O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. is pleased to announce that 18 lawyers have been named to the 2018 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 over 75 countries.

“For more than a third of the century,” says CEO Steven Naifeh, “Best Lawyers has been the gold standard of excellence in the legal profession.” President Phil Greer adds, “We are extremely proud of that record and equally proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of these exceptional legal professionals.”

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 2018 Best Lawyers in America list:

• Douglas P. Dehler – Litigation-Insurance
• 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
• Robert R. Gagan – Municipal Law
• John G. Gehringer – Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
• Joseph E. Gumina – Litigation-Labor and Employment
• 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.”

The prestigious Chambers USA Directory has included O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. as one of the notable firms in the category of Corporate/M&A.  Additionally, Chambers has included Jim DeJong and Pete Faust among their Recognised Practitioners.

The Chambers directories, published by London-based Chambers and Partners, rank attorneys and law firms based on a year-long objective research process. The process includes interviews with outside attorneys and feedback from clients.  Learn more at www.chambersandpartners.com. 

Attorney Seth Dizard was mentioned in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his involvement with the Ruffed Grouse Society and its recent developments to continue moving the organization forward.  The society signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Forest Service, and the Society hired its first habitat biologist, a Hales Corners native named Dan Dessecker.

Seth was elected earlier this year to serve on the organization’s national board of directors.

Click here to read the full story. 

Attorney Claude Krawczyk has been named to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Herbert J. Mueller Society.
The recognition society acknowledges the efforts of professional advisers who are committed to their clients, philanthropy and the community. Krawczyk is one of 12 new members this year to the society, which now includes more than 300 professional advisers.

The society is named in memory of Herbert Mueller, a local estate planning attorney who, through his quiet efforts, helped shape the Foundation into the strong, stable and successful organization it is today. By the time of his death in 2001 at age 91, Mueller had worked with his clients to start more than a dozen Foundation funds with gifts totaling nearly $50 million.

For more than a century, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation has helped individuals, families and organizations realize their philanthropic goals and make a difference in the community, during their lifetimes and for future generations. The Foundation consists of more than 1,200 individual charitable funds, each created by donors to serve the charitable causes of their choice. The Foundation deploys both human and financial resources to address the most critical needs of the community and ensure the vitality of the region. Established in 1915, the Foundation was one of the first community foundations in the world and is now among the largest.

Two of Steve Slawinski’s recent victories before the United States Court of Appeals for the 7^th Circuit were featured in an article published in the December, 2016 issue of the Wisconsin Lawyer titled “Top 9 Recent Wisconsin Federal Court Decisions.” The article discussed the importance of these court decisions in the areas of Wisconsin contract law and Wisconsin insurance law; encompassing Steve’s overall focus of construction law.

For 30 years Steve has represented his clients in complex construction, business, and real estate litigation. His practice emphasizes construction litigation and construction law—representing general contractors, subcontractors, owners, design professionals, lenders and title insurers in construction disputes, both in court and in arbitration.

Wonderful job Steve, on your hard work and dedication!

In the spirit of the holiday season the attorneys and staff at O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing decided to do something special this year. We brought gifts to our firm Christmas Party to be donated to the local Ronald McDonald House, and quite a pile of gifts was indeed donated.

We had the opportunity, earlier this week, to tour the house and witness how the donations and support from the community are directly contributing to helping and touching so many lives. We are honored to have been a part of such an amazing organization.

From all of us at the firm:

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

U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers, for the seventh consecutive year, announced the “Best Law Firms” rankings. O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing S.C. has been ranked in the 2017 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list in 13 practice areas:

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Family Law
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• 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 2017 “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.

Each year, Super Lawyers surveys the State’s attorneys and judges, seeking the State’s top attorneys. The lists for 2016 were just published and, once again, a large number of our attorneys are included thereon.

Dean Laing was named one of the Top 10 attorneys in Wisconsin for the second time. He was also named one of the Top 50 attorneys in Wisconsin for the eleventh straight year. In doing so, he is one of only seven attorneys out of over 15,000 attorneys in Wisconsin — and the only commercial litigator in Wisconsin — to make the list all eleven years. Dean was also named one of the Top 25 attorneys in Milwaukee.

Seth Dizard and Patrick McBride were also named one of the Top 50 attorneys in Wisconsin. This is the fourth time that Seth has made the list. Seth and Patrick were also named one of the Top 25 attorneys in Milwaukee.

Doug Dehler, Jim DeJong, Pete Faust, Bob Gagan, John Gehringer, Joe Gumina, Greg Lyons, Greg Mager, Joe Newbold, Chad Richter, John Schreiber, Jason Scoby and Steve Slawinski were also named Super Lawyers, a recognition given to the top 5% of attorneys in Wisconsin. Jim DeJong, Pete Faust, John Gehringer and Greg Lyons have made the list for the past 10 or more years.

Megan Harried and Erica Reib were also named Rising Stars, which is limited to 2.5% of the young attorneys in Wisconsin.

In total, we had 19 of our attorneys named to the lists by Super Lawyers, representing more than 50% of our practicing attorneys, which is more than 10 times in excess of the 5% statewide standard.

We are extremely proud of these recognitions, but even more proud of the quality of service we provide to our clients.

Earlier this month, OCHDL proudly sponsored a charitable event at the Wisconsin Club, downtown Milwaukee, in honor of Catholic Relief Services; the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The event had many influential guests in attendance, including Archbishop Listecki, Dr. Carolyn Woo, CEO and President of CRS, and Coach Wojciechowski of Marquette University. The event generated a great deal of awareness, as well as the much needed funds to support this overall amazing cause.

Catholic Relief Services is one of the largest international aid organizations in the world. They are also one of the most efficient and effective: Ninety-seven percent of their expenditures go directly to programs that benefit individuals overseas. As part of the universal mission of the Catholic Church, they work with local, national and international Catholic institutions and structures, and other organizations, to assist people on the basis of need, without regard to race, religion or nationality. They alleviate suffering and provide assistance to more than 100 million people in need who live in some of the most impoverished places in over 100 countries.

O’Neil Cannon are honored to have been a part of such a meaningful event and encourage everyone in the community to look into this selfless agency.

Read more about CRS >>

We are pleased to announce that Trevor C. Lippman was selected to participate in the inaugural class of the G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy. Trevor was 1 of 23 attorneys chosen to participate in this program.

The Wisconsin State Bar’s Development Committee recently developed the G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy as an inclusive leadership development training program. The committee’s objectives in creating this program are to empower participants with the skills, strategies, and resources to become effective leaders in all walks of life.

The G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy is a multi-session training program designed to help lawyers enhance their leadership skills, to build professional networks, to inspire involvement, and to foster professional development. The inaugural class will begin the program this November and end in the spring of 2017.

This is a great opportunity for Trevor to enhance his practice and enrich his career, and he is excited to be a participant.