In September, Jessica Schultz was awarded first place in the 2016 Turnaround Management Association (TMA) Chicago/Midwest Chapter Student Intern Competition. Jessica is currently a third-year law student at UW-Madison Law School, and she spent the summer of 2016 as a Law Clerk with O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing, S.C.

TMA is a global non-profit organization comprised of turnaround and corporate renewal professionals with more than 9,000 members in 55 chapters worldwide. The competition involved both a written and oral component. Jessica’s application focused on work she performed with distressed and insolvent businesses under the supervision of Seth Dizard, a Shareholder of the firm who frequently serves as a court-appointed receiver for distressed companies.

Christa Wittenberg authored an article entitled “Testamentary Capacity: A Sliding-Scale Approach,” which appeared in the September issue of Wisconsin Lawyer magazine. The article discusses the complex estate planning issues and disputes that can arise in families with loved ones affected by dementia or diminished mental capacity. Given increasing life expectancies and the relative frequency with which these issues can arise, this is a situation that many people either have faced or will face in their lifetimes. When these issues arise, it is important to seek good legal advice promptly.

For more information you can contact Christa at 414-276-5000 or Christa.Wittenberg@wilaw.com

O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. is pleased to announce that 15 lawyers have been named to the 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in almost 70 countries.

“Best Lawyers is the most effective tool in identifying critical legal expertise,” said CEO Steven Naifeh. “Inclusion on this list shows that an attorney is respected by his or her peers for professional success.”

Lawyers on the Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. would like to congratulate the following attorneys named to the 2017 Best Lawyers in America list:

• James G. DeJong – Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law
• Seth E. Dizard – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy
• Peter J. Faust – Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• John G. Gehringer – Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
• Dennis W. Hollman –  Corporate Law, Trusts and Estates
• Grant C. Killoran – Litigation-Health Care
• Dean P. Laing – Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation-Defendants
• Gregory W. Lyons – Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Insurance
• Gregory S. Mager – Family Law
• Patrick G. McBride – Commercial Litigation
• Thomas A. Merkle – Family Law
• Steven J. Slawinski – Construction Law

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. Over 54,000 leading attorneys cast more than 7.3 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Attorney Steven J. Slawinski talks about a recent Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the latest Construction Blog article, published by the State Bar of Wisconsin Construction and Public Contract Law Section.

In this decision, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals weighed in on the application of promissory estoppel in the context of construction bidding.

Attorney Steven J. Slawinski talks about a recent Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the latest Construction and Public Contract Law Section Blog article, published by the State Bar of Wisconsin Construction and Public Contract Law Section.

In this decision, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals faced the issue of whether a lender’s title insurance policy covers construction liens that arise from the lender’s decision to cease funding its construction loan due to a loan imbalance.

Read Full Article>>

Newsletter Article Highlights:

• Firm Opens Green Bay Office
• U.S. DOL Announces That It Will Publish Final Rule to Update Overtime Regulation
• Understanding Alternative Disputes Resolution in Wisconsin: An Overview
• LEGISLATIVE ALERT: New Rules and Procedures Regarding Mortgage Foreclosures
• Choosing a Trustee: It Is All About Trust: Part 1–Discretion vs. Direction
• Proud to Be a Member of Meritas, A Multi-National Network of Business Law Firms

Pleased to Announce:

• Welcome Attorney Robert R. Gagan
• Attorney Seth E. Dizard Joins NAFER
• Attorney Grant C. Killoran Re-Elected to the American Bar Association House of Delegates
• Attorney Erica N. Reib Elected to the Board of the State Bar’s Labor and Employment Section

Claude J. Krawczyk, president of the Westown Association Board of Directors, was quoted in the BizTimes discussing the refurbishing of the George Washington statue on West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.

As a  life-long resident of Milwaukee, Claude has volunteered for over 30 years, serving as an active volunteer, officer and board member for a number of non-profit organizations including: Westown, the Downtown Neighbors Association, In Tandem Theatre, Milwaukee Christian Center, Walker’s Point Development Corporation, Jackson Park Neighborhood Association, St. Josaphat Basilica Foundation and others. Check out the full article here for more details on the project and its significance.

Seth E. Dizard of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. has joined the National Association of Federal Equity Receivers as an Associate Member. NAFER’s mission is to provide a forum for federal equity receivers to consult with one another regarding the legal and practical issues they face in order to develop best practices and common solutions.  The goal of NAFER is to improve the quality, standardization, and expertise in the receivership field, to make it possible for those choosing receivers to do so with confidence.

As the head of the firm’s Banking and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, Seth E. Dizard regularly serves as a court-appointed receiver throughout the State of Wisconsin for businesses, construction projects, real estate developments, marital and family estates, rental income properties, and high net worth individuals. He also represents financial institutions, secured and unsecured corporate or individual creditors, and financially troubled corporations in both state and federal courts. He also assists business owners by guiding them through the process of informal financial work-outs and refinancing. Seth has extensive experience serving as court-appointed receiver, and representing court-appointed receivers, throughout the state in assignments for the benefit of creditors (Chapter 128 Receiverships), in addition to real estate foreclosures, the winding-up of closely held corporations, and complex post-judgment collection matters. Since joining the firm in 2007, he has managed and transitioned over $100,000,000 in assets. Seth also assists clients with the acquisition or disposition of businesses and/or business assets in insolvency proceedings, as well as representation of both secured and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy proceedings across the country.

By becoming NAFER’s first Wisconsin-based member, Seth is expanding upon his experience as court-appointed receiver to better serve those seeking his service and expertise.

Our firm is proud of Seth’s admission to NAFER, and of the recognition by this highly respected national organization of Seth’s reputation and substantial experience acting as court-appointed receiver.

You can contact Seth by phone at 414-276-5000 or by email at seth.dizard@wilaw.com

In a recent article published by The Daily Journal, attorney Steve Slawinski successfully represented a client countering an appeal regarding the 833 East curtain wall work. The client was pleased with the results of the case as Slawinski stated “Permasteelisa believes that the decisions of both the district court judge and the 7th Circuit were the correct decisions.”

Mr. Slawinski has been representing clients in complex construction, business, and real estate litigation for 30 years and was named one of the “Wisconsin’s Top Construction Attorneys” by The Wisconsin Law Journal/Daily Reporter.

Read the full article here.

The law firm of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. is pleased to announce that Grant C. Killoran has been re-elected by the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors to serve another two-year term as one of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s five Delegates to the American Bar Association House of Delegates.

Established in 1936, the House of Delegates has over 500 members and its actions become the official policy of the ABA, the nation’s largest lawyer association. Control and administration of the ABA is vested in the House of Delegates, which serves as the ABA’s policy making body.

Mr. Killoran has served as a Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates since 2014. He also served as a Delegate from 1997 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2009.

Mr. Killoran is a shareholder with O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C., where he is the Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. He has diverse trial experience, focusing on complex business and health care disputes.