About Ross Pfund
Ross Pfund is the managing editor of Super Lawyers. He is the editor of the Minnesota, Colorado, Massachusetts, Louisiana and Southwest magazines. An award-winning editor and writer with more than 20 years of experience, he has a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota. His work has also appeared in the Star Tribune and the Norman County Index. As a child, he knew he was cut out for a career in journalism because he never once stuck his hand into his father’s printing press.
Articles written by Ross Pfund
Perfect Fit
How Isabel Bonilla-Mathé ended up exactly where she needed to beAfter college, Isabel Bonilla-Mathé took a break from her health care administration job in Miami to visit family in her father’s country of birth, El Salvador. “I sat out on a lake and I was like, what do I want to do?” she remembers. Law was an option. On her mom’s side, her great-grandfather and several other family members had been lawyers in Cuba. “My grandfather was in his last year of law school when he had to leave,” she says. “People scrambled and took out what they …
'As Iron Sharpens Iron'
Mike Blumenthal’s journey into the martial artsIn the fall of 1990, Mike Blumenthal was a University of Kansas School of Law student looking for a way to blow off steam. “I don’t play basketball, and I had a steady girlfriend,” he says. “I wrestled growing up, and I missed that type of exercise, frankly. I fell into a martial arts studio in Lawrence. I had a great teacher there and it was a bug that bit me—I never stopped.” But he did start again. Although he was close to attaining a black belt in taekwondo during law school, a …
Legal Cannabis and Criminal Record Expungement in Illinois
On January 1, 2020, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act went into effect in Illinois. The bill, signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in mid-2019, allows Illinois residents 21 and older to legally possess small amounts of cannabis and marijuana-infused products. It also paved the way for the automatic expungement of infractions classified as “minor cannabis offenses”—meaning that there’s a way to have those offenses removed from your criminal record. According to the state of Illinois, …
What You Need To Get a Criminal Record Expungement
When you're charged with a crime, your life has changed forever. Even an arrest on your background check can affect your ability to be employed, manage your credit score, or find stable housing. For people with prior criminal convictions, there are plenty of reasons to consider having their criminal records expunged or sealed. Eligibility for expungement varies by state. To find out about how you can clear up your criminal history, consult a local criminal defense attorney. What Your Criminal …
Three Common Misconceptions About Child Support
There are a few common misconceptions that parents have when it comes to paying child support. A child support lawyer breaks it down for us. Misconception 1: Men Are Required to Pay More When it comes to child support, men are required to pay it more often than women, right? Not so, says family law attorney Jenna Eisenmenger of Midwest Family Law in St. Paul. Misconception 2: At Age 18, Child Support Ends Another common misconception is that once a child turns 18, current support automatically …
The Basics on Child Support in Minnesota
Minnesota has four different categories of child support: Category 1: Basic Support First is basic support. This refers to the child's fundamental needs, such as food, clothing, diapers or formula, or school supplies for older kids. Basic child support is also the only one of the four categories of child support that is affected by a parenting time schedule. “The courts recognize that the more parenting time a parent has, the more basic expenses they're incurring for the children,” says …
The Not-So-Secret Origin of Joe Gushue
Talking comics with the Philly patent lawyerJoe Gushue still remembers the day in 1984 when his dad bought him his first comic book straight off a spinner rack in a mall bookstore. The Amazing Spider-Man #255 features Peter Parker contending with moldy bread before tangling with the evil Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. It might not be high on the list of storylines likely to be adapted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it captured 4-year-old Gushue’s imagination. That was likely his dad’s plan all along. A long-time comics fan, …
Things to Know When Considering a Cabin Trust in Minnesota
When the time comes to pass down the family cabin to the next generation, Minnesotans have a few options. One of those is a cabin trust, in which the cabin and funds are placed into a trust. Following rules set by the creator of the trust, a trustee — often but not always a member of the younger generation — oversees the decisions related to use, maintenance, and more. Before deciding to set up a cabin trust, David W. Jacobsen of Jacobsen Law Firm in Northfield suggests taking a step back. …
Navigating the Legal System When You're Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Navigating the legal system can be tricky for anyone, but Minnesotans who are deaf or hard of hearing may face additional challenges. As the only attorney in the state who is a court-certified American sign language interpreter, Heather Gilbert has represented deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, and hearing-impaired clients for years in matters like estate planning and employment law. She offers an example of how accessing the legal system can be more complicated for clients like hers. “If a …
What Is Disparate Impact Discrimination?
Federal and state anti-discrimination laws prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, and other protected characteristics. Some types of discrimination are more easily recognizable than others. For example, if an employee is fired and there’s a smoking-gun comment about their race, gender, or disability, it’s easy to see that potentially illegal discrimination was at play. Other forms of discrimination aren’t as commonly understood, …
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