Saturday, December 31, 2011 (11 am) Best of Minnesota Law Tom Shroyer hosts Curt Smith, Chair of Moss & Barnett's Litigation and Construction Law Practice Areas, on the topic of "Clear Boundaries Aid and Abet Good Neighbors." (Originally aired on February 26, 2011.)
Saturday, December 24, 2011 (11am) Best of Minnesota Law Tom Shroyer hosts Marcy Frost, Chair of Moss & Barnett's Employment Law Practice Area, on the topic of "Religion in the Workplace." (Originally aired on December 19, 2009.)
We'll be featuring one of the more interesting outreach efforts by Minnesota attorneys this week with our guest, Leon Erstad, who will discuss his experiences working under the Fullbright academic exchange program to teach law students in the former Soviet republics of Moldova and Kazakhstan. Our program will highlight the Fullbright program, as well as the role of law in those countries, the differences between legal education, lawyers and the practice of law in those countries and the United States.
Saturday, December 3, 2011 (11 am) Susan Rhode hosts Jana Aune Deach of Moss & Barnett's Family Law Practice Area on the topic of "Is Nothing Secret Anymore? The Use of Social Media in Divorce Litigation."
The Uniform Law Commission (also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws) was established in 1892 and provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law. ULC members are practicing lawyers, judges, legislators and legislative staff and law professors, who have been appointed by state governments as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to research, draft and promote enactment of uniform state laws in areas of state law where uniformity is desirable and practical.
November 19, 2011 (11am) Brian Grogan hosts Shanna Strowbridge of Moss & Barnett's Business and Real Estate Practice Areas on the topic of "Owning Property with Family—The Good, the Bad and How to Prevent the Ugly."
It often seems like a great idea, especially at the time, to jointly buy property, including vacation property, with family or friends. Joint ownership can spread out the work and the cost of owning such property, but things can go south in some highly emotional ways. To avoid hurtful and often ruinously expensive disputes over co-owned property, it is important to take legal steps at the outset. This week, we will share tips and legal steps to avoid and minimize feuds, and to provide fast and lower cost mechanisms for resolving any that do occur.
We'll be covering all of the basics during an overview of estate planning techniques, with a special emphasis on the concerns and needs of individuals and families in their pre-retirement years. From planning a charitable gift, funding education, planning for declining health or a special needs family member, Cindy Ackerman is a recognized and trusted authority and you won’t want to miss her presentation
It's the opening of the firearms deer hunting season, and we'll take up the legal topic of the regulation of firearms. Our program will feature a discussion of gun laws ranging from Wisconsin's brand new and highly controversial "conceal and carry" law to Minnesota's regulation of handguns. We'll discuss the rights of individuals to bear arms and the restrictions on that right, gun permitting, and the use of guns for hunting and self-defense.
Social media and networking on the Internet are playing increasing roles in the work place, and we turn our attention this week to the many legal issues that these media bring to employers and employees. We'll be discussing whether it is lawful to use social media Web sites to screen employees, what limits can be placed on employee use of the Internet at work, and whether employees have any rights to privacy when they use social media at work.
With the continued downturn and "deleveraging" of our economy, bargain hunters are looking to buy "distressed assets," which range from foreclosed homes to underwater business assets. The sellers of these opportunities include banks or other lenders, court receivers, and bankruptcy trustees. While the price of these assets may seem low on the surface, never has the warning "Buyer Beware!" been more timely. We'll cover the pitfalls of buying troubled assets, and how a lawyer can help to minimize the risks of doing so.
Many people are aware that our law has a "statute of limitations" that operates to forever prevent a party from suing or being sued for a violation of their legal duties, but few know that Minnesota has some of the longest statutes of limitation in the country, or that the number of limitation periods specified in Minnesota law would fill a small book. In addition, the law governing these statutes of limitation is highly variable and complex in terms of the many exceptions that apply when the clock starts to run on a claim and when a time limit is extended.
This week, we will discuss three simple but critically important ways in which parties to any type of contract can protect themselves if a dispute later develops. These are specifying the location or venue of where the dispute will be held, the use of an arbitration clause, and specifying that the loser of the dispute has to pay the attorneys' fees of the non-breaching party. These items are often neglected as the parties to a negotiation press for closure of a deal on the all important economic and business terms of the underlying contract, but they are amazingly useful if one of the parties later breaches the contract.
Saturday, October 1, 2011 (11am) Tom Shroyer hosts Mathew Meyer, a member of of Moss & Barnett's Litigation Practice Area, a former Marine sergeant, and a current Volunteer Ombudsman for the Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve ("ESGR"), on the topic of "Employment Rights for Veterans."
With veteran unemployment now soaring above the average rate, protecting the employment rights of our military veterans returning from active duty has never been more important. Our program this week focuses on the laws that guaranty the right of service members to be restored to prior employment, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act ("USERRA"), and on the valuable work being done for veteran employment by the federal program known as Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve ("ESGR"). The ESGR’s outreach program, the Employment Initiative Program ("EIP"), combines the efforts of the Defense Department, business leaders, and other volunteers to promote veteran employment.
The "America Invents Act" was enacted just last week and registered patent attorney and Moss & Barnett shareholder David Biek will return to our program to explain this new law. The many important changes just made include the need for inventors to file patent applications much sooner; changes in how previously published or implemented inventions or methods can be used to void, invalidate, or preclude patentability; and the granting of greater rights to third parties to challenge the granting of a patent. Some say these changes will give enhanced protection to American inventors, while others argue it does so at the expense of small and individual inventors.
