Category: Attorney News

Herman L. Talle Retirement

February 15, 2023  |  Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.

Attorney Herm Talle is a well-known figure in Anoka County legal fields and has practiced since 1959. Herm joined Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd. during a merger in 1991 with the intention of winding down his practice. That practice continued for another thirty-two years. Herm finally decided to retire on January 31st, 2023. During those final 32 years Herm counseled many young attorneys and taught them how to be good lawyers. Full of history, knowledge and a unique insight on legal practice, Herm routinely made everyone’s day brighter at BGS just by showing up and being part of the team. His stories will be missed dearly, and we wish him all the best in retirement at long last. Congratulations Herm! Well done and well-earned retirement.

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BGS Transportation Team Celebrates Another Successful Appearance at the Minnesota Trucking Association Annual Conference

September 14, 2022  |  Carole Clark Isakson

As it has for many years, BGS was a sponsor of the Minnesota Trucking Association’s annual conference, held this year at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria.  The conference is a great opportunity to connect with trucking companies and transportation officials in a relaxed and fun setting.  Included in conference activities were golf and other social events, as well as educational sessions on business topics important to the industry. BGS sponsored the keynote speaker, David Horsager. David is CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute and inventor of The Enterprise Trust Index™, director of the annual study – The Trust Outlook™, and the bestselling author of The Trust Edge. He provided a dynamic and engaging presentation on the critical nature of trust in all business relationships.  BGS’ own attorney Erik Ordahl had the opportunity to introduce this amazing keynote speaker. BGS Attorneys Jim Wills (a former long term MTA board member) and Carole Clark Isakson (a current board member of the MTA Foundation) introduced associate BGS attorney Erik Ordahl and BGS paralegal Rachel Schwankl to all things trucking, including the truck expo sponsored by Blaine Brothers. While most industries can field an interesting conference, we’re pretty sure that only a trucking conference features a parking lot exhibit of huge new trucks! If you can manage the…

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Business Owners: Think Twice Before Gifting Stock to Employees

September 24, 2021  |  Carole Clark Isakson

I receive regular calls from small business owners that want to show appreciation to their hardworking employees by gifting shares in the company.  Sometimes, the goal is to incentivize an employee to work harder and in other cases, the employer hopes to keep the employee long-term and feels the gift will help with this. I generally dissuade these owners from share transfers and suggest other ways to bonus employees based on profits. Why? Because an owner of shares, no matter how small, has rights in the company that can cause issues for the well-meaning employer. Minority shareholders in Minnesota have a variety of rights. For instance, minority shareholders in privately held corporations have the right to request and examine the share register, the records of all shareholders, and board proceedings over the past three years. This includes all articles, amendments, bylaws currently in effect, certain financial statements, reports made to shareholders within the last three years, names and business addresses of all directors and principal officers, voting trust agreements, shareholder control agreements, and other types of agreements. While providing these documents may not be difficult, many employers would rather not share this information. When an employee comes to their employer, and owns a share in the company, this information must be provided. In…

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