We recognize the need to handle each case efficiently and cost-effectively. Our senior litigators are experienced trial lawyers and negotiators. They are complemented by a group of talented associates who can provide the extensive support required for complex cases and assume primary responsibility on less complex matters. Many of our trial lawyers also have had experience as former Judicial clerks or as faculty members at local law schools or continuing education programs. Several of our litigators are civil trial specialists, certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association.

What distinguishes Larkin Hoffman's litigation group is our ability to concentrate our resources on the truly critical issues in a dispute. We do not lose sight of the fact that litigation is always a means to a particular client objective and never an end in itself. We look for creative ways to resolve disputes without expending the time and cost required for conventional litigation. We regularly appear before the American Arbitration Association and are experienced in mediation and other alternative dispute resolution techniques.

When cases must be resolved in court, we litigate aggresively. We are proud of our proven ability to move quickly where required, to tackle the most difficult litigation problems and to produce the highest quality work product and the best possible results. We are especially proud of the reputation we have established with judges and other law firms for competence and integrity under the often stressful conditions that litigation can produce.

Corporate and Business Law

The diverse expertise within the Corporate and Business Practice Group allows its lawyers to service the needs and respond to the concerns of large and small businesses. From organizing small businesses to coordinating complex mergers or acquisitions, lawyers in the department draw upon the expertise of the individual practitioners within the department to carry out the transactions of its clients.

Intricate transactions involving larger entities or international companies invariably require a cooperative effort between lawyers from the corporate and business practice group together and lawyers from other areas within the law firm, as well as accountants or other professionals outside the firm. The Corporate and Business Practice Group acts as the coordinator for such projects and maximizes the use of internal and external resources on the issues which arise in such transactions.

Financing Assistance

We assist all businesses seeking financing from traditional financial institutions and markets, and less conventional sources such as venture capitalists and governmental sources. In addition to the customary range of services provided by corporate attorneys to their business clients, we offer expertise in financial planning and reorganizations of financially-troubled businesses, protection of trademarks and copyrights, and assistance in doing business abroad.

International Expertise

When a client desires to expand its business outside the United States, our lawyers can assist the client in structuring the form of that expansion, including direct or indirect sales, licensing, joint venturing or investing in a wholly-owned subsidiary. The lawyers in the firm are available to render assistance in tax planning for operations outside the United States and to deal with governmental controls of U.S. exports. In addition, businesses based outside the United States often contact the members of our department to assist them in qualifying to do business or acquiring existing businesses in the United States and minimizing the tax effects of either.

Securities Law

In compliance with securities laws, we render legal services in connection with structuring, underwriting, and preparing the offering and sales materials required under federal and state laws for registered, public offerings of securities, and private placements or other offerings exempt from the registration requirements. This includes real estate syndications, capitalization of both new and existing companies through public and private offerings, and venture capital participation. We also render advice and assistance with respect to periodic reporting requirements, proxy solicitations, and broker-dealer and investment advisor regulatory matters.

Franchise Law

The franchise team at Larkin Hoffman provides a broad range of legal services to franchisors, covering every aspect of franchising, including consultation on the business aspects, benefits, and disadvantages of franchising. We assist our clients in the structuring of their franchise programs, drafting franchise offering circulars and agreements, and provide ongoing business counseling on the franchisor-franchisee relationship. Our team also draws upon the experience of its members to provide services in the areas of acquisition and sale of franchise companies and representation in franchise contract disputes.

Meeting Your Business Needs

The objective of lawyers in the Corporate and Business Practice Group at Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd., is to meet the needs of its business clients in a timely and effective manner, freeing clients from concern about legal matters and allowing them to concentrate on business.

Employment and Labor Law

The Ever Changing Marketplace

Business challenges have historically come from outside the corporation. The laws pertaining to the workplace are pervasive; they affect every organization that employs people. Congress, the Minnesota Legislature, and courts are constantly defining and changing employer obligations and employee rights. Virtually every employer requires experienced counsel concerning both the problems and rules that employers confront. The major efforts of lawyers in the Employment and Labor Law Department focus in two distinctive areas - corporate/preventive law and employment law litigation.

Nationwide Experience

The Employment and Labor Law Department practices in many states and jurisdictions across the country. With regard to both litigation matters and counseling, our clients utilize our services in Minnesota, the mid-west, and as far away as Texas and California. Our attorneys are admitted to practice in a number of states and we have relationships with firms in all 50 states that permit us to work through local counsel as necessary. This feature enables our local counsel as necessary. This feature enables our clients to capitalize on our familiarity with their business regardless of the geographic area in which the issues arise.

