Blog, Press
Introducing “The Best Lawyers in America”© 2018
Congratulations KGR Attorneys Listed in “The Best Lawyers in America”© 2018 Best Lawyers is the definitive guide to legal excellence and selections are based solely on peer review. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.” KGR is extremely proud of our recent recipients. Brian C. Bosma was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2018 for Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law. This is Mr. Bosma’s first recognition by Best Lawyers in this field. With an extensive background in engineering, business, law and government, Mr. Bosma’s practice is concentrated in the areas of complex business and municipal transactions, municipal finance and environmental matters. He chairs the Business and Government Practice Groups of Kroger Gardis & Regas, and serves as general or special counsel to dozens of municipalities and business entities throughout the State of Indiana. An engineering graduate of Purdue University, Mr. Bosma represents both public and private sector clients in real estate and construction projects, public sector joint ventures and redevelopment matters. Representative Bosma has served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives since 1986 in numerous leadership capacities, including currently serving as the Speaker of the House since 2010. Mr. Bosma is a founding director of Bosma Industries for the Blind and serves as the Chairman of the Bosma Visionary Opportunities Foundation. This marks the tenth year that Jay Kennedy was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2018. Jay was…
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NACTT 52nd Annual Seminar
Partner Harley S. Means recently attended the three day National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (“NACTT”) 52nd annual seminar in Seattle, Washington. At this event distinguished speakers from throughout the country including current and former bankruptcy judges, Chapter 13 Trustees, law professors, and attorneys representing mortgage and automobile finance companies spoke concerning Chapter 13 case law updates from around the country. Topics discussed included matters relating to representation of secured creditors, unsecured creditors, debtors and trustees. ABOUT THE NACTT The NACTT was founded by 34 Chapter XIII trustees in 1965. Currently, more than 200 Chapter 13 standing trustees serve in the 50 states and Puerto Rico. Today, the NACTT has grown to more than 1,000 members whose membership consists of trustees, bankruptcy judges, lawyers for debtors and creditors, certified public accountants and other insolvency related professionals. The organization is dedicated to the highest standards of education related to Chapter 13 bankruptcy and education is the focal point of the NACTT’s annual seminar. http://www.nactt.com/
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Pitfalls of Social Media Policies in the Workplace
Are you thinking about adopting a company-wide social media policy? Be careful what you prohibit. A client recently asked if the company could prohibit employees from discussing the company on social media. The client wanted to avoid negative publicity from disgruntled employees and thought a change to the employment manual would be helpful. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, but only prevents government restrictions on speech, it does not relate to private actions. Consequently, clients often think that they are free to limit employees’ speech. But the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) has held that restrictions that “chill” speech are unlawful (and actionable). Therefore, an employer must be careful when crafting restrictions to avoid unlawful restrictions. Social Media Policies Cannot “Chill” Speech Protected by the National Labor Relations Act The NLRB’s many decisions on this issue center around two sections of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA” the “Act”) (codified at 29 U.S.C. §§ 151-169). First, Section 7 of the Act (29 U.S.C. §§ 157) provides that employees “have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for … mutual aid or protection.” Second, Section 8 of the Act (29 U.S.C. §§ 158) prohibits any action by an employer to “interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7.” Over time, Section 8 has been applied to prohibit not only explicit restrictions on protected activities, but also to prohibit…
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Madalyn Kinsey Attending 2017 Annual Meeting of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys in September
Madalyn S. Kinsey is attending the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (“ACMA”) at the Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa in Asheville, North Carolina, September 14-16. Madalyn is ACMA’s Indiana State Chair and one of only three ACMA Fellows practicing in the State of Indiana.
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