Next Lawyer Up Podcast with Attorney Ron Sykstus

Michael Harrison  is one of the preeminent creditor's attorneys in the state of Alabama.  I know Michael's skill level from first-hand knowledge, since he initially worked with Bond and Botes here in Huntsville many years ago, right after he graduated from law school. He subsequently moved back to Birmingham and has been with his law firm,  Key, Greer, Harrison and Casey , for the past 25 years or...

Attorney Andrew Walker  is a colleague of mine in the  American Consumer Bankruptcy College .  Andrew is an expert in bankruptcy law and he manages   Walker and Walker , a law firm based in Minnesota that was started by his father,  Curt Walker , decades ago.  Born and raised in Minnesota, Andrew made a couple of pit stops along the way to full time law practice; first, to Spain to learn Spanish,...

I have known Morgan Stangle for probably 25 years or so.  He is a close friend and a great guy!  I have always observed that people like being around Morgan.  As he mentions on the podcast, he is a "glass half full" kind of guy, and he has an easy-going nature. Morgan is the one person that I know where his work life always interfered with his various and assorted weekend hobbies and interests.  A...

Attorney Will Pylant  is the owner and founder of  Pylant Estate Law located in Huntsville, Alabama .  Will is a well-known Huntsville native who attended Huntsville City Schools.  He then went on to excel at the University of Alabama and Cumberland School of Law.  Will subsequently  returned back to Huntsville to begin his law practice.  For long term estate planning needs, it is pretty evident t...

I was very happy to catch up with my  Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School  bunk mate on this episode of the podcast.  Pete is a great guy and he, along with  Brian Sullivan , helped me get through OCS. The three of us remain close friends to this day.  After receiving his Marine Corps' commission, Pete served as a Marine Corps officer for many years before moving to the  DEA  for the rest of hi...

Paul "Hypo" DiGioia is the kind of guy whom everyone considers a great friend.  He has an engaging and up-tempo personality that immediately attracts a crowd.  I have been fortunate enough to know Hypo since about the 6th grade. I couldn't have been happier to see him show up for this podcast wearing   "The Loop" t-shirt .   WLUP was important to a lot of us growing up in the Chicago area when we...

Brian and I met under very unique and stressful circumstances when we were 20 years old at the  US Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia .  This article in the Washington Post  made me question my decision to attend OCS.  I then ended up  watching this movie,  Baby Blue Marine, with Jan Michael Vincent , the night before leaving for Quantico.  As a result, I was extremely co...

 I have known  attorney Eron Epstein  as a colleague with the  American Consumer Bankruptcy College  for the past couple of years. Eron, as you'll hear, has an easygoing and affable personality that makes him very relatable to his clients.  On top of that,  Eron has been practicing consumer bankruptcy law for many years in Chattanooga, Tennessee .  That area of the country is fortunate to have Ero...

Sparks Ford is a great guy with a great wife and kids!  This is exactly who you want at a party and he holds a room naturally.  He has been in sales for his entire career and that is exactly where he needs to be!  I have been fortunate enough to have known Sparks for twenty years or so and I am always happy to see him and talk to him.  I hope you enjoy hearing his story on this episode.

I have known attorney  Todd Farmer  as a colleague with the  American Consumer Bankruptcy College  for the past couple of years. Todd, along with his law partner,  Sam Wright , are the co-founders of  Farmer and Wright .  They have offices throughout Kentucky, hence the phrase "the Kentucky boys!"  Both Todd and Sam strike me as very bright, personable, driven and focused. I've never really seen l...

I always say that I don't know anyone in Huntsville that doesn't know Jim Kaplan and his family. I've known Jim for probably 20 years and he is one of the most extroverted and warm individuals I have ever run across!  He and his wife Jennifer have raised a great family and I am fortunate to have them in my world. I hope you enjoy this inaugural podