Category: News & Events
Managing Data Privacy in the Post-Pandemic Era
September 16, 2021 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.
COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, shop, and socialize on a global scale. In the early weeks of the pandemic, people transformed their homes into virtual offices, workspaces, and classrooms among concerns for the health and safety of everyone. As a result, this “new normal” started to infringe upon our personal privacy as new tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other videoconferencing platforms became standard operating procedure. However, the pandemic did not slow down technological advancement or the pace of regulation affecting data privacy and security. Read our blog as we discuss managing data privacy as we continue to manage this pandemic. What is, or will be, our new normal? Whatever it is, data privacy concerns will remain. Changes to the Regulatory Landscape In January 2020, the state of California implemented legislation geared towards greater protection of consumer data. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ushered in changes to the way businesses collect, process, and distribute private information as consumer demand for greater privacy protections increased. The affect of the new legislation was widespread, prompting many companies like Microsoft and Uber to alter their business practices to comply with the new law. In fact, the CCPA has served as a blueprint for other states to draft and adopt their own laws;…
Read MoreMinnesota Supreme Court Rules on Workplace Handbook Policies
April 16, 2021 | Scott M. Lepak
Authored By Scott M. Lepak and Claire Schmitz The Minnesota Supreme Court recently announced two important holdings in Hall v. City of Plainview regarding workplace handbook policies. First, the Court determined that general disclaimers in employee handbooks (generally at the front of personnel handbooks or manuals) do not automatically apply to all provisions within the handbook, including compensation and severance policies. The second ruling was that the state law providing a penalty for failure to pay wages promptly did not create an automatic right to paid time off (PTO) on its own absent a binding contract present. Read on as we discuss the specifics of the Minnesota Supreme Court rulings on workplace handbook policies. Background Facts In 2017, the City of Plainview terminated an employee who had accrued unused PTO throughout 30 years of work. When the employee was terminated, the City refused to pay him the accrued PTO, citing the employee handbook. The City claimed he had not given “sufficient notice” per a policy in their handbook. This employment handbook also contained a disclaimer stating that the provisions within it “should not be construed as contract terms” and that it was “not intended to create an express or implied contract of employment between the City of Plainview and an employee.” The employee…
Read MoreRemote Notarization: What You Need to Know
February 19, 2021 | Carole Clark Isakson
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more states, including Minnesota, to pass legislation permitting online notarization services for legal documents that require a notary to be present to witness the signing. The practice is popular among notaries and signers alike. However, it raises questions about who offers such services and what technology is involved. Barna, Guzy & Steffen now offers these services to our clients. Read our blog as we discuss what you need to know about remote notarization. What is remote notarization? Remote notarization, also known as webcam notarization or virtual notarization, is the process of appearing before a notary at the time of the signing via the Internet instead of making a physical appearance. Remote notarization is not the same thing as electronic notarization or eNotarization. This involves documents that are notarized in electronic form but still require the signer to be physically present before a notary. What documents can be notarized remotely? Virtually all documents that transfer an interest in real estate require that the signer’s signature be notarized. Affidavits and court documents generally require this process as well as estate planning documents. This can mean making a special trip to an office to find a notary – and how to safely handle this in current times when in person meetings…
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