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Wisconsin has updated its child labor regulations, prompting employers that hire minors to review their compliance practices.

Effective June 1, 2026, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) implemented Administrative Rule CR 26-015, a comprehensive update to the state’s child labor regulations. The rule revises Chapter DWD 270, repeals Chapter DWD 271, and reorganizes numerous provisions governing the employment of minors and street trades.

Although CR 26-015 does not dramatically change the actual rules governing child labor in Wisconsin,

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Continue Reading Wisconsin Child Labor Law Update: Compliance Considerations for Employers Hiring Minors

A growing trend in Illinois trucking litigation is placing motor carriers under increased legal and financial scrutiny. As plaintiffs increasingly pursue punitive damages against motor carriers, lawsuits are expanding beyond questions of driver negligence and into the company’s hiring, training, supervision, and safety practices.

Why Are Punitive Damages Increasingly Common in Illinois Trucking Litigation?
After Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that allows the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death and survival actions, the state…
Continue Reading How Motor Carriers Can Mitigate Punitive Damage Exposure in Illinois Trucking Litigation

Employers acquiring a business with a unionized workforce may soon have more flexibility to challenge the incumbent union’s status than they have had for decades. On July 21, the D.C. Circuit held in Hospital Menonita de Guayama, Inc. v. NLRB that the National Relations Labor Board (NLRB ) never had the authority to impose its “successor bar” doctrine, a rule that generally requires a successor employer to continue bargaining with an existing union for up to a year

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Continue Reading NLRB Successor Bar Under Fire: What Employers Buying Unionized Businesses Need to Know

Why Commercialization Readiness Should Come Before Spending Development Dollars
The greatest legal risks in commercialization often arise before anyone uses the word “commercialization.” Long before an innovation or research asset is licensed, transferred, deployed or otherwise commercialized, a startup is formed or an industry partner is identified, research organizations make decisions that affect ownership, control, regulatory strategy, payment pathways and future economic value. By the time proof of concept is achieved, many of those decisions are difficult, expensive or…
Continue Reading Innovation, Ownership and Opportunity: Why Commercialization Begins During Clinical Research, Not After

If you are a solo or small firm practitioner in Wisconsin, you might assume that the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), found at 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq., is a headache reserved exclusively for banks, mortgage lenders, and auto finance companies.

That assumption would be faulty. In reality, TILA can apply to local businesses, home contractors, and service providers.

When you pair TILA with Wisconsin’s counterpart – the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA), Wis. Stat. chapters 421-427 –…
Continue Reading How to Keep Your Business Clients from Becoming Accidental Creditors

Drone Shot of Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee at Night
Aerial shot of East Town Milwaukee, Wisconsin at night from over the lakefront, looking towards the downtown office buildings of Juneau Town

Running a business in Wisconsin is no small feat. Between managing employees, serving customers, monitoring cash flow, and planning for growth, it is easy to let the “formal” requirements of operating through a separate legal entity slip down the priority list. Yet corporate housekeeping is more than paperwork. It helps preserve the distinction between the business and its owners, supports sound decision-making, and makes the company easier to finance, insure, sell, or transition.

The practical rule: operate the business…
Continue Reading Staying on Track: Why Wisconsin Businesses Should Prioritize Corporate Housekeeping

When building a successful brand, businesses may more often focus on protecting their name, logo, and other trademarks, but a brand’s value can extend far beyond these traditional identifiers. The colors, packaging, product design, and overall visual presentation that customers associate with your business can become valuable assets of their own. This is where trade dress protection comes into play.

For many businesses, the way a product looks is just as important as the product itself. A distinctive design…
Continue Reading Trade Dress Matters: Protecting Your Brand’s Look, Feel, and Competitive Advantage

Two female doctors chatting while walking upstairs in a hospital
Two female doctors, wearing blue scrubs, are walking up a staircase in a hospital, chatting together. They appear to be in a good mood. There are other medical professionals walking in the background.

