I Think I Want to Get Divorced. What Should I Do Now?
February 17, 2014 | Elizabeth A. SchadingDeciding that you want a divorce can be confusing, upsetting, and stressful. It helps to understand exactly what your next steps should be. First and foremost, you should contact an experienced divorce attorney like the family law experts at Barna, Guzy & Steffen. You need a legal guide through this process. Do I Really Need a Lawyer? The advent of “do-it-yourself” divorces has misled many people into thinking that divorce is a simple process. But it’s very easy to make mistakes when you try to handle a divorce on your own. Issues of child support, spousal support, child custody, assets, and debts are far more complex than they appear to be on the surface. Even a simple turn of phrase can affect your future. And it’s easy to make serious mistakes during the divorce process that have a serious impact on the court’s judgments. You need someone on your side, someone who knows what to do. Next, you should decide what you want the major outcomes of the divorce to be. Are you hoping the kids remain with you? Do you want to keep the marital home? You may not get everything that you want, but knowing what you want and being able to articulate it can help you and your lawyer guide…
Read MoreScott Lepak to Present at Upcoming Minnesota CLE Conference
February 13, 2014 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.BGS Government & Employment Law Attorney Scott Lepak will be presenting at an upcoming Minnesota CLE Conference. The conference, titled Public Sector Labor & Employment Law will take place on Friday, February 28th at Minnesota CLE Conference Center, 600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 370, Third Floor City Center, Minneapolis. The event is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. (with a continental breakfast) to 4:30 p.m. There will be lunch break from Noon-1p.m. (lunch is not included with the seminar). Scott will speak to attendees at 9:45 a.m. regarding The Minnesota Whistleblower Act Amendments. He is co-presenting with attorney Cristina Parra of Nichols Kaster, PLLP; Minneapolis. For more information or to register for this event, please visit 2014 Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Seminar Details
Read MoreRetaliation for Mobile Home Park Tenants Demanding Their Rights
February 11, 2014 | Joan M. QuadeMobile homes, or manufactured homes, are abundant across the United States. As of 2008, 3.7{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3} of the total housing in Minnesota was made up of manufactured homes. U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey; Tab. B25024. In 2009, the Metropolitan Council, a Minnesota regional governmental and metropolitan planning agency, published its first report since 1988 with regard to Manufactured Home Parks in the Twin Cities. Metropolitan Council, MANUFACTURED HOME PARKS IN THE TWIN CITIES, January 2009. According to the report, manufactured homes make up 1.4{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3} of all homes in the seven-county metro area. Anoka County alone has twenty-four (24) parks, which is more than one in four of the metro area’s total manufactured home parks. Mobile Home Owner Concerns Many choose to live in a manufactured home because of the advantages; for example, manufactured homes are more affordable than conventional homes and zoning restrictions in rural communicates, where manufactured homes are common, are often less restrictive than in urban areas. Scommegna, Paola, Study Finds U.S. Manufactured-Home Owners Face ‘Quasi-Homelessness.’ However, most manufactured home owners don’t own the land on which their home rests. In effect, these homeowners are “landless,” leaving them at the mercy of the manufactured home park landlord. The control and security normally associated with a conventional home is absent for…
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