Category: News & Events

BGS proudly celebrates Women Entrepreneurs

October 19, 2018  |  Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.

BGS attorney Carole Clark Isakson has been a volunteer attorney with Women Venture for almost a year now, and last week was wonderfully surprised to find that her first WV client, LaTonya Johnson (Minnesota Electrolysis LLC) won this year’s “Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained Emerging Business Award”! Ms. Johnson’s award was presented on October 12, 2018 at the 23rd annual Women Mean Business luncheon and marketplace.  Carole spent several months working with Ms. Johnson (and Women Venture) negotiating the terms of the purchase of assets, setting up Minnesota Electrolysis LLC, drafting documents and handling employee and operational issues. It was a great experience for lawyer and client alike, and Ms. Johnson’s receipt of the well deserved reward was an additional confirmation that her business will continue to prosper. For Ms. Isakson’s part, she found great satisfaction in using her legal skills to assist a new business venture, and continues to work with Ms. Johnson and Women Venture. BGS encourages all of its attorneys to play positive roles in community organizations and to provide pro bono legal services. In fact, Carole has been named a North Star Lawyer five consecutive years by the MSBA as certified that she provided at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services annually. Women Venture has been around for…

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Naked on the Bus

September 5, 2018  |  Carole Clark Isakson

The less catchy title of this blog is “DON’T USE OPEN PUBLIC WIFI!!!” Doing so may expose you, quite literally, to the world. I am the mother of a teenager– a really smart teenager who is proficient at Snapchat®, Instagram®, WhatsApp® and a host of other applications (Facebook® of course has been left for we older folks). I vainly tried to explain the dangers of open wi-fi to this smart person a few days ago, to be met with an eye roll and a “c’mon mom, it’s no big deal. Free wi-fi is everywhere if it weren’t safe I would know”. [maxbutton id=”1″ ] Well, dear reader and dear daughter, it is indeed true that open wi-fi (i.e. wifi that you don’t need a password to access) is EVERYWHERE, and this is likely why the many warnings of danger have been so ignored. We love our free wi-fi, and the free public wi-fi has been a magnet for business for every café and coffee shop around. But the dangers ARE real. And if your phone is set (as many are) to automatically connect to available wi-fi, you are literally walking naked down the aisle of a big bus, in full view of every person you pass. Now that I have your attention, let’s…

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MTA Convention 2018

August 8, 2018  |  Carole Clark Isakson

As they have done for many years, the members of the BGS transportation department attended the Minnesota Trucking Association’s annual conference in August. This year’s conference was held at Cragun’s resort in the Brainerd area, and BGS is proud to have been a silver sponsor of the event. To say that trucking is a significant industry is an understatement… with a very very few exceptions EVERYTHING spends time in the back of a truck. Trucks may haul goods from origin to destination, or deliver or pickup the goods from a dock, airport or railroad yard. This will not change, and as populations increase and online retailers promise ever faster delivery, the role trucks play in commerce is becoming even more critical. Where do the attorneys at BGS come in? We advise new and old trucking companies, logistics companies and freight brokers in contract and other matters. Our experienced and knowledgeable attorneys help clients in the transportation industry negotiate fair contracts, comply with state and federal regulations, manage employment and other internal issues, and improve operations. We are proud to have attorneys with decades of experience in trucking!

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