I am sure your life, like mine, got upended a week ago. As crazy as life is now, somethings remain constant. Yesterday, I snapped a beautiful sunset. Michigan Governor’s Executive Order 2020-21 The State of Michigan is continuing to update and offer guidance on businesses complying with Governor Gretchen Whitmer‘s Executive Order 2020-21. Check out this helpful FAQ. Clarity is much needed. Particularly when we see that local authorities are taking enforcement measures against businesses potentially violating the EO Michigan Proposed Bills related to COVID19 Michigan ..read more

The world is changing faster than we can track. So much has changed since my last update on March 13. I was in court that day for a commercial landlord. I would not have known that a few weeks later I would be working remotely due to Executive Order 2020-21 – placing law firms under the category of “non-essential businesses” and sending us home. Below is the last photo I took from my office – Monday, March 23. It was a snowy, dreary day. Downtown was, and remains empty. Updates Since then, The Michigan Governor’s Executive Order 2020-19 has put a halt on residential tenant e ..read more

Downtown Grand Rapids, MichiganThe sunrise has been beautiful the last few days in Grand Rapids. Every day is a new day to be thankful for. At the same time, our world is facing a pandemic, a disruption to our lives, the likes of which we have never seen and will hopefully never see again. I am writing now from home. Yesterday I took a photo – (the last photo for a while!) of my office view over Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. I got in the office and the world was covered in snow. Winter was back. The empty, snow covered, dreary city somewhat symbolizes how a lo ..read more

downtown Grand Rapids, McKay TowerWhat an interesting time to be alive. Yesterday the Michigan Supreme Court issued an Order of emergency measures to deal with the CoronaVirus. The Order is effective through April 3rd. I have already seen the effects. On Friday I was in court for a landlord and the Courts were delaying entering the judgments against a tenant if a tenant failed to appear. Today I received a call from a court clerk informing me that jury selections on another case were being suspended without issuing a future hearing date. All over the country courts are ..read more

Happy Wednesday, all! The morning sunrise is so rare this time of year in Michigan and it had some particularly interesting effects this morning so I had to snap this photo. sunrise in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan One of the questions that I routinely get from business clients, can a business owner install video recordings in businesses? The answer has some caveats because there are various legal protections in place to protect the right to privacy – both criminal laws and civil. In general, so long as the videos: a. do not record audio and b. are in locations tha ..read more

Happy Tuesday, all. Well, we are in February now, which, if you live in the Midwest means you are hoping for a glimpse of sun and looking for brighter and warmer days. I am reminded of my trip 6 months back to Amsterdam and the beautiful canals. Amsterdam Canals, NetherlandsA client recently inquired about whether or not he needed to file his LLC’s annual statement in order to stay in good standing with the State of Michigan. The answer is “Yes.” The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (“LARA”) reminds us that annual statement are due by February 15 of each year ..read more

Here’s a shot of Downtown Grand Rapids I took today from the Amway Grand Plaza Skywalk. Pearl Street, Grand Rapids, MichiganA month ago I posted on non-compete agreements. As mentioned before, I am thankful for Judge Yates with the Kent County Business Court who issues a lot of opinions on this area. In fact, he issued one just a few days ago that is helpful: You can check out this December 3, 2019 Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Kent County Business Court. In this instance, a local hair salon (where I used to get my hair cut until they moved from downtown) had their styl ..read more

Schuss Mountain, Bellaire, MichiganHappy New Year! We celebrated the New Year up north with lots of snow. It was a beautiful way to start the New Year. Businesses: There are Consequences to Misclassifying Workers Businesses: misclassifying your  workers as independent contractors v.s employees (“IC” vs “EE”) could cost you serious money. Apparently a local landscaping company found this out the hard way. According to a December 31 article posted on MLive, this company will have to pay “32 former employees $59,212 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages ..read more

Last Friday was the tree lighting in downtown Grand Rapids. The Christmas season is officially here! Rosa Parks Circle, Grand Rapids, MIA question that comes up often in my business practice: “when are non-competes enforceable?” I am thankful for Judge Yates with the Kent County Business Court who issues a lot of opinions on this area. In fact, he issued one just a few days ago that is helpful: You can check out this December 3, 2019 Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Kent County Business Court. In this instance, a local hair salon (where I used to get my hair cut until they ..read more

Today I visited with Patrick Placzkowski, Angie Stumpo and Taylor Crison with Boys & Girls Club Grand Rapids – Steil Club (B&G Club). Patrick, Angie, & Taylor.What really impacted me about my visit was touring the space on Straight Street in Grand Rapids where roughly 80 kids aged 6-18 meet every weekday after school. These kids will receive snacks, dinner, and interaction with adults who care about them. Many of these kids may not have positive interactions with adults. The staff and volunteers of B&G Club are telling these kids on a consistent basis that the ..read more