This past November, voters in Missouri overwhelmingly approved Proposition A with rural, suburban and urban voters all backing the legislation.  The proposition increased the state’s minimum wage and mandated earned paid sick time for employees.  A group of employers sought to overturn the will of the voters.  Unfortunately for business groups (and fortunately for employees), the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the decision.  A majority opinion deemed the ballot language and election valid, meaning the court did not find the voters were deceived and the election results stand.  As of May 1, 2025, workers start accumulating one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

Business groups are still aggressively lobbying state representatives to weaken the legislation, and in politics, the squeaky wheel usually gets the oil.  Missouri House Bill 567, which voids the paid sick leave provisions and reduces future increases to the minimum wage, has already passed and will move on to the Senate.  No matter where you stand on this issue, the real takeaway is our legislators, who work for all of us, are trying to undo what a majority of voters wanted.  This sets a dangerous precedent for all future issues, essentially rendering the voting process meaningless.  We encourage everyone to contact their local representative and give them your thoughts.  The name and contact information of your elected Missouri state senator can be found here and your state house representative can be found here.  Illinois clients that want to speak their mind on a specific issue can find the same for their representatives here.

At Rana Law Group, we know Missouri workers have very few protections as it is and we hope the will of the voters remains intact on this issue while ensuring our elections have meaning.

While this likely applies to a small number of people and their cases, for those who experience this situation where a lawyer actively handling their case stops practicing law, it can be incredibly frustrating and stressful.  The phrase “stops practicing” could mean any number of things, ranging from retirement, death, incarceration, medical illness or losing their law license.  Since we recently took over a number of cases from an attorney who needed to abruptly retire, we thought we would enlighten our clients as to what the ethics rules require and what they should do if they find themselves in such a position – hopefully not from our office of course!

If your attorney is no longer able to practice and is still in communications, he or she is required to inform you immediately and let you know if there are any impending deadlines which may prejudice your case.  Hopefully, as in the cases we recently took over, the lawyer has someone in mind that he can recommend, ideally making the process as seamless as possible.  The lawyer should get a copy of the file to the new lawyer or former client immediately as well.

Unfortunately, some attorneys are not in communication, whether because of death, illness or other reasons and this situation is much more difficult.  In a perfect world, the attorney works at a firm where other people can step in to take over the file.  If not, ideally the attorney has an assistant or paralegal knowledgeable about the case/your file and can provide a copy.  If the person is a sole practitioner and did not set up a contingency plan, the Missouri Bar will step in and attempt to retrieve information.  This is not ideal, however, because deadlines may come and go without the client realizing it.

What can you, the average potential client, do if you are involved in a legal action to avoid the worst of outcomes?  The #1 tip we recommend is ensure you (or your attorney’s office) is constantly in touch and you are aware of impending deadlines (if applicable).  At Rana Law Group, we pride ourselves in trying to over-communicate to clients so they know what is going on in their case.  If a client ever has questions about their case, we strongly encourage the client to make an appointment for an in-person, Zoom or phone call meeting to go over status.  The #2 tip we recommend is learn how to use case.net.  In Missouri, this is a database of cases in litigation.  While some cannot be accessed (typically family law/domestic cases involving children), a majority are at least viewable online and will include important dates including hearings.  Always note the date and check to ensure the entry after a hearing does not say something like “Failed to Appear”.  That should alert you immediately there was an issue and it is time to check in with the lawyer.  Illinois, unfortunately, does not have a similar public database at this time.

While we hope this never happens to anyone, this information will at least prepare people in case it does happen.

Just for Fun: Tarun Returns to Illinois Cook County Courthouse

From time to time, clients call and ask which type of cases we handle.  Our practice is built on referrals from satisfied clients.  We know that if we work hard and do a good job for our clients, they will tell their friends about us.  The best compliment from a former client is that client entrusting us with the potential case of their friend or family.  Our office specializes in the following cases:

1. Personal Injury (auto collisions, trucking, motorcycle, slip and fall, dog bites)
2. Work Injuries
3. Traffic tickets and DUI/DWI

If you know someone that meets these criteria, please have them call our office.  If someone does not quite fit the above criteria, please still have the prospective referral give us a call as we can usually help the person find the right attorney via a referral.

Thank you very much to everyone who already left a review, we appreciate it!  If you have not left one and have some kind words, we would appreciate the time.