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
Representation’s Red Flags
Warning signs your lawyer may not be the right fitAs Dori Foster-Morales puts it: “No one teaches you how to hire a lawyer.” So how do you know when you’ve hired the right one for your case? And what are the warning signs if you haven’t? Foster-Morales, a family law attorney and past president of The Florida Bar, compares the process of finding an attorney to that of picking a wedding planner. Paul Kiesel, a personal injury attorney and former president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, likens it to selecting a doctor. “You …
‘We Believe’ v. ‘Light the Beam’
Two attorneys reflect on their Warriors and Kings fandomsJoy A. Diaz, 31, remembers the Sacramento Kings’ glory days fondly. As a kid, she would gather with her siblings, parents and cousins to watch games most nights. “I come from a really big family, and we all lived like three houses down from one another,” says the family law attorney at Hoover Krepelka in San Jose. “We’d come over to each other’s houses and watch. It was more exciting when they were good. As they were losing, that trailed off a little bit.” After their first-round …
Playing on a Different Court
When he’s not a family law attorney, Tyler P. Brown is an NCAA basketball refereeTyler P. Brown has played basketball his entire life. But as a self-proclaimed “little guy,” he truly learned the game by observing it while riding the bench. As an undergrad at Virginia Tech, Brown put that knowledge to use by refereeing intramural games, and has since worked his way up to officiating at the junior college, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III levels. Concurrently a family law attorney at The Spencer Law Group in Columbia, Maryland, Brown recently spoke with Super …
What Happens if You Die Without a Will?
When someone close passes away, there is a long list of decisions to be made and tasks to be completed in managing their affairs. Wills are created to assist loved ones in making some of these decisions. Dying without a will means you have very limited input into how your property gets distributed when you die or how your loved ones are financially provided for. State law will step in and make those decisions for you. “Do it,” urges estate planning lawyer Anita Rosenbloom of McDermott …
Law & Practice
Six pillars of the legal community look back on three decades of lawIn August 1991, Minnesota Law & Politics published its first-ever Super Lawyers list. In the ensuing three decades, firms have opened and shuttered, careers have begun and ended, but the six lawyers we spoke with have remained constant fixtures in Minnesota law and on our Super Lawyers list. They’ve graced covers and spearheaded everything from the Big Tobacco settlement to the region’s biggest criminal defense cases. Now they tell us how the state of law in Minnesota has—and …
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do?
A personal injury lawyer provides legal representation to recover financial compensation for injury victims. An attorney conducts case investigations, evidence collection, gathers witness statements, and issues demand letters before filing lawsuits. A personal injury lawyer provides client advocacy and damages calculations based on liability analysis, insurance communications, expert testimony, and settlement negotiations. An attorney represents their client in discovery management, court …
How To Find a Good Personal Injury Attorney
Choosing the right personal injury lawyer can be an intimidating prospect. It's a task that will involve more than a simple Google search or online ad. You will have to consult with personal injury lawyers to figure out who is a good fit for you and your case. Personal injury law is a huge practice area and covers many legal issues. It includes everything from wrongful death, car accidents, property damage, and product liability to medical malpractice cases. When a person or company causes you …
Loyalty After Death
Mullins McLeod left no stone unturned when a former mayor was murderedOn May 16, 2011, Cottageville Police Officer Randall Price fatally shot Bert Reeves, a former mayor of the 800-person town northwest of Charleston. Reeves, acting as a concerned citizen, was obtaining formal abuse-of-authority and excessive-force complaints against Price—who had been featured in the 2005 Post and Courier article “Tarnished Badges”—when Price, driving a police-issued vehicle, boxed Reeves in on a single-lane dirt road and, ultimately, killed him. Mullins McLeod, a …
Projecting Confidence
A refereeing career taught Matthew Foerster how to make difficult callsMatthew Foerster began playing soccer at age 7, and picked up refereeing just four years later. “I’d spend the weekends at the soccer field, playing in the morning and refereeing a few games afterward—or vice versa,” he says. “I did it for fun at first, some money on the side. It was fun being a 12-year-old, getting to tell parents and coaches to focus on the game.” He continued officiating and playing as his family moved from Pittsburgh to Arkansas, and as he went on to the …
Contesting a Will in Colorado Is Not Easy
Will contests are often the culmination of a lifetime of family disagreements. Many cases arise from blended families; for example, a second spouse inherits more than the decedent’s children think they should, or the kids believe the stepsiblings should have been left out altogether. “Will contests usually get started when people have expectations based on what their parent has told them will happen with their estate that are different than what that parent wrote in his or her will,” says …
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