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
Still Dreaming
The current state of the DACA programIt has been three years since the Trump administration ordered an end to the DACA program. Originally enacted by President Obama in 2012 after failed efforts at reforming the immigration system, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals shields its recipients from deportation and makes them eligible for work authorization. “DACA basically means that the government is not prioritizing nor deporting people who are in this limited class,” says Anastasia Tonello, an immigration attorney at …
Wisconsin Operating Agreements: Rules To Include
When Leslie B. Elkins, a business law 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 ensuring the client can actually start the business, she determines if they have partners, their financing and insurance arrangements, and whether they plan to hire employees. If it’s possible, she often recommends a limited liability company (LLC) for …
How Long Do I Have To Wait for Naturalization?
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. The Naturalization Process Takes Time In …
Bird Man
Michael Oropallo on the only outdoor and wildlife legal team in the countryWhen 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 PortsBy 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 musicianMike 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 curveBo 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
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 …
Nevada Divorce Process: Steps To File During Crisis
On March 12, 2020, Governor Steve Sisolak ordered all non-essential Nevada businesses to close in an attempt to slowing the spread of COVID-19. While family law courts have not technically been in lockdown, Matthew H. Friedman, a family attorney at Ford & Friedman in Henderson, Nevada, notes that they have not been keeping calendar hours — and have been using phone calls and videoconferencing to conduct matters. We asked Friedman a number of questions, below, on the current state of …
Q&A on Nevada Estate Planning: When To Update Your Plan
Super Lawyers conducted a Q&A with Kristen E. Simmons, an estate planning attorney at Simmons Freeman in Las Vegas, on how an attorney can help update an existing plan or put a new one into place. Why is it important to regularly review your estate plan? It is important to review an estate plan regularly — or, at a minimum, if and when family and/or economic circumstances change. Estate planning documents generally appoint trusted individuals to take care of health, financial, or custody …
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