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.”

Be The Wolf

O’Neil Cannon offers an unexpected departure in a forest full of “me too” legal advertising. OCHD’s reputation for superior Mergers and Acquisitions counsel is well known within the legal and financial community, but less so amongst business owners throughout Wisconsin. With the assistance of the marketing firm JacksonSpencer, an unusually bold step was taken to attract attention within the business community via the most recent issue of the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Mike Farley, President of JacksonSpencer stated, “Over the years, OCHD attorneys have been involved in many very sophisticated deals that have taken place… why shouldn’t their marketing match their expertise? We wanted to move beyond a shot of lawyers in front of a library of law books. That type of marketing is supposed to mean you’re trustworthy… we believe OCHD is already on everyone’s A-list.”

Jim DeJong, the Firm’s president and member of its M&A practice group added, “What JacksonSpencer has given us is a very strong voice… and we’d like to think that business executives will consider us more carefully when complex business transactions are on the line.”

The image of a wolf’s menacing glare has tremendous stopping power and the headline, “What do you see?” forces the reader to choose between being predator or prey. Farley commented, “All too often, business owners feel that they’re on the wrong side of the deal. In the case of this ad… the ‘wrong side’ could be very dangerous, indeed.”
Body copy reads: “Our experience in negotiating the deal is matched by our reputation for improving the deal. If you’re unsure where you fall in the M&A food chain, you’d be wise to run with a stronger pack.”

O’Neil Cannon was ranked as Milwaukee’s 12th largest law firm by The Book of Lists and has been known for their strong corporate and litigation work since its founding in 1973.