Contact Information: 714 North Franklin Street, New Ulm, Minnesota 56073 E-mail is dahlgren@blackdogcooplaw.com. Phone is 320-300-0LAW (0529). Fax is 320-272-8167 Pragmatic Legal Services by Black Dog Co-op Law.
Not all legal services for cooperatives have to be expensive. A class of legal services can be provided relatively inexpensively if the attorney that provides the services has a narrow but deep interest in and understanding of cooperatives.
I see it every day in my law practice. Cooperatives continue to change the world. I work with employee co-ops, bicycle co-ops, natural food co-ops, senior housing co-ops, farm supply and grain co-ops, dairy cooperatives, federated co-ops, and cable television co-ops, among others.
I have only ever worked on behalf of and/or been employed by cooperatives. My aim is to provide pragmatic, effective and satisfying legal services for Cooperatives through Black Dog Co-op Law with a small cost footprint. See my discussion of Black Dog principles.
Check out my blog at http://joeldahlgren.blogspot.com/.
I look forward to working with your Cooperative, your Management team and your Board of Directors.
Joel Dahlgren Cooperatives are Pragmatic. Cooperatives are pragmatic because their Members usually cannot commit unlimited capital for the benefit of the Co-op. Hence, when possible, Members and their Co-ops do not want or need the most expensive legal or business solutions that money can buy. Rather, they want the most effective legal and business solutions per dollar spent.
Black Dog and the Use of Technology. My goal is to provide legal services with a small cost footprint not only through my familiarity with co-ops, but also with the use of technology.
My clients can assist me in providing cost effective legal services by using technology. My e-mail is dahlgren@blackdogcooplaw.com. My Google phone is 320-300-0LAW (0529) (Fax is 320-272-8167) which forwards to my cell phone but allows you to leave a message that Google will transcribe and send to me by e-mail if I cannot respond immediately. This gives me a leg up and saves both of us time when we next talk. Black Dog will provide access to documents with an extranet. Documents will also be e-mailed to you as well. You can download the documents, review and provide comments about the documents to me.
Sending documents to me by e-mail, with a message describing your question or request, or leaving a phone message that Google transcribes and sends to me will enable me to respond more effectively, efficiently and directly to you.
General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer.
The practice of law by itself can be tedious, and I have always had an interest in co-op management. I am now employed full time as General Counsel and Chief Risk Manager by an agricultural cooperative.
My employment as General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer and my Black Dog co-op practice will complement and add value to the other. But my availability to immediately respond to clients will be affected by my employment obligations, not unlike how any attorney's obligations to one client are affected by the attorney's obligations to other clients.
The use of technology will enable me to further my interest in co-op management and honor my obligations to my employer while providing cost effective legal services to clients of Black Dog.
I understand, however, that my employment obligations will deter some co-ops that compete with the agricultural co-op that employs me, and that those obligations will understandably be an obstacle for others concerned about my availability.
Black Dog Firm is Completely Separate From Employer
I maintain a clear line of demarcation between Black Dog (the firm) and my Employer. I have ethical obligations and legal liability issues for keeping the business of each separate from the other. I recognize that some will view my employment obligations as an obstacle to my availability for Black Dog representation. Rest assured, however, that my representation of clients through Black Dog is completely separated and walled off from my Employer. And my work for my Employer is separated and completely walled off from representation of Black Dog's clients.
|
Welcome! |