Attorney Rick Manthe presents on municipal zoning during Town Law Conference
Attorney Rick Manthe will give a presentation on Friday, October 31, to a Wisconsin Towns Association audience as part of the organization’s annual, daylong 2025 Town Law Conference. The Wisconsin Towns Association collaborates with the UW-Extension Local Government Center and the University of Wisconsin Law School to offer high quality, low cost legal educational programming to lawyers and non-lawyer public officials. Attorneys participating in this conference are
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Illinois Employers, It’s Time to Review and Revise Your Employment Agreements
On August 15, 2025, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 3638 (H.B. 3638) into law, which amends the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act (the “Act”) to provide current, former, and prospective employees with greater rights and protections when executing employment agreements with an employer. The amendments under H.B. 3638 take effect on January 1, 2026, and apply to employment contracts entered into, modified, or extended on or after January 1, 2026, except for collective bargaining agreements. Accordingly, employers need to carefully
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Attorney Tiffany Highstrom Presents on Finances and Taxes in Family Law
Attorney Tiffany Highstrom presents on 2025 tax and finance changes for the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin
Attorney Tiffany Highstrom will present on Thursday, October 30, during the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin‘s 2025 Tax Webinar. The seminar will be presented by a panel of experts focusing on changes in taxes, finances, donations, estate taxes, and social security that affect family and divorce law following 2025 state law changes and the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in
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Appellate Court Rules Florida Law Shields Lyft From Driver Negligence and Negligent Hiring Claims
On October 22, 2025, the Third District Court of Appeals in Florida ruled that Florida’s Transportation Network Companies (“TNC”) statute bars agency and vicarious liability claims against Lyft (and presumably other rideshare companies). This decision is important because many states, including Ohio, have similar TNC statutes that can be relied upon to dispute claims for agency, vicarious liability, and negligent hiring.
In Abner v. Lyft, Inc., No. 3D2024-0479 (Fla. 3d DCA, Oct. 22, 2025), the appellate court upheld summary
AI in Employment-Related Decisions, Part 2: State Strategies to Address Pressure and What It Means for Employers
Read Part 1: AI in Employment-Related Decisions Part 1: Big Tech and Federal Power
Across the country, state lawmakers are recalibrating their approaches to regulating the use of AI in employment decisions. This is in direct response to pressure from the technology industry and the Trump administration.
California initially considered broad mandates on AI use in hiring that would have imposed strict notice and impact assessment requirements on employers. Following pushback from industry groups and concerns about federal overreach,
AI in Employment-Related Decisions Part 1: Big Tech and Federal Power
State lawmakers across the country have been busy this year trying to curb the most consequential uses of AI in employment-related decisions. As those attempts moved from idea to legislation, two powerful forces have pushed back.
The tech industry is concerned about a patchwork of state rules, and the Trump administration has prioritized removing barriers to AI use. States are reacting by shifting their strategies to narrow, revise, and/or delay legislation. Employers would be wise to stay abreast of
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An Area to Watch: Legislation Regarding Weight Discrimination in the Workplace
Weight is not a protected characteristic in most civil rights laws, meaning that discrimination in the workplace based on weight is largely permitted. However, there is some momentum to include weight as a protected category in civil rights laws, given the growing body of research on the impact of weight bias. Employees who have high body weight may experience the workplace very differently than their thinner counterparts. As employers, it is important to understand weight bias and your responsibilities
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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Sues Trump Administration Over $100,000 H-1B Fee Proclamation
On October 16, 2025, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that President Trump’s recent proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions is unlawful, and an injunction preventing the agencies from implementing the fee.
This marks the second legal challenge to the $100,000 H-1B fee proclamation. Earlier this
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Project Firewall Targets H-1B Employers: Best Practices for Compliance
On September 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of Project Firewall, described as “an H-1B enforcement initiative that will safeguard the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers by ensuring employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring workers and holding employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa process.”
Compliance and Penalties Under Project Firewall
Through Project Firewall, where there is reasonable cause that an H-1B employer is not in compliance, the
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Attorney Brian Sajdak Presents for Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association
Attorney Brian Sajdak discusses records retention during Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association Meeting
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Brian Sajdak will present on records retention during the District 5 Meeting of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association on October 23, 2025. Brian’s presentation is part of a daylong meeting on a variety of topics prepared by the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association and aimed at professional development for municipal clerks.
Attorney Brian Sajdak is a partner in Stafford Rosenbaum’s Milwaukee office, practicing municipal, zoning
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When Compassion Costs You & Walmart
When Compassion Costs You: A Young Manager’s Injury, Walmart’s Silence, and the System That Failed Her
In the American workplace, we’re taught to be team players — to show up, follow the rules, look out for our coworkers, and do what’s right, even when it’s inconvenient. We’re taught that if we work hard, stay loyal, and lead with integrity, we’ll be protected and valued in return.
In the American workplace, we’re taught to be team players — to show up, follow the rules, look out for our coworkers, and do what’s right, even when it’s inconvenient. We’re taught that if we work hard, stay loyal, and lead with integrity, we’ll be protected and valued in return.
But what happens when that promise is broken?
Let me tell you a
How long do I have to consider my severance package?
If an employee is terminated or laid off, an employer may offer them a severance package (or separation agreement) in exchange for a waiver of claims.
Severance agreements ask an employee to waive, or release claims they may have had against their employer up until the date of signing the agreement. In exchange the employer agrees to give the employee some sort of consideration, generally a payment, other than compensation that the employee is already entitled to.
There is
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You Stopped Working Months (or Years) Ago — Can You Still File for Short- and Long-Term Disability?
If you left your job or were let go due to a medical condition some time ago but never filed for short- or long-term disability benefits (S/LTD), the good news is that it might not be too late.
We regularly hear from people who assumed they missed their chance to file for disability insurance benefits that they had through their last employer. Maybe you thought you’d recover. Maybe you didn’t know you had S/LTD coverage. Maybe you’re only now
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Think Your Doctor’s Opinion Is Enough to Beat a Worker’s Compensation Denial? Not Without This Form
If you’ve been hurt at work in Wisconsin and your claim has been denied, you might assume your doctor’s medical opinion alone will be enough to counter the opinion of the insurance company and its hired doctor. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. One essential document stands between your doctor’s assessment and getting the benefits you deserve: the WKC-16-B form.
This form is critical in documenting your doctor’s opinion on your work injury, your work restrictions, and your permanent disability,
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Class representatives for the Wisconsin SSDI eligibility ban case
Information about the class representatives and how to obtain unemployment benefits that are due disabled workers because of Wisconsin’s illegal SSDI eligibility ban is now available.
Besides this guidance, make sure to review the Department’s well done information about how to obtain the unemployment benefits that are due you.
Recent press coverage of the case is available.
- Democrats’ bill would repeal ban on jobless pay for SSDI recipients
- Judge orders back payments to disabled Wisconsinites denied
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Will SEC v. Jarkesy Reshape How the NLRB Operates? Fifth Circuit Bars NLRB from Prosecuting Unfair Labor Practices: Implications for Employers
On August 19, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld injunctions barring the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from prosecuting unfair labor practices (ULP)/charges against three employers, including Space X. This decision stems from the constitutional challenges to the way the NLRB is structured and raises broader questions about the current structure of the NLRB.
The recent appellate decision can be traced back to June 2024, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in SEC v.