Big news this past week in business/employment law. The FTC is proposing legislation banning noncompete clauses. The agency estimates this could increase workers’ salaries by nearly $300 billion per year.

I’ve never been a fan of noncompete clauses for lower paid workers. But I’ve always believed there is some validity to a business protecting

On Friday, March 27, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The components of the Act that help businesses are a part of a multi-faceted stimulus bill to assist businesses and individuals with the economic challenged caused by the Coronavirus. An excellent overview of the Act has been

Small businesses in Iowa can apply for grants up to $25,000 to assist during the coronavirus pandemic. The money comes from approximately $4 million in disaster money before the legislature postponed its session earlier this month and monies already available through the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

Eligible businesses include those with between 2 and

Iowa Governor Reynolds announced that first quarter unemployment tax payments that are due April 30th  will be delayed till the end of the 2nd quarter, July 31, 2020.  Eligible employers include those employers with 50 or fewer employees. Eligible employers also must be in good standing with no delinquencies in quarterly payments.

To qualify for

The Brick Gentry Law Firm is here for you during these challenging times. We have temporarily moved to a virtual, technology-driven, remote work day for many of our attorneys and employees. Working with our IT team we have assured the security of our network and information exchange. We have also asked everyone to temporarily stop

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency. Lots of people have inquired whether the Governor has the power to close certain businesses and other events. This announcement does a good job of outlining the various code sections under which the Governor is supporting her decisions. Some of the highlights:

If you are looking for legal information involving a wide-range of issues relating to the Coronavirus pandemic, I encourage you to check out Coronavirus Legal Daily which is a Channel on the LexBlog Network. There are lawyers blogging on many topics from employment law to real estate lease agreements to insurance coverage issues and more.

Let’s get down to brass tacks. The main reason Republican lawmakers in Iowa are looking to change the way Iowa judges are selected is because they want protection for social issues like an anti-abortion bill they hope to pass this legislative session and due to the Iowa Supreme Court decision in Varnum from several years ago where the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that non-religious, civil marriage, is available to everyone. Since Varnum, special interests worked hard to oust Iowa Supreme Court justices. And now, these special interests are setting their sights on changing the process for the Judicial Nominating Commission that ultimately appoints judges in Iowa. Under the current system, Iowa lawyers elect one-half of the commissioners to the Judicial District Nominating Commissions while the governor appoints the other half of the members. Lawmakers want to change this so that lawyers no longer elect one-half of the commissioners but rather lawmakers from the political parties would nominate the other half.

Continue Reading Iowa Lawmakers Looking to Politicize our Courts?