O’Neil Cannon Hollman DeJong & Laing S.C. is actively seeking skilled lawyers in the fields of civil litigation, business transactions, employment, tax, and estate planning for our Port Washington office.

Qualifications: The ideal candidates should have at least three years of relevant legal experience and a willingness to live in Ozaukee County or the surrounding area.  Any attorneys based in our Port Washington office would also be welcome to work out of the Milwaukee office on a semi-regular basis or when otherwise convenient or desirable.

Experienced Attorneys: We invite experienced attorneys, from associates to shareholders, with expertise in these practice areas, as well as a proven track record of delivering high-quality legal services, to apply.

About Our Firm: With a legacy spanning more than 50 years, O’Neil Cannon is deeply committed to providing exceptional legal services. Our team consists of seasoned attorneys and a highly qualified professional support staff. We offer outstanding opportunities for professional advancement and development, alongside a competitive compensation and benefits package.

If you are interested in joining our team, please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence to the provided contact information or by mail to the address below. Your application will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.

Compensation and Benefits

OCHDL offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience. The benefits package includes a comprehensive medical, dental and vision plan, health savings account, long-term disability insurance, voluntary long-term care, group term life insurance, and a 401(k) plan. OCHDL also provides downtown parking at no cost.

How to Apply

O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. is an equal-opportunity employer. Qualified candidates should submit their cover letter, resumé, and legal writing sample to:

Sylvester Carmichael
Email: sylvester.carmichael@wilaw.com

We’re proud to announce that Attorney Pete Faust and O’Neil Cannon’s mergers and acquisitions team have been recognized by Chambers and Partners as among the top in Wisconsin for M&A and general corporate law.

O’Neil Cannon is one of only seven Wisconsin firms ranked by Chambers and Partners in this category. Faust, the firm’s president and managing shareholder, is one of just 23 Wisconsin attorneys to earn individual recognition for excellence in M&A.

In addition to Faust, O’Neil Cannon’s mergers and acquisitions team includes Dino Antonopoulos, JB Koenings, Britany Morrison, Chad Richter, Jason Scoby, James DeJong, Brady Dettmann, Cate Heerey, Michael Kennedy, Jason Meehan, Samuel Nelson, and Nancy Wilson.

Chambers and Partners, a London-based research firm, evaluates law firms and attorneys across 185 countries. Each year, more than 200 researchers conduct thousands of interviews with lawyers and clients to identify and rank the leading professionals in the legal field.

O’Neil Cannon is pleased to announce that attorneys Dino Antonopoulos, Jessica Haskell, and Ryan Riebe have been elected as shareholders of the firm.

Antonopoulos is a member of the firm’s Business and Real Estate Practice Groups. With nearly 20 years of experience, Antonopoulos has established a strong reputation as a corporate and real estate transactional attorney. Known for his exceptional communication skills, dedicated client advocacy, and proven track record of success, he continues to deliver favorable results. Learn more about Antonopoulos.

Haskell is a member of the firm’s Banking, Receivership, and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group. In addition to her legal work, she serves as Chair of the Milwaukee Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section and is a board member of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditors’ Rights Section and the Wisconsin Network of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation. Learn more about Haskell.

Riebe is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. He advises individuals and businesses on a wide range of litigation matters, representing clients in state and federal courts as well as in mediation and arbitration. Learn more about Riebe.

We are proud to welcome these attorneys to our shareholder group and look forward to their continued contributions to the firm’s success.

Corporate attorney Pete Faust has been recognized in Wisconsin Law Journal’s M&A Power List, a list “comprised of attorneys hand-picked as power players in the M&A space.”

Faust, the President and Managing Shareholder of  O’Neil Cannon, has closed hundreds of successful mergers, acquisitions and financing deals. He advises buyers, sellers, lenders and investors on a full range of business law matters, from entity formation and securities issues to corporate governance and exit strategies. Faust’s clients, ranging from entrepreneurs to established institutions, rely on his practical approach and extensive transactional experience.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Case

O’Neil Cannon recently secured a victory before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. On January 22, 2025, the court ruled in favor of O’Neil Cannon’s client in Morway v. Morway. This case underscores the importance of understanding the finality of court orders and the associated timelines for filing appeals.

Case Background

David and Karen Morway finalized their divorce on March 25, 2019, in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. As part of the divorce decree, David was obligated to pay monthly spousal maintenance to Karen. In May 2022, anticipating the expiration of his employment contract with the Utah Jazz, David filed a motion to modify or terminate his spousal maintenance obligations, citing a substantial change in his financial circumstances. The family court commissioner initially reduced David’s maintenance payments, but Karen appealed this decision. Following a three-day trial, the circuit court issued an oral decision on April 19, 2023, denying David’s motion. This decision was formalized in a written order on May 24, 2023.

Procedural Posture

On September 1, 2023, David sought to appeal the circuit court’s May 24 order, along with two other subsequent orders dated June 27 and August 28. However, the court of appeals dismissed his appeal as untimely, determining that the May 24 order was final for purposes of appeal under Wisconsin Statute § 808.03(1), despite the entry of the subsequent orders. According to this statute, a party has 90 days to file a notice of appeal from a final order. David’s notice of appeal as to the May 24 order was filed beyond this 90-day window, leading to the dismissal.

