About Andrew Brandt
Andrew Brandt is the associate editor on Super Lawyers‘ staff. He serves as the editor for the Missouri-Kansas, Mountain States, Oklahoma, and Texas Rising Stars 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
Should You Trademark Your Business' Name or Logo?
If your business has both a brand name and a logo, you are not required to register them with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. However, there are several benefits to doing so. Businesses with unregistered trademarks may not be in breach of state or federal law, but attorneys agree that there are benefits to successfully filing an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). If you have any questions, connect with a dedicated trademark attorney today. The …
'True Colors'
A look back at the pro bono response to the I-35W bridge collapseAs with the Twins’ World Series victories in 1987 or 1991 or Prince’s death in 2016, most Minnesotans can tell you where they were on Aug. 1, 2007, when the section of the Interstate 35W bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. That evening, during rush hour, 13 people lost their lives and another 145 were injured. The worst man-made disaster in state history—and the second-deadliest bridge collapse in the country’s past 20 years—it is burned into many …
A Better Way
How Bill Bohling helped establish Utah’s first mental health courtWhen Bill Bohling was a third district court judge in Utah, he often saw what he calls frequent flyers. “People with mental illnesses would often not have the benefit of medication or any kind of support. They would end up committing petty offenses—they’d urinate in public; create a disturbance. Usually, a court would sentence them to 10 days or something, and put them on probation for a few months,” he says. “It was a revolving door: in and out, in and out.” In 2000, Bohling …
Can You Get Out of a Lease Agreement?
Whether people are leaving cities for more square footage or coming back to them thanks to rent decreases, they don’t always wait for their current lease term to expire before doing so. “For tenants who are locked into a year lease, there isn’t really a perfect way to get out of it — there is no early termination,” says Daniel Wayne, a tenant’s rights attorney at Wolford Wayne in San Francisco. “If your landlord will not allow you an early to terminate the lease without penalties, …
'A Massive Wave of Death'
Paul da Costa represents victims from the facilities ranking first and second in the country for COVID-19 deaths at veterans homesIn early May 2020, Paul M. da Costa got a call from a woman whose father had died from COVID and whose uncle had gotten the virus but survived. Both had been residents of the Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park, and she said her story wasn’t uncommon. “She presented it to me as, ‘There’s not only smoke—there’s fire,’” says da Costa. “Ultimately, she was more than right: There was a wildfire of epic proportions that could not be ultimately controlled by the people running this …
When the Government Takes Private Property: Eminent Domain FAQs
Eminent domain is a misunderstood area of the law. It’s also a legal area in which, if you’ve been alerted that the government is interested in using your private property, you’re absolutely going to want to reach out to an attorney. We spoke with Steven M. Silva, an eminent domain attorney at Nossaman in Sacramento, California, about eminent domain FAQs and how a lawyer can help someone through the process. How Will I Know the Government Is Going to Use Eminent Domain To Take My …
Where Does the Power of Eminent Domain Come From?
One of the most commonly misunderstood areas of the law is eminent domain. We spoke with Steven M. Silva, an eminent domain attorney at Nossaman LLP in Sacramento, California, to learn its origins, its misconceptions, and the forms it takes. What Is the Eminent Domain Power? If we start from the very beginning, eminent domain is what we call a sovereign power. You’ve heard the phrase, ‘It’s good to be the king.’ And it’s true: When you’re the sovereign over any area, you have a lot …
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting a Divorce Lawyer
If you’re headed towards a divorce, it’s likely you’ll need a lawyer. Perhaps just as likely? You’ve never needed one before. We spoke with Dori Foster-Morales, an attorney and the 2020-21 president of The Florida Bar, about what clients should seek in a divorce law attorney, as well as questions to ask and red flags to watch out for. How Do I Find a Divorce Attorney Who’s a Good Fit for Me? Number one, it’s really important to get a baseline by meeting with more than one person. …
California Legal Ethics: Conflict Checks To Perform
If you own a business, odds are you’re going to run into potential litigation matters eventually. We spoke with Christopher C. Kearney, a business litigator and past president of the Bar Association of San Francisco, about what clients can expect — and attorneys should provide — when meeting with a law firm's business litigator for the first time. What’s Something You’d Expect From a Business Litigation Lawyer? When a businessperson comes in to meet with a lawyer, or reaches out on …
Legal Representation’s Red Flags
As 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 …
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