Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is pleased to announce that 80 lawyers are recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, with ten receiving this honor for the first time. Additionally, 22 Hinshaw lawyers are included in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP today announced that Miami partner-in-charge Barbara Fernandez and Ft. Lauderdale partner-in-charge Andrew Gordon have been honored in the 2025 South Florida Business Journal’s Power Leaders in Law & Accounting, which celebrates the region’s most influential executives across key industries.

The law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is pleased to announce that the Legal Aid Service of Broward County has selected the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office as its 2024 Law Firm of the Year. Additionally, Fort Lauderdale litigation partner Jenelle E. La Chuisa was named the recipient of the 2024 Russell E. Carlisle Advocacy Award.

Andrew Gordon and Lauren Swanson authored a Daily Business Review byline discussing the Eleventh Circuit Court's recent decision to uphold a preliminary injunction against a key part of Florida's Individual Freedom Act, known as the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act."

In a SHRM story, Andrew Gordon discussed the significance for employers of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling that a home improvement store violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRM) when it banned an employee from wearing “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) text on their uniform. The NLRB ruled that the store broke the law when it conditioned the worker’s employment on removing the BLM marking, causing the employee to resign after refusing to remove it.

Andrew Gordon and Lauren Swanson authored a new Daily Business Review article outlining how the United States Department of Labor's (DOL) new final independent contractor rule will impact all employers, particularly providing insight for Florida employers.

Register: Chicago Office (In-Person)

Hinshaw labor and employment attorneys from the Midwest, East Coast, and West Coast will address developments in the ever-changing landscape of employment law claims, including significant court decisions, changes to state and federal law affecting their region as well as other important trends, legislation and decisions of which every employer should be aware.

Join us for Hinshaw's Labor & Employment Regional Law Update. Our practical and engaging virtual program will examine the most pressing issues affecting employers today.We will host the following regional sessions on Tuesday, July 26:West Coast:                    12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PDTEast Coast/South:          1:00 p.m. - 2:00 EDT  |  12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CDT

Hinshaw partner Andrew Gordon will present "What You Need to Know About Title VII," on February 17, 2021 at 4:00 PM Eastern. The program—which is part of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce's IMPACT Seminar Series for Small Businesses—will cover a number of topics, including providing updates to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2020 Bostock ruling addressing employment discrimination against LGBTQ employees, as well as pre-hiring discrimination, diversity and inclusion training, and suggestions concerning workplace guideline updates.

Beginning on July 1, 2023, private employers in Florida with more than 25 employees will be required to use the federal E-Verify system for all new hires in order to verify that newly hired employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. The 25-employee threshold refers to the total number of company employees, not just those employees who work in Florida. Covered Florida employers must enroll in E-Verify using the E-Verify.gov website and follow the registration process. E-Verify requires the employer to transcribe a new hire’s information from his or her I-9 into E-Verify, which will confirm whether the new hire is authorized to work in the U.S. Employers who do not comply with this new law will be subjected to stiff penalties for noncompliance, including costly daily fines and suspension and/or revocation of state licenses. The penalties for noncompliance will take effect July 1, 2024.

On April 22, 2022, Governor DeSantis signed into law the Individual Freedom Act—otherwise known as the "Stop WOKE Act"—which set to amend several statutes relating to education and employee rights. Scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2022, the Stop WOKE Act prohibits employers from mandating employees to attend trainings that endorse certain topics regarding race, color, sex, and/or national origin. We previously wrote a byline which explained in further detail what the Stop WOKE Act specifically prohibits.

On September 30, 2021, Florida’s hourly minimum wage rate increased from $8.56 to $10.00. For the next five years, the hourly minimum wage in Florida will increase by $1.00 each year until it reaches $15.00 per hour in 2026. This increase came as the result of Amendment 2, passed on November 3, 2020, by an overwhelming majority of Florida voters.

Last week, following a special legislative session in Tallahassee, Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed four new bills into law that relate to vaccination mandates. One of the new bills—House Bill 1B—directly impacts employers, as it allows a private business to implement a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, but only if it provides opt-out exemptions.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued guidance on May 13, 2021, regarding the resumption of pre-pandemic activities for those who are fully vaccinated. Although helpful for individuals, the revised guidelines raise more unanswered questions for employers already preparing for or implementing return-to-work strategies. We review and analyze these questions, along with the guidance of the CDC and other regulatory agencies, below. 

Updated on April 10, 2020 to reflect a new Department of Treasury FAQThe Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. It is the largest stimulus package in U.S. history, and provides $2.2 trillion in relief to individuals, businesses, and hospitals grappling with the rapidly developing and devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At its core, the CARES Act provides a critical injection of financial assistance to businesses, as well as expanded protections for workers. Below we have summarized what employers need to know about this important legislation. Note that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is expected to publish additional guidance in the coming days on the implementation of the programs set forth in the CARES Act and related issues.

Ministerial Exception Bars Employee's Claims of Gender Discrimination

Oral Agreement to Pay Commissions Not Barred by Statute of Frauds

Seventh Circuit Upholds Indiana's Right to Work Act