Bellas & Wachowski, Attorneys at Law

George Bellas started what is now Bellas & Wachowski Attorneys at Law after leaving his position as a prosecuting attorney in 1973. The firm consists of six attorneys and six support team members working in areas such as business law, business litigation and personal injury claims. Our law offices are located in the Chicago area, near O'Hare Airport and easy for our clients to reach from anywhere in the Chicago area.

Latest from Bellas & Wachowski, Attorneys at Law - Page 3

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

When a Business Partner Wants Out, Your Operating Agreement Either Saves You or Destroys You

By George Bellas

May 21, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-05-9268f80e-c3d4-436f-ac98-1472d36fc5cd-300x200-png

Business partner disputes are one of the most common reasons companies end up in litigation. They are also one of the most preventable.
The phone call usually starts the same way. Two or three people built a business together. Things

…

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

Your Business Contracts Were Written for a Different World. That Is a Problem.

By George Bellas

May 19, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-05-5c8a0485-0766-4613-832c-53dafcdbd68a-300x200-png

Most business disputes do not start with bad intentions. They start with contracts that were written for a business environment that no longer exists.
The vendor agreement you drafted three years ago did not account for tariffs reshuffling your supply

…

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

Illinois Just Made AI Discrimination Illegal. Does Your Hiring Process Comply?

By George Bellas

May 15, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-05-c58b1923-71ed-4a57-b419-4e62f3757064-300x200-png

If your company uses software to screen resumes, score job applicants, schedule interviews, evaluate performance, or decide who gets promoted, you may already be violating Illinois law.
That is not a hypothetical. It is the current legal reality for employers

…

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

Noncompete Agreements in 2026: What Illinois Business Owners Need to Know

By George Bellas

May 11, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-05-1d885828-ac8e-4c7d-8e85-13945f1aebc2-300x200-png

What is the current status of noncompetes?
The FTC’s sweeping 2024 rule that would have banned nearly all noncompete agreements nationwide never took effect. Federal courts blocked it, and the FTC formally abandoned its appeal. There is currently no federal

…

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

Court Limits BIPA Damages in Pending Cases: What Illinois Businesses Need to Know After Clay v. Union Pacific

By George Bellas

May 6, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-05-ecba7890-9004-47a5-aac3-ac04083e7043-300x200-png

What happened?
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held in Clay v. Union Pacific Railroad Co. that the 2024 amendment to Section 20 of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act applies to cases that were already pending when the amendment…

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

Illinois Employment Law Changes 2026: What Small Business Owners Must Fix Now

By George Bellas

May 3, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-05-9787e072-e540-403f-b5b0-5f60dda589ad-300x200-png

What changed? Illinois strengthened pay transparency mandates, expanded personnel file access rights, tightened pay stub requirements, broadened anti-discrimination protections to cover family responsibilities and reproductive health decisions, added restrictions on AI used in hiring, tightened severance and confidentiality agreement rules,…

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

The #1 Reason Businesses Get Sued in Illinois Right Now (And How to Avoid It)

By George Bellas

April 23, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-04-70511b2b-7703-4602-8327-6cf173dcca05-300x200-png

Most business owners assume lawsuits come from major failures.
They don’t.
They come from small, preventable breakdowns that escalate.

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

AI Policies Are Becoming a Legal Requirement, Not a Nice-to-Have

By George Bellas

April 20, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-04-1cf90cf4-a3f6-4bfd-b413-68c0c59459f2-300x200-png

If your company is using AI without a policy, you are already behind
A year ago, AI policies were optional.
Today, they are quickly becoming expected.

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

Independent Contractor vs Employee: The Legal Line That Can Ruin Your Business

By George Bellas

April 17, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-04-869b771d-381e-4c69-bbeb-05d81f6a2c08-300x200-png

Most business owners don’t consider themselves facing an employment issue.
Until they do.
And when they do, it’s usually costly, disruptive, and entirely preventable.

Chicago Business Attorney Blog

5 Legal Mistakes Companies Are Making With AI Right Now (And How to Fix Them Before It Costs You)

By George Bellas

April 14, 2026

https-www-businessattorneychicago-com-files-2026-04-dc134b33-a9a9-4a2e-b74d-a79879c78c6f-300x200-png

If your business is using AI, you are already taking on legal risk
Most companies do not realize this yet.
They think AI is: