About Trevor Kupfer
Trevor Kupfer is a senior editor on Super Lawyers’ staff. He is editor of the Illinois, South Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin magazines, in addition to being a writer and fact-checker of Super Lawyers’ other projects. He has a degree in journalism from an accredited program (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) and has written for such newspapers and magazines as Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Volume One, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, Global Food Forums, and various publications under the groups Tribune Media Services, Capital Newspapers, and Conley Media. He has served on crime and courts beats and, in college, he aided an investigation through the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
Articles written by Trevor Kupfer
From Across the Aisle to Around the Pit
Lawyers from opposing sides of law find common ground in barbecueOn the surface, Columbia attorneys and barbecue hobbyists Robert F. Goings and Brett H. Bayne appear pitted against each other (pun intended). Goings hails from upstate and litigates injury cases on the plaintiff side with Goings Law Firm, while Bayne is a Texas native litigating on the defense side with McAngus Goudelock & Courie. “We have a complicated relationship,” Goings says, to which Bayne laughs. “We are opponents on many cases, so we’ve slammed each other’s head into the …
Still Rolling
Rachael Ardanuy on cannabis law’s growing pains and what she sees aheadFor Rachael Z. Ardanuy, current chair of the bar association’s Cannabis Law Section, the path to her practice area and its legalization were conveniently aligned. As an undergrad at Florida State from 2003 to 2007, she lobbied for local ballot initiatives at National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. She got her license to practice in 2012, the year Colorado voters legalized recreational marijuana. “But the first adult-use dispensaries didn’t really open until 2014, when I …
How Can I Protect My Right To Vote?
To protect your right to vote, you must confirm your voter status verification, your voter registration deadline, and bring your voter ID to the polls. If the poll worker at your poll location does not let you vote, you can still vote with a provisional ballot. Ask for voting assistance if you need language access, a disability accommodation, or a replacement ballot. Contact your election hotline for intimidation protection or to report voter suppression in violation of your Constitutional …
Documentaries Now
What inspired entertainment attorney Robert Darwell to get behind the camera?Robert Darwell has provided legal services on hundreds of films over the years—including Brokeback Mountain, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Traffic—but that wasn’t what led him to become a documentarian himself. “Most often I’m production counsel—meaning hiring the actors, the director, acquiring the rights to the project,” says Darwell, an entertainment attorney and head of Sheppard Mullin’s global media department. His work is primarily transactional, including …
Fielding Anything and Everything
Karen Gaunt serves as general counsel of USA BaseballAs chair of Dinsmore’s IP litigation and enforcement practice group, and previous chair of its trademark and copyright practice group, Karen Gaunt advises clients such as Microsoft, Oakley and Procter & Gamble on intellectual property enforcement, clearance, transactions and litigation. It’s work she enjoys, but the litigation tends to move slowly. “IP lawsuits take years and years,” Gaunt says. “The longest I had was nearly six years. A partner in my group has had a case that’s …
How To Address Concerns About a Loved One's Nursing Home Care
If you have a family member living in an assisted living facility and you're seeing problems with the care they receive, you want to know: How do I resolve this problem and ensure my loved one receives quality care in the future? Family members may have suspicions about the quality of care for their loved ones, but no proof of any wrongdoing. Reaching out to an elder law attorney can help family members understand their legal options. Contact a nursing home law attorney for legal advice if you …
‘The Whole World Just Goes Slow Motion’
Mike McMullen on life behind the lensTo explain what drew him to black-and-white photography, Mike McMullen recalls a piece of advice landscape photographer Ansel Adams once gave him: “If you want to know what it looks like, shoot color; if you want to convey what it feels like, shoot black and white.” “It has the power to evoke a response, an emotional connection,” says McMullen, who often captures architecture and landscapes. “Or, maybe, it’s just the beauty of it. … It’s not just what you see on the surface. …
He Represents Them Well in the Chelsea Hotel
Samuel Himmelstein’s tenants rights practice includes the NYC landmarkIt’s where Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, where Andy Warhol shot Chelsea Girls, and where Dylan Thomas became sick and Nancy Spungen died. It’s been celebrated in songs by Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, and its former guests include some of the great artists of the 20th century: Diego Rivera and Stanley Kubrick; Tennessee Williams and Sam Shepard; Edith Piaf, Jimi Hendrix and Patti Smith. But the Hotel Chelsea isn’t just an iconic landmark. It’s also a place where people …
Going to the Mat
When Bob Bennett stands against wrongdoers in the police and elsewhere, it’s a no-holds-barred street fightThough Bob Bennett has notched loads of impressive settlements and verdicts over the last 50 years, it’s difficult for him to rattle off figures. He doesn’t seek out the spotlight. He doesn’t savor courtroom oration like big opening or closing statements, and he’s not terribly fond of talking about himself. But mention his cases and his eyes light up. “He has an inextinguishable fire to help those who have been wronged,” says his friend and Robins Kaplan colleague Phil Sieff. “He …
Getting His Goats
When he needed life lessons for his children, Daniel Draisen started getting kidsStarting at about age 10, Daniel Draisen would pitch in at his parents’ music store by breaking down boxes and sweeping floors. “It taught me about life, about money and responsibility,” he recalls. So when Draisen started having children—he has three boys, ages 6, 8 and 12—he wanted to give them a similar experience. “But it’s not like I can bring them into my office to help write briefs or do pleadings,” he says. “So we started acquiring some land behind our home and created …
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