Family Law

• Divorce
• Premarital Agreement
  Sally Forbes Friedman, a Shareholder at Bernick Lifson, P.A., has practiced law for more than 35 years and is licensed to practice in Minnesota and California. Sally’s practice focuses in the areas of estate planning, probate, trust administration, guardianship, conservatorship, planning for individuals with disabilities, antenuptial agreements, and related matters. She takes pride in her ability to work with a variety of clients, including large and small estates providing personal attention to each and every client. She develops relationships with her clients who entrust her to assist them to establish plans that address their estate planning goals and objectives. Sally has been fortunate to be able to represent two to three generations in one family after establishing the trusted and confidential relationship over many years of representation. Her active listening skills allow her to tailor a plan that addresses her client’s goals and assists them with the legacy. Coupled with the planning, she prepares Health Care Directives, Powers of Attorney and ancillary documents, as well as providing assistance with funding and asset transfer documents. Sally is also well versed in philanthropic planning and working with clients who desire to leave a charitable legacy.
• Guardianship
• Annulment
  Involved a couple who divorced in 2019. The husband’s will, drafted in 1995, instructed that his estate be split equally between he and his wife’s legal heirs at the time of the surviving spouse’s death. He passed away in 2021 with no legal heirs. Even though Minnesota Law instructs courts to interpret the revocation of a marriage as if the former spouse died immediately before the annulment, it remains silent on what to do where the will refers to the legal heirs of that former spouse. Surprisingly, the Court of Appeals resolved this ambiguity by going against the likely intent of the husband’s will and devising the entirety of his estate to the sole legal heirs of his ex-wife – her parents.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Matt Goldfine represents clients in the areas of real estate and creditors’ remedies. Matt received his Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in 2010. While in law school, Matt earned a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Criminal Law, represented the City of Saint Louis Park as a Certified Student Attorney and assisted clients with housing issues as part of the Volunteer Lawyers Network.
• Fraud
  On January 1, 2021, Congress passed a set of provisions innocuously titled the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. This bill aims to help fight tax evasion, tax fraud, and other financial crimes by implementing a national database collecting registration information for all corporations and limited liability companies organized in the United States.
• Prostitution
  Currently, eviction actions can be filed for seriously endangering the safety of others, significant damage to property, and violations of Minnesota Statutes § 504B.171 which includes tenant covenants related to unlawful activity, including controlled substances, prostitution, unlawful use or possession of a firearm, and stolen property. Under the phaseout law, there is no longer a requirement to provide a notice of intent to evict prior to filing these evictions.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  Minnesota corporate law provides business owners with an array of choices for creating a corporate entity. Corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, joint ventures, and nonprofit entities all have unique structures and tax treatment. Bernick Lifson’s attorneys will assist you in determining the pros and cons of the correct legal entity to meet your needs and goals.
• Business Disputes
  Brice earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Minnesota Law School in 2022 as the youngest graduate in his class and with honors. While in law school, he served as a managing editor on the Minnesota Law Review. In his undergraduate program at the Carlson School of Management, Brice’s studies were focused on business law and entrepreneurship. His law degree continued that theme with a concentration in business law.
• Limited Liability Companies
  The U.S. Treasury Department has specified the following forms of companies, referred to as “reporting companies,” which must complete the BOIR. Reporting companies include corporations, limited liability companies, and any other entities created by the filing of a document with a secretary of state
• Trade Secrets