Preventing Problems

Lawyers in the Employment and Labor Law Department represent many organizations, businesses and public employers on "preventive" matters. We can assist clients in formulating and administering employment policies and procedures designed to avoid problems and litigation. Our Attorneys are also available to participate in the training of personnel to implement programs that comply with employment and labor laws.

Resolving Disputes

Significant changes in the law, as well as in employee attitudes, have made the challenges from within the corporation equally great. Discharged employees often challenge termination by filing administrative complaints or by retaining counsel to pursue lawsuits. Allegations of discrimination based on age, race or sex, defamation and sexual harassment are made with increasing frequency.

The Employment and Labor Law team brings an extensive background to all aspects of state and federal employment and labor law litigation including wrongful discharge, discrimination, fair labor standards, collective bargaining, and a wide range of personnel and employee discipline issues. Members of the department also have experience in labor related issues such as contract negotiations, and general union relations. We are experienced in handling employment disputes, whether the claims are asserted as individual lawsuits, class actions, administrative complaints or internal grievances.

Employment Litigation

Using our extensive litigation experience, we counsel employers on how to avoid lawsuits and how to reduce liability should a lawsuit arise. At times a tough negotiator or a skilled fighter is needed. On the other hand, the best possible solution for both management and labor may require attorneys who present a more conciliatory attitude--though no less skilled in negotiation; no less concerned with their clients' interests. Both approaches are available within the firm's employment and labor law department.

Improved Services Through Technology

Our firm prides itself on maximizing our effectiveness through the use of advanced technology. The advantages provided by technology include increasing the ease and speed of communications between lawyer and client, and increasing the efficiency of document management. Where desired, we can directly interface with clients' electronic mail systems to provide faster service and increase the ease and economy with which information can be exchanged. We continue to employ new technology where it reduces the cost of litigation.

Environmental Practice Group

Lawyers practicing in the firm's Environmental Practice Group assist clients in four primary areas: third-party liability; permit issuance and enforcement; regulatory compliance; and pollution prevention, mitigation and clean-up. In today's environmentally conscious society, issues involving groundwater, surface water, air quality, soil, and solid waste management are dealt with from the highest level of corporate decision-making to an individual's decision to recycle solid waste. These important issues require a comprehensive understanding of today's regulatory and policy environment.

Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd., has distinguished its environmental practice by developing a working knowledge of the environmental regulatory process. The firm currently has one of the most successful and well respected government relations departments in the state of Minnesota. Knowing environmental regulations is one thing; providing clients with a working knowledge of the governmental and regulatory process is quite another. Our lawyers are experienced in identifying client needs and creatively working to solve them in areas such as:

Superfund Site Clean-up and Third-Party Liability

Water and Wetland Use Permits

Operating Solid or Hazardous Waste Facilities

Facility Permitting

Environmental Impact Statement Preparation and Processing

Air Quality Permitting

Contested Case Hearings for Solid Waste Facilities, Wetlands Fill Permits

Legislative and Regulation Drafting, Lobbying, and Rule-Making Hearings

Environmental Risk Management

Litigation About the Above Topics.

The environmental practice group has extensive experience and has successfully represented clients since the early 1970s on environmental matters such as permit processing, regulatory investigations, enforcement proceedings, and developing amendments to various statutes and regulations. Work completed on behalf of clients includes:

Environmental Risk Management

In a related area Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd. assists clients in financial and insurance planning to allocate and limit environmental risks. We recognize that it is impossible to eliminate the threat of environmental liability. Risks can be managed, however, in many ways:

Franchise and Distribution Law

Serving Your Franchising Needs

The franchise team at Larkin, Hoffman provides a broad range of legal services to franchisors covering every aspect of franchising, including:

The franchise group represents mature multinational franchisors, as well as regional and start-up franchisors. We also represent manufacturers with dealership programs designed to avoid falling within the purview of state franchise and business opportunity laws.

Governmental Relations and Administrative Law

Lawyers in the government relations department practice in the legislative and executive branches at the federal, state and local level, as well as in the administrative agencies of government.

