Bridge Law Group Articles

Reminders for small business owners regarding entity renewals, beneficial owners reporting, and numerous employment law changes.

Have you been putting off estate planning because you’re still ‘young and healthy’ or have you neglected your estate plan since you initially set it up years ago? The reality is that estate planning is an easy objective to ‘take care of later’ or ‘set it and forget it’. Unfortunately, all too often the unexpected happens leaving people unprepared or underprepared. Whether you haven’t started the process or have not revisited your plan in a few years, now is the time to get back on track.

A new proposed federal regulation could invalidate most non-competes in the United States. The Minnesota legislature has also considered outlawing certain non-competes. Minnesota business owners who have traditionally utilized non-compete provisions in employment agreements should monitor this evolving situation for updates and discuss with legal counsel.

Update: position has been filled.

Update: position has been filled.

Update: position has been filled.

Bridge Law Group, Ltd. is proud to announce that David Klink has been named a partner at our firm.

March 24, 2021 marked the one-year anniversary for Minnesota’s moratorium on most residential evictions.  The freeze on evictions prevents landlords from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent, however the moratorium does not forgive unpaid rent.  As a result, many tenants find themselves seriously behind on rent payments and could face eviction when the moratorium ends.

Both St. Paul and Minneapolis have recently adopted, and/or are considering, significantly more restrictive local rules limiting the rights of landlords to screen tenants, terminate leases, control rent, and more.

Years ago, my sister lived in Arkansas and had a lovely pecan tree in her backyard in which one large branch extended onto her neighbor’s property.   One day she came home early to find her neighbor’s grandson in her driveway throwing a basketball into the tree.  He helpfully explained that his grandparents had told him to do this and then pick up and bring home any pecans that he was able to dislodge.

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz once again exercised the emergency powers granted to him under the law to exercise general direction and control of the public health emergency. 

Whether it’s turning your favorite hobby into a business, leaving the corporate world to set up your own shop, or searching for investors to build your own manufacturing facility, one of the first steps any business owner should take is choosing the correct entity to form their business. This important step is easy to overlook or push off until a later date, however, by making a plan at the beginning of your business journey, you can save time and money while protecting yourself and your assets.

On March 23, 2020, Governor Tim Walz issued Emergency Executive Order 20-14 (“Order 20-14”), which suspended residential real estate evictions, writs of recovery, and tenancy terminations during the peacetime emergency.  Order 20-14 prohibited a landlord from taking any action to evict a residential tenant unless the eviction action was brought where the tenant seriously endangered the safety of other residents or invoked Minn. Stat. §504B.171, Subd. 1, which prohibits tenants from using real property for controlled substances, prostitution, the unlawful use of a firearm, or storing stolen property. 

Bridge Law Group, Ltd. (“BLG”) seeks to help clients reduce risks and avoid unnecessary liability by providing proactive risk management advice. Our Visionary Counsel Upstream tagline is intended to encourage our clients to consult with us in anticipation of new business ventures, changes in circumstances, or the need for general guidance. In that spirit, we wish to ensure that our clients are aware of and understand the new mask mandate in Minnesota...

On May 4, 2020, Governor Walz’s Emergency Executive Order 20-50 (“Order 20-50”)[1] suspended the right of judgment creditors in consumer collection matters to serve a garnishment summons on the employers of their judgment debtor.  Wage garnishments previously served and in effect prior to the issuance of Order 20-50 remained active but without the ability to be renewed....

It does not take a crystal ball to predict that the COVID-19 pandemic will reduce or slow the growth of property values in Minnesota.  While the full impact of COVID-19 won’t be known for some time, if your property is already over-assessed or you are anticipating significant declines, then this is your opportunity to preserve your ability to seek a reduction in taxes payable in 2020.  Given how backed up assessors are, it is common to have to file multiple appeals over several years before cases are resolved.