Gray Plant Mooty Elects Four New Shareholders
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Jan. 7, 2013) — The Minneapolis-based law firm of Gray Plant Mooty is pleased to announce that four attorneys—Brad Barz, Anne Bjerken, Ryan Gerads, and Casey Nolan—have been elected shareholders of the firm, effective January 1, 2013.
Brad Barz focuses on advising companies in general corporate legal matters, including acquisitions, mergers, shareholder relations, succession planning, joint ventures, corporate contract forms, governance, executive compensation, and strategic business arrangements. Barz’s practice also includes drafting and negotiating commercial agreements regarding the same. He earned his J.D. from University of South Dakota.
Anne Bjerken concentrates on estate planning for simple to complex estates, estate and trust administration, preparation of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and business succession planning for family-owned businesses. After the death of a loved one, Bjerken also assists families with the administration and distribution of the probate estate or trust assets, preparation of estate and fiduciary tax returns, and resolution of estate and trust controversies. She graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, with her J.D.
Ryan Gerads represents individuals and small, mid-size, and large businesses on a wide variety of corporate and tax law issues, especially those involving pass-through entities such as partnerships, LLCs, and S-corporations and their owners. He routinely advises clients in entity selection, reorganization and succession planning, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, as well as an assortment of other general business issues. In the tax area, Gerads has experience with controversies arising out of audits and assessments by the Internal Revenue Service and Minnesota Department of Revenue. He has received an LL.M (in Taxation) from Northwestern University School of Law, and his J.D. from New England Law in Boston.
Casey Nolan practices in the areas of employment law, higher education, and immigration. She frequently counsels clients on employment law and immigration issues. Nolan has experience assisting clients with a wide range of complex business immigration services, including I-9 compliance; non-immigrant visa applications including H-1B, L-1, TN, and O-1; and immigrant visa petitions including EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and PERM applications. In addition, Nolan has experience litigating several employment lawsuits, including cases involving claims of sexual harassment, national origin discrimination, age discrimination, noncompetition clauses, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and contract-based employment claims. She earned her J.D. from Hamline University and graduated magna cum laude.
About GPM:
Gray Plant Mooty is recognized as one of the leading corporate law firms in Minnesota and one of the top franchise firms in the world. Our roots go back to 1866. Today, we are a 170-attorney, full-service firm with offices in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Washington, DC. Our attorneys and staff provide exceptional client service and value to our clients, and directly or with our global affiliations, we provide comprehensive legal services on a regional, national, and global basis.