Madigan, Dahl & Harlan, P.A.

Business counsel with a national reach

The Minneapolis office serves business owners and professionals in Minnesota and across the country. Madigan, Dahl & Harlan, P.A. handles entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, franchise matters, distribution issues, and business purchase and sale agreements. The firm's published scope combines transaction work with advice on disputes that can arise during a company's life.

That mix gives owners access to counsel on business structure, contracts, regulatory duties, and litigation. In my opinion, the link between transaction work and dispute work is a useful feature of the firm's stated services. Lawyers who work with both agreements and claims can examine how contract language may operate during a disagreement.

The firm's national practice has particular relevance for companies with operations, counterparties, or distribution relationships in several states. State laws can affect entity governance, franchise registration, employment duties, land use, and alcoholic beverage licensing. A multistate matter may also require counsel to track different filing deadlines and agency procedures.

Company formation, deals, and restructuring

Entity formation and governance

Choosing an entity requires decisions about ownership, control, taxation, and future transfers. The firm lists business formation among its services. Formation work commonly involves organizing documents, ownership terms, management authority, voting rights, and procedures for admitting or removing owners.

Business owners may also need agreements that address deadlocks, departures, disability, death, and the sale of an ownership interest. Those provisions can shape how a company responds when its owners disagree or when one owner wants to leave. Counsel may review state filings and internal records so that the legal documents match the intended structure.

Mergers, acquisitions, and sale agreements

The firm represents clients in mergers and acquisitions as well as buy and sell agreements. A transaction usually begins with the parties defining the proposed structure and exchanging business information. Buyers and sellers then address assets, liabilities, contracts, employees, approvals, and closing conditions.

Due diligence may cover financial records, leases, licenses, pending claims, intellectual property, employment arrangements, and key customer or supplier contracts. The parties use that review to allocate risk in the purchase documents. Representations, covenants, indemnity terms, and closing deliveries record the allocation they choose.

Restructuring work can involve changes to ownership, operations, debt, or the relationship between related companies. Lawyers may prepare amendments, consents, transfer documents, and revised governance terms. The firm's litigation practice can also matter when a proposed change follows a contract dispute or disagreement among owners.

Franchise, distribution, and beverage industry matters

Franchise and distribution relationships

Franchise law brings contract duties together with state and federal regulation. Madigan, Dahl & Harlan lists franchise and distribution matters within its business work. Christopher W. Bowman's biography also identifies franchise and distribution disputes as part of his practice.

Franchise matters may require review of disclosure documents, franchise agreements, renewal terms, territorial rights, transfer provisions, and termination procedures. Distribution disputes often turn on written agreements, course of dealing, sales territories, payment duties, or control over a product line. The governing law and the location of the parties can affect the available claims and required notices.

When a dispute develops, the parties may exchange formal notices before filing a lawsuit or starting another contract procedure. Counsel typically studies the agreement, communications, performance records, and applicable statutes. The firm's listed commercial litigation and appellate work gives context to its stated handling of franchise and distribution conflicts.

Alcoholic beverages and related regulation

The firm advises alcoholic beverage businesses on licensing, litigation, retailer defense, distributor representation, and regulatory matters. Its website also identifies work involving hemp-derived THC beverages. This industry focus covers both conventional alcoholic products and a newer category with its own legal questions.

Licensing matters often involve applications, renewals, ownership disclosures, local approval, and agency review. Retailers and distributors may face questions about product sourcing, sales practices, territorial arrangements, or compliance records. Regulators can request documents, conduct proceedings, and issue decisions that affect a business's authority to operate.

Hemp-derived THC beverage matters can involve product classification, labeling, distribution, and retail rules. The governing requirements may differ by jurisdiction and product. Businesses operating across state lines may need to compare each state's rules before changing a product or distribution plan.

Litigation, property, employment, and estate services

Commercial disputes and appeals

The firm's litigation work covers commercial, construction, employment, energy, insurance defense, appellate, and real estate disputes. These matters can involve contracts, business records, witness testimony, technical materials, or property documents. Courts may decide early motions, supervise discovery, conduct trials, and review requests for relief.

Commercial litigation often begins with an examination of the contract and the parties' communications. Pleadings define the legal claims and defenses, while discovery develops the factual record. A case may end through a court ruling, settlement, or trial, depending on the issues and the parties' decisions.

An appeal uses the existing court record and focuses on claimed legal error. Appellate lawyers study rulings, transcripts, exhibits, and preservation of issues. Written briefs carry much of the argument, and some courts schedule oral argument before issuing a decision.

Real estate and land use

Madigan, Dahl & Harlan handles real estate transactions, commercial property, land use, and zoning matters. Transactional work may involve purchase agreements, leases, title materials, financing documents, and closing requirements. Commercial property matters can also raise questions about access, permitted uses, maintenance duties, or allocation of operating costs.

Land use and zoning issues usually involve local ordinances and a public decision process. Property owners may submit applications, plans, studies, or responses to staff comments. A city body may then consider the request under stated standards and create a record for its decision.

Employment, estate planning, and probate

Employment law appears among the firm's stated services, and Bowman's biography identifies it as part of his work. Employment matters may involve workplace policies, contracts, discipline records, wage issues, or claims tied to hiring and termination. The applicable process depends on the claim, the governing agreement, and the forum hearing the matter.

The website also lists estate planning and probate. Estate planning commonly addresses wills, trusts, powers of attorney, beneficiary choices, and the transfer of property. Probate places administration under court supervision, with a personal representative handling notices, assets, creditor claims, and distributions under the governing documents and state law.

Named lawyers and Bowman's published record

The website names eight lawyers: Christopher W. Bowman, Daniel A. Christians, Richard M. Dahl, Brandt F. Erwin, Thomas P. Harlan, Michael D. Madigan, Sequoia L. Rutan, and Jon R. Steckler. That published roster gives prospective clients a direct view of the attorneys associated with the firm.

Bowman is identified as a shareholder. His practice combines litigation and transactional work, with an emphasis on appellate practice and commercial litigation. His listed work also includes trademark protection, franchise and distribution disputes, employment law, and real estate law.

Bowman has worked as lead appellate counsel in federal circuit courts and in appellate courts in Iowa and Minnesota. The firm states that Minnesota admitted him to practice in 2009. He joined Madigan, Dahl & Harlan in 2019 and became a shareholder in 2023.