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…
Read MoreOn October 11th BGS attorney Carole Clark Isakson presented a seminar on data privacy issues to a large audience of Anoka County Bar Association attorneys. The seminar, entitled “Basic Electronic Data Security Issues”, addressed the professional and ethical obligations of attorneys in dealing with client (and employee) data in addition to covering privacy laws and how to implement them at law firms and businesses in general. Associate Attorney Nicole Wiebold spoke on the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) which became effective in May of this year. [maxbutton id=”1″ ] Data breaches strike almost a third of US businesses each year, according to one source, and the costs of remediation (coupled with the loss of business and reputation) can result in the failing of many businesses. Protecting client and customer data requires focus on three areas, and Ms. Isakson discussed all three, taking questions from the audience throughout the presentation. Protecting data requires three things: 1. Technical controls (such as up to date computers and software); 2. Physical controls (like locked offices and elevators); and 3. Administrative controls (teaching all technology users to use cell phones and other devices in a safe way, and implementing firm wide data security assessments and policies). Ms. Isakson also offered practical advice on public wi-fi use (don’t!) and…
Read MoreFiling a Personal Injury Claim: What You Should Know No matter what the situation is, if you suffer a personal injury due someone else’s negligence, the first thing that you need to do of course is consider your health and immediately seek the medical attention that you need. However, there are a couple of other things that you should do as quickly as possible as well as other steps that you should take once you’ve received proper medical care, including making preparations for filing a personal injury claim. [maxbutton id=”1″ ] If at All Possible If it is safe to do so and you’re physically able to, you should attempt to obtain names and contact information of any witnesses that may have observed the accident. This includes any employees or anyone involved in the accident that you may have spoken with and when you are able to, make notes regarding your conversations. Get a copy of any store accident report or a police report if applicable as these can be invaluable if you do decide to file a personal injury claim in Coon Rapids or anywhere in Minnesota. Make a Record of the Accident & Aftermath Taking the time to take photographs of your injuries, damages, and any evidence that may help…
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