No business wants to be sued by an employee or former employee. It is expensive to defend employment lawsuits. In addition, such litigation is time consuming for management and may decrease company morale. There is a means by which employers can minimize employee lawsuits. Your company can require that employees sign arbitration agreements and thus...

Many time, a significant discussion needs to occur early on in a divorce case about the possible benefits of securing expert witnesses to help with the divorce. In divorce cases, the expert witnesses needed may vary.  Expert witnesses can include real estate appraisers, forensic accountants, business evaluation experts, and vocational experts, among many others. Many clients want to hold off on retaining...

In Minnesota, divorces involving farms and farming operations can be some of the most complex and difficult matters to resolve. In addition to the emotional issues concerning the family farm or a farming operation that has been in existence for some time, there are also significant financial and cash flow considerations to take into account...

If you’ve been paying attention to what Congress is (or isn’t) doing this year, chances are you’ve heard that several advantageous estate and gift tax provisions are set to expire at the end of this year.  However, it’s less likely you’ve heard that the adoption tax credit—one of the largest tax credits available to families–is...

Custody and visitation issues are often the most important and contentious parts of a divorce.  If you and your spouse have embryos in storage at an infertility clinic or other medical facility, the question of who “owns” that stored genetic material may be almost as important as determining the custody of your existing children. As...

st employers know that conducting an exit interview with an employee who has resigned is a good idea. No company wants to lose valued and productive employees without knowing why. But exactly how an exit interview is facilitated will dictate the amount of useful information obtained. For example, a resigning employee may be more willing...

Employers frequently require job applicants to submit to a criminal background check. An applicant’s criminal history can be relevant to an employer in combating theft and fraud, preventing workplace violence, and avoiding potential liability for negligent hiring. However, the use of criminal-history records can constitute unlawful employment discrimination because exclusion from employment of persons with...