Dear Friends,
Snelling Law Office is off to an above-average year so far. I feel wonderful about myself, and I am very proud and excited, but in a “you-can-barely-tell” kind of way. I don’t get too wound up about anything as you may know, being a lawyer with military like discipline and professionally trained to disregard unnecessary or unhelpful emotions. Heart like a reptile, my wife says. Okay, whatever. I could respond. In the middle of all this excitement, I decided to upgrade my website. People say it is important to do that. Things like, “You need a really good website”. The last time I listened to those people I took German classes in high school and college, instead of Spanish. And although I cannot understand one of the most popular languages now used in the USA, I was able to order a beer on the streets of Munich in 1996. There’s an investment. “Bier”, they call it there. Sounds like “Beer” but you have to have at least four years of German classes to really roll that “r” at the end. I felt that the residents there really respected me because they could tell that I knew how to handle myself. Now there’s a hip American, they might have said. Bring me another “Bierrrr” I’d say, a little louder than maybe necessary. I probably ordered a traditional German dish straight from the menu (or as we say there, the speisekarte), like Jaeger Schnitzel or Sauerbraten. I probably left an extra deutschmark or two when we finished, because that’s who I am. Anyway, I went ahead and upgraded my website and welcome you take a look at it if you’re into those things. I hired Mike Danielson from M.R. Danielson Advertising to do the website work, even though he is a former Vulcan, and he and his firm did a very nice job. Vulcan lives matter, I always say. His company is featured below. You would think I’d get a discount. I tried to do a normal website, but just could not get myself to do it. No, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Cursed by the need to be different in a world that rewards those who stay between the lines….Yeah, I don’t really get that either.
Quote of the Week:
Legend has it that John Bennett, current Bank VP and long ball hitter, was heard to say:
“If it wasn’t for Steve Snelling and Mike Wendel, people might notice how big I’ve gotten”.
Website
In addition to the newsletter, you can find out more about Snelling Law Office, LLC at the company website, www.stevesnellinglaw.com. I will add past versions of these newsletters to the website, just in case you can’t believe I actually said it in writing.
Legal Advice from the Hip
In each edition of this newsletter I will offer (free of charge) “Legal Advice from the Hip”, which hopefully provides the reader with some seemingly helpful advice about a specific aspect of the law or my practice. The phrase “From the Hip” just means that advice in this newsletter does not address any specific case or fact situation and should not be used without further consultation (or compensation). I will also use this segment of the newsletter to answer questions you may ask, if they are both relevant and interesting, yet uncomplicated.
Legal Advice: Clients and folks at cocktail parties or bonfires sometimes say “Non-Compete Agreements in Minnesota are not really enforceable.” Yeah, right! And Hobbits are small Norwegians. Minnesota law requires only that there is consideration for the non-compete, that the company has a legitimate business interest to protect and that the restrictions, both durational (term of months or years) and geographical (area of protection) are reasonable. To satisfy the consideration requirement, make sure new employees are aware of the requirement to sign a non-compete before they are hired and make sure they sign it before their first day on the job. Current employees must generally be given some additional consideration to sign a non-compete, such as a promotion, bonus, wage increase or fresh pastries (kidding-do not rely on this). Most companies can satisfy the legitimate business interest requirement if the employee has access to confidential information or trade secrets or the employee has developed or will develop a relationship with the company’s customers. The tricky part, however, often arises in making sure the durational and geographical restrictions are reasonable. Some clients begin the discussion by asking how broad can we make the durational and geographical restrictions in a non-compete agreement. They say things like, “Steve, how broad can we make the durational and geographical restrictions in a non-compete agreement?” I work with employment agreements, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements on a regular basis, thanks for asking, and rather than ask how broad of an agreement can be enforced, I suggest to my clients to instead ask what durational and geographical restrictions are genuinely needed to protect their business. In other words, if you can justify the restrictions based on the actual needs of your business, the restrictions will most likely be reasonable and in turn enforceable. Or better put, ask not how broad the restrictions can be, but how broad the restrictions should be. That’s presidential.
The next time you have a legal question, please give me a call. You might be surprised how beneficial it is to have an experienced attorney available to talk with you, anytime you need some advice.
