Companies that do business with local municipal governments might assume that these entities would want to support operations in their cities or states. While certainly this can happen, there may be a variety of factors that go into a city council's decision to award...
Year: 2018
What are the pros and cons of a sub S corporation?
A sub S corporation, or subchapter S corporation, is a special type of corporation that provides the security of LLCs but allows profits and losses to flow directly through to shareholders. This means that income and losses accrued by the corporation may pass through...
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in Illinois?
Your company's intellectual property, trade secrets and proprietary content and procedures are vital to its success. Protecting such sensitive information is paramount, even if it means requesting that any new personnel that you bring in to your business in Chicago...
Bipartisan bill would expand FHA
Individuals looking to rent property in Michigan for themselves or their families may be denied by landlords if they receive assistance. However, a Senate bill that has the support of both parties would make that illegal. Specifically, it would broaden the Fair...
Knowing who can terminate contracts for convenience
Most of those who deal contractually in Detroit and Chicago likely do so assuming that the only way their contractual partners can terminate their agreements is if they have legitimate cause to do so (after all, how valid can an agreement be if one side can walk away...
What to include in an employment contract
As a Michigan or Illinois business owner or someone who otherwise has a hand in company hiring decisions, you may find it beneficial to create an employment contract that protects your business, should you and your employee part ways. At Pentiuk, Couvreur &...
How can you obtain and protect a trademark?
As a business owner in Michigan or Illinois, you want your business to stand out from your competitors. One way of accomplishing this is by obtaining a trademark. The terms "trademark" and "brand name" are interchangeable; yet, according to FindLaw, in addition to...
Understanding LLCs
Entrepreneurs in Illinois and Michigan must choose how they would like new ventures to be managed and how they prefer their businesses to be taxed. A company may be established as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a limited liability company. Each...
Bank accused of racial discrimination in mortgage lending
Many people throughout Michigan and across the country still face unlawful discrimination in housing and lending. According to a new lawsuit, Liberty Bank discriminated against mortgage borrowers in African American and Latino neighborhoods in two Connecticut cities....
Arguments surrounding non-compete agreements
Businesses in certain industries often ask employees to sign non-compete agreements as a part of the hiring process. These agreements restrict employees from working in similar industries or for companies that are in direct competition with the business once workers...