Krass Monroe is pleased to announce that W. Barry Blum has joined the law firm as Of Counsel.  Barry is a franchise lawyer with over 25 years of experience as a litigation attorney and spent 10 years in senior legal and franchising roles including Senior Vice President Deputy General Counsel and Senior Vice President Franchising and Market Development for Burger King Corporation.  According to firm Chair, Dennis Monroe, "Barry is a real friend of the franchise community, and he is always looking to see how franchisees can succeed.  Barry's role is really key for us in helping our franchise community."  Barry joins the firm Franchise, Distribution and Intellectual Property and Corporate Finance - M&A practice groups.   Prior to joining Krass Monroe, Barry most recently served franchise and mediation clients as the managing member of his own LLC in Miami, Florida, where he will continue to be based.

The firm wishes to recognize and congratulate our Chief Operating Officer, Mary Franklin, on being selected as a Minority Business honoree by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. Her selection was published on June 13, 2008. Mary was one of eleven executives honored in the Minority Corporate Executives category. According to Dennis Monroe, firm chairman, "Mary has created a total strategic approach to our business and has set the stage for the firm to go to the next level."  

Dennis Monroe was a presenter at the 2008 AICPA National Restaurants Conference.  The conference was held at Caesars Palace on June 8-10, 2008.  He presented on "Legal Issues in the Restaurant Industry" on Sunday, June 8th and was a panel member on Monday, June 9th for "Deal or No Deal - A Private Finance Discussion". His final presentation, "Different Issues to Consider When Representing Franchisors Versus Franchisees", was on Tuesday, June 10th.

Congratulations to Tom MacIntosh who was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2008 (Copyright 2007 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) and featured in the June 2008 issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine. 

Krass Monroe welcomes Rachel Broten as our summer associate.  Rachel has completed her second year at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Krass Monroe is proud to recognize attorneys Rod Krass and John "Jack" Harper as two of the top 40 lawyers in Minnesota in Employment Law and Business Litigation.  The list is based on the Minnesota Law & Politics Super Lawyer® survey results.  Rod Krass was named one of the Top 40 attorneys in Employment Law in Minnesota and John "Jack" Harper was named one of the Top 40 attorneys in Business Litigation in Minnesota.  Both attorneys are shareholders in the firm Litigation practice group.

Congratulations to Scott Husaby.  A member of the firm Wealth Preservation practice group, Scott has been named a FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager for 2008 by MplsSt.Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business.  More than 46,000 consumers and 5,000 financial service professionals were asked to evaluate wealth managers in the Twin Cities area and Scott was named to the final list.

Krass Monroe welcomes Bruce Kalmoe.  Bruce is a CPA and member of our Tax and Advisory Services practice groups.

Congratulations to John Berg, Jim Casserly, John "Jack" Harper III, Rod Krass, Tom MacIntosh and Dennis Monroe who have been selected as Minnesota Super Lawyers for 2007.   John "Jack" Harper was named as one of the Top 40 Business Litigation Attorneys and Rod Krass was named as one of the Top 40 Employment Law Attorneys.  MSP communications has recognized our attorneys and published the Super Lawyers listing in three publications:  Twin Cities Business Monthly, Minnesota Law & Politics, and Mpls/St. Paul.  This honor is a reflection of the firm's commitment to excellence and client service.

Super Lawyer ballots are sent to more than 18,000 people and 11,000 ballots were counted.  A 150-member blue ribbon panel review the list and then a selection committee makes the final cuts.

Effective July 1, 2007, the Shareholders of Krass Monroe elected Jack Harper, John Berg and Randy Evans to serve on the firm's Executive Committee (with Jack serving as President, John serving as Chief Financial Officer and Randy serving as Executive Vice President of the firm), together with the firm's Director of Administration, Mary Franklin.

Congratulations to Tom MacIntosh who was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2007 (Copyright 2007 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) and featured in the June 2007 issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine.  Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States.

Randy Evans, a partner in the firm Business Law and Corporate Finance – Mergers & Acquisitions practice groups, was the moderator of the Success Breakfast panel presentation at the Franchise Finance & Development Conference. This year the conference was at the Marriott Hotel, Mall of America, in Minneapolis on May 14-16, 2007.  The conference is a unique professional, educational and networking forum specifically designed for growing franchisors and members of their executive team.

The 47th Annual International Franchise Association Convention was February 24-27, 2007 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV.  Tom MacIntosh participated in a panel discussion, "The Do's and Don'ts of Franchise Turnarounds for Large and/or Mature Franchisors" and led a Business Solution Roundtable session, "Expand Your Brand".  David Hill led a Business Solution Roundtable on "'Funding Real Estate Development".  Also attending the Convention fom the firm were Jim Wahl and Ryan Palmer. 

Welcome to Shanna Strowbridge.  Shanna is an attorney practicing in our Real Estate and Corporate Finance - Mergers & Acqusitions practice groups.

Congratulations to our "Rising Stars".  Four Krass Monroe attorneys have been selected by Law & Politics as Minnesota Rising Stars.  The selection process involves a survey of all Minnesota Super Lawyers and independent research to identify outstanding, up-and-coming attorneys who have demonstrated superior professional potential.   Our 2007 Minnesota Rising Stars are Ben Court, Andy Hall, Justin Johnson and Ryan Palmer.

The Franchise, Distribution and Intellectual Property Practice Group welcomes John D. Baker to the firm.

Krass Monroe welcomes Molly Hamilton.  Molly is the newest attorney in our Litigation Practice Group.

Krass Monroe welcomes Mary L. Franklin as Director of Administration.  Mary joins the firm with over twenty years experience in operations, human resources management, organization development, training and marketing.  She is responsible for firm operations and works closely with the Executive Committee in the implementation of strategic planning initiatives and in overseeing the administrative functions of the firm.

Tom MacIntosh, Co-Chair of the firm Franchise, Distribution and IP Practice Group, attended the 7th Annual International Franchise Association (IFA) Franchise Appreciation Day, September 25-26 in Washington, D.C.  IFA members spent time on Capitol Hill educating their lawmakers about franchising issues and concerns.

John Jossart, an attorney in our Litigation Practice Group, spoke to the Savage Chamber of Commerce on November 21, 2006.  John discussed the common mistakes employers make when hiring and firing employees. 

Dennis Monroe and other firm attorneys handled the legal documentation necessary for the acquisition of three properties for Urban Ventures.  The property will be used for construction of a youth center and high school. Dennis is the current Chair of the Board for Urban Ventures, a non-profit corporation devoted to building a successful community in South Minneapolis.