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
The Room Where It Happened
How did a bastard orphan go on and on to become a musical phenomenon? Loren Plotkin and Nancy Rose on the legal work behind HamiltonA hip-hop musical about the first secretary of the Treasury? The guy on the $10 bill that nobody wanted on the $10 bill? The founding father of our national bank? “It didn’t sound like a commercial slam dunk,” admits Nancy Rose of Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams, who reps Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton. “But Lin-Manuel is a brilliant artist and I believed that if he was driven by the subject matter, he would make it great.” “Did you read the book?” asks Loren Plotkin …
How To Make a Divorce Faster, Cheaper, and Easier
Divorce often conjures up images of embittered spouses fighting over every last detail of how to divide their property or using their children as pawns in a custody battle. But many divorces are handled in a calm, respectful, and even amicable manner. The key to making the divorce process easier is expressing a willingness to work through as many issues as possible without resorting to a courtroom fight. For legal guidance through the divorce proceedings, contact an experienced local divorce …
Unlimited License (to Sue)
IP attorney Christopher Seidman protects artists in the digital ageQ: You have a niche practice representing artists in copyright infringement cases. How did that develop? A: Back in 1980, I rented office space from Maurice Harmon in Grand Junction. He practiced for eight years and then gave it up to move to Manhattan and become a professional photographer. In the process of doing that, he got to know the A-list professional photographers, most notably Jay Maisel. Fast-forward 15 years. He is starting to see his work in places where he didn’t authorize it to …
The Three Lessons of Edward Tolley
The prominent Athens trial lawyer talks about what he’d do to change the justice systemQ: You’ve been away from Athens for a while. Were you trying a case? A: I’m sorry I’ve been so hard to get in touch with. In the past 24 months, I’ve tried four civil cases and six federal trials: one of them was 35 days, two of them were three weeks, one of them was a week. It just happened that way. So when you’re in trial, you’re in trial, and it’s hard for people to get in touch. So I do apologize. Q: You do both criminal and civil. Any preference? A: They both have …
You Messed with the Wrong Marine
How elder abuse litigation attorney Kimberly Valentine transcended a tough upbringing to become a voice for the vulnerableQ: You hung a shingle in 2012. What made you take that step? A: I do elder abuse litigation and I’m very selective about the cases I take. Q: Selective how? A: The ideal case for me is where I can develop this fantastic relationship with a caring family who did everything they could do to provide for the best interest of their—usually—parent. They trusted that the right thing was going to happen, and the right thing did not happen, and their family member ended up being neglected. …
500 Hours of Prep for a 30-Minute Argument
If Kathryn Karcher lives in Washington state, why is she president of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers?Q: After you graduated from law school, you biked across the country. Was this a reward for getting through school? A: Everybody that I knew took some sort of major vacation or trip after law school. My thought process was that I could go to Europe for two weeks any time, but I can’t go on a cross-county bicycle trip any time, and I might not have a gap like that again in my life. Q: Did you go alone? A: I had a boyfriend at the time but he’d never ridden a bike. He just said, …
Labor Force
Barbara Zack Quindel on east coast sarcasm, the Wisconsin idea, and the last five years for Wisconsin laborQ: As a labor lawyer, how have the last five years in Wisconsin under Gov. Walker felt to you? A: I would say pretty much everything that has gone on is in direct opposition to the kind of work we’ve done to defend and expand the rights of working people—employees—in all aspects of their work life. Q: I live outside the state but I’ve certainly read about some of the battles: Act 10, the “right-to-work” measure … A: I think people outside the state are a bit baffled, given …
An Innocence Man
Barry Scheck talks Louima, Lyons, and whether the state has executed an innocent manIn 1992, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld founded the Innocence Project, a clinical program within the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law that focused on overturning wrongful convictions using DNA evidence. Since then hundreds of convictions have been overturned thanks to DNA evidence, and their program has become a network, with organizations around the nation and globe. All told, innocence organizations have been part of nearly 400 exonerations worldwide. We spoke with Scheck this summer. …
Schroer as in Prayer
Appellate attorney Janet Schroer on repair work, staying in Oregon despite a gubernatorial directive, and why you have to know everything about everything in the caseQ: How are you? A: My gosh, I’ve had a heck of a day. It’s one of those days where you come in expecting to do one thing, and things take a turn. Q: Is this still a good time? A: [Sighs] I think it’s as good a time as ever. Q: [Laughs] You sound like you’re about to sit down for a dental appointment. A: I feel that way. I’m that way with photographs, too. Q: This is out of left field, but how do you pronounce your last name? A: Schroer. Like “prayer.” …
Balasubramani, Offline
Internet attorney Venkat Balasubramani loves talking about tech matters and legal theory, less so about himselfWhen it’s pointed out that his battered iPhone 4, sitting on a tabletop at a Central District coffee shop on a drizzly February afternoon, is hardly cutting-edge technology, Venkat Balasubramani, 44, a lawyer who focuses on Internet and tech matters, laughs and shrugs. “I like it,” he says. “It works.” Balasubramani is surprisingly laid-back for an attorney. He’s wearing a dark shirt and jeans, and holding meetings at a coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon because his …
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