On December 26, 2024, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order vacating its stay of a Texas District Court’s prior injunction suspending enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). Previously, enforcement of the CTA was reinstated on December 23, but the December 26 order again suspended enforcement of the CTA and its beneficial ownership […]

Website “Terms of Use” and “Privacy Policies” are often overlooked by many businesses but given the importance of websites to a business and the potential liabilities, they should be carefully considered.  Ideally, terms of use should reflect how a website is used by the business and visitors to the site, and should include appropriate legal […]

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recently hosted its Estate Planning Table of Experts panel discussion, where Jennifer Lammers, a partner in our Private Wealth Planning practice group, joined the discussion on on navigating issues such as health care directives, charitable giving, and upcoming changes to the tax landscape. “Your best tool is a good advisor,” Jennifer stated. “It’s most […]

After a slew of new employment laws were passed last year, in the final days of this year’s legislative session, Governor Walz signed additional legislation that will impact employers large and small.  The new laws, some of which went into effect immediately and others of which go into effect over the next few weeks, cover […]

On April 23, 2024 the U.S. Department of Labor issued its final rule increasing the salary requirements for employees to be considered exempt from overtime compensation under the executive, administrative and professional exemptions. The rule is set to take effect July 1, 2024.  Currently, employees classified as exempt in these categories must be paid a […]

On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission issued its final rule banning post-employment non-competes on a nationwide basis. Although it appears unlikely that this administrative rule will survive legal challenges, employers should be aware of these important aspects of the rule: In releasing the final rule, the FTC published a “fact sheet,” available here, which […]

Originally appointed as an Associate Justice in 2006, Hon. Lorie S. Gildea stepped down from the Minnesota Supreme Court on October 1, 2023 after thirteen years as Chief Justice. “During her tenure leading the Court, the outgoing chief justice navigated a tumultuous era, beginning with emergence from the recession of 2007-09 and encompassing the subsequent […]

Jennifer Lammers, a partner in our Private Wealth Planning practice group, recently contributed to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Estate Planning Table of Experts panel discussion. Featuring expertise from across the financial management industry, this discussion explores everything from the simpler concepts of how to develop your estate plan (Who should have one? Where to start?) to […]

Section 409A was added to the Internal Revenue Code by Congress in 2004 to tighten the rules governing deferred compensation plans.  Although Section 409A does not apply to most severance plans or agreements, it will apply in some cases.  If Section 409A applies and the agreement fails to comply with the fairly onerous requirements contained […]

In 2023, three new laws are expanding protections for pregnant and nursing employees in Minnesota. The federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) went into effect yesterday. Earlier this year, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act took effect. And later this week a new law amending Minnesota’s nursing mothers and pregnancy accommodation law […]