Business Law

Business owners want to ensure they are hiring strong candidates for jobs. Both employers and employees should know what tests employers are allowed to ask of employees and what are beyond the extent of the law.  These tests may only be used to assess a job candidate’s fitness for the job and not for any discriminatory reason.  No employment testing may screen out an employee based on age, disability, race, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, color, religion or gender.  Any test that does screen out employees in this manner is considered a violation of both federal and Minnesota law. The

The process of negotiating a union contract can be time-consuming and stressful for both management and unionized labor.  Negotiations are the process by which management of an employer and union leaders meet to renew a contract that is ending or meet to attempt to resolve a specific dispute.  This negotiation process is also referred to as collective bargaining and often revolves around wages, working conditions, and benefits issues.  However, the process need not be adversarial if both sides have worked to develop good relationships. Typically, the negotiation process begins prior to the end of a collective bargaining agreement.  Hopefully, both

Business owners are often concerned about protecting their ideas and products from being used by someone else.  No business owner wants someone else to profit from their good ideas.  There are four basic ways that business owners can protect their inventions and products under the law.  Most of the protections for intellectual property fall under Federal law, however, Minnesota law does have special protections for trade secrets. One way for a business owner or inventor to protect his or her inventions is by applying for a patent.  A patent gives an inventor the exclusive right to prevent others from making,