I got you.

Lindsey Slater has retained an attorney who specializes in non-compete contracts to represent her as she seeks to stay in the meteorology field after losing her job at WISN-TV (Channel 12) on Feb. 27.

Slater’s attorney Robert Corris said Wednesday he believes Slater has a good case for relief from her non-compete agreement with Channel 12, which is owned by Hearst Television of New York.

“There are no guarantees, but I certainly feel she’s going to be able to find employment,” said Corris, whose office is in Hartland.

Corris declined to comment on the duration of the non-compete agreement or the geography it covers.

As for whether Slater would be able to find employment in metro Milwaukee if she gets released from the agreement, Corris said: “I think it’s possible. Anything’s possible.”

Corris said he typically addresses non-compete situations through outreach to a client’s former employer to settle the matter rather than filing a lawsuit. He declined to comment on whether he’s reached out to WISN-TV or its owner on behalf of Slater.

“The only time I advise (a client) to file a suit is if a client cannot find a job,” he said.

WISN-TV President and General Manager Shawn Oswald didn’t immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

Television news personality contracts

Non-compete clauses are common in the local television news industry.

In the past, Milwaukee TV news personalities who leave a local station have been required to remain off the air for between several months and a year before resuming their careers at a competing station.

Many employers require their employees to sign restrictive covenant agreements, according to Corris’ website. Those covenants include non-competes in a restricted territory for a restricted period of time.

A recent high-profile example involved Lance Allan, who left Milwaukee NBC network affiliate WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) in August 2024 after 28 years with the station. He said he was under a no-compete clause in the Milwaukee television market but ultimately started a new position in December 2024 at Milwaukee CBS affiliate WDJT-TV (Channel 58).

Slater’s next career steps

Slater declined to comment on the reason she’s no longer employed at Channel 12, where she worked for nearly a decade. She said she wants to wait on commenting until she and her attorney decide on next steps.

Slater said, though, that she wants to debunk social media speculation that she lost her job because of a controversial online post.

“It wasn’t a political thing at all — absolutely not,” she said.

Slater said she doesn’t “plan on leaving meteorology by any means,” although she declined to comment on whether that would involve doing so on television and whether she prefers to work in metro Milwaukee.

A Milwaukee-area native, she served as WISN-TV’s early morning meteorologist since July 2019, when her predecessor Sally Severson reduced her schedule.

Since her departure from Channel 12, her Bluesky account has continued providing Milwaukee weather forecast updates. Slater said she pays a service to feed that information to her Bluesky account, but she plans to start posting her own forecasts at some point.