For the first time ever, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office has generated regional maps that show where business growth is happening in the state. The maps are just part of recently released reports on the state’s economic and business conditions. Brown County is part of the Southwest Minnesota region. The map dotted with new businesses shows...

They make the products that consumers and businesses use at home and in commerce. They’re Minnesota manufacturers and they helped build this country and helped make our state proud and prosperous. According to a recent survey, they are also increasingly optimistic that the future is bright for their firms. While the optimism is tempered by concerns about...

Farming is not just a business; it is a way of life. Historically, divorce rates for farmers and ranchers in the United States have been well below the average divorce rate for the total population. The reasons are many. Farm families are generally closer as a family unit than non-farm families. Farm couples generally have...

In Minnesota, a divorce commences upon service of a Summons and Petition. The Summons includes a “mandatory restraining order,” ordering that neither party may dispose of any asset except: (1) for the necessities of life or for the necessary generation of income or preservation of assets; (2) by an agreement in writing; or (3) for...

My estate planning colleagues regularly ask me about the legal rights and responsibilities between cohabiting adults. Since more and more people are living together, and even having children together, without getting married, this issue will continue to increase in important. Before you begin cohabitating with someone, it is important to understand your rights and responsibilities...

In 1996 Congress passed 18 U.S.C 922(g)(9), also known as “the Lautenberg Amendment.” This prevents any person “who has been convicted . . . of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” from possessing any firearm or ammunition. In nearly every such conviction, this also results in such a person being prohibited from serving in the...

Corporations created under the laws of the State of Minnesota are entities created by statute. As a result, it only makes sense that we must look to statute for the process to end a corporation’s existence. Called “dissolution,” Minnesota statutes provide three basic alternative processes for the shareholders of a corporation to wind up and...