COVID-19 and the recent political unrest have come with implications that are either direct or consequential to the insurance market.  Many businesses looking to renew long-standing commercial insurance policies are finding either increased premiums or a refusal of certain excess carriers to extend the same policy limits.  This has caused many businesses to either shop their insurance program to new carriers altogether or at least to add carriers to their excess insurance tower.  Some policyholders…

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers were reluctant to allow employees to work from home on a continuous basis.  Many companies prohibited all teleworking or allowed employees only to work remotely when recovering from an illness or when required as a reasonable accommodation.  When COVID-19 hit, many employees began working remotely and it appears that working from home is now, for many employees, a permanent situation.  I, myself, have seen the advantages of working from…

Anyone experienced with developing land realizes that the regulatory process one must complete for a given development is daunting, at once complicated and cumbersome and surely expensive.  I often tell landowners who want to become “developers” in order to capture more value in the price of their land, that it is not for the faint of heart or the risk averse–I’m usually proven right. The most consistent regulatory challenge associated with developing land is regulatory…

Change in the political party of an administration can be expected to impact the development and interpretation of federal law and regulation.  This is particularly true in the transition between former President Trump’s administration and that of President Joseph R. Biden. President Biden has only been the President for two weeks, yet he has already made significant changes in the agencies that enforce federal labor and employment law.  Below are some of the changes already…

The City of Minneapolis determined that many freelance workers (independent contractors) need legal and economic protections since they are not covered by employment laws.  The City, therefore, enacted the Minneapolis Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance (the “Ordinance”).  This Ordinance, effective January 1, 2021, requires companies to enter into written agreements with most freelance workers. The Ordinance contains provisions applicable to a commercial hiring party, and other requirements applicable to an individual hiring party. Commercial Hiring Party…