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Empowering your business.

General Counsel Services

Empower your business with legal services custom-tailored to your needs. Gain the advantage of multiple talents and legal counsel on our Flexible & Predictable Fee Arrangement* that fits into your business’s annual budget. Submit a confidential inquiry here to begin the discussion on how Gislason & Hunter LLP’s General Counsel Services can best serve your business.

Our purpose is to provide cost-effective solutions for your legal concerns, whether you want additional support for your existing legal team or you have no in-house legal team and need outside general counsel. We focus on getting to know your business and take a proactive approach that diminishes risks and eliminates the issues that could lead to avoidable lawsuits.

Gislason & Hunter, LLP’s General Counsel Services are designed to deliver responsive service, by providing quick and efficient solutions to meet your business’s specific legal needs. Services include, but are not limited to:

Corporate Governance

  • Advice and counsel regarding requirements of governance documents (e.g., bylaws, shareholders agreements, operating agreements, partnership agreements)
  • Prepare annual and special meeting notices
  • Participate in annual and special meetings
  • Prepare voting proxies
  • Prepare and/or review annual and special meeting minutes
  • Prepare written resolutions
  • Monitor and file annual business renewals and reports (domestic and foreign and including corporate farming law reports (as applicable)
  • Advice and counsel regarding nature and scope of fiduciary duties

Commercial Contracts

  • Review, revise, and draft commercial contracts, including:
    • Software, technology, and license agreements
    • Non-compete, trade secret, non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements
    • Professional services agreement
    • Commercial leases
    • Vendor agreements
    • Other independent contractor agreements
  • Develop and update standard contract forms for internal use (e.g., ICAs, NDAs, hauling/transportation agreements)

Contract Compliance and Enforcement

  • Advice and counsel regarding contractual requirements and interpretations
  • Prepare notices of default and demand letters

Micro Acquisitions and Divestitures (i.e., less than $10 million)

  • Advice and counsel regarding terms and structuring of transactions
  • Draft transaction documents, including term sheets, purchase and sale agreements and ancillary agreements

Regulatory and Compliance

  • Advice, counsel, education, and training regarding environmental, permitting and other regulatory compliance
  • Monitor and provide updates, education and training regarding regulatory changes

Intellectual Property

  • General trademark maintenance and associated filings
  • Prepare cease and desist letters

Insurance

  • Advice and counsel regarding scope and limits of insurance coverages
  • Prepare and submit insurance claims
  • Advice and counsel regarding contractor/vendor insurance coverages and review of insurance certificates

Financing

  • Advice and counsel regarding lender relations and credit agreement covenants and requirements

Employment Law

  • Draft, revise, and update employee handbooks, other written policies and job descriptions
  • Advise and counsel regarding employee-policy enforcement, complaints and investigations
  • Draft employment contracts, non-compete agreements and confidentiality agreements
  • Advice and counsel regarding ADA, FMLA, youth labor and workers compensation compliance
  • Education and training regarding employee screening and hiring practices
  • Advice and counsel regarding performance reviews, employee discipline and termination decisions
  • Draft severance packages
  • Advice and counsel regarding wage and hour compliance (e.g., withholding, garnishments, and deductions)
  • Advice and counsel regarding labor classification decisions (e.g., independent contractor v. employee; exempt v. non-exempt)

Immigration

  • Education, training, and advice and counsel regarding I-9 compliance
  • Advice and counsel regarding TN visa program eligibility and compliance

Litigation Readiness and Response

  • Develop document retention policies and procedures (standard and litigation holds)
  • Develop internal investigation procedures
  • Training and counsel regarding privilege and confidentiality protection and preservation

Tax Matters

  • Coordinate with accountants and other professionals to advise regarding tax matters

*General Counsel Services may be provided on a fixed monthly fee, standard hourly fee or combination of fixed and hourly fee rates. The fees and scope of services are tailored to each client’s business. 

To learn more or have Gislason & Hunter tailor a suite of services, call 507-354-3111.

Areas of Expertise

  • Commercial Contracts
  • Contract Compliance and Enforcement
  • Corporate Governance
  • Financing
  • Intellectual Property
  • Litigation Readiness and Responses
  • Micro Acquisitions and Divestitures (i.e., less than $10 million)
  • Regulatory and Compliance

Our accomplished attorneys bring substantial expertise for estate planning to deliver the very best in service and results.

Attorneys

Cases & Clients

  • Employment Administrative Proceedings

    Brittany King-Asamoa is experienced with the administrative proceedings involving an employment charge filed with the EEOC and Minnesota Department of Human Rights. She has assisted in the defending against charges and represented employers in EEOC conciliation proceedings, as well as respond to requests for information during EEOC investigations.

