About Erik Lundegaard
Erik Lundegaard has been a senior editor at Super Lawyers since 2005 and its editor in chief since 2013—during which time the magazine has won close to 100 journalism awards around the country. His freelance writing has been published by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Slate, Salon, MSNBC.com, The Christian Science Monitor, The Seattle Times and The Believer, among others. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota, studied Mandarin Chinese in Taipei, Taiwan, and lives in Seattle, Washington, where he is a long-suffering Seattle Mariners fan. In his spare time, he is working on a book about the movies of James Cagney.
Articles written by Erik Lundegaard
Doing the Dozens
Professional liability defense lawyer Christine L. Mast juggles dozens of cases—including, recently, Leibel v. JohnsonQ: You sound busy. Or do you always sound like this? A: I guess I always sound like this. But I am busy. We’ve been just swamped. I cannot think of a time in the last 15 years that I’ve actually gotten to my back-burner projects. But it’s been really, really busy the last two or three years. Q: Because attorneys are getting sued more often or because your reputation is growing? A: I’d like to say it’s the latter. [Laughs] I mean, I can’t speak for other firms but our firm has …
Oscar, Oscar, Oscar
John Quinn and David Quinto, of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, general counsel and lawyer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, get ready for their close-upSL: It’s October 2012. The 85th Annual Academy Awards will be presented in February 2013. What issues do you anticipate between now and then? Quinn: There are routine things related to the Oscar show. Every year there are clearances that need to be obtained. We review the script for the show. There are security arrangements that need to reviewed and updated. We work very closely with the police. SL: In what capacity? Quinn: The Oscar show is viewed by a billion people worldwide. …
Maryland Law & Politics
Timothy F. Maloney talks ’70s politics, civility among lawyers, and having a gun pointed at his headQ: You were with the Maryland General Assembly from ’79 to ’95. A: I was. I was elected at the age of 22. Q: And your father was involved in politics but not as a politician? A: Well, no. He worked for Sam Ervin’s subcommittee on constitutional rights. He was in the JAG Corps, which is why I was born in France. And he was an administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board [NLRB]. But when I retired from public office, he decided to run for county council. I took …
Buting for the Defense
Cancer survivor Jerome Buting on fallibility, prejudgment and the deterioration of criminal lawQ: You’ve represented several clients in high-profile cases: Ralph Armstrong, Steven Avery, Ted Oswald. Any cases that didn’t get the media attention you felt they deserved? A: There are. Although usually that’s good. From the defense perspective, you don’t normally get good publicity—particularly at the outset of a case—because the information is one-sided and limited. It’s coming from the criminal complaint or the press release from the police or something like that, and …
The Four Lanes of Alphonso E. Tindall Jr.
As a child he walked the precincts for the first African-American running for mayor of New Haven; now he represents cities and states in a public sector-related practiceQ: You mentioned you’ll be traveling next week. Where to? A: I’ve got to be in Minnesota for the next three days, then I’m out West. Q: Business? A: Minnesota is. I sit on the board of trustees at a college [St. Olaf] out there. Q: And the West Coast? A: More business. Q: With … ? A: The city of Sacramento, the city of Los Angeles, the state of California. Q: Just a few clients. A: Actually, only the state of California is a client. We have an interview with …
Paramount Duty
Thomas Ahearne wins one for public educationOn Jan. 5, 2012, in McCleary v. State of Washington, the state Supreme Court not only affirmed the 2010 ruling of King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick, it affirmed the English language. It ruled, among other things, that paramount duty means “first and highest priority,” all means “each and every,” and ample means “considerably more than just adequate.” Somewhere, Merriam and Webster breathe a sigh of relief. This concern for nomenclature was part of the vocabulary test that …
Faer, Focused
Laura Faer, statewide education director at Public Counsel, knew what she wanted to do in high school and never waveredQ: What is your current title at Public Counsel? I’ve seen different ones attributed to you. A: For close to three years I was the directing attorney at the Children’s Rights Project. In April of last year I transitioned to education rights director. I’m in charge of our statewide education rights work, which includes legislation, policy, advocacy and litigation. Q: And what do you spend most of your time on? A: At the moment I’ve been spending the most time on policy and …
Collaborative Art
How an expertise in poisoning led Alexandra Kwoka to family lawQ: You’re a family law lawyer but you went out and got an LL.M. in tax law. Is this to supplement your regular practice? Or did you want to do something that isn’t as emotionally charged as family law? A: Both. When [your clients are] high net-worth individuals, having an understanding of how the tax code affects partnerships and businesses sometimes makes it easier to be innovative in solutions. Alimony is a tax deduction for high-income earners. Also, I personally find financial …
Lone Ranger
Jean Dubofsky, the first female justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, and the appellate lawyer who took Amendment 2 to the U.S. Supreme Court, reflects on her careerQ: You previously mentioned to me you would be retiring soon. Is this well-known in Colorado legal circles? A: I’ve never done any kind of a formal announcement. A lot of people who see me know that I’m not taking on new cases—that I am either consulting or serving as an expert. I’ve done some reports for state agencies and things of that nature. I’ll keep doing that. But I’m not going to be the person responsible for shepherding any more cases through the appellate system. Just …
Cochran’s Man in Atlanta
Hezekiah Sistrunk Jr. sees lawyering as a service jobLast November, Hezekiah Sistrunk Jr., managing partner of The Cochran Firm in Atlanta, and shareholder of its national firm, was inducted, along with Richard Sinkfield and Forrest Johnson, into the Gate City Bar Association Hall of Fame. We spoke with him the week after the ceremony. Q: Tell us about the Hall of Fame induction. Did you give speeches? A: We did. Three-minute speeches, live, and four-minute presentations, videotape, prior to each person’s induction. Q: Who put …
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