Attorneys Pete Faust and Jason Scoby were recently quoted in the Business Journal in an article about advising their clients on the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Business Journal article,  addressed how funds should be applied and documented, and the options available to those who did not receive funds in the initial round. O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing remains open and ready to help you. For questions or further information relating to the PPP and EIDL programs, please speak to your regular OCHDL contact.

The full article titled “Top tips for Milwaukee-area businesses that received PPP funds, and businesses that didn’t” was published on April 23, 2020 in the Business Journal.

An article by Attorneys Christa Wittenberg and Grant Killoran on constitutional law issues relating to the current COVID-19 pandemic is featured as the cover story in the April edition of the State Bar of Wisconsin publication Wisconsin Lawyer. In their article, they take an informative and deep dive look into regulations and due process concerns relating to the current public health emergency.

Read the full article here.

We are incredibly proud to financially support local Port Washington hero, 16-year-old William “Billy” Schowalter, as he works diligently to create plastic face shields for medical professionals, local police, and other service providers that work with the public. Billy, a son of an OCHDL employee, is using his 3D printer to make personal protective equipment and headpieces to help those on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Click here to read more about Billy’s story and to be reminded that we are all in this together.

Each year, Super Lawyers surveys the State of Wisconsin’s 25,000 attorneys and judges, seeking the State’s top attorneys. Super Lawyers then selects the Top 10 Attorneys in Wisconsin, Top 50 Attorneys in Wisconsin, Top 25 Attorneys in Milwaukee, and Super Lawyers (consisting of the top 5% of attorneys in Wisconsin).

The 2019 lists were published by Super Lawyers in December 2019, and include the following attorneys from O’Neil Cannon:

• Dean P. Laing:
  • Top 10 Attorneys in Wisconsin (Ranked #2)
  • 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

In addition, Erica N. Reib was selected by Super Lawyers as Rising Stars (a Rising Star must be 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less).

In total, 18 attorneys of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing were recognized by Super Lawyers, which has called the firm “the Milwaukee mid-sized powerhouse.”

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.

O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing is pleased to announce that Attorney Christa Wittenberg was recently elected as a shareholder of the firm.

Christa has been with the firm since 2014 as a member of the Litigation Practice Group. She assists businesses and individuals with prosecuting and defending a variety of civil litigation matters. Her practice includes complex contract disputes, trademark and copyright claims, shareholder disputes, inheritance disputes, class actions, personal injury cases, and fraud and conspiracy claims. Before joining the firm, she was a federal district court law clerk.

Christa will be a tremendous addition to the shareholder group, and we are proud to have her on our team.

Grant Killoran, Christa Wittenberg, and Chris Keeler of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing’s Litigation Practice Group recently presented at the State Bar of Wisconsin/Pinnacle’s “Annual Constitutional Law Symposium 2019” in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

Attorney Killoran was the Chair of the symposium and presented on Third Amendment issues. Attorney Wittenberg moderated and presented as part of a panel discussion on due process issues related to public health actions to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. Attorney Keeler co-presented on constitutional issues relating to the incarceration of juveniles.

Attorneys Killoran, Wittenberg, and Keeler were joined at the symposium by speakers from around Wisconsin and the country to discuss various constitutional topics and issues.

Attorney Killoran is a shareholder with the law firm and is the Chair of its Litigation Practice Group. He has significant and diverse trial experience representing clients in Wisconsin State and Federal Courts, and courts around the country, focusing on complex business, health care and employment law disputes.

Attorney Wittenberg is a member of the Litigation Practice Group. She assists businesses and individuals with prosecuting and defending a variety of civil litigation matters, including complex contract disputes, trademark and copyright claims, inheritance disputes, class actions, personal injury cases, and fraud and conspiracy claims. As a former federal district court law clerk, Attorney Wittenberg is intimately familiar with litigation and procedures in federal court. She has also litigated matters in state court, as well as resolved cases through mediation prior to litigation.

Attorney Keeler is a member of the Litigation Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on general business law and complex business litigation by assisting clients with a variety of business and development needs. Additionally, Attorney Keeler devotes a portion of his practice to immigration law, with an emphasis on employment visas and humanitarian matters.

Recently, the Merit Shop Contractor magazine featured Attorney Joseph Gumina’s safety article on construction contractor compliance with OSHA’s fall protection standard (29 C.F.R. § 1926.501). In his article, Attorney Gumina discusses the general requirements of OSHA’s construction industry fall protection standard. Despite the simple requirements of the standard, OSHA’s fall protection standard continues to be the most frequently cited OSHA standard in the construction industry. Attorney Gumina discusses methods to eliminate, prevent, and control fall hazards on the worksite with a special emphasis on fall protection training so that employees can avoid fall hazards and contractors can achieve effective safety compliance.

Read the full article here.

O’Neil Cannon has been ranked in the 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list in 17 practice areas:

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Family Law
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Insurance
• Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Municipal 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 2020 “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.

Recently Attorneys Christa Wittenberg and Grant Killoran were featured in the State Bar of Wisconsin publication Wisconsin Lawyer. In the article, they discuss the hot topic of measles and the due process implications of public health responses.

Read the full article here.

Attorneys Carl D. Holborn and Britany E. Morrison were recently published in the Taxation of Exempts, a Thomson Reuters journal.

There is a big unresolved public policy issue in the philanthropic world—private foundations and their use of donor-advised funds (DAF). Specifically, the issue is whether distributions made by private foundations to donor-advised funds should be treated as “qualifying distributions” for purposes of the 5% annual payout rule.

While the issue was sparsely debated before, the IRS really stirred the debate in the charitable world with the issuance of Notice 2017-73. The Notice specifically requests comments on whether a contribution to a DAF by a private foundation should be considered a distribution that counts as a “qualifying distribution” for the purposes of the annual 5% payout rule. [1] Comments in response to the Notice poured in and opinions were deeply divided between those in favor of reform to disallow or limit “qualifying distributions” to DAFs and those in full defense of the IRS maintaining the status quo.

Two years have passed since the Notice issuance and the IRS has yet to issue an any regulations or proposed regulations. This article highlights some of the major arguments for reform, limits, and the status quo regarding private foundations distributions to DAFs “counting” as qualified distributions.

Read full article here.