With a view towards closing a deal, legal due diligence occurs when a business attorney collects and analyzes information from a legal perspective and then makes recommendations regarding any action that should be taken. This typically occurs during the period between signing the transaction (e.g. a purchase agreement or merger agreement) and closing the transaction....

When an individual files for bankruptcy, the typical result is that the individual’s debts to all of its creditors—including its bank creditors—are discharged. As a practical matter, this means that those obligations are essentially uncollectable as personal obligations of the bankrupt debtor. (The creditors may retain lien rights, but that is a subject for another...

Counsel for Mayo clinic, Greg Anthony and Page Underwood, along with Megan Olson-Lehner, Mayo’s Compliance Program Manager, recently presented Telemedicine Law: Building a Compliance Program in a Virtual Care Center. The presentation covered a wide myriad of regulatory and legal principles related to virtual health care services and tips for navigating this particularly complex and...

The shortage of qualified workers in rural Minnesota has many employers looking for unique ways to attract, train, and keep the right people in important positions.  Many of these solutions include a large, up-front, monetary investment by the employer such as a signing bonus, paying for training, or even paying a salary during training.  Employers...

Constructing a new hog barn (or expanding an existing barn) in Minnesota requires pork producers to navigate a maze of requirements across several layers of government.  The facility may require a feedlot permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency or the county where the facility is located.  Many feedlot projects also require a zoning permit...

Modern farming is a business, and it is extremely common to see even small operations owning farmland in a partnership, LLC, corporation or trust. Even so, Minnesota law restricts the ownership of agricultural real estate by business entities and trusts. Who Can Own Minnesota Farmland? Minnesota’s Corporate Farm Law begins with a general prohibition of...

A “lien” is a type of property right that allows a person (the “lienholder”) to take possession of certain property belonging to a debtor if an underlying debt is not paid.  Some liens, such as mortgages and security interests, are voluntary and are created by contracts.  Other liens are involuntary and are created by operation...