About Christine Schuster
Christine Schuster is a former Super Lawyers staffer, and holds a degree in journalism and theater arts from Bethel University. She has won multiple awards for her reporting on a variety of topics in Twin Cities suburban communities.
Articles written by Christine Schuster
Safe Haven
Michelle Roy takes an asylum case with the highest of stakesBy the time the sisters left, they had no one but each other. Their father had been murdered by a drug cartel in Guatemala in 2015. Their mother, besieged by death threats, had fled, leaving the three sisters—one in her early 20s, one in her late teens and one under 10—on their own. Then the cartel set its sights on them. They were given an ultimatum: “Give us the money within a week, or we’re going to kill you.” When that deadline came, the sisters were crossing the border into …
To Pay or Not to Pay Interns
That is the question, and the answer is hard to find in a grey area of the lawThe first step in determining whether or not it is legal to hire unpaid interns is to determine what laws apply. A combination of federal, state and local laws govern whether or not an employer is required to pay interns. According the Camille Olson, an employment attorney at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago, a common mistake is only checking the federal wage hour laws established in the FLSA. “You actually need to check all three,” Olson says. “Over the last five years, some states and local …
Ensuring Fairness in a Divorce and Getting to Court Sooner
A limited divorce can provide relief to Maryland couplesMaryland’s lengthy divorce process can send those seeking to end their marriage into a limbo of insecurity and fear. “People are very concerned about the uncertainty when they first separate,” says Shelly Ingram, a family law attorney in Fulton. “Where is money going to come from? How are they going to spend time with their kids?” Without grounds such as adultery or domestic violence, divorcing spouses may have to be separated for a minimum of 12 months to be seen in court and granted …
A Deadly Delay in Diagnosis
Filing a medical malpractice claim in Florida for errors in diagnosesCancer is the second leading cause of death, but medical malpractice often plays a role in its progression. Studies show that over 250,000 Americans die each year from medical malpractice. Failure to order the proper testing or read test results accurately delays such diagnoses. “When you have a mass and you don’t get a biopsy, everything essentially becomes just a gut feeling and not something that is really reliable as a firm diagnosis,” says Virginia M. Buchanan, a medical malpractice …
Cold War Calling
What do an army intelligence officer, a police officer and a lawyer have in common? Communication skills, says Melody RaylMelody Rayl remembers lying awake and listening to bombers flying overhead. It was 1999 and she was living in Bosnia, not far from the Kosovo border, on a U.N. police task force assignment. Her objective: work side by side with Ukrainian police officers to help post-war Bosnia stabilize. “It only took a few days for the U.N. to decide that they really needed to get us out of there,” Rayl says. It was a long way from home for Rayl, who was, at the time, an Overland Park police officer on …
Providing for Providers
Sarah E. Coyne helps rural hospitals apply big health care laws to small-scale operationsWhen a doctor faces suspension due to conduct or incompetence at a large hospital, there’s a long list of other doctors of the same specialty who can take over. It’s a different story when that doctor is the only general surgeon at a critical access hospital—a rural facility with as few as 25 beds and five doctors. Recently that very thing occurred, and that’s where Sarah E. Coyne came in. A surgeon faced a disciplinary process, which usually requires review by a subcommittee of the …
Dedicated Duo
How Meghan Freed and Kristen Marcroft are demystifying LGBT family lawJust a decade ago, Kristen Marcroft was a waitress working at Max Downtown in Hartford and Meghan Freed was a young associate at a Hartford law firm. How did they end up practicing family law together? As a family? “I like to claim this one,” Freed says. “I had a wonderful conversation about her decision to go to law school. I really wanted her to go.” They were introduced by mutual friends. After a few years of friendship, followed by a few years of dating, the two were married in June …
If a Worker is Injured on Your Property in Ohio
Independent contractor or household employee? It’s the million-dollar insurance questionAccording to Matthew L. Schrader, an attorney at Reminger in Columbus, most homeowners don’t put much thought into having a household employee until it’s too late. “It’s not a problem until there’s a problem, and when there’s a problem, it’s not a small one,” he says. Matter and Means Household employees differ from independent contractors because the homeowner who hires the worker determines the matter and means of the employment under Ohio law. When a household employee is …
Dog Wills, Cat Injuries and Malpractice, Oh My!
Where do our pets stand in the U.S. legal system?As it stands, pets in the United States are considered personal property under the law. What can pet owners do if negligence is a factor in a pet's injury or death? “If you call the general attorney that does malpractice cases or personal injury cases, they are not going to see a lot of value in it or be able to think outside the box,” says Jennifer Reba Edwards, an attorney at The Animal Law Center in Englewood, Colorado. “They are going to tell you an animal is nothing more than …
Finding the Balance in Tri-Parenting Agreements
Understanding the legal status of non-biological and non-adoptive parents in multi-parenting familiesThe American family structure is undergoing increasing variance and change at a speed that leaves the legal system in the constant position of catching up. Around half of the jurisdictions across the United States are shifting away from the traditional test which defines a parent as biological or adoptive. Enter tri-parenting agreements, wherein three people are granted parental status of a child. “We are starting to see more and more of it, largely because people are mobile and you can have …
Find top lawyers with confidence
The Super Lawyers patented selection process is peer influenced and research driven, selecting the top 5% of attorneys to the Super Lawyers lists each year. We know lawyers and make it easy to connect with them.
Find a lawyer near you