About Andrew Brandt
Andrew Brandt is an editor on Super Lawyers‘ staff. He serves as the editor for the Illinois, Northern California, Upstate New York, Missouri-Kansas, and Texas magazines, and he additionally writes, fact-checks and proofreads for numerous other Super Lawyers issues (and for the website). He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in English literature and environmental studies, and his byline has appeared in a variety of places, both online and in print.
Articles written by Andrew Brandt
Every Rose Has Its Horn
Larry Bechler performed in three Rose Bowls with ‘The Best Damn Band in the Land’My father was a trumpeter in big bands from the mid-’30s through the mid-’40s, so we had a nice silver trumpet in the house. I picked it up and started playing in about the fourth grade. I took public lessons at Wells Street Junior High School, then participated in a summer youth band called the Milwaukee Elks Cadets Band. We performed at competitions in South Milwaukee and the Bratwurst Festival in Sheboygan, and such things. Our theme song was “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey.” …
How To Redevelop Property in a NYC Historic District
There are more than 75 historic districts in Manhattan. They range, alphabetically, from African Burial Ground and the Commons to West End–Collegiate; geographically, from Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill in the north to Frances Tauvern in the south; and chronologically from Sniffen Court and Turtle Bay Gardens (both designated on June 21, 1966) to Central Harlem — West 130-132nd Streets (designated on May 29, 2018). “Historic districts possess architectural and historic significance, have a …
What Is the Cost of Divorce Mediation?
The cost of divorce mediation depends on the case complexity, mediation hours, session count, and professional fees. Some private mediators charge a flat fee or an hourly rate with a retainer deposit. Total expenses include court fees, filing costs, and administrative fees. Complex divorce mediation costs could include travel expenses, document review of financial disclosures, agreement drafting fees, and expert fees. Individuals may want a legal consultation, which is not a shared cost, to …
Crosscourt Shot
Family lawyer and U.S. Open mainstay Richard Kent has written three tennis booksRichard Kent is no average tennis fan. He has attended the U.S. Open—the annual hardcourt tournament held in New York each August—for 40 consecutive years. He does more than spectate. He’s commentated the event for Bloomberg News and has even written a book about it. “I know it inside and out—all the nooks and crannies,” Kent says. “In my book, I describe it as ‘Disney World for a tennis fan.’ You could go and never watch a match and still have a full day.” Kent wrote the …
Do I Have To Reach a Collective Bargaining Agreement?
School districts have a legal obligation to engage in good faith during the employment contract negotiation process, but they don't have to sign a binding agreement if they reach an impasse. During collective bargaining, schools have a statutory duty to engage in good faith when discussing negotiable terms on mandatory subjects, including working conditions, benefits, and compensation. If the Board of Education does not negotiate in good faith, the labor union bargaining unit can claim an …
Do I Have To Tell the Father About My Adoption Plan?
A mother has been raising her child for five years. Her husband, who isn’t the biological father, has been helping raise the child for two years. The biological father hasn’t been in the picture since birth, and hasn’t been paying child support. The mother is looking to terminate the biological father’s rights, so the husband can become the legal father. Or, say an expecting mother has an unplanned pregnancy. She knows who the father is, but doesn’t want to raise the child herself, …
Why You Should Work With an Attorney on Surrogacy
In gestational surrogacy, a woman goes through pregnancy for another person or couple. The surrogate carries an embryo from donors or the intended parents. After pregnancy, the intended parents become the legal parents of the child. It's important to know the laws of your state, as well as those of the state where an intended gestational carrier lives and where the baby will be born — each of these will play a role in how the process takes place. This is part of what makes the legal aspects …
What Is Mediation?
If you’ve never been involved in a legal dispute before, but you’ve been injured in an accident and are now seeking legal action, the mediation process may be the best way to resolve your claim. “It’s a kinder and gentler way,” says Stephen Gealy, an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) expert at Baylor Evnen Wolfe & Tannehill in Lincoln, Nebraska. ”In a very real sense, it gives these people their day in court.” Benefits of Mediation: Cheaper and Faster Mediation is often …
How Long Will My Personal Injury Trial Take?
When Nebraska attorney Stephen Gealy represents plaintiffs in a trial, he always tells them the trial process is going to take longer than they think it should. “It almost always does,” he says. The Stages of a Lawsuit To start your personal injury lawsuit, you’ll have to exchange discoveries, in which you request information from the other party, with the defendant and his or her defense lawyer. “Once those initial discovery requests have been responded to, you’re typically 60 to 90 …
Arizona Contaminated Property: Risks To Consider
Phoenix is booming. And Patrick Paul, an environmental litigation attorney at Snell & Wilmer in Phoenix, says development has been rapid. So rapid, in fact, that more and more, he’s seeing investors interested in land that’s been contaminated—or, in other words, contains a recognized environmental condition (REC). “Phoenix is interesting,” Paul says. “Most of downtown or metropolitan Phoenix is in or bordering upon either a federal or state Superfund area... We have properties …
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