Supreme Court’s Analysis

The central issue before the Wisconsin Supreme Court was whether the May 24 order constituted a “final order” under § 808.03(1). David contended that the order was not final because it lacked explicit finality language and did not dispose of all matters in litigation. He also argued that the order’s finality was ambiguous, suggesting that it should be liberally construed to preserve his right to appeal.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court disagreed with David’s arguments. The court emphasized that an order is considered final if it disposes of the entire matter in litigation as to one or more of the parties. In this case, the May 24 order explicitly denied David’s motion to modify or terminate maintenance, thereby resolving the substantive issue before the court. The absence of explicit finality language did not render the order ambiguous, nor did it affect its finality. Consequently, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that the order was final and that David’s appeal was untimely.

Implications

The Morway v. Morway decision serves as a crucial reminder for litigants and attorneys regarding the importance of understanding when a court order is deemed final. Even in the absence of explicit finality language, or incorrect language, an order that resolves all substantive issues is considered final for purposes of appeal. Failing to recognize this can result in missed deadlines and the forfeiture of the right to appeal.

In conclusion, Morway v. Morway reinforces the principle that the finality of a court order hinges on whether it disposes of all substantive matters in litigation. Litigants must remain vigilant in recognizing such finality to protect their appellate rights.

Greg Lyons argued the case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In addition to Lyons, the briefs were submitted by Jean Ansay and Ryan Riebe.

Attorneys Christina Ruud and Cate Heerey, both experienced Milwaukee attorneys, have joined O’Neil Cannon.

Ruud is a member of the firm’s Business and Real Estate Groups. She concentrates her practice in commercial real estate with an emphasis on all aspects of acquisition and disposition transactions, real estate development and financing, and complex commercial leasing. Ruud also regularly represents owners of large real estate portfolios in all facets of asset management and provides contract drafting services to real estate brokerage firms.

Heerey is a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice Group.  Her primary focus is mergers and acquisitions, representing clients in the lower end of the middle market. Heerey specializes in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a variety of contracts, including, purchase agreements, supply and distributions agreements, master service agreements and terms and conditions.

We are pleased to welcome Ruud and Heerey to the firm.

O’Neil Cannon, founded in Milwaukee in 1973, is a full-service law firm that focuses on meeting the many needs of businesses and their owners. Our experienced attorneys work with businesses and their owners at all stages of the business life cycle, helping them start, grow, and transition their businesses. We also assist business owners with their personal legal needs, including tax and estate planning and family law. For more information about the services we provide, please visit our website.

Newsletter Article Highlights:

• What to Expect for Tax Policy in 2025 After Trump’s Election Victory
• Judge Blocks DOL Increase to Salary Thresholds for Exempt Workers

Firm News:

• Founder Dino Antonopoulos of Antonopoulos Legal Group Joins O’Neil Cannon
• Super Lawyers Recognizes 30 O’Neil Cannon Attorneys
• O’Neil Cannon Ranked in 2025 “Best Law Firms”

Click the image below to read more.

Attorney Brady Dettmann graduate of Marquette University Law School, has joined O’Neil Cannon’s Business Law Practice Group.

Dettmann has experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and partnership taxation, non-profit organizations, and general corporate matters. While in law school, Dettmann worked as a judicial intern for Justice Hagedorn of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Dettmann also worked as a legal intern for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Council.

Hamilton’s experience extends to clients across various industries, ranging from mergers and acquisitions and business corporate transactions to intellectual property matters, including licensing agreements, sports/esports affairs, and content creation. During law school, Hamilton held legal internships focused on esports transactional practices and served as a mediator through the Marquette Mediation Clinic.

We are pleased to welcome Dettmann and Hamilton to the firm.

O’Neil Cannon, founded in Milwaukee in 1973, is a full-service law firm that focuses on meeting the many needs of businesses and their owners. Our experienced attorneys work with businesses and their owners at all stages of the business life cycle, helping them start, grow, and transition their businesses. We also assist business owners with their personal legal needs, including tax and estate planning and family law. For more information about the services we provide, please visit our website.

In the spirit of the holiday season, the attorneys and staff at O’Neil Cannon once again held a holiday donation drive. This year, the firm collected items and monetary donations for Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity works toward a world where everyone has a decent place to live, helping families become first-time homebuyers and making critical home repairs affordable for existing homeowners. Since its founding in 1984, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity has helped nearly 1,500 local families build or repair their home.

Making good use of the recent office renovations at O’Neil Cannon, the firm organized a pool tournament for its employees to break in the pool table in the new café on our upper floor. All 28 participants fought through group play, with the top 14 moving on to a single-elimination round.

Litigation attorney Dean Laing emerged as the champion, beating corporate attorney Pete Faust two out of three games in the tournament final.

While we are all better lawyers and legal professionals than we are pool players, we still enjoy a chance to flex different muscles and mingle with our colleagues with some friendly competition. Laughter, cheers, and good-natured banter brightened the café and the halls as the tournament progressed.

The whole firm was invited to watch Laing, the past president of the firm, edge Faust, the current president of the firm, for the coveted title of inaugural champion.