What’s on Our Minds

Myth Busting Estate Planning Misconceptions by Madison J. Dressman , Klenda Austerman Estate Planning Attorney Our modern world is home to many wonders beyond our wildest dreams. Long gone are the days of heading to a library or encyclopedia to find information as modern technology puts the answers at our fingertips with a simple search engine tool. Although the rise in technology brings many marvelous advancements, it makes discerning fact from fiction more difficult. To …

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Avoid Drafting a “Pinterest Fail” Estate Plan by Madison J. Dressman , Klenda Austerman Estate Planning Attorney Every Pinterest DIY project begins with good intentions. You bundle up your freshly cut plywood, hunt to find the perfect paint color, and purchase at least a dozen hinges with feverous anticipation of potential success. However, once the final product is complete, you may realize that your final product doesn’t look anything like the pretty picture you found …

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Unmasking Assets with Klenda Austerman In a world where “till death do us part” can end with a paper shredder and a crypto wallet, your divorce attorney can act as the ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ only with less running and more spreadsheets. In many marriages, hiding assets starts innocently enough: a secret savings account here, an undisclosed investment there. But once divorce papers are served, these little deceptions may turn into a full-blown disappearing act. …

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Each year the Wichita Eagle asks the community to nominate the best places in Wichita in more than 500 categories. The Family Law practice at Klenda Austerman took home the silver award for Best in Wichita. More than 125,000 voters picked their favorites among thousands of nominees. Alex Flores and Chris Vinduska lead our divorce and family law practice. Thank you to all who voted for us. We are honored to serve our community and …

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Klenda Austerman Member, Todd Shadid, was recently recognized for community contributions to the Wichita Police Department Auto Crime Enforcement (ACE) Unit. As executive director and general counsel for the Wichita Automobile Dealers Association (WADA), Todd accepted the WADA award for contributions to the task force that helped the task force recover more than $2.6 million worth of stolen vehicles and arrest more than 50 criminals in seven months. WADA funded the purchase of GPS tracking …

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Uncertainty surrounds Biden’s vaccine mandate, but Wichita’s large companies can start preparing now by Shelby Kellerman, Wichita Business Journal It’s been almost a month since the White House unveiled plans to order large employers with at least 100 workers to mandate the Covid-19 vaccine in their workplaces or require weekly testing of unvaccinated employees — and there’s still a lot of unknowns. It’s a familiar feeling to Wichita companies, who have been in a strange …

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Even if you did not watch the Presidential address to the nation on September 9, you have no doubt seen some sort of breaking news or pop-up announcement indicating that the Executive Office will be “mandating vaccines for all employer with 100+ employees.” To clarify, the vaccine mandate rule will actually be coming from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Currently, OSHA is working on developing a new administrative rule that …

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Paid COVID Leave Benefits for Employees: Act III by Michelle Brenwald Klenda Austerman Employment Attorney In 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provided paid leave benefits to employees for various COVID related reasons. The FFCRA mandated employers with fewer than 500 employees (with limited exceptions) to provide the paid leave benefit through Dec. 31, 2020, in exchange for specific dollar-for-dollar payroll tax credits. Although the “mandate” that employers provide such benefits expired, employers …

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Klenda Austerman Attorney Lauren Wright recently had an article published in the Kansas Bar Association “Oil, Gas, & Mineral Law Section Newsletter.” She reported on oil and gas litigation regarding an ACLU case filed against former Kansas Corporation Commission’s (KCC) deputy general counsel arising out of two environmentalists’ participation in protests that opposed oil and gas activities across Kansas. Before moving to private practice, Lauren spent two years as litigation counsel for the state, representing …

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Security concerns and drone law are often an afterthought for individual entrepreneurs and companies interested in incorporating drones into their business models. This can have serious consequences for unsuspecting operators. Ethan McInteer, Klenda Austerman Aviation Attorney, examines these issues and more in his article, Adapting to the Times: The Questionable Applicability of Article 3bis to Cyberweapons Demands New Approach to Safeguarding International Commercial Drone Operations, which is featured in the Autumn 2020 edition of Issues …

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