Recently, Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin (ABC of Wisconsin) featured Attorney Joseph Gumina’s article entitled “Encouraging Rather Than Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations May Be An Employer’s Best Option”. In this article, Attorney Gumina discusses some of the challenges employers may face with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy and suggests alternative options for employers to consider. Attorney Gumina plans to provide updates to this ongoing issue in the upcoming workforce focused magazine—Wisconsin Merit Shop Contractor.

Attorney Gumina’s article is a must read for any employer contemplating whether to require its employees to become vaccinated. Read the full article here.

Attorneys Marguerite Hammes and Grant Killoran authored an article in the February, 2021 edition of the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, entitled “COVID-19 Vaccination: Legal Landscape and Challenges.” Their article analyzes the authority of Wisconsin public health officials regarding mass vaccination for COVID-19 and the circumstances under which individuals can object to vaccination requirements.

Read the full article here.

Newsletter Article Highlights:

• Is Your Hotel Website in Compliance with the ADA?
• Federal Trade Commission and Enforcement of Privacy Law
• The Importance of a Power of Attorney for Health Care
• Vaccine Injury Claims and the Federal Vaccine Court

Firm News:

• Pete Faust Elected Managing Shareholder and President of OCHDL
• In Memoriam: Thomas A. Merkle 1944–2020
• 21 Firm Attorneys Recognized by Super Lawyers
• OCHDL Ranked in 2021 “Best Law Firms”

Click the image below to read more.

O’Neil Cannon is pleased to announce that Attorney Kelly M. Spott and Attorney Trevor Lippman were recently elected as shareholders of the firm.

Kelly has been with the firm since 2017. Prior to joining OCHDL, she was an Advanced Planning Attorney at Northwestern Mutual. Kelly assists her clients with estate planning, succession planning, probate administration, trust administration, and inheritance litigation. She is licensed to practice law in both Wisconsin and Florida. Kelly maintains an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell® and has been selected for inclusion on The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch List.

Learn more about Kelly M. Spott by visiting her full profile.

Trevor has been with the firm since 2013 and is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Trevor assists clients in a wide array of personal and business matters with a strong emphasis in litigation relating to wills, trusts, fiduciary disputes, and inheritance disputes. Trevor has recently been selected for inclusion on the Wisconsin Super Lawyers Rising Stars List and The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch List.

Learn more about Trevor by visiting his full profile.

Both Kelly and Trevor are tremendous additions to the shareholder group, and we are proud to have them on our team.

Pete Faust has been elected as the Managing Shareholder and President of O’Neil Cannon

Faust replaces Dean Laing, who was the firm’s Managing Shareholder and President for six years. Laing will remain a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, along with Faust. Laing, one of the top litigators in the state, will continue his litigation practice.

“Dean has been an exceptional leader of the firm and set an extremely high standard for all who follow him,” Faust said. “His commitment to the firm and his work ethic are unparalleled. We are very grateful that he has agreed to remain on the Board of Directors.”

Faust is a corporate attorney who works primarily in mergers and acquisitions and has been the head of the firm’s transactional practice.

Attorney Britany Morrison authored an article entitled “Telecommuting: Tax Implications for Employers and Employees,” which appeared in the State Bar of Wisconsin’s newsletter, InsideTrack.

In the article,  Morrison addresses a few important tax considerations for employers and employees working remotely. You can read the full article here.

For more information on this topic, contact Britany Morrison at 414-276-5000 or Britany.Morrison@wilaw.com.

The spirit of the holiday season is upon us once again and the attorneys and staff at O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing wanted to do something special for our community. For our annual holiday donation drive, we collected items and monetary donations to be given to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.  Milwaukee Rescue Mission is a nonprofit organization that operates homeless shelters in Milwaukee providing food, shelter, clothing, and a range of community services to many needy people in our area.

From all of us at O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing:

“Best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a very Happy New Year!” 

It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of our colleague Attorney Tom Merkle, who served as a lawyer for more than forty-five years at O’Neil Cannon Tom was one of the founders of the firm and was instrumental to its growth and success.

He served as an Officer and a Director of the firm for many years. Tom was a friend, advisor, and confidant to his clients. He was a friend, mentor, and tremendous partner to all the lawyers and staff at the firm.

Tom was not only a talented attorney, he was highly respected by his peers. In 2007 he was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to serve on the Office of Lawyer Regulation’s District Two Committee, and was selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America® for many years.

Tom will be fondly remembered and missed by all of us at OCHDL. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Each year, Super Lawyers surveys the State of Wisconsin’s 15,000 attorneys and judges, seeking the State’s top attorneys. In November 2020, Super Lawyers published its lists for 2020, which include the Top 10 Attorneys in Wisconsin, Top 50 Attorneys in Wisconsin, Top 25 Attorneys in Milwaukee, Super Lawyers (consisting of the top 5% of attorneys in Wisconsin), and Rising Stars (consisting of attorneys who are 40 years old or younger or who have been in practice for 10 years or less).

Twenty-one of our attorneys were recognized by Super Lawyers, which has referred to the firm as “the Milwaukee mid-sized powerhouse.” Those attorneys are the following:

• Dean P. Laing:
  • Top 10 Attorneys in Wisconsin
  • Top 50 Attorneys in Wisconsin
  • Top 25 Attorneys in Milwaukee
  • Super Lawyer

• Seth E. Dizard:
  • Top 50 Attorneys in Wisconsin
  • Top 25 Attorneys in Milwaukee
  • Super Lawyer

• Douglas P. Dehler:
  • Super Lawyer

• James G. DeJong:
  • Super Lawyer

• Peter J. Faust:
  • Super Lawyer

• John G. Gehringer:
  • Super Lawyer

• Joseph E. Gumina:
  • Super Lawyer

• Gregory W. Lyons:
  • Super Lawyer

• Patrick G. McBride:
  • Super Lawyer

• Joseph D. Newbold:
  • Super Lawyer

• Chad J. Richter:
  • Super Lawyer

• John R. Schreiber:
  • Super Lawyer

• Jason R. Scoby:
  • Super Lawyer

• Steven J. Slawinski:
  • Super Lawyer

• JB Koenings:
  • Rising Stars

• Trevor C. Lippman:
  • Rising Stars

• Erica N. Reib:
  • Rising Stars

• Christa D. Wittenberg:
  • Rising Stars

Super Lawyers is a national rating service that rates attorneys in all 50 states. The selection process utilized by Super Lawyers is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. One court recently had this to say about Super Lawyers:

“[T]he selection procedures employed by [Super Lawyers] are very sophisticated, comprehensive and complex.

It is abundantly clear . . . that [Super Lawyers does] not permit a lawyer to buy one’s way onto the list, nor is there any requirement for the purchase of any product for inclusion in the lists or any quid pro quo of any kind or nature associated with the evaluation and listing of an attorney or in the subsequent advertising of one’s inclusion in the lists.”

We are proud to be one of the few firms in Wisconsin that had over 50% of its attorneys receive recognition by Super Lawyers.

O’Neil Cannon has been ranked in the 2021 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list in 16 practice areas:

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Family Law
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Insurance
• Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Real Estate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Tax Law
• Trusts and Estates Law

Firms included in the 2021 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.