Changes for Limited Liability Companies
Effective January 1, 2018, significant changes go into effect for limited liability companies organized in the State of Minnesota. The new law brings significant changes to the management and governance of an LLC. If your LLC was organized prior to January 1, 2015 or is not organized under Minnesota Statute 322C, you are likely impacted by this new legislation. If you have questions or concerns about these upcoming legislative changes or for any business law questions, please contact Paul Moosbrugger or Steven Fink. The attorneys at Farrish Johnson Law Office can be reached in our Mankato office at 507-625-2525 and... Read More
Save Our Juries
Save Our Juries is a public awareness campaign sponsored by American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), which was founded in 1958 and is comprised of some of the most respected plaintiff and defense civil attorneys in the country. ABOTA created Save Our Juries to educate and mobilize citizens in the fight to save our disappearing Seventh Amendment right. ABOTA’s mission is to protect and preserve the civil jury trial system. The Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ensures that citizens’ civil cases can be heard and decided by a jury of their peers. The jury trial provides a forum for... Read More
New Minnesota Estate Planning Legislation
The Minnesota legislature recently enacted legislation that impacts estate planning. Two of the more interesting new laws include: A prohibition of using the location of a taxpayer’s attorney in determining the residency of a tax payer and The tax bill raises Minnesota’s estate tax exemption to $2.1 million for 2017 (retroactive to January 1) and an additional $300,000 each year until it hits $3 million in 2010. Unfortunately, one proposal we closely watched failed to make the cut: Allowing married farm couples to retain agricultural homestead status despite splinting their property into two trusts. If you have questions about this... Read More
Governor Dayton Signed Amendment to Disability Accomodation Legislation
On May 23, 2017, Governor Dayton signed critical legislation to protect Minnesota businesses from “drive-by” ADA lawsuits. The amendment will affect lawsuits alleging “architectural barriers” at places of public accommodation. Now, before filing a lawsuit, a person’s attorney must send a “safe harbor” notice to the business giving the business 60 days to remove the noted barrier (and up to an additional 30 days if weather prevents timely removal). Although no such notice is required to bring a claim under federal ADA law, this amendment may significantly reduce so-called “drive-by” ADA lawsuits plaguing Minnesota businesses by taking away a “drive-by”... Read More
Farrish Johnson Instrumental In Federal Court Immigration Case
Farrish Johnson attorney Will Partridge acted as pro bono counsel in a lawsuit filed in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. The lawsuit challenged Nobles County’s practice of holding undocumented persons pursuant to detainers placed on them by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) past the time they should have been released from State custody. In this case the plaintiff’s wife attempted to post bail on her husband’s relatively minor criminal charge. Nobles County refused to accept bail because her husband was subject to an ICE detainer. As a result, the lawsuit claimed that the plaintiff had... Read More
Henrietta Lacks, Oprah, Science and the Right of Privacy
Oprah’s HBO movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, based on the New York Times bestseller, highlights the issues between ethics, race, medicine and the right of privacy. Henrietta Lacks, a poor, black, cancer-stricken woman had tissue taken from her without her consent in the 1950’s. Her cells, known as HeLa, became an important part in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, cloning and gene mapping and have been used in the medical field since the early 1950’s for medical research. For years her own family had no idea her cells were being used in this... Read More
Update! Revocable Trust Reporting
In March, Farrish Johnson Law Office let you know about pending Minnesota legislation regarding revocable trust reporting to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (find the article here). Now, Governor Dayton recently signed legislation providing that the trustee of a revocable trust with respect to which either the settlor, the settlor’s spouse, or both, are the primary beneficiaries during the settlor’s lifetime shall not be required to file with the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture a corporate farm application seeking approval to allow the trust to hold agricultural real estate during any period that the trust is revocable. This legislation... Read More
Join Farrish Johnson at the Mankato 50+ Lifestyle Expo
Attorneys and staff from Farrish Johnson Law Office will be at the Mankato 50+ Lifestyle Expo tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9 from 9am to 2pm at the Verizon Event Center. Paul Moosbrugger and Steve Fink will be available to answer your questions about estate planning, trusts, wills, probate, tax law, heath care directives, power of attorney and more. Farrish Johnson Law Office offers a comprehensive range of legal services and we look forward to see you at this exciting event!
Law Day 2017
May 1, 2017 is Law Day in the United States, a day to reflect on the role of law in the creation of this county and to recognize its importance for society. Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a “day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.” In 1961 Congress, by joint resolution, designated May 1 as the official day for celebrating Law Day. Each year Law Day follows a theme to highlight which affects the legal process. The American Bar Association has selected the theme for Law Day 2017 as... Read More