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
The Costs and Fees Associated with Hiring an Attorney
One of the main concerns people have when they’re looking to hire a lawyer for the first time is: “How much do they cost?” Attorney fees and fee arrangements range depending on the type of case, the area of law, the law firm, the amount of time it will require, and other deciding factors. But here are some common fee structures you may need to know about if you reach out for legal representation for your legal issue. Flat Fee or Fixed Fee A single, lump-sum payment is common in …
The Confidence Builder
How Jennifer Frankola’s work as a Bronx middle school teacher informs her special-needs practiceIn September 2001, Jennifer Frankola was scheduled to take the LSAT at the World Trade Center. The attack affected more than the exam for Frankola. “9/11 clarified my perspectives on things,” she says. “I felt called to public service.” Education had always been important in Frankola’s family—“it was seen as a door opener for immigrant kids like myself,” she says—while a courtroom visit for a Manhattan College course opened her eyes further. The case being tried, Campaign for …
Science Fiction and Science Fact
Kirsten Mayer takes on junk science one wrongful conviction at a time“Science and scientific testimony, in my experience, have an outsized impact in a courtroom,” says Kirsten Mayer. She’s seen it in her 20-plus years defending health care and life science companies from False Claims Act violations, and she’s seen it in two cases she tried with The Innocence Project and New England Innocence Project. “In certain criminal cases, scientists came into court and testified about things like hair microscopy, bite mark comparison, or bullet mark striation, …
How and Why To Set Up a Conservation Easement
Conservation easements are a valuable tool that allows you to protect your property interests, sell wildlife and habitat interests, and continue to use your land as you see fit. It provides a vehicle for conservation and ways for landowners to monetize their land, as well as provides a mitigation path for development projects. Property laws vary by state, and your state's property tax and development potential can determine whether a conservation easement is right for you. For legal advice …
Getting in on the Senate Floor
Bill Coates’ first job out of law school was with Strom ThurmondAfter earning his J.D. in 1974, Bill Coates saw a posting on an employment board at University of South Carolina School of Law and he took a shot. Coates would go on to become an assistant U.S. attorney for South Carolina, then a decorated career as a private litigator on cases such as United States v. W.R. Grace. But we reached out to talk about that first job: legislative aide to Sen. Strom Thurmond. Super Lawyers: I figured I’d talk to you about the old days, if that's all right …
What You Need for a Cannabis Startup
There are complex licensing structures and restrictions in the cannabis industry. Even a small cannabis dispensary requires a lot of capital. Before getting into a marijuana startup, talk to a cannabis law attorney about your legal options. The California Cannabis Industry Since November 2016, when the state of California legalized adult use of marijuana statewide, the cannabis industry has taken off. "For most people," says Katy Young, a business litigator at Ad Astra Law Group in San …
Can My Company Have the Same HR Policies in Multiple Countries?
Recently a client called Terese M. Connolly, who advises companies with workforces in multiple countries, with a request. “They have operations and entities in 15 different countries, and their new HR person was updating all of their policies globally,” says Connolly, an international labor and employment partner with Barnes & Thornburg in Chicago. “They wanted to see if they could be more aligned in what they offer. For example, they were looking at their pregnancy and maternity …
Expand Your Business Internationally: Risk Management
Dealing with the regulatory environment of the United States is complex enough. There is a lot more volatility when taking your business international. In light of the growth potential, businesses must prepare for supply chain disruptions, currency fluctuations, tariffs, and regulatory compliance issues. International business legal experts can help you evaluate the risks and rewards of taking your local business international. Talk to an experienced international business lawyer about …
Eating the Chief's Soup
What James Volling learned from Warren BurgerThe 1979 holiday season was a memorable one for James Volling. In November, he interviewed to clerk for Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in the 1980-81 term, and for Christmas, his wife gave him The Brethren by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong. Then, on New Year’s Day, he got the clerkship. He was honored and delighted. “A few weeks go by,” he says, “I’m reading The Brethren, and it was very critical of the chief—very critical of the court, in many respects, and there’s still a lot …
'Nobody Wants to Be the Guy That Shuts Down a Hospital'
Yet that's exactly what Gary Samms had to doFrom June 20, when Gary Samms first received warning, to August 16, when the doors of Hahnemann University Hospital finally closed, the civil defense attorney fought the following: an injunction, a cease-and-desist, political protests and public scrutiny. Meanwhile his client scrambled to relocate doctors, patients and residents; file for bankruptcy and triage a public relations crisis. “It was a busy couple of months,” Samms deadpans. His task: Close Hahnemann, a historic, beloved …
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