CTA – Injunction Reinstated
On December 26, 2025, a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a critical ruling in the ongoing, back-and-forth litigation surrounding the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), reinstating the nationwide injunction against enforcement of the Act. As a result, the CTA is not currently in effect. This decision is the latest in a series... Read more »

CTA – Injunction Lifted
On December 23, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision affecting the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), reinstating the requirement for most reporting companies to file beneficial ownership information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). This ruling follows a stay of a nationwide preliminary injunction issued earlier on December... Read more »
Gavel in front of Construction Hard Hat

CSPA – What Contractors Need to Know
The Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act (CSPA) is a consumer protection law designed to shield consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices. A critical component of the CSPA is the Home Sales Solicitation Act (HSSA), which imposes specific requirements on contractors working with consumers on home improvement projects. Key Requirement: The Notice of Right to... Read more »

Client Alert: Corporate Transparency Act Requirements Stayed
On December 3, Judge Amos L. Mazzant III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction preventing the federal government from enforcing the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). He also issued a stay of the January 1, 2025, filing deadline pending the outcome of the litigation. Judge Mazzant... Read more »
Micah Smock Headshot

Micah Smock Joins FGKS Law
FGKS Law is happy to announce that Micah J. Smock became an associate with the firm effective November 12, 2024. FGKS Law is a full-service law firm of 16 attorneys with offices in Sidney, Troy, Celina, and Ft. Loramie. The firm has an emphasis on business transactions, business and civil litigation, employment law, real estate,... Read more »
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Client Alert: Court Vacates Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule for Salaried Employees
In April of this year, FGKS Law issued a Client Alert regarding the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) final rule (the “Rule”) that, among other changes, increased the salary threshold for employees classified as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Specifically, the Rule raised the salary threshold for exempt employees from $35,568 to... Read more »
Hand holding pen over employee non-compete agreement document

FTC Non-Compete Rule Set Aside
The most recent decision in the ongoing battle over the enforceability of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) rule banning non-compete agreements (the “Rule”) has resulted in the Rule being deemed unenforceable across the country. In her ruling late yesterday, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas Ada Brown found that the FTC had... Read more »
Exterior rendering of Troy law office location

New FGKS Law Troy Office
FGKS Law is excited to announce that it is relocating its Troy office to a new location, representing an expansion of its local presence. This move comes just a few years after the firm opened its initial Troy office in early 2020. The success experienced at that location necessitated the move to a new office... Read more »
Hand holding pen over employee non-compete agreement document

The FTC’s Non-Compete Ban
For years, employers have relied on non-compete agreements to help them compete in the workplace. As many employers are undoubtedly aware, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has introduced a rule that will effectively ban most non-compete agreements in employment contracts (the “Rule”). Non-compete agreements are extremely common in employment contracts and generally restrict an employee’s... Read more »
Paper cutouts of house with family holding an umbrella labeled with the word 'Medicaid'

Gift-Medicaid Annuity Plans
Qualifying for Medicaid is best accomplished with advanced planning, at least five years ahead of when an individual may enter a skilled nursing facility. Successful advanced planning is most commonly accomplished by making gifts or transfers to an irrevocable Medicaid Asset Protection Trust and then waiting out Ohio’s five-year lookback period. But what if an... Read more »
Hand holding pen over employee non-compete agreement document

Non-Compete Ban & Minimum Salary Increase for Exempt Employees
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued its final rule (consisting of 570 pages) banning most non-compete agreements. This new rule—originally proposed back in January 2023—broadly prohibits employers from imposing and enforcing non-compete agreements in all but a few situations. Not unexpectedly, the vote broke down along party lines, with the three Democratic commissioners... Read more »
Pregnant female worker with one hand above belly and another hand writing on a document

EEOC Finalizes PWFA Regulations
As our office previously reported, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) went into effect on June 27, 2023. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) began accepting charges at that time, even though it had not issued any regulations. The EEOC issued proposed regulations in August 2023 and stated its intent to finalize the regulations by... Read more »
Calculator, pencil, and small model of a home on top of tax forms

1031 Exchanges
Investing in real estate can be a great way to build wealth and secure your financial future. However, what happens when you decide to sell a piece of real estate to invest in a new opportunity? If the property is sold and you deposit the proceeds to your bank account, you will be liable for... Read more »
Close up view of farmers shaking hands and making an agreement while standing in a cornfield

Oral Farm Leases and R.C. 5301.71
For centuries, Ohio landowners rented their land to be farmed through handshake deals or by scribbling ill-defined terms on a piece of paper. The same land could be farmed for years without any formal writing to accurately memorialize the understanding between the farmer and the landowner. Disputes and litigation often arose when one party cancelled... Read more »
Two people dressed in suit jackets shaking hands over table with clipboard and scale

The Corporate Transparency Act Is Here
Effective January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) went into effect. This sweeping anti-financial crimes law requires nearly every newly formed and existing small business, including single member LLCs, to file Beneficial Ownership Information Reports with the federal government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). FGKS Law is committed to providing comprehensive assistance to its... Read more »