For years, Wisconsin has been among a shrinking group of states that require advanced practice nurses to maintain a collaborative agreement with a physician or dentist in order to practice. That is about to change. On September 1, 2026, the APRN Modernization Act (Act 17) takes effect, moving Wisconsin from a system that certifies advanced practice nurse prescribers (APNPs) to one that licenses advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and, for qualifying nurses, permits independent practice for the first time.
Continue Reading Wisconsin’s APRN Modernization Act – New Emergency Rules Chart the Path to Independent Practice

July 17, 2026

Due to the sustained increase in the price of fuel, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has increased the optional standard mileage rates mid-year for computing the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business, medical, and moving expenses.

Effective July 1, 2026, the optional standard mileage rates are 76 cents per mile for business transportation, and 23.5 cents per mile for travel relating to medical and moving transportation expenses.

These increased mileage rates apply only…
Continue Reading On the Move: IRS Increases Standard Mileage Rates Mid-Year

On April 30, 2026, at the Health Care Compliance Association’s 2026 Compliance Institute, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) introduced its updated Corporate Integrity Agreement (“CIA”) template, using the Kinex Medical Company CIA as its model. The updated template retains the core elements of an effective compliance program while introducing significant enhancements that reflect OIG’s evolving compliance expectations.
Evolution of Corporate Integrity Agreements and Compliance Program Requirements
The new CIA template introduces…
Continue Reading OIG’s New CIA Template Enhances Compliance Obligations for Health Care Organizations

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Hiring your first out-of-state employee can introduce a complex web of local and state employment laws that may differ dramatically from those you already follow. From paid leave requirements and pay transparency laws to non-compete restrictions and city-specific ordinances, multi-state employment compliance can quickly become a challenge for unprepared employers.
Hiring an Out-of-State Employee Requires Extra Caution
Stop. Look. Listen.

I remember seeing these safety signs at railroad crossings when I was growing up. Stopping, looking and listening was…
Continue Reading Hiring Your First Out-Of-State Employee? Watch for These Compliance Risks

Plaintiffs’ attorneys use “Reptile Theory” tactics in transportation litigation to push for higher verdicts by appealing to jurors’ primal need for safety, distracting from the relevant facts of the case. They attempt to get witnesses to agree to sweeping absolute statements about safety precautions and broaden motor carriers’ responsibility beyond what state and federal regulations require, thereby portraying motor carriers and their drivers as an inherent risk to public safety. For motor carriers, understanding how these arguments work and

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Continue Reading What Motor Carriers Need to Know About Reptile Theory in Transportation Litigation

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is rapidly reshaping the way workplaces function, especially in health care. While AI offers meaningful opportunities to streamline employer processes and increase efficiency, its adoption is outpacing the development of legal standards and governance structures. Moreover, a patchwork of state and local laws that seemingly conflict with current federal policy further muddy the waters for employers attempting to assess and navigate the risks associated with AI use in the employment space.
AI’s Growing Role in Employment…
Continue Reading Navigating AI in the Workforce Without Clear Legal Guardrails

Deciding to start a small business is exciting, energizing, and often a little overwhelming. Whether you are turning a side hustle into something more, launching a long‑planned venture, or buying into an existing operation, this step is more than a career move: it is an investment of your time, money, and future. Many new business owners find themselves asking: “Do I really need a lawyer to get started?” While you are the expert on your idea and industry, experienced…
Continue Reading I Want to Start a Small Business in Wisconsin — Now What?

Think of all the travel centers you know. Now, think of which one of those has the largest convenience store with 75,593 square feet. If you still cannot figure it out, think of the smiling beaver wearing a red hat with a yellow circular background. You guessed it, we are going to talk about Buc-ee’s!

Buc-ee’s is a cultural phenomenon that, despite having over 50 locations and spanning over 12 states, has a legal team that actively monitors …
Continue Reading Don’t Mess With the Beaver: What the Buc-ee’s Lawsuit Says About Trademark Enforcement 

  • Hartford Hospital plans to construct a $950M, 14-story, 500,000-sf inpatient and surgical tower. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and will include 216 private-room inpatient beds.
  • Health systems continue land banking for future development. Recent examples include Novant Health’s purchase of the 56-acre former TD Bank campus off I-85 in Greenville, SC, for $45M; Atrium Health’s acquisition of 10 acres near I-77 in Fort Mill, SC, for $5M; and Banner Health’s purchase of 18 acres in North Phoenix,

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    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: More Land Banking | Hartford Hospital Plans $950M Tower | CaroMont Invests $200M in Oncology Services