Jill DeSena

URGENT for New York Employers and anyone contracting with businesses in New York State: Do you subcontract your overflow work to businesses in the same line of work as yours? The NYS WCB has the discretion to ignore LLCs and corporations. They can find all employees employed by those entities and working on your projects--even short ones--are YOUR employees. This is a change from the past 15+ years. If you do not have workers compensation, disability, and Paid Family Leave insurance for those employees, you could be penalized at a rate of $2K for every 10-day period they are uninsured. My solution? I carry the insurance, even when I don't have employees because I am concerned that the Board will impute employment on a contractor. This, of course, is NOT legal advice. If you are subcontracting work to a business in the same line of work as yours or you have workers in NYS that you are concerned could be deemed your employees, now is the time to consult legal counsel.

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New York State's prenatal leave law is at the vanguard of paid leave progress and with New York City's added obligations, employers in the Empire State should remember that, when in doubt, follow the more worker-friendly requirement, experts say. https://lnkd.in/eK933gyw

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Bruce Matez, Esq. APM was the host of NJAPM - New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators' weekly peer consultation hour held at noon (another free benefit to members) on Friday. Amongst the topics discussed was David L. Deutsch's concept of post once but comment twice (on other people's posting)- a way to build connections on forums such as LinkedIn. Members agreed to be more supportive by commenting when they saw a colleague's post. One of the attendees focused on a client whose retirement assets were three times the value of her spouse's, and she also made nearly double what he earned. The client was struggling with the concept of equitable distribution and possibly sharing a portion of her retirement funds, even though her spouse had waived alimony. The idea of letting the clients brainstorm options that might work, including a trust for the children, was part of that conversation. Finally, the group focused on the upcoming NJAPM Friday, May 1 spring seminar and the need for continuing education to stay current both on mediation techniques and subject matter topics.

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Managing employees in 2026? 👩‍💼 Dawn Lanouette, Chair of our Labor & Employment Practice Group, shares a quick look at some of the state and federal labor law changes employers should have on their radar this year: • Updates to NYS minimum wage and exempt salary thresholds • Changes impacting paid family leave • Evolving youth employment rules • Union and organized labor regulations One thing is certain in 2026: the rules keep changing. Staying proactive can make all the difference. Dawn and our Labor & Employment team regularly help employers review policies, train managers, and navigate compliance as the landscape continues to shift.

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Governor Murphy has signed legislation expanding the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA), significantly broadening employer coverage and employee eligibility. Highlights : ✅ Law will cover employers with 15 or more employees, expanding coverage to many smaller organizations. ✅Employee eligibility has been significantly lowered to three months of employment and 250 hours worked (previously, 12 months and 1,000 hours worked). ✅Effective July 2026 More here: https://lnkd.in/eDzfQfJr

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Looks like folks have dug out in New England and are clearing the docket. In Connecticut, two more bills hit today. HB 5316 focuses on prohibiting REITs from controlling hospitals and sale and leaseback transactions. We have seen this before. HB 5398 updates the existing AG reporting statute to broaden the net and require 60 days notice. As one of the OG statutes, it has needed an update for years. In Congress, New England and Oregon senators reintroduced the “Corporate Crimes Against Health Care Act” that targets private equity investment in healthcare. Recall this didn’t go anywhere a few years ago but certainly spurred a wave of state legislation targeting PE. Not sure why it came back (since it won’t likely get bipartisan support), but perhaps to support the various state PE measures being considered this year. Links in the comments.

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‼️Attention Connecticut employers with at least 11 employees‼️ January 1, 2026 is right around the corner, which means you will need to make sure you’re in compliance with Connecticut’s paid sick leave law. Review Rose Kallor, LLP’s update about it here: https://lnkd.in/ete2r8pM And if you’re an employer with at least 25 employees, this was effective for you this year, so you’re likely already in compliance.

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CT Employment Law Spotlight: Connecticut has been busy passing employee-friendly legislation. From paid sick leave to expanded leave protections — the trend is clear. Employers who adapt fast → attract talent. Employers who resist → lose talent. #CT #EmploymentLaw #Recruiting

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Effective January 1, 2026, New Hampshire employers with at least 20 employees must comply with a new unpaid parental leave law. Duane Morris’ latest alert details key implications for businesses operating in the Granite State. https://lnkd.in/ebcqYqqF

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