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
How Much Does a Patent Cost?
The filing costs and maintenance fees for a patent cost from $2,000 to $70,000 or more, depending on the patent type, complexity, legal services, and other factors. Utility patents are generally more expensive, requiring a provisional application process, USPTO fees, a non-provisional application, patent prosecution, a patent search, and patent attorney fees. Design patents are less expensive, but still require patent application filing costs, government fees, legal services, and a prior art …
What's the Difference Between a Trust and a Will?
Deciding between a will and a trust is one of the earliest key decisions you’ll have to make when putting together your estate plan. Generally, a will determines who gets what when you die, and a will goes into effect after you’ve passed. While similar in many ways, a trust has one enormous difference: It goes into effect immediately after you’ve created it — meaning it needs to be actively administered by a trustee. Trusts Let Your Heirs Avoid Probate Trusts also allow your heirs to …
Do I Need a Commercial Real Estate Attorney for Business Relocation?
Having to move your company to a larger space in a new location is generally a good problem to have. For some business owners, though, the process of picking a new address can be frustrating. “You need to admit to yourself that [real estate] isn’t your core business; it’s a rare occurrence for a company,” says Andrew Spilkin, a real estate attorney at Bodman in Troy, Michigan. “It’s critical that you work with a team that’s skilled in doing this on a day-to-day basis: Legal …
Do I Need To Pay My Caregiver Overtime?
Whether you need to pay a caregiver overtime for hours worked depends on whether they provide companionship services or domestic services under Illinois labor law. According to the Department of Labor, live-in caregivers and personal attendants hired by private employers are eligible for caregiver overtime pay for compensable time over a forty-hour workweek, but there is an FLSA exemption for domestic service workers hired by individuals. Failure to pay premium compensation for overtime is wage …
What Are the Legal Requirements to Make Changes to a Historic Property?
If you own a building that is individually designated as a landmark or is in one of New York City’s many historic preservation districts, and you’re looking to make changes to it, you’ll need to first check in with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The commission, which preserves historic buildings and districts, requires that you fill out an application and submit materials for your proposed changes before you make them. Though LPC receives thousands of applications annually, …
Small Community, Big Boosts
Jennifer Miernicki on the nuances of working in tribal financeIt started with one of my senior partners, Kent Richey. He was a bond lawyer, and he was asked to do a bond deal that had some ties to a tribe. His expertise evolved, and the firm continued to support tribal finance. It was really by luck that my team had this silo of expertise, and, frankly, a couple of very well-known lawyers who were eager to bring somebody else into the fold—teach me the ins and outs of doing finance in the very unique context of Indian country. I’ve now worked with …
Shedding Light
The cases that stick with Patricia Lee tend to start in a dark placeI grew up poor. My mom was a single mom, raising three kids, and she barely spoke English. We bounced around a lot, and if it wasn’t for programs like Upward Bound, and mentors who had been put into my life fortuitously, there’s no way I would have ever gone to college or law school. I never even thought people like me could go to college. Since so many people helped me along the way, I think it would be very arrogant not to turn around and help others. Pro bono work is my way of doing …
Apps Fab
Matthew Easton on how legal tech can help level the playing fieldWhen Matthew Easton joined Easton & Easton in 2009, the firm’s senior partner—W. Douglas Easton, his father—didn’t even have a computer at his desk. “I’ve seen the amazing trials he’s done,” says Easton. “And I felt like adding technology would help make him so much more effective in the courtroom. I wanted to push us toward that.” So Easton brought in trial-based applications and cloud-based storage systems—technologies, he says, that “allow us smaller law firms …
Boston Strong
Nadeem Bezar on being a part of ‘bad history’The first time I ran, in 2010, I was probably in boat shoes—I had blisters, but it made my heart feel good. To keep going after the high, by 2011, I set my sights on half marathons; in 2012, full marathons. Boston was my third full. The energy there is wonderful. You run through all these beautiful towns, and people are wonderfully supportive. You run by Wellesley College, Boston College; you see the famous Citgo sign; you come around the bend, and you’re almost done. The race is on …
Sheila Eddy’s Stout Defense
The IP attorney uses humor to protect a brewery and fight off the band LMFAOIn April 2015, the Muskegon, Michigan-based Pigeon Hill Brewing Company filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for their LMFAO Stout. A few months later, in August, the brewery received a cease and desist letter from electronic music duo LMFAO. “I think I LMFAO’d when I looked at the letter,” says Sheila Eddy, the Grand Rapids attorney Pigeon Hill hired. “It’s so obviously not an infringement from our perspective.” LMFAO, best known for its 2011 …
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