BGS Attorney Karen Kurth Elected President of the Anoka County Bar Association
July 8, 2015 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.BGS Attorney Karen K. Kurth has been elected President of the Anoka County Bar Association for a one year term that began July 1, 2015. Karen practices in the firm’s Business Litigation and Employment Law section focusing her practice on commercial litigation, employment litigation and counseling, construction litigation, real estate litigation, landlord/tenant law, shareholder disputes, and appellate advocacy. Karen’s extensive background in accounting and commercial insurance enhances her ability to evaluate and successfully resolve a broad range of employment and commercial litigation issues. Karen received her J.D. at William Mitchell College of Law in 2002, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar in 2002 and to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in 2004. Karen joined Barna, Guzy, & Steffen as an associate in 2004. Also from Barna Guzy & Steffen, Family Lawyer Elizabeth Schading was named the ACBA’s MSBA Alternate Representative and Litigation/Employment Lawyer Jennifer Moreau was named to the Education Subcommittee. The Anoka County Bar Association is the 21st district of the Minnesota State Bar Association. Its membership is primarily made up of attorneys that live or work in Anoka County. The organization seeks to help lawyers become better lawyers by providing social and educational opportunities for its members. It seeks to aid…
Read MoreMedical Cannabis: What it Means for Minnesota Employers
July 1, 2015 | Joan M. QuadeAn brief overview of the new law by attorney Joan M. Quade and law clerk Tyler W. Eubank The New Law for Minnesota Residents In the Spring of 2014, Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill into law authorizing the use of medical cannabis. The law became effective on July 1, 2015. Regarded as one of the most restrictive medical cannabis laws in the nation, the law only allows for the use of cannabis to treat a number of chronic diseases such as HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, Tourette’s syndrome, seizures, and Crohn’s disease. The law also allows the use of cannabis in the treatment for cancer where the patient suffers from chronic pain, nausea, or severe wasting. Once a doctor has determined that a patient has a qualifying disease, the patient must apply to be placed on the state-wide registry. A medical cannabis dispensary may only give cannabis products to people who are on the registry. Minnesota Restrictions for Medical Cannabis The law also provides that medical cannabis may only be administered and consumed in a number of ways. The patient may take cannabis in oil, vapor, or pill form. The patient may not smoke marijuana. The law does not save a person from liability from negligence or professional malpractice for being under the influence…
Read MoreMinnesota's New Limited Liability Company Act
June 30, 2015 | Bradley KletscherOn April 8, 2014, Governor Dayton signed into law the Minnesota Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act which will be codified in new Chapter 322C of the Minnesota Statutes (the “MRULLC”). The MRULLC will become effective on August 1, 2015 for all Limited Liability Companies (“LLC”) formed on or after that date. LLCs in existence on July 31, 2015 will remain governed by the present Minnesota LLC Act, Chapter 322B (“Chapter 322B”), but may elect after that date to be governed by the New Act. Any Chapter 322B LLCs that have not elected to be governed by the New Act will automatically become subject to the New Act on January 1, 2018. Significant aspects of the MRULLC, compared to Chapter 322B, include the following: Model change toward partnership Chapter 322B closely resembles the Minnesota Business Corporation Act. Chapter 322Bs default rules establish a corporate structure, with members, a board of governors and managers more analogous to shareholders, a board of directors and officers in a corporation. The MRULLC defaults to member management (similar to a partnership), but permits manager management and board management. Board management is to permit existing LLCs to continue with their current structures. Operating Agreements Chapter 322B contemplates that an LLC will have a member control agreement and bylaws, which…
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