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...

MikLin Enterprises, the owner of 10 Jimmy John’s restaurants, recently learned the hard way that retaliating against employees who are engaged in legally protected activity can have serious consequences. In recent years the International Workers of the World (the “Union”), began organizing Jimmy John’s workers at the approximately 1,4000 restaurants nationwide, and 40-50 in the...

Minnesota divorce lawyers are faced with unique and challenging issues when representing farmers in divorce proceedings, especially when dividing up the marital assets and debts. Particularly important in light of today’s farmland prices and other issues contributing to the value of the marital estate, a substantial award of cash or equity in a farm to the...

In part one of Going Nowhere Fast, I talked about the headaches of getting a U.S. passport for a child under the age of 16.  As big of a hassle as the dual parental consent process may be, there are very good reasons for it, which are the topic of this blog entry. Simply put,...

If you plan to take your child anywhere from a fishing trip to Canada to a Caribbean cruise, a divorce can create many complications, especially in getting the Bureau of Consular Affairs to issue your child a passport.  In addition to the normal proofs of identity, photos, applications, and fees, divorced and never-married parents have...

One of the most difficult areas of Minnesota family law (for both lawyers and clients) is spousal maintenance, otherwise known as alimony.  Unlike child support, there is no formula that you can plug numbers into and come away with a good answer. Instead, awards of spousal maintenance are based on social norms and public policy–therefore,...

For anyone who owns a business, the topic of what happens to their business upon divorce (especially if it is someone else’s divorce) is crucial.  Here are some tips and suggestions to help you plan for possibility of divorce, so that you can get back to doing business and save some money (and your sanity)...