Representing Clients to Government

In the broadest definition, lawyers in the governmental relations department operate as a skilled team to deal with any problem a client is facing at any level of government. Members of the department serve as legislative counsel to a number of Minnesota and national corporations and business, trade, professional and municipal associations. In addition to the legislative counsel role, governmental relations attorneys serve as general counsel to a number of trade association clients.

The Work

Typical areas of activity for the department's lawyers involve:

Whether representing a developer before a city council; an individual, corporation, or trade association before the legislature; or a multinational corporation before the Congress, lawyers on the governmental relations team offer our clients the necessary experience to accomplish the task.

Intellectual Property Law & Litigation

In today's highly competitive environment, many industries find the development and protection of intellectual property are key factors in setting themselves apart from the competition. At the same time, we are seeing a significant increase in litigation involving patents, trademarks and copyrights. As a result of these trends, Larkin Hoffman, has made a significant investment in developing an extensive practice in the area of intellectual property law.

Domestic Registrations

Our attorneys approach this area from several vantage points. First and foremost, our attorneys work with clients in selecting, searching, registering and protecting their intellectual property rights. Our corporate attorneys have years of experience working with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and their respective state counterparts in registering trademarks, service marks and copyrights for our clients. We are able to prosecute patents on behalf of our clients.

International Representation

The firm's expertise in this area does not stop in the United States. We also have extensive experience advising, coordinating and assisting clients in the registration of their trademarks, service marks and patents throughout the world. Our attorneys have access to extensive networks of attorneys worldwide and can assist clients in registering their intellectual property overseas. When appropriate, we can assist in retaining local counsel to complete the process.

Licensing

While many of our clients exploit their intellectual property by the direct use of their patents, trademarks and copyrights, others do so by entering into licensing agreements under which this intellectual property is licensed to others who may then manufacture, use, or sell products and services using the license and technology. The firm has represented a wide range of clients, on both the licensor and licensee side of the table, in negotiating license agreements. These clients include "high tech" industries such as electronics, telecommunications, computer software development and biomedical technologies. They also include clients in the food and beverage industry, publishing, music, entertainment, video game technology, casino gambling, sports and real estate.

International Law

The Practice

Today, more than ever, if a U.S. business does not enter the international marketplace, their competition will come to the U.S. to meet them on their own turf. Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd., realizes the challenge to small and medium-sized businesses who must be cognizant of the challenges of the international marketplace. As a major U.S. Midwestern law firm with over 75 lawyers, we have practice areas which enable us to address the needs of growing small and medium-sized businesses in a worldwide interdependent economy. Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd., has been and continues to be part of the client's team, assisting them in their expansion into markets outside the United States.

Members of the firm's corporate litigation divisions, in particular, have specialized experience in representing U.S. clients in their international business matters outside the United States. Our lawyers tap into a worldwide network of legal experience and resources to address our clients' needs in the expanding international marketplace outside the U.S.

Transactions

Creative solutions to structuring clients' international business matters is the key to our lawyers' perspective. In our continuing desire to meet clients' needs, our International Practice Group has played more than a traditional lawyer's role. We have gone out of our way to bring to our clients' attention new developments in the international business and legal arena. Coupled with our dedication to service to the client, we are equipped to address the following types of international transactions:

Business

Land Use, Municipal and Environmental Law

Lawyers practicing in the area of development, zoning and regulation of land, water, and air concentrate their skills on solving a wide range of problems related to:

Development approval of residential, retail, office, hotel, restaurant, industrial, or mixed-use projects

State and federal superfund matters

Redevelopment projects

Special assessments

Government insured, guaranteed or direct financing

Indirect source air quality permits

Highway interchange approvals

Planned unit developments, rezoning, or conditional use permits.

Local, regional, state, and federal agencies regulate development through environmental impact laws, air and water pollution laws and numerous other laws and regulations. Practice area lawyers guide developers and owners in a cost-effective way through this complex and constantly changing regulatory process by providing definitive analysis and recommendations at the outset and persuasive structured presentations throughout. Assistance in the transactional and financing components of project development is provided concurrently. Larkin Hoffman represents both developers and governmental agencies in all aspects of land and water development.

Product Liability Law and Litigation

Manufacturers and distributors continue to face enormous risks from product liability suits. Federal "tort reform" efforts have not yet successfully brought any relief. In many states, punitive damages can be awarded in staggering amounts and cannot be insured against. These risks must be carefully managed, and products defended, with experienced counsel. We represent manufacturers and distributors of products both to prevent lawsuits and to limit the economic losses which product liability suits can cause.

