Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
Making Work Better explores employment law, business issues, and workplace challenges through personal narratives and legal commentary. Our employment attorney experts and their guests discuss everything from new laws and human resources challenges to launching a small business or forging a unique career path. As the flagship program of The Prinz Law Firm in Chicago, this podcast will not feature legal advice—just conversations that help us all to make work better, regardless of our role. You might remember Making Work Better as "Tales from Around the Watercooler." We rebranded to better reflect the employment focus of our content. Learn about the firm and its work at https://www.prinz-lawfirm.com.
Episodes
Social media can be a great way to stay connected to current events, but we’ve seen it used more and more frequently as a tool for harassment and retaliation, including in the workplace. The ongoing lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is just one recent example, which features claims of a social media smear campaign—and the court of public...
The first 100 days of the new Trump administration have been nothing but unprecedented. From terminating federal agency heads to signing controversial executive orders to the targeting of DEI efforts, both businesses and individual workers are dealing with a lot of change—and likely navigating a lot of confusion.
...Earlier this year, an amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act invalidated non-compete clauses that would make it more difficult for a veteran or first responder to obtain mental health services. Without timely access to proper mental health care, these groups are at a higher risk of developing conditions like PTSD from their l...
After the Trump Administration issued an executive order targeting Perkins Coie, we signed on to an amicus brief in support of the firm’s lawsuit challenging the order. Since then, the administration has gone after three more firms, making collective action even more necessary to protect the rule of law.
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Business attorney Katie Rinkus welcomes Amy M. Gardner to the mic to discuss common ways they see conflict show up in the workplace. Amy is a certified Career and Career Transitions Coach and Team Development and Leadership Consultant and the co-owner of Apochromatik, which offers team and leadership development programs to help organizatio...
Illinois has seen several new employment laws take effect since the beginning of 2025. Prinz’s marketing manager and employment paralegal Matt Tedeschi joins employment attorney and business counselor Katie Rinkus to recap some of the most significant changes and what they mean for both employees and employers.
<...Are you looking for a new role or hoping to advance beyond your current one? Certified Career Coach and Facilitator Carmelina Piedra joins attorney Katie Rinkus to discuss what you can do to take that next step and succeed!
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You’re starting a new venture and it’s time to finally create your business as a formal legal entity, but what kind of entity do you choose: a corporation, an LLC, something else? Business counselors Katie Rinkus and Kristen Prinz decode the major differences among sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and L...
Business clients routinely ask our attorneys whether their workers are actual employees or instead function as independent contractors (ICs). Drawing upon their expertise as employment and business lawyers, Katie Rinkus and Poonam Lakhani discuss the differences between employees and ICs, and why it’s so important for b...
Business attorney and advisor Katie Rinkus welcomes Corbin Beastrom to the mic to discuss the current reality of remote work. Corbin is founder of Illyrian Group, a fully remote professional search company. But there’s a plot twist: he prefers to work most days in an office setting. Katie probes Corbin’s own professional path and his current approach ...
Three-time WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby has sued the WNBA and her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, for pregnancy discrimination. Shortly after securing the Aces' first WNBA Championship and signing a two-year contract extension with the team, Hamby revealed she was pregnant. Within months of her disclosure, Hamby was told she was being traded and losing certain employment-related b...
While the Federal Trade Commission’s non-compete ban languishes in litigation limbo, various states are continuing to modify their regulation of non-competes. Employment attorneys and business counselors Amit Bindra and Katie Rinkus discuss a variety of...
In an unusual turn of events, the New York Knicks filed a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors in August 2023, right before the start of the NBA season. The Knicks alleged theft of confidential and proprietary information after the Raptors hired ...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) effectively banned non-compete agreements nationwide, a rule set to take effect on September 4, 2024. Yet two federal courts have arrived at opposing conclusions as to whether the F...
Business attorneys Katie Rinkus and Amit Bindra will tell you all you need to know about independent contractor agreements in this episode. They begin by distinguishing between employees and independent contractors, or “1099” workers, and the dangers of misclassifying workers. Then they dive into the main provisions to ...
Employment attorney Kristin Hendriksen draws on her experience in a past life in restaurant operations to discuss the WARN Act and recent business closures with Matt Tedeschi, an employment paralegal and Marketing Manager at the firm.<...
In a sweeping action, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently published its final rule on non-competes, effectively banning them completely. Both individuals and businesses are wondering what this means for them currently and in the future. Employment attorneys and business counselors Amit Bindra and Rebecca Chmielewsk...
Some states require that certain business entities register as a PLLC (or professional limited liability company) and not simply as an LLC (limited liability company). Business and employment attorneys Katie Rinkus and Rebecca Chmielewski discuss the distinction between LLCs and PLLCs and the requirements for forming a PLL...
Employment attorneys and business counselors Katie Rinkus and Poonam Lakhani discuss the top 10 essential things to know or do when hiring your first employee. From how to conduct a background check to when to use a confidentiality agreement or register with state agencies, Katie and Poonam cover the gamut of concerns t...
Seasoned workplace investigators Kristen Prinz and Christina Hynes Mesco discuss one of their favorite topics: culture audits! They discuss how audits can help prevent workplace problems before they arise, enabling organizations to avoid the costs of poor company culture: legal liability, legal fees, and lost productivi...
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