Category: News & Events
The Diaper Drive & BGS
January 4, 2011 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Barna, Guzy & Steffen law firm has made a strong commitment to serving worthy pro bono clients. Among the firm’s active pro bono attorneys is Kip Peterson, whose practice focuses on corporate law and business transactions. One of the non-profit corporations Kip has worked with is The Diaper Drive. This organization supports families in need in our community and BGS considers it a privilege to represent this cause. The Diaper Drive began when Kristen Grode was cleaning out a closet at home and found several packages of disposable diapers her children had outgrown. Kristen set out to research where she could donate the diapers and discovered that there was a tremendous need for such items but no organization existed to fill the need. Just as the recession has increased the demand on food shelves for things to eat, the need for diapers has also grown. In fact, statistics show that 1 in 3 American mothers struggle to provide diapers for their children. However, diapers are not covered by WIC or food stamps. As the mother of two young children, Kristen recognized the need and began calling friends and family for donations. Before long The Diaper Drive was born. The Diaper Drive collects disposable diapers, sanitary wipes, and other toiletries and distributes them to…
Read MoreLitigation Attorneys Brad Kletscher and Tammy Schemmel Obtain Winning Verdicts
October 20, 2010 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.On March 23, 2010, the Minnesota Court of Appeals handed down a landmark decision in the area of receivership law in Minnesota. Barna, Guzy & Steffen Ltd. attorneys Brad Kletscher and Tammy Schemmel represented the winning party State Bank of Delano in the appeal. In the decision, the Minnesota Court of Appeals held that a receiver for real estate does not have to pay the past due bills of a debtor owed to a utility company and that a utility company cannot disconnect utility services if a receiver does not pay such past due bills. In the case of State Bank of Delano v. Centerpoint Energy Resources, 779 N.W.2d 582 (Minn.App. 2010) the court held that “Because Minn.Stat. 576.01, subd. 2, requires a receiver to pay only for normal maintenance expenses of a property and because the Minnesota rules do not permit [the utility] to disconnect utility service to a new customer when the previous customer failed to pay its account balance, [the receiver] is not required to pay [the debtor’s] utility debt.” What this means for banks is that they will not have to pay the past due utility bills of their debtors out of the rents for the real estate if they appoint a receiver for real estate. This provides more…
Read More****PRESS RELEASE****
January 21, 2010 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2, 2009 Barna Guzy & Steffen announces Personal Injury/Criminal Attorney Adriel Villarreal was named a 2010 “Minnesota Rising Star” by Minnesota Law and Politics magazine. In 1998, the publishers of Law & Politics and Super Lawyers launched Rising Stars in Minnesota to recognize the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state — those who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Adriel joined Barna, Guzy & Steffen in 2004 as a Law Clerk. He became an attorney with the firm following his graduation from University of St. Thomas School of Law and admission to the bar in 2006. His practice now includes Personal Injury and Criminal Law. He is bilingual and able to assist both English and Spanish speaking clients. This enables him to offer assistance to the growing Hispanic population in the north metro suburbs of Minneapolis where BGS is located. Adriel has been an integral part of BGS’ expansion to serve our growing and changing community. BGS has been dedicated to serving the community for more than 70 years and the community is growing and changing in population. Due in equal parts to this philosophy and to the hard work of attorney Adriel B. Villarreal, our local community has…
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