On Jan. 5, the Federal Trade Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a new rule that would prohibit employers from including noncompete clauses in agreements with employees and independent contractors.
Read More »Author Archives: Bridgetower Media Newswires
Milwaukee asks judge for control of former Northridge Mall
Milwaukee officials have asked a county judge to give ownership of the former Northridge Mall to the city after years of ongoing litigation with the building’s Chinese owners, multiple reports showed.
Read More »… And then, suddenly, it changed everything! The ‘it’ moment
The art of storytelling is the primary skill of a trial lawyer. The old paradigm that we argue cases in court is misleading. The adversarial system is a storytelling contest. Facts, science and logic inform our stories, but the story is the thing. So, what is a story?
Read More »Juvenile correctional facility to open in 2026 after Milwaukee approves project
The Milwaukee Common Council has approved a zoning change for a new juvenile justice center on the city’s northwest side. The new facility is meant to replace the Copper Lake and Lincoln Hills schools in Irma after years of abuse and misconduct allegations.
Read More »Lawsuit challenging Madison bird-safe glass ordinance delivered to appeals court
The case to decide whether a Madison ordinance requiring bird-safe glass on tall buildings will stay in effect is now awaiting assignment in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
Read More »‘You’re treated like a criminal’: Wisconsin eyes fixes for emergency mental health system
When Chrissy Barnard faced a mental health crisis and most needed care, law enforcement handcuffed her, placed her in the back of a patrol car and drove her five hours to Wisconsin’s only state-run mental health facility for the general public.
Read More »Where judges, lawyers rank on most trusted professions (CHART)
Here’s to a more transparent 2023
As ever, 2022 was a roller coaster year for open government.
Read More »Madison attorneys respond after construction groups appeal bird protection building ordinance
The legal battle over bird-safe façades for new Madison projects continued after city attorneys responded on Friday to an appeal from construction trade groups. A Dane County judge decided in August to uphold a city ordinance requiring new projects over 10,000 square feet to include designs to mitigate bird collisions.
Read More »Wisconsin legal community rallies to aid Afghan immigration
In August 2021, the United States evacuated more than 76,000 Afghans who had aided the U.S. and the international community in their Afghanistan mission.
Read More »Fiscal Facts: STEM workers a strength, but metro Milwaukee lags in other innovation metrics
Metro Milwaukee’s concentration of workers employed in STEM occupations is a competitive strength, but it lags peer metros on other metrics including productivity, household income, exports, and venture capital funding.
Read More »Judge sets new demolition deadline for Northridge Mall, but there’s a catch
Northridge Mall may be closer to meeting a wrecking ball after a judge called for a demolition plan from its owners, but Milwaukee may not have enough money to go through with razing the property, according to multiple reports.
Read More »Dane County officials urge board to finish plans for jail consolidation project
Dane County’s executive and sheriff both urged the County Board to approve funding for a jail consolidation project before they miss the chance to bid for construction in the spring.
Read More »Milwaukee officials to discuss zoning changes for juvenile justice center
Milwaukee officials will meet in early 2023 to decide a zoning change for an incoming juvenile detention facility to replace Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School.
Read More »Avoid probate so your loved ones can properly grieve
People often believe that having a will alone avoids probate after death. This is simply not true. Avoiding probate requires you to take active steps so that you don’t have to go through the time-consuming process.
Read More »Attracting, keeping lawyers of color presents challenges for firms
A continuing dilemma for the Minnesota legal community seems to be making progress, but only in isolated steps.
Read More »US abortion laws (CHART)
Wisconsin case raises question: Who pays, profits from energy transition?
A proposed rate increase by We Energies is facing pushback from community groups that say the Milwaukee utility is failing to meet its legal obligation to provide affordable power.
Read More »Defendant’s lack of understanding deemed manifest injustice
A defendant may withdraw his guilty plea where he did not understand that he was waiving his right to appeal evidentiary issues by pleading guilty, the Court of Appeals in Minnesota has determined.
Read More »The state of legal marijuana (CHART)
Wisconsin’s new LLC laws: What you need to know
Effective Jan. 1, business entity law changes are coming for limited liability companies (LLCs) in Wisconsin.
Read More »Northridge Mall owners file appeal, halt Milwaukee’s demo order
The owners of the Northridge Mall have blocked Milwaukee’s order to demolish the building by filing an appeal of a judge’s ruling, court documents showed.
Read More »Sex harassment results in lawyer discipline
A rare complaint to the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility based on sexual misconduct has resulted in a stipulation for settlement and an expedited Minnesota Supreme Court hearing.
Read More »OPEN RECORDS: Outsiders can’t block records access
Wisconsin’s open-records law is most often used by requesters seeking to obtain records from a government agency. But occasionally it works in reverse, allowing someone to block the release of records to a requester.
Read More »173-year-old law allows only ‘therapeutic abortions.’ No one knows what that means, and health systems are scrambling to stay out of criminal trouble
The patient sat in Dr. Shefaali Sharma’s exam room, distraught. She was pregnant with her third child. Just weeks earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had revoked the federally protected, constitutional right to an abortion, restoring Wisconsin’s near-total abortion ban from the 1800s.
Read More »Police in Wisconsin killed 149 people since 2013, lower than national rate
Law enforcement officers in Wisconsin kill people at among the lower per capita rates in the country. But some agencies, including the sheriff’s departments in Marinette and Walworth counties, have killed people at much higher rates since 2013.
Read More »BEING FLEXIBLE: Law firms still adjusting to post-COVID workplaces
Greg Strickland chuckles when he recalls the extraordinary measures his law firm’s residential real estate attorneys took just to collect signatures on closing packages when the pandemic shut down businesses everywhere in 2020.
Read More »Status for defendants charged in Capitol breach (CHART)
Discipline and discharge: Best practices for avoiding costly litigation
Disciplining and terminating employees are realities of doing business, but by adhering to certain practices, employers can help reduce the risk of costly litigation.
Read More »‘A SETBACK FOR TRANSPARENCY’: Wisconsin Supreme Court reverses decades of legal precedent to weaken open-records law
The Wisconsin State Supreme Court issued a ruling earlier this month that open government advocates say deals “a body blow to the state’s traditions of open government” and encourages public agencies to work in greater secrecy.
Read More »