• Am I classifying employees correctly:

       * Independent Contractor or Employee (following up on you article)
       * Exempt or not exempt

• What are the Minimum Wage Obligations under Minnesota's New Law
• Employer Obligations under Minnesota's Women's Economic Security Act
• Misc. Requirements
  * School Conferences
  * Parental Leave
  * Federal Family & Medical Leave
  * Federal Military caregiver Leave
  * Wage & Salary Confidentiality
  * Use of interns - paid or unpaid

 
Speakers 

Blake Nelson with Hellmuth & Johnson
Blake Nelson is a partner of the firm, chair of the Construction Law Group, and serves on the firm’s Board of Governors. He primarily represents privately-held businesses of all types, with a concentration in meeting the unique needs of those in the construction industry. Blake's practice includes counsel and representation in the following primary areas:  

• Construction law and litigation
• Real estate law and litigation
• General corporate representation
• Creditor's remedies 
  
  

Blake represents many builders, subcontractors, material suppliers and lenders in construction, contract and business matters, with an emphasis on construction contract drafting, construction and contract disputes, and mechanic’s lien and bond claim enforcement. 
An experienced business counselor, Blake serves in a general counsel capacity for his clients, guiding them in formulating creative strategies to maximize opportunity and minimize risk. As such, his services encompass a wide range of transactional matters including buy/sell agreements, business sale and purchase agreements, and shareholder and partnership agreements. 
Handling a wide range of real estate matters, Blake is Minnesota State Bar Association Board Certified Real Property Law Specialist, a designation held by a select few Minnesota attorneys. He routinely represents land and building owners purchasing, selling and leasing real property. 
Blake is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts in Minnesota and is a member of the Hennepin County and Minnesota State Bar Associations. He also served for six years on the Hennepin County Fourth District Ethics Committee as a member and investigator. Blake serves on the Board of Directors for Minnesota Bank and Trust, and is the former legal chair of the Minnesota Chapter of the Community Association Institute. 
Blake is the chief author and editor of the quarterly publication The Authority on Construction Law, and routinely writes for other construction industry publications and trade journals. He is also a frequent lecturer on construction law and creditor issues. Amount his other accolades: 

• In 2000 and 2001, Nelson was named to the Minnesota Rising StarsSM list in the legal profession by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine.
• From 2002-2014, he was named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers® list. Only 5% of attorneys in Minnesota are selected each year.
• In 2009 he was honored as one of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” top business leaders.
• He is AV® Peer Review Rated – the highest possible Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
  
  

Blake obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduating magna cum laude. He graduated cum laude from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Political Science. 

Brian Niemczyk, with Hellmuth & Johnson 
Brian joined Hellmuth & Johnson in 2012. He is a 2006 graduate of Hamline University School of Law, and spent several years before law school working as an intern at the United States Attorney's Office in Minneapolis. Brian practices primarily with the firm's litigation group; he focuses on employment law, commercial litigation, and real estate litigation. 
Drawing on experience in all aspects of litigation, including substantial courtroom and appellate work, he represents a wide range of businesses and individuals involved in diverse real estate and commercial disputes. They include disagreements over real estate and asset purchase agreements, leases, mortgages, mechanic's liens, and condominium disclosure statements among other issues. 
In addition, Brian represents numerous individuals and small businesses in connection with employment disputes, including illegal retaliation and discrimination claims and disagreements concerning employment contracts and non-compete agreements. During law school, Brian was a two-year staff member of the Hamline Law Review, serving as symposium editor during his final year. In 2005, he published an article in the Hamline Law Review entitled, "Baker v. Nelson Revisited: Is Same-Sex Marriage Coming to Minnesota?" 28 Hamline L. Rev. 425 (2005). Brian was also an active volunteer in the Minnesota Justice Foundation, serving as a volunteer in the Public Defender's Office for the First Judicial District. 
Brian was named to the Minnesota Rising Stars list in 2013 and 2014 by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine; only 2.5% of young attorneys in the state are chosen each year. 

Tickets

$35.00 MGA Members and Guests

$75.00 Non-Member Ticket(s)