“I have referred so many business colleagues to the firm because I know they’ll do what they say they’re going to do, when they say they’re going to do it.”

-Terry Mather, Laacke and Joys

A relationship built to last.

“Synergy” is most simply defined as an interaction where the “whole” is greater than the sum of the individual “parts”. It defies mathematical logic, really. And yet, we see synergy all around us. It makes for good business. Sixteen years ago, when Terry and Marsha Mather needed assistance to negotiate and complete the purchase of the retail and manufacturing operations of Laacke and Joys, a well-known Wisconsin company, we were fortunate enough to be asked to help. It was a particularly challenging, stress-filled time for Terry and Marsha. After all, they would be making a substantial financial commitment to the business. With our assistance, the Mather’s completed the ownership transition and embarked on their new business venture. Some might see the closing of a business transaction as a time to shake hands with legal advisors and to move on. But, all these years later, Laacke and Joys continues to regularly call on the lawyers at O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing for help with their business’ legal needs.

At O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing, we believe that strong relationships with our clients provide long term benefits for them—and for us. Solid relationships with good clients are the building blocks of great law firms.

Over the years, we’ve learned a lot from clients like Laacke and Joys about what it takes to run a successful business. We look forward to many more years of working together.

Headquarters: Milwaukee, WI
Additional Store Locations: Brookfield, WI and Mequon WI

Nothing beats the camaraderie and emotion that accompanies an NCAA basketball tournament barn-burner, except, perhaps, the spoils and bragging rights that go along with picking an unforeseen upset of a top seed or, even better, winning your office pool. March Madness office pools are so much fun they should be illegal … well, actually, they currently are, at least in Wisconsin.

Presently, the Wisconsin statutes make it illegal to bet on sports events, and that includes an office pool. The Wisconsin statutes define a bet as “a bargain in which the parties agree that, dependent on chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value specified in the agreement.” Wis. Stat. § 945.01(1).

The consequences of violating the current Wisconsin statute forbidding betting on sports events may be a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both. Even more alarming, the fine for running an illegal commercial gambling operation is a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to 3½ years, or both.

A recent bill of the Wisconsin Legislature, however, proposes to decriminalize managing and participating in office sports pools by excepting sports office pools from the definition of a “bet” under Chapter 945. If the proposed bill is enacted, people may legally participate in office sports pools under the following circumstances:

• All participants in the pool are employed by the same employer
• The entry fee does not exceed $50
• A prize is awarded based on the results of a sporting event or a series of related sporting events
• The prize is all or any portion of the money provided by the participants
• The person managing the pool is a participant and does not manage the pool for gain

This proposed amendment to Chapter 945 seems a good start toward decriminalizing an enjoyable and morale-boosting event in which a substantial number of American workers participate. Any bets on whether this proposal becomes a law?