Category: BGS in the Community
BGS Attorney Scott Lepak Named Anoka County Bar Association 2018 Attorney of the Year
November 12, 2018 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Government and Employment Law Attorney Scott Lepak was named Anoka County Bar Association 2018 Attorney of the Year at the ACBA’s annual Fall Dinner, November 7th. Scott was recognized for his outstanding legal services and support to the community in his 30 year career as an attorney practicing in labor relations and employment matters affecting local government. Throughout his extensive legal career in Anoka County, Scott has provided unparalleled community focused legal service that has affected every citizen in the county during that time. As the chief labor negotiator for Anoka County, Scott has been a trusted advisor to the County on all labor relations matters for over three decades. Scott has also served as the labor and employment counsel for the Anoka County Community Action Program (ACCAP) and its Head Start program for over 30 years. He is the long time labor and employment counsel for the cities of Anoka, Blaine, Columbia Heights and St. Francis. He has also been the St. Francis City Attorney since 2000. During Scott’s tenure as the St. Francis City Attorney, the city doubled in size. In addition to his focused labor and employment practice areas, Scott also represents significant entities within the County as general counsel. Scott has served the citizens in the five cities (Blaine,…
Read MoreBGS proudly celebrates Women Entrepreneurs
October 19, 2018 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.BGS attorney Carole Clark Isakson has been a volunteer attorney with Women Venture for almost a year now, and last week was wonderfully surprised to find that her first WV client, LaTonya Johnson (Minnesota Electrolysis LLC) won this year’s “Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained Emerging Business Award”! Ms. Johnson’s award was presented on October 12, 2018 at the 23rd annual Women Mean Business luncheon and marketplace. Carole spent several months working with Ms. Johnson (and Women Venture) negotiating the terms of the purchase of assets, setting up Minnesota Electrolysis LLC, drafting documents and handling employee and operational issues. It was a great experience for lawyer and client alike, and Ms. Johnson’s receipt of the well deserved reward was an additional confirmation that her business will continue to prosper. For Ms. Isakson’s part, she found great satisfaction in using her legal skills to assist a new business venture, and continues to work with Ms. Johnson and Women Venture. BGS encourages all of its attorneys to play positive roles in community organizations and to provide pro bono legal services. In fact, Carole has been named a North Star Lawyer five consecutive years by the MSBA as certified that she provided at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services annually. Women Venture has been around for…
Read MoreAttorney Scott Lepak Receives President's Award
June 22, 2018 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd. is pleased to announce that Scott Lepak received the President’s Award from the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association. This award was issued in recognition of Scott’s outstanding service to the National PELRA and his contribution to public sector labor relations. “This award means a lot to me”, Scott said, “The National and Minnesota chapter of PELRA are wonderful organizations”. As the long time editor of the MPELRA newsletter (back when it was printed out and mailed!) and frequent speaker, Scott knows how valuable these organizations are to labor relations professionals in the public sector. In his 30 plus years as a labor lawyer and chief labor negotiator, Scott has seen and been part of the massive changes in this area at both the federal and state levels.
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