Preventive Practices

Our attorneys have worked with many clients to establish or enhance programs designed to prevent product liability problems. We have helped analyze the risks posed by new products, assisted with preparation of product manuals, instructions and warnings, and trained company personnel how to spot and minimize serious risks. Liability prevention programs have helped many companies dramatically reduce the number of product liability claims which they face.

We learn how the product safety issues fit within the sales, engineering, quality control and service sectors of the client company, and we tailor the preventive program appropriately. We assist the client in responding to regulatory requirements.

Aggressive/Creative Defense

When a product manufacturer gets sued, an aggressive and creative defense often limits the exposure and the cost of the suit. Early evaluations, in which company representatives (engineering, quality control, management) work with the attorney and investigators, have frequently stopped lawsuits in the initial stages. We believe the product defense team, by together reviewing all issues--legal, factual, technical and business--can prepare a defense which plaintiffs and their attorneys do not expect and which will be most effective in defending the company's interests.

We have successfully used alternative dispute resolution methods when appropriate, but we also recognize that some matters can only be resolved through trial. We have tried products cases in the Midwest and from coast to coast, and handle product liability matters in virtually every state drawing on local counsel where necessary. Our attorneys have successfully defended manufacturers in death and serious injury cases by aggressively, creatively focusing on the issues which give our clients their greatest advantage. If you would like to discuss our product liability practice and expertise, please contact Terrence E. Bishop or Ronn B. Kreps at (612) 835-3800.

Real Estate Law

Our real estate law practice group represents clients in the acquisition, assembly, construction, financing, leasing and disposition of real estate. We assist developers and investors in their analysis and acquisition of parcel of land for all types of projects. Our development clients include privately-owned entities and local government authorities involved in housing and commercial development and redevelopment projects.

Leasing

We represent both landlords and tenants in the drafting, analysis and negotiation of commercial leases for office industrial, retail and other types of projects.

Lending

We also represent a number of lenders with a variety of approaches to investment in real estate. Our real estate lending clients include major commercial banks, various smaller commercial banks, a major thrift and a major national "medium-term" lender. Our work for these clients has involved all aspects of real estate lending, including construction and permanent mortgage financing, matched funding loans, interest accrual elections, cash flow and equity participations and similar devices. We represent lenders from the preparation and negotiation of loan commitments through document drafting and loan closing. We also advise our clients on problem loans, an area where our work has included workouts, bankruptcy matters and foreclosures.

Variety and Creativity

We have represented lenders and developers regarding multifamily residential projects financed in a variety of ways, including construction loans, conventional permanent mortgage loans and pooled bond issues involving mortgage purchase agreements with the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). We have also represented developers and lenders in projects for low and moderate income housing involving conventional construction loans supplemented by grants from private sources and loans of federal and state grant funds secured by subordinate mortgages.

Tax, Trusts & Estates

Lawyers in the Tax, Trusts and Estates Practice Group counsel clients with regard to business, financial, tax and estate matters on an ongoing basis and assist business and individual clients with special projects.

Managed Tax Planning

We place a heavy emphasis on personal, estate and business tax planning. Areas of business planning include pension, profit sharing and incentive stock plans, compensation and fringe benefit arrangements. This practice group deals with tax aspects of business ownership, including recapitalizations, ownership transfers, reorganizations, and stock buy/sell arrangements. Particular attention is given to the unique problems of closely-held corporations and their owners.

Taking a Stand

Tax controversies and appeals involving representation before the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities and representation in tax litigation before the Tax Court are handled by lawyers in this practice group. Four of its lawyers hold certificates as Certified Public Accountants.

Finding Solutions

Members of the practice group also handle problems of organizations that require special attention and comprehensive planning. Professional corporations and partnerships, including family limited partnerships, provide unique needs that require a synthesis of corporate, tax, estate planning and personal objectives. Tax-exempt organizations, charitable trusts, and public and private foundations require specialized attention.

Estate Planning

Personal estate planning includes both tax and non-tax aspects. These services include analysis and planning as well as preparation of documents, such as wills and trusts, to suit individual needs. The administration of estates and trusts is handled by this department. Members of the Tax, Trusts and Estates Practice Group take an active role in the estate and tax planning process and work with members of related professions such as accountants, insurance and investment advisors, and trust company personnel.