My practice areas include corporate, transactional and real estate. Here are some examples:
- Organizing companies (forming companies, organizational documents, resolutions, investor documents);
- Owner agreements (member control and shareholder buy-sell agreements);
- Acquisitions (buying and selling ownership interests and businesses);
- Business succession planning;
- Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements;
- Employment, independent contractor, non-compete and separation agreements;
- Real estate purchase agreements and lease agreements;
- Deeds, easements, title work and closings; and
- Contract drafting and review.
Please remember me for your business and your referrals. Thanks for your support.
Note on Newsletter
If you are receiving this newsletter, it means you are someone I consider to be a personal friend or business contact. It’s my hope that the newsletter will be informative and entertaining and that it will keep us in contact with each other. Feel free to pass it along to others or offer suggestions on how I can improve the newsletter or any aspect of my business. The newsletter will come out quarterly, give or take, and if you ever don’t want to receive it you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email. Thanks for reading this and thank you for being part of my company.
Steve Snelling
Snelling Law Office, LLC
(651) 470-5175
Here is some information on a featured client of mine, M.R. Danielson.
- M. R. DANIELSON Advertising has been providing communication services to the Twin Cities for over 20 years and is one of St. Paul’s leading advertising agencies. Our Summit Design Center is home to our unique agency and is located in a 1906 mansion where we create and produce all of our marketing and design solutions. Our teams of experienced designers work with our clients on full campaigns or on a project basis. We are affordable and offer many payment options to help you get your brand off the ground. Our agency loves what we do and the passion to create successful campaigns is apparent to all who work with us.
- M. R. DANIELSON Advertising is an Integrated Marketing & Design agency. What that means is we encircle our clients marketing and communications with a powerful mix of services below:
Brand Strategy. Our mission is to get your business an increased share in the market, a boost in brand awareness, and to gain the advertising attention your brand deserves. Our agency provides your business with a strategic mix of integrated services resulting in a cohesive advertising campaign of continuity and uniformity. A successful brand strategy includes a bold marketing & communication plan, brand building & positioning and a cohesive integrated advertising campaign.
Website Development. A successful on-line environment needs to be crafted by web designers and developed by experienced programmers. Your website needs to be amazing in design, dynamic in programming, easy to navigate, and motivate visitors to take action, purchase, respond, be informed, and make connections. This positive user-experience is essential for a successful online presence. Our programmers are skilled in custom web solutions as well as applying e-commerce, SEO, SEM, and Remarketing programs.
Digital Design. In today’s ever changing and saturated marketplace your digital design needs to stand out and get noticed. Your identity systems, graphic design, brochures, ads, direct mail, tradeshows, web based campaigns, e-mail marketing, and digital content all come together to help transform your brand through vision and purpose. Traditional print campaigns and online content need to be focused around your brand and digitally constructed using the latest technology to produce elegant, structured, and informative campaigns.
Social Media Presence. The on-line market is fast paced, over stimulated, and saturated. Your social media presence helps you to stand out and get noticed. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Yelp, Tumbler and others make up the matrix of these powerful living environments. Having a strong presence on these platforms is a connection to your customers. Our agency makes these connections with a powerful mix of on-line communications that include content creation & management, web integration & engagement, SEM, and display ads.
Multi-Media Productions. Our high-end video and photography services provide our clients with a resource of affordable images and video presentations. We use all of these dynamic materials for our clients in their brand campaigns and unique productions. With a talented staff of image-makers and storytellers we produce brilliant communications that grab the attention of all who see our amazing campaigns.
Marketing Analytics. Today’s business marketplace demands more than pretty campaigns and cute marketing slogans. The new business climate demands analytics around every campaign, every e-mail marketing send off, and all on-line correspondence to include every visit to your website and social media platforms. The purpose to advertise is to make sure our campaigns are working and that they produce results to our customers. With marketing analytics in place we can assure that all of our campaigns are effective and are driving new business to our clients.
“As a young child fascinated by the unknown, I would look up to the sky and dream of designing a rocket ship and fly into space. I knew it would take great innovation, imagination and determination to get off the ground. As I grew wiser this vision took on the shape of a creative agency. I BELIEVED and my dream became a reality”. Michael R. Danielson.
Visit: mrdan.com | Contact: 651-324-5078