What’s on Our Minds

U.S. Farm Bankruptcies Spike Amid Trade War, New Debt Cap by Alex Wolf for Bloomberg Law Eric Lomas’ work helping financially distressed farmers has been picking up. Farmers make up only a portion of the Wichita, Kansas-based bankruptcy attorney’s work. But demand for his services in Chapter 12 filings, a specific area of bankruptcy law mostly for family farming, has accelerated as consecutive years of a farm economy downturn has hit Midwest farmers especially hard. …

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Five Klenda Austerman attorneys have been selected by their legal community peers for inclusion in the 2019 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list for Missouri and Kansas. This is Gary Austerman’s 14th consecutive year recognized as a top-rated attorney in medical malpractice defense. Mike Morris has been selected as a top-rated bankruptcy attorney 12 times since 2006. Dave Steed has been selected as a top-rated professional liability defense attorney for the 5th consecutive year. Super …

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FMCSA-regulated employers have some new regulations thanks to a wreckless driver in New Hampshire. On June 21, 2019, the driver of a 2016 Dodge 2500 pickup truck pulling a trailer in Randolph, New Hampshire hit a group of 10 motorcyclists, killing 7. The driver had prior arrest records for drunken driving in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. At the time of the accident he was driving for work. Records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration …

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Klenda Austerman law firm Wichita, Kansas welcomes Ethan McInteer as Associate. Ethan’s practice focuses on business, aviation law. A majority of his law practice is focused on finance and regulatory compliance as it relates to the aviation industry. Ethan received his J.D. from Washburn University School of Law and his B.A. in Political Science from Kansas State University. At Klenda Austerman Ethan McInteer is dedicated to maximizing client interests through diligent representation. With expertise spanning …

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Klenda Austerman law firm Wichita, Kansas welcomes Lauren Wright as Associate. Lauren is a seasoned oil and gas litigation attorney. A former military brat who considers Wichita home, Lauren received her J.D. from Washburn University School of Law and her B.S. from Fayetteville State University. Lauren worked directly with local, state, and federal agencies on issues relating to environmental concerns and compliance with local, state, and federal rules and regulations in the areas of energy …

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Cohabitation in Kansas and throughout the United States is an increasingly popular alternative to marriage. With these numbers on the rise, it is easy to assume the law has you covered should separation or death occur. A vast number of unmarried couples are finding the opposite to be true and left with a financial mess in the process. How can you protect yourself if you are in a civil partnership? The solution is simple: make …

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By Chasity Helm | Originally published in July 2019 Bar-o-Meter | https://www.wichitabar.org “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Chapter 3, To Kill a Mockingbird The year was 1962. A young man with sisters, raised by a single mom, and like me, an upbringing we refer to in our adult lives as “growing up poor.” Impressionable, …

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With ongoing trade disputes and a depressed farm economy, debt relief for farmers has been a hot topic. As farming and ranching operations have increased in size, farmers have taken on more debt in their operations. To allow for increased debt relief for farmers, Congress recently introduced the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019. The bill aims to increase access to Chapter 12 bankruptcy by raising the Chapter 12 debt limit to $10 million, from …

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An employee policy manual, or employment handbook, can serve multiple purposes if prepared correctly. Not only can it effectively communicate an employer’s company policies and expectations to employees, but it can function as part of the employer’s defense to unwanted, and unwarranted, labor and employment disputes. But, if the handbook is haphazardly assembled from Google search results, or was prepared by a lawyer so long ago that the attorney is no longer in practice, it …

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Those that work for the federal court system look to be the latest government employees that will feel the impact of the government shutdown. According to www.ajc.com, the U.S. judiciary has made “aggressive efforts to reduce expenditures,” which reportedly means the judiciary is only funded to operate as normal through January 25th. After that, employees considered “essential” will have to work without pay. Each federal district is handling the shutdown in a way that makes …

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