  • Presents on Employment Law Developments

    Brittany King-Asamoa routinely monitors employment law developments and trends to keep employers apprised of compliance issues. She frequently presents and writes articles about employment law matters including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, #MeToo, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and other laws enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Labor.

  • Employment Handbooks and Policies

    Cory Genelin draws on his experience as a combat leader to draw up plans and policies designed to help an organization operate effectively and accomplish the mission while staying within the bounds of the law. Cory Genelin has drafted custom employment handbooks and employment policies for employers of all sizes including nursing home chains, group homes, hospitals, manufacturers, publishers, and agricultural producers.

  • Employment Policies, Agreements and Employee Handbooks

    Experienced and passionate about assisting employers and their human resources professionals craft employment policies designed to comply with the law as well as practically address and minimize workplace issues. Brittany King-Asamoa also has experience drafting agreements that best fit the needs of employers including, but not limited to, non-competes, independent contractor, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements and assignments of intellectual property rights.

  • Technology Licensing Agreements

    David Kim represented a client in transactions involving Technology Licensing Agreements with various public universities in the U.S., Toll Manufacturing Agreements with custom manufacturers in the U.S. and foreign countries, patent applications, patent prosecutions, and trademark registrations in nine jurisdictions including the U.S., various countries in the E.U. through EPO, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Canada.

  • Partnership Loss Allocation for Tax Purposes

    David Kim represented a client in conjunction with a dispute regarding partnership loss allocation for tax purposes and application of the at-risk rules and substantial economic effect rules.

  • Litigation

    Although she finds it preferable to prevent employment disputes on the front end, Brittany King-Asamoa is experienced in litigation matters and equipped to handle employment disputes brought before the court. Her practice includes civil litigation and insurance defense, whereby Brittany frequently represents insured individuals and corporations in tort litigation. Her representation extends to all stages of litigation including written discovery, depositions, motion practice, settlement negotiations, and trial. In 2017, she assisted a local fitness facility defeat claims of negligent supervision, negligent hiring, negligent retention, and emotional distress (among other torts). Brittany performed extensive legal research and collaboratively drafted the facility’s motions for judgment on the pleadings and summary judgment.

  • Performs Audits for Exempt and Non-Exempt Employment Status Identification

    Proper identification of an employee’s entitlement to overtime pay or exemption from overtime laws is vital for employers. The ramifications for erroneously identifying an employee as exempt from overtime can be disastrous. Brittany King-Asamoa has performed position audits for multiple companies to assist employers with finding the proper identification of individuals exempt from overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act.

  • Contracts in Conjunction With Distribution of Products

    David Kim represents clients in drafting, reviewing and revising contracts in conjunction with their distribution of products in the U.S. and foreign countries.

  • $400 Million Project Joint Venture

    David Kim represented an electric automobile company in the U.S. in conjunction with its joint venture for the production and distribution of electric buses in a $400 million project by negotiating and drafting Shareholders Agreement for the joint venture.

  • Development of Dealer Agreement and Sales Representative Forms

    David Kim advised a client in developing their dealer agreement and sales representative forms in compliance with state laws and regulations over dealership and sales representative relationship in over twenty states in the U.S.

  • Keeping Small Things Small

    While court victories are interesting, most clients prefer solutions that don’t involve court. Cory Genelin’s practice includes serving as corporate counsel for many businesses in Southern Minnesota. Cory aims to keep small problems small. Most of Cory’s employment files are small matters that Cory keeps small—a business owner or manager has a tough decision to make; Cory is brought in; the issue is dealt with; and business carries on. These include wrongful termination allegations, sexual harassment allegations, claims under the Minnesota Veterans Preference Act, non-compete enforcement and avoiding non-compete violations, unemployment claims, Worker’s Compensation fraud and wage and hour claims.

  • Corporate Litigation

    In 2018 Cory Genelin represented a shareholder in a $40M manufacturing company.  A fellow shareholder attempted to lock Cory’s client out of management and force redemption of his shares.  In one week Cory brought suit and successfully enjoined the action and secured full control of the corporation for Cory’s client.  Six months of intense litigation followed including successful defense of the injunction, thousands of pages of discovery, and nine depositions spanning several states and two countries.  After a week-long trial, Cory’s client’s rights were vindicated.

    See Le Sueur County File No. 40-CV-18-19

    In 2017 Cory Genelin obtained summary judgement in favor of a local corporation which had made a Subchapter S conversion. Two shareholders dissented from the conversation offered. Mr. Genelin brought suit, investigated the claims, and established as a matter of law that the corporation valuation was correct.

    See Nicollet County File No. 52-CV-16-225

  • Workplace Investigations

    Brittany King-Asamoa has valued experience performing workplace investigations regarding reports of discrimination, sexual harassment, and general non-compliance with employment laws. She takes great pride in performing these investigations with an eye toward counseling employers and management about compliance issues, as well assisting employers in identifying problem areas and solutions.