– Legal Insights –
Twin Cities-area businesses are experiencing a significant uptick in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notices of Inspection (NOI) requiring them to produce all relevant Form I-9s for their employees. Recent shifts in federal immigration enforcement have led to a significant change in how U.S. DHS initiates audits. While NOI were...
Filter By:
Businesses in the construction industry have historically relied heavily upon independent contractors to perform work. While it is sometimes clear that a party is a true subcontractor, such as hiring ABC Flooring Inc. or 123 Hardwoods LLC, it is equally as common to misclassify laborers who are legally employees as...
The maxim that one’s home is their castle goes as far back as the English common law of 1628: “For a man’s house is his castle and each man’s home is his safest refuge.” – Sir Edward Coke. Although these days that maxim may not be as literal as it...
Many analysts celebrated Main Street and the “little guy” as community banks across the country outperformed the rest of the banking industry at year-end 2014. According to the FDIC’s Quarterly Banking Profile report for the fourth quarter of 2014, the banking industry saw a robust performance by community banks. Community...
With the recent flood of mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry and the ever present movement of bankers from one bank to the next, non-compete agreements are being used more now than ever before. However, despite their wide spread use, many bankers do not have a clear idea whether...
Many community associations struggle with how much money to reserve for the future replacement of components. An association establishes an annual budget using the estimated expenses required to operate over the coming year. If the association is responsible to replace a component, e.g., roofs, siding, etc., then a replacement reserve...
In our previous newsletter, discussion was had about a number of points to consider when completing repairs of issues that may arise. As winter turns into spring (hopefully!) it can often lead to other issues arising, including water leaks, ice dams, etc. It is important to consider the items listed...
From time to time, I hear members of an association referred to as “tenants,” and hear of members’ requests to an association to fix an appliance or clean a carpet in their homes. Often, such statements are made by owners new to an association—often those coming from apartment-style living. Those...
I was recently reminded just how important it is to protect hard earned assets when my 87 year old client, whom we’ll call Carol, was in a car accident with another vehicle. She was badly injured as was the other driver and his passenger. Fortunately, everyone survived. However, the other...
Businesses in the construction industry have historically relied heavily upon independent contractors to perform work. While it is sometimes clear that a party is a true subcontractor, such has hiring ABC Plumbing, Inc. or 123 Electric, LLC, it is equally as common to misclassify laborers who are legally employees as...
The financial abuse and exploitation of people over 60 is becoming an epidemic. According to the Federal Trade Commission, fraud complaints by seniors grew by over 150% from 2008 to 2012. The Investor Protection Trust reports that 20% of those over 65 have been financially abused and Met Life reports...