Minnesota's family courts are confronted with ever-increasing combinations and permutations of what it means to be a family and the interplay of competing interests in the definition of that set of relationships. This week, we will explore the legal issues that arise with ever-more frequency as a result of DNA testing and paternity contests, defining parenting rights for unmarried or same sex couples, and disputes involving multigenerational families.
Saturday, September 3, 2011 (11am) LIVE FROM THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR!
Join us at the WCCO Radio booth which is located at the corner of Carnes and Underwood - next to Ye Old Mill and Sweet Martha's Cookies.
WCCO Radio's Steve Thomson hosts Tom Shroyer, Minnesota Law host and Moss & Barnett's President and CEO, on the topic of "New State Laws in 2011."
August 1 of each year is the date when most new and revised laws take effect. This year, many important changes in state statutes went unnoticed due to the publicity that surrounded the enactment of a biennial budget. From new protections for police horses and lawsuit immunity for community centers, to stepped up protection for domestic abuse victims, we'll cover all of the highlights.
Saturday, August 27, 2011 (11am) LIVE FROM THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR!
Join us at the WCCO Radio booth which is located at the corner of Carnes and Underwood - next to Ye Old Mill and Sweet Martha's Cookies.
Do lawyers, judges and the legal system really work and behave as they are portrayed by the entertainment media? Do cases really all go from start to finish in one hour? Our program will dissect many favorite movie and television portrayals of the bench and bar, while providing insight into lessons that apply to the real world, in case you or someone you know are ever in need of an attorney.
Since 1987, the Minnesota State Bar Association has been approved as an independent professional organization for certifying lawyers as legal specialists. Through testing, peer review from lawyers and judges, and documenting experience, the MSBA Legal Specialist Certification Program measures a lawyer's expertise in a specialty area.
A lawyer who is a Certified Legal Specialist has been recognized as having an enhanced level of skill and expertise, as well as substantial involvement in an established legal specialty.
The goal of MSBA Certification Legal Specialist programs is to assist the public by identifying attorneys who meet objective specialty area standards for reliable knowledge and experience.
Click here to read "Your Doctor is Board Certified. Is Your Lawyer?"
Written by Thomas P. Sartwelle and published in The Professional Lawyer (2011, Vol. 20, No. 4), a publication of the American Bar Association Center for Professional Responsibility
Saturday, August 13, 2011 (11am) Tom Shroyer hosts John Boyle, a member of Moss & Barnett's Litigation Practice Area on the topic of "Not My Brother's Keeper: The Bitter Impact of Feuds Arising Between Shareholders of Family-Owned Businesses and Closely-Held Companies."
The Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments.
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC or the Code), first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States. Article 9 of the UCC governs secured transactions where security interests are taken on a personal property. It regulates creation and enforcement of security interests in movable property, intangible property, and fixtures.
Saturday, July 2, 2011 (11am)
"Best of" Minnesota Law Tom Shroyer hosts the Honorable Joseph R. Klein, Judge of District Court, Fourth Judicial District on the topic of "A Day in the Life of a Judge." (Originally aired on July 10, 2010.)
Judge Klein will offer insight on what life is like for a Minnesota state district court judge and will be our guide through the many duties and tasks performed by our dedicated judicial officers, covering everything from murder trials to traffic court and from simple court appearances to complex jury trials. As a relatively recent addition to the bench, Judge Klein will also offer insight into how life wearing the silk robes of a judge differs from being a lawyer in private practice. Click here to read "New to the Bench - Judge Joseph Klein," published in the January 2010 edition of The Hennepin Lawyer.
The Uniform Law Commission (also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws) was established in 1892 and provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law. ULC members are practicing lawyers, judges, legislators and legislative staff and law professors, who have been appointed by state governments as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to research, draft and promote enactment of uniform state laws in areas of state law where uniformity is desirable and practical.
Saturday, May 28, 2011 (11am)
"Best of" Minnesota Law Tom Shroyer hosts Marcy Frost, Chair of Moss & Barnett's Employment Law Practice Area on the topic of "The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act." (Originally aired on May 31, 2008.)
Saturday, May 7, 2011 (Noon) Susan Rhode hosts Jim Vedder of Moss & Barnett's Family Law Practice Area on the topic of "New Developments in Family Law: Potential Changes to the Law on Custody and Parenting Time."
Saturday, March 12, 2011 (Noon) -
WCCO Radio's Steve Thomson hosted Tom Shroyer, host of Minnesota Law, Moss & Barnett's President and CEO and a member of Moss & Barnett's Litigation Practice Area on the topic of "What's New in Litigation Land."
Saturday, February 26, 2011 (Noon) - Tom Shroyer hosted Curt Smith, Chair of Moss & Barnett's Litigation Practice Area on the topic of "Clear Boundaries Aid and Abet Good Neighbors."
Saturday, February 5, 2011 (Noon) - Tom Shroyer hosted Marcy Frost, Chair of Moss & Barnett's Employment Law Practice Area on the topic of "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - To Text or Not to Text."
Saturday, January 22, 2011 (Noon) - Tom Shroyer hosted Ed Winer, Co-Chair of Moss & Barnett's Family Law Practice Area on the topic of "Lessons from L.A.: The McCourt Divorce".
This program does not create an attorney-client relationship between Moss & Barnett, A Professional Association, or any attorney appearing on this program and any caller or listener. Please remember that we can only give general information and every case is unique. Always check with your individual attorney for any specific legal concerns.
