locations.Locate your state below to determine if any of the following updated employment posters and notices apply to you. Links to posters provided. 
Alaska

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Indiana

Idaho

Kansas

Massachusetts

Michigan

Nevada

New York

Vermont

Virginia

Washington D.C.

Wisconsin
Continue Reading Updated State and Local Employment Posters and Notices for 2025

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”  This Order revokes Executive Order 11246 (signed in 1965), which historically required federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action initiatives to ensure applicants and employees were treated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

While President Trump’s directive allows contractors to continue complying with E.O. 11246 for a period of 90 days…
Continue Reading President Trump Revokes Executive Order 11246’s Affirmative Action Requirements

InternationalOn February 10 and 11, 2025, President Trump issued two exceptionally aggressive proclamations that impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. Although there will be forthcoming Annexes that provide additional details on covered scope and compliance requirements for the trade community, there are several key takeaways to be aware of at this juncture.

  • Beginning March 12, 2025, all duties, including on derivative articles on steel and aluminum, will go into effect.
  • Aluminum tariff increases. Previous

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Continue Reading Key Takeaways From President Trump’s February 2025 Steel and AluminumTariff Proclamations