Episode 7: How to Get an Attorney to Take Your Case (from the People Who Screen Their Calls)

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 productivity. More than that, culture audits signal to employees that the organization cares about them and their input, and takes workplace culture seriously. This episode is for anyone who wants to get the pulse of their organization and maintain a healthy work environment.

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The Prinz Law Firm

Kristen Prinz

Christina Hynes Mesco

Kristen Prinz welcomes to the mic Chiquita Hall-Jackson, a lawyer, DEI consultant, and community advocate known as the “Discrimination Disrupter.” Chiquita strives to dismantle systems of bias, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace, and is recently the author of We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive's Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics.

In their wide-ranging conversation, Kristen and Chiquita address the difficulties that minority employees often face in the workplace, especially women of color, including remaining unseen and being passed over for promotion. Chiquita encourages employees to use these situations as opportunities to educate their colleagues, and she advises workers to use their voices to advocate for themselves and to make room in the workplace for the diverse talent that will come after them.

Kristen and Chiquita discuss their own experiences, the necessity of charting your own career path and goals, and the difficult choice workers must sometimes face: to stay within a system that can be difficult to navigate or to strike out on your own.

This episode will enable you to become a bolder you at work, more aligned with your own values and career goals. Perhaps more than anything else, you will learn some tools to “be alright” and continue navigating the dynamics of challenging workplaces.

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The Prinz Law Firm

Kristen Prinz

Chiquita Hall-Jackson’s personal website

We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive's Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics

Chiquita Hall-Jackson on LinkedIn

Hall-Jackson and Associates, P.C.

Employment attorney Amit Bindra unpacks two recent attempts to ban non-competes. Starting with the successful legal ban in Minnesota, Amit explains why the prohibition is novel and addresses certain exemptions under the new law. He then turns to the state legislature’s attempt at banning non-competes in New York, highlighting the proposed law’s exemptions and penalties. While ultimately unsuccessful, the move to ban non-competes in New York will likely see an Act 2 in the next legislative session. Amit closes by offering some practical guidance for both employees and employers as they navigate a new legal landscape in jurisdictions that have recently banned non-competes.

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Amit Bindra

Connect with Amit on Twitter

Read Amit’s blog post on Minnesota’s non-compete ban

Matt Tedeschi

Employment attorney and business counselor Poonam Lakhani joins marketing manager and paralegal Matt Tedeschi to address the most significant new employment laws taking effect in Illinois in 2024. From minimum wage increases and new paid leave requirements to increased employer liability for workplace sexual assault, the new year will see the evolution of work across the state. Whether you are an employee, in management, or a business owner, tune in to learn about what these changes might mean for you!

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The Prinz Law Firm

Poonam Lakhani

Matt Tedeschi

Read Poonam’s blog post on new employment laws of 2024

Read Matt’s blog post on Chicago’s new paid leave law

Read Matt’s blog post on Illinois’s paid leave law

Access the State of Illinois’s FAQ’s on the paid leave law

Read our post on pay data reporting

Read Laura Feldman’s post on the Illinois Gender Violence Act

Employment attorney and business counselor Poonam Lakhani discusses various types of workplace leave with marketing manager and paralegal Matt Tedeschi. They address recent trends in leave requirements as well as compliance challenges for businesses across jurisdictions. Poonam and Matt particularly focus on new paid time off laws in Illinois and Chicago, exploring their main components and what they might mean for you, whether you are a business owner or an employee. 

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The Prinz Law Firm

Poonam Lakhani

Matt Tedeschi

Read Poonam’s blog post on complying with leave laws

Read Matt’s blog post on Chicago’s new paid leave law

Read Matt’s blog post on Illinois’s paid leave law

Access the State of Illinois’s FAQ’s on the paid leave law

Read Poonam’s blog post on unlimited PTO policies

Does your business want to throw a holiday party but you’re afraid of potential shenanigans…and the liability that might result from them? In this episode geared toward employers, Marketing Manager and paralegal Matt Tedeschi welcomes Laura Feldman, plaintiff’s employment attorney and specialist on workplace sexual assault, to discuss what every employer should do before, during, and after a party to minimize the likelihood of harassment, assault, and other legal claims. Perfect for HR representatives, in-house counsel, and anyone else involved in risk assessment, this episode will help you throw a party that’s both fun and professional—and prevents you from getting a call from Laura the next day.

