Erin here: The following is from our high-school employee, Carter. I swear that it is his words (with some grammatical fixes from Katie and me), and that he didn’t get told he had to write nice things. Or even a promise of more ice cream. Though with this report, I am definitely going to be sure that he gets more ice cream outings on the firm’s dime.
When I first started working at OG+S, I was told by Erin
Continue Reading The Amazing Workplace of OG+S
This week’s OG+S blog post is not a deep dive into a legal topic. Instead, I am taking time this week to talk about a topic that is a significant one for me and many others: mindfulness. This concept has been much discussed in the recent past, largely as an antidote to an increasingly frenetic, anxious world. Daniel J. Siegel describes that “…being mindful, having mindful awareness, is often defined as a way of intentionally paying attention to the
Continue Reading Meditating on Mindfulness in the Legal Profession
Katie is our new legal assistant. We are pretty sure that as you interact with Katie, you will realize she fits right in here at OG+S. Below, she gives a taste of what we mean by that (see: cat’s name).
I grew up mostly in Wisconsin and Michigan, I am the youngest of three children, and both of my older brothers went to UW Madison (Go Badgers!).
I am a graduate of Jackson College in Jackson, MI, where I
Continue Reading Introducing Katie Francey
I’ve never had a client say to me, “Oh Collin, we have plenty of time to get our Brewers Notice, no reason to rush!” Ha! Everyone is rushing all the time – they want to start making beer now! So…two quick points to make in this short post:
What is the standard time for the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to process a new application?
If you have to submit a permit to the TTB for the
Continue Reading Can We Expedite This? – Asking the TTB to Process Quicker
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the
Continue Reading Wishing You All Independence and Equality
This week, we welcome Carter Rickard to OG+S as our Administrative Assistant for the summer!
Carter goes to Iowa-Grant High School (Go Panthers!). He plays third base on their baseball team, and last year, as a Freshman, he won gold at state in Forensics. For his gold-medal run, he did Moments in History, and his topic was “Women in government during the 1980s.” Our guess is that he spoke very little about the big hair and oversized shoulder pads and
Continue Reading Welcome Carter Rickard!
It is summer and vacation time, and many people will be heading to rural Wisconsin lakes and rivers. With over 600,000 registered vessels in Wisconsin, and more than 300,000 nonresident boats, we can expect a number of injuries and even deaths. We average about 20 fatalities from boating accidents each year.
Injuries and deaths lead to lawsuits, and lawsuits often lead to bankruptcy.
Injured parties facing a bankruptcy filing by a tortfeasor explore their options to avoid having the
Continue Reading Avoid Bankruptcy: Be Safe on the Lake this Summer
Let’s say you just started a new business—congratulations! When you contribute to your new business at the outset, as well as when you contribute again at a later point, that capital contribution and those of the other owners need to be tracked somehow. Enter the Capital Account.
A Capital Account is a general ledger used to track contributions by owners and the valuation of the business. This applies to partnerships, LLCs, and S-Corps but not Corporations. Keep in mind
Continue Reading Taking Capital Accounts into Account
Product placement, by which I mean the placement of branded products in films and TV shows, is a prevalent feature in media. As a viewer, I appreciate when product placement is used (in admittedly rare instances) to drive the plot. As a trademark attorney (since I can’t seem to turn it off), I appreciate the legal complications of product placement. Whether placement is an artistic choice or a cash-grab, there tends to be a beneficial relationship between filmmaker and
Continue Reading Trademark and Product Placement
It is summer, and that means clerkships! Karen is our summer clerk. She is a double Badger, and with a week under her belt so far, she is proving to be absolutely Badger-ific! Learn more about her below.
Karen Perez-Wilson is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a rising 2L at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Aside from being a full-time student, Karen is also the small business owner of Your Biggest Flan Desserts. In her
Continue Reading Summer is Here: Introducing Karen Perez-Wilson
Big announcement! The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO“) will begin issuing electronic registration certificates for all trademark applications filed from today onward.
What does this mean for you?: If you apply for a new trademark, the USPTO will provide your registration certificate digitally, rather than on paper, when the mark registers. However, if you want to have a nice, embossed, certificate for your wall – you can order one for $24.00.
Why is this change occurring?: You
Continue Reading Print Your Own: Electronic Trademark Registration Certificates from the USPTO
Representing your client can often be a delicate balance, especially when your client is difficult or unpredictable. There are circumstances under which an attorney is required to withdraw from representation.1 In other circumstances, attorneys may withdraw from representation if the withdrawal can be accomplished without material adverse effect on the interests of the client.2
Attorneys will inevitably encounter situations requiring or permitting withdrawal. Screening potential clients, setting client expectations, and communication are key to setting an outline
Continue Reading Withdrawal: How to Avoid Those Messy Ethics Issues
I recently read an article about the “Milk Carton Rule.” The story goes that if a person keeps leaving a bottle of milk out, stop expecting them to do otherwise. Once you do that, you will “solve the real problem” and buy a second bottle of milk so you always have non-spoiled milk. The article and story has been an itch in my brain ever since. I kept trying to figure out why it didn’t sit well because I
Continue Reading What’s the Problem? No, really.
Welcome back to our discussion on 501(c)(3)’s, inurement, and excess benefit transactions! If you missed the last post that provided an overview of the rules related to this topic, you can find the link to the previous post here. Now that the overview is out of the way, here are some ideas on how to avoid inurement issues
Anytime a director, officer, or some other kind of insider
Continue Reading What’s the Deal with 501(c)(3)’s? (Part 2)
The Lawyering Skills Course at the University of Wisconsin Law School is a unique opportunity for students to learn how to practice law in the “real world.” Students learn legal skills from practicing lawyers from all over Wisconsin through simulation.
Each spring semester, 2L and 3L students are exposed to nine substantive areas of legal practice. This all-inclusive course is taught by practitioners and reveals the day-to-day work of practicing lawyers.
About the Course
The course has been an
Continue Reading UW’s Lawyering Skills Program Helps Students Learn ‘Real-World’ Skills
We’d like to wish a Happy Easter and a Happy Passover to all those who were celebrating over the weekend.
Are you hoping Spring is just around the corner like Lola is?
Continue Reading Waiting on Spring like Lola?