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Local law firms merge

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Silas Danielson, left, and Ben McAninch, second from left, with Blethen Gage & Krause spent the last nine months or so in talks with Jeremy Berg, second from right, and Michael Boyle, right, to plan the merging of the two law firms.

NEW ULM — The merging of a local law firm with another in Mankato should fly under the radar for its clients in both cities.

As of July 1 Berens, Rodenberg & O’Connor, Chtd. (BRO) of New Ulm will merge with Blethen Gage & Krause PLLP (BGK) of Mankato.

“One of the things that we are excited about is that we are bringing a lot of legal talent under one banner,” BRO Attorney Jeremy Berg said. “When we look ahead, the merger is going to be beneficial for today, it is going to be beneficial for 20-30 years when you look at the attorneys that we have.”

Despite the merger both firms will remain in their current offices, maintain the same names and hours. Clients may notice the additional resources the merger will bring to both offices.

“For us here in New Ulm, we are going to be able to tap into some of the expertise in Mankato, particularly in the area of litigation,” BRO President Mike Boyle said.

BRO was looking for an attorney with experience in litigation, such as civil lawsuits, before the merger was announced.

On the other hand BRO’s experience in real estate law will be useful in Mankato’s housing market.

“I do not know what their growth rate is right now, but they are building a lot of new homes, a lot of property is changing hands,” Berg said.

The two firms are working on the in-house adjustments that make up most of what will change. Decisions on things like employee benefits and data retention programs are the majority of planned changes.

Discussion of the merge started about nine months ago when BGK partners reached out to Berg and Boyle.

“I think we reached out to these guys because they have such a great reputation here,” BGK Partner Silas Danielson said. “I think all of us will benefit from the reputations of both firms in both communities.”

Connor Cummiskey can be emailed at ccummiskey@nujournal.com.

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