Content notice and trigger warning: This episode discusses sexual assault and other misconduct in the workplace that may be uncomfortable for certain listeners. Our presenters’ lighthearted exchange is not meant to detract from the seriousness of this topic. If you need support in discussing sexual assault, you can call RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) at 800.656.HOPE.

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The Prinz Law Firm

Laura Feldman

Matt Tedeschi

Read Laura’s blog post, “How to Steer Clear of Trouble at Your Company Holiday Party”

Managing Partner Kristen Prinz and transactional attorney Katie Rinkus discuss the Corporate Transparency Act, a new federal law requiring all companies to report information related to company ownership. Although the law’s intent was to combat the creation of shell companies, Kristen and Katie discuss what this means for your business: who can see your information, when and how to file, and whether there are exemptions under the law. Tune in today to ensure your business is compliant with these new regulations.

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The Prinz Law Firm

Kristen Prinz

Katie Rinkus

Katie’s blog post on the Corporate Transparency Act

This episode focuses on the mental health benefits that workplaces can provide to workers. Kristen Prinz welcomes to the mic Sarah Malavenda, a trained psychotherapist and the Co-Founder & COO of Samata Health, and Angelia Salgado, the firm’s Operations Manager who recently earned an M.A. in mental health counseling.

Kristen, Sarah, and Angelia discuss the prevalence of burn-out, the fact that it’s become more acceptable to discuss mental health in the workplace, and whether there is a shortage of therapists. Then they dig into the variety of mental health benefits available to companies, including traditional benefits provided by health insurance, legacy EAPs, and premium benefits offered by third party providers, such as Samata Health.

Sarah reveals how a premium benefits program works for employers, especially small businesses, and why it is often a superior option for employees compared with other options. She also explains how Samata Health can make a profit while supporting its individual therapist providers. This is a great episode for HR folks, business owners, individual therapists, and anyone else interested in making work better through improving mental health.

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The Prinz Law Firm

Kristen Prinz

Angelia Salgado

Sarah Malevenda on LinkedIn

Samata Health on LinkedIn

Samata Health website

Prinz Partner Amit Bindra elucidates three recent rulings of the Delaware Chancery Court, one of the nation’s foremost non-compete courts. Two of the decisions involved business acquisitions, while a third addressed forfeiture clauses. Notably, the Court refused to enforce non-compete agreements in all three of these cases. Find out why in this episode, as Amit walks us through the Court’s reasoning, the potential impact these decisions could have on businesses, and how these holdings are part of a larger trend in non-compete regulation across the country.

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Amit Bindra

Connect with Amit on Twitter

Read Amit’s blog post on the Delaware Trilogy

Matt Tedeschi

What would you do if an employee reported that a colleague kissed her without her permission at the company holiday party? Our attorneys say: investigate! From their experience as employment attorneys and workplace investigators, Kristen Prinz and Christina Hynes Mesco outline the nuts and bolts of conducting a workplace investigation in this episode.

Using the true-life example of the involuntary kiss, they address what to do if your employee reports harassment, including the importance of avoiding knee-jerk reactions and setting reported events in their proper context. They also touch upon documentary evidence, including electronic data, and in-person interviews. And since obtaining helpful answers often depends on how questions are phrased, Kristen and Christina offer a few helpful techniques that can be used in any conversation. They also emphasize why a trauma-informed approach is helpful when assessing the credibility of witnesses, before discussing drafting an investigation report and making recommendations to help better the business for all parties involved.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone in HR or in-house counsel, and for anyone else tasked with getting to the bottom of things in the workplace!

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The Prinz Law Firm

Kristen Prinz

Christina Hynes Mesco

Read Christina’s blog on conducting effective investigations