Employment Law

• Employment Litigation
  Corporations should consider how they may need assistance when problems arise. Our corporate attorneys have over 30 years of experience resolving legal issues such as shareholder disputes, creditor remedies, commercial collections, non-compete agreements, and employment disputes.
• Non-compete Agreement
• Sexual Harassment
  Malcolm Terry focuses on supporting all business sizes in employment law, including human resources support, contract issues, and landlord-tenant law. His clients are companies that need assistance in such matters as discipline and discharge, commissions and payroll advice, defense of discrimination claims, and handling investigations, including sexual harassment claims, non-compete enforcement, and drafting confidential information and trade-secret agreements. He also specializes in litigating each of these issues for his clients.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Marvin has extensive experience and expertise in representing clients in all aspects of real estate law, including negotiating, documenting, and closing complex financing, acquisition, development, leasing, and sale transactions. His clients include owners, developers, purchasers, borrowers, lenders, property managers, landlords and tenants of commercial properties, strip malls, shopping centers, restaurants, office buildings, apartment buildings, hotels, senior housing and assisted living facilities, condominiums, cooperatives, and residential developments.
• Construction Litigation
  Beyond business and commercial litigation, our corporate litigation lawyers have expertise in real estate and construction law, financial services, and employment law. Regardless of the dispute, we will provide you with the skill necessary should the issue result in complex litigation, but with the desire to find a solution that is the most cost-efficient and beneficial to you or your organization.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Born and raised in Minnesota, Brice’s practice focuses on commercial and residential real estate transactions and business law. Since joining the firm, he has successfully represented clients in negotiating leases, purchase agreements, and tax appeals. Brice also represents clients in contested real estate and commercial collection matters.
• Land Use and Zoning
  Ensure that your construction project runs smoothly from start to finish with legal services from the top construction attorneys in Minnesota. We address all forms of legal disputes while meeting customary guidelines, including statutes of repose enacted by the state of Minnesota. From project administration assistance and contract drafting to ensure that land use and zoning codes are in order, our construction lawyers will stand with you throughout the entire process. Ensure legal compliance and start your construction project off on the right foot.
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  Bernick Lifson, P.A. is active in the multi-housing industry and is involved in landlord-tenant law in Minneapolis and greater Minnesota. Whether you own a portfolio of multi-housing properties or are simply leasing a private residence, our landlord-tenant attorneys are here to protect your interests. From issues regarding evictions for nonpayment of rent, compliance with Fair Housing requirements, or litigation, our attorneys have the experience to represent your interests most productively and cost-effectively. Our Minnesota eviction attorneys regularly appear in housing court in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota and can help guide you through any landlord-tenant dispute that may arise.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Estate planning should be considered at every stage of your life – from your early days as a professional building your wealth, to your marriage, planning for your children, and continuing to evaluate your plans every three to five years as you move through life. Our estate attorneys will work with you as your estate and family grows, your assets and retirement plans take shape and life changes. Our estate planning services in Minnesota works with traditional families, blended families, same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships. Children with special needs pose distinct issues and we are equipped to prepare Supplemental Needs Trusts for many generations to secure the planning for those who most need to be considered.
• Wills
• Trusts
• Power of Attorney
  Who have you named as your Personal Representatives, Trustees, Guardians (do you still need to designate Guardians), and Attorneys in Fact for Powers of Attorney, and Agents for the Medical Directives?
• Probate

Finance Law

• Foreclosure
  The ability of property owners, mortgage holders, or other persons entitled to recover residential premises from filing an eviction action on the grounds that a residential tenant remains in the property after a notice of termination of the lease, after a notice of nonrenewal of a lease, after a material violation of a lease, after the termination of the redemption period for a residential foreclosure, or after nonpayment of rent, is suspended.
• Tax Law
  A frequent lecturer and panel member because of his recognized expertise, Saul has participated in numerous Continuing Legal Education and Continuing Professional Education programs on tax litigation, tax planning, corporations, and estate planning.
• Debt Collection
  The debt collection attorneys at Bernick Lifson, P.A., have partnered with hundreds of businesses, ranging from publicly held entities to family-owned companies, to assist with the recovery of delinquent accounts and enforcing binding agreements. We also act as designated Minnesota counsel for numerous national collection agencies. Minnesota debt collection law can be complicated. We can help your business implement successful commercial collection procedures and maximize returns when transactions fail or need to be jump-started. We have decades of experience advising lenders, manufacturers, and corporate clients about their options and the most effective legal course of action.