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
What New Legal Issues Are Media Companies Facing?
I’ve been practicing for 21 years now, all as part of our telecommunications, internet, and media practice. One of the things I’ve been seeing recently—in terms of technology affecting or creating new legal issues—is the transition of content, programs, and other information to the Internet as over-the-top services. Increasing Internet Speeds Has Made Data-Intensive Content More Widely Available Statistically, as of the end of 2017, 94 percent of Americans had access to service speeds …
Change of Heart
Craig Tobin tried the last ‘heart balm’ case in Illinois historyIt was a front-page headline in a November 2014 edition of the New York Post: “Sex, Lies & Stalking at 9/11 Law Firm.” A name partner at a high-powered Manhattan law firm had had an affair with an associate attorney, and now the firm was falling apart. In April 2013, a year and a half earlier, the lawyer’s wife had hired a private investigator to spy on her husband and the associate on a business trip to Chicago. They were caught, and the affair ended. The associate was fired with …
When Mediation May Not Work for Your Legal Dispute
Increasingly, both plaintiffs and defendants are turning to mediation to settle their legal issues. The mediation process can have its advantages for both sides: It’s often cheaper, with mediator’s fees generally being less than litigation costs It’s more private since parties meet in separate rooms or remotely rather than in court It’s less time-consuming than going to court, often concluding in a single day of mediation The parties are the decision-makers, not a judge or arbitrator. …
As of 2019, Alimony Will No Longer Be Tax-Deductible
Due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as of 2019, alimony payments will no longer be deductible for former spouses that pay it. “For those people who have not completed their divorce in 2018, if there’s going to be spousal support—that’s no longer going to be tax-deductible to the person who pays it, and it will no longer be income that the person who receives it has to report on their tax return,” says David Starks, a family law attorney at McKinley Irvin in Kirkland. “That matters …
What Happens When a Case Is Referred to Mediation in New York?
In the mid-’00s, in the Western District Federal Court in New York, Chief Judge William Skretny set forth a unique mediation program: Civil cases filed within that court are referred to mediation. “Originally, I was opposed to the very early period that the judge insisted that a case be mediated," says Richard F. Griffin, a mediator in Buffalo. "Many cases are going to be too early — you need depositions and other information before the parties are able to evaluate their cases." …
Death and Digital Assets
While the digital age has made most things easier, estate planning isn’t one of them. The opposite, in fact. “It’s not as easy as it used to be,” says Paul Gantner, an estate planning attorney at law firm Amen, Gantner & Capriano in St. Louis. “People used to draft their will or trust, and that was all they needed.” “As the younger generation — who has grown up with a digital footprint — starts to die, [estate planning] will become more of an issue,” adds Melinda Ward, …
A Walk-Through of the Mediation Process
The court system has an adversarial structure. Generally, there is a winner and a loser, and the results of a court order or final decision are unpredictable. The litigation process can also be time-consuming and expensive. Mediation is an alternative to formal court proceedings. Benefits of mediation include time and cost savings, individualized outcomes, and confidentiality. Mediation is useful for a wide range of legal issues, including: Family law matters such as divorce and child custody …
Should I Take Out a Payday Loan?
Payday loans thrive due to their small repayment windows. These personal loans — which are generally taken out by those who need a couple of hundred dollars quickly — feature extremely high interest rates and are often due within two and four weeks (short-term loan) of when they’re initiated. When, for whatever reason, the borrower cannot pay the loan amount off to the payday lender, the interest continues to roll over — potentially snowballing to a massive size. “I would encourage …
Every Rose Has Its Horn
Larry Bechler performed in three Rose Bowls with ‘The Best Damn Band in the Land’My father was a trumpeter in big bands from the mid-’30s through the mid-’40s, so we had a nice silver trumpet in the house. I picked it up and started playing in about the fourth grade. I took public lessons at Wells Street Junior High School, then participated in a summer youth band called the Milwaukee Elks Cadets Band. We performed at competitions in South Milwaukee and the Bratwurst Festival in Sheboygan, and such things. Our theme song was “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey.” …
How To Redevelop Property in a NYC Historic District
There are more than 75 historic districts in Manhattan. They range, alphabetically, from African Burial Ground and the Commons to West End–Collegiate; geographically, from Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill in the north to Frances Tauvern in the south; and chronologically from Sniffen Court and Turtle Bay Gardens (both designated on June 21, 1966) to Central Harlem — West 130-132nd Streets (designated on May 29, 2018). “Historic districts possess architectural and historic significance, have a …
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