About Andrew Brandt

Andrew Brandt Articles written 173

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

'A Quick Education'

The case that introduced Michael Cacace to the transgender community and to the law

In 1975, professional tennis player Renée Richards underwent sex reassignment surgery after decades of struggling with her birth-assigned gender. She then moved to the West Coast to start over as an ophthalmologist. It wasn’t long before she began hitting again and, eventually, signing up for tournaments. But when she attempted to compete in the 1976 U.S. Open as a woman, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) barred her. So she sued for gender discrimination.  The following summer, …

Do Injured Cyclists Need a Bicycle Law Attorney?

For serious injuries, or otherwise, most likely

Although Idaho has adopted a number of laws that make the roads safer for bicyclists—such as ‘stop as yield’—crashes between bicyclists and motor vehicle drivers still happen. We spoke with Kurt Holzer, a personal injury attorney in Boise, about what a cyclist can potentially expect, legally, if they have been involved in a crash. How Often Do You Work on Bicycle Accident Cases? I work with crashes. An accident is an incident where there is no responsibility, and I don’t know …

How to Protect the Safety of Vulnerable Road Users

Tips for drivers and cyclists sharing the road in Idaho

Though it’s not always immediately clear to those behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, roadways are used by more than just automobiles. Walkers, runners, skaters, cyclists, scooter riders, and more are all examples of vulnerable road users (VRU)—people who aren’t in vehicles but are using the roads to get where they’re going nonetheless. We spoke with Kurt Holzer, a personal injury attorney in Boise, about vulnerable road users and how both cyclists and drivers can make the roads a safe …

What Is an Operating Agreement?

And other questions a lawyer can answer when setting up an LLC in Wisconsin  

When Leslie B. Elkins, an attorney at Kramer, Elkins & Watt in Madison, Wisconsin, meets with potential clients who are looking to start a business, she has a checklist she works through, and then takes questions. After making sure the client can actually start the business, she finds out if they have partners, their financing and insurance, and whether or not they plan on having employees. If it’s possible, she often recommends a limited liability company (LLC) for structuring. …

How Long do I Have to Wait for Naturalization?

And other questions, answered, about the U.S. citizenship process

One of the most common misconceptions Christine V. Troy hears about naturalization is that if you marry a U.S. citizen, you automatically get citizenship. “Instead, they first have to apply for a green card through that spouse, and then have that status for two years and nine months before they're able to actually file for naturalization through that marriage,” says Troy, an immigration attorney at the Law Office of Troy & Neils in San Francisco. In fact, the naturalization process, …

Bird Man

Michael Oropallo on the only outdoor and wildlife legal team in the country

When Michael Oropallo was a boy, he hunted, fished, hiked and camped. It was fun, but took a back seat to something else.  “My first love is birds,” says the co-leader of Barclay Damon’s outdoor and wildlife team, the only of its kind in the nation. “I live on one of the Finger Lakes, and I’m lucky to be able to look out in the fall and winter when the waterfowl are migrating through. I have bird feeders up, and I love the colorations.” Oropallo took that love for the outdoors to …

Authentic Grace

Behind a pulpit or on behalf of clients, Jenny Carey is there for the Twin Ports

By the time Linda Ward reached out to Jenny Carey for help, she had hit rock bottom. “I look back on it now, and I was so vulnerable,” she recalls. Ward’s husband, Steve Chadwick, a Duluth professor and organizer, died of glioblastoma in 1995. Ward had continued managing their organic farm while dealing with her own unstable epilepsy that had escalated during his illness. To top it off, a neighbor for whom they had previously granted a land easement began harassing her: “They were …

Almost Famous

Mike Anderson on his days as a touring musician

Mike Anderson’s band fell apart in the way most do: not with a bang, but a series of setbacks.  The Parr Brown attorney grew up playing piano and guitar, and, after his family moved to the Salt Lake area just before he hit high school, he spent his teens participating in a smattering of rock bands.  “Music appealed to me so much because the counterculture appealed to me,” Anderson says. “The punk rock scene probably kept me out of trouble because I was always busy. I always wanted to …

Bo Knows Boats

His education included one heck of a learning curve

Bo Sweeney has always had a thing for projects. Growing up, he helped his dad do stuff around the house. In law school, he worked as a carpenter. And since becoming a lawyer, he’s built two standing desks for his office and a tree house for his son.  Just one problem—he started to run out of things to build. “That led me to the boat,” Sweeney says. If that sounds like a giant leap, Sweeney says it was a mastery of small things that helped get his boat in the Virginia waters.  “Boats …

Immigration Procedures in a Public Health Emergency

A look back at how a D.C. immigration lawyer navigated early challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

On April 22, 2020, the Trump administration released a proclamation suspending, for 60 days, the issuance of certain visas. On week later, on April 29, 2020, a federal judge in Oregon refused to suspend the order. We spoke with Sarah Pitney, an immigration attorney at Benach Collopy in Washington, D.C., on April 22 about how the coronavirus pandemic—and the Trump administration’s order—affected clients. What Kinds of Immigration Cases Does Your Firm Handle? Our firm largely tends to focus …

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