About Rebecca Mariscal
Rebecca Mariscal is the associate editor on Super Lawyers’ staff. She serves as editor for multiple Super Lawyers magazines and consumer articles, as well as being a writer, fact-checker and proofreader. She studied communication and journalism at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota where she was also a senior reporter for the university’s news site TommieMedia. She has previously worked for newspapers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Her work has been featured in the Pioneer Press, Duluth News Tribune, Star-Observer and more.
Articles written by Rebecca Mariscal
‘A Natural Progression’
How Brandon Hall went from selling medical devices to handling ERISA casesFor Brandon Hall, working as a health care and employee benefits attorney is a meeting of two paths. As an undergrad at State University of New York at Albany, Hall was a political science and public policy major who worked with several members of the state Legislature as part of the school’s programs. “I spent three of my four years working in the capitol there,” he says. Upon graduation, he served as a legal assistant for a government relations practice, where he researched bills, …
First Amendment Rights on Campus
In 1969, in the wake of widespread protests against the Vietnam War in schools and college campuses across the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines established that students do not leave their First Amendment and other constitutional rights “at the schoolhouse gate.” Today, college campuses are once again the site of high-profile protests, with students rallying against the actions of Israel and the United States’ support, and calling for their universities to …
The Origin of Andrew Turk’s Evil Namesake
He could collect Captain America memorabilia all dayIn the early 2000s, Andy Turk, a business litigator at Rose Law Group in Scottsdale, Arizona, decided to send out thank-you letters to everyone he’d met over the course of the year, including Marvel Comics writer Mark Millar. Soon after, Turk got a call one morning from Millar, who was working on an X-Men story about an anti-mutant senator convincing Iceman’s parents to sue Professor X. After sharing his legal expertise, Turk jokingly asked if any attorneys in the story needed a name. …
The Unadoptables
Waggin’ Trails Rescue Foundation gives dogs a second shotIt all started with Papi, a rescue dog with untreated glaucoma who needed his eyes removed. “We got involved in Papi’s care,” says Chuck Sheldon, a San Francisco products liability attorney who spent his childhood surrounded by critters, as his father was a large animal veterinarian. “And it just grew from there.” After working with the organization that rescued Papi, Sheldon and his wife—and law partner—Ingrid Campagne founded Waggin’ Trails Rescue Foundation in 2012. …
True to Her Roots
EmmaRose Strohl brings a lifetime of farm experience to her agribusiness practiceEmmaRose Strohl’s first job was a little sweeter than most. “Growing up, we always had Emma and Grace’s Country Honey,” Strohl remembers of her childhood on a hobby farm with her sister. “We didn’t sell a lot of honey. We mostly gave it away.” The goal was not profit, but experience. The family would spread out on their front porch—harvesting honey is a messy job—to cut off combs, spin the extractor, open the spigot for honey to flow out, and, of course, taste-test …
Her Why
Kharimah Dessow’s lived experience helps her connect with family law clientsKharimah Dessow knew she wanted to help people. She just didn’t know quite how yet. A single mother of three and survivor of domestic violence, Dessow was searching for a way to support those experiencing the same trauma she did, knowing the stigma that surrounded it. Then a friend who was in law school, Carolyn Sutherland, introduced the idea of doing so as a lawyer. “I don’t want to do that, I want to help people,” Dessow remembers responding, not knowing her friend was …
A Life of Its Own
Gerry Chapman on the practice of immigration law and the necessity of meaningful reformIn nearly four decades as an immigration attorney, Gerry Chapman has worked cases that have set lasting national standards. But it’s the lesser-known ones, involving abused or neglected immigrant children for whom he’s secured state custody orders so they can achieve lawful permanent residency, that stand out for him. “It’s seeing the relief just wash over everybody’s faces once we walk out of the courtroom and we know we’ve got a custody order because we know the rest of the case …
Horse Crazy
Elizabeth Hill finds peace and connection at her barnElizabeth Hill was in a Moscow square with her recently adopted 13-year-old daughter, navigating the foreign streets and the new relationship, when the horses came marching in. At the time, the girl didn’t speak any English, and Hill’s Russian was limited. But her daughter’s eyes lit up. “She just was beside herself, and she’s jumping up and down and she’s pointing at the horses and she’s all excited,” Hill remembers of that day in 2007. “And I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god, is …
Estate Planning Tips for Blended Families
Remarriage following divorce is extremely commonplace today. With almost 40 percent of first marriages ending in divorce, blended families are becoming more and more common. Blended families are made up of spouses with children from previous relationships. The extra pieces in this family dynamic can lead to additional considerations when it comes to estate planning. Complications of second (or third) marriages can require an expert understanding of estate planning and estate tax laws. Estate …
‘You’ve Got This’
How Joy Beitzel supports survivors of sexual violenceWhen her clients step up to the stand in civil court, Joy Beitzel tries to be a calming presence for them. She knows these clients, survivors of sexual violence, have had control taken away. Beitzel and her coworkers at the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault do everything they can to help them reclaim it. “I have been able to tell clients, ‘You can just look at me if that feels best. You don’t have to look at the attorney or the other party,’” Beitzel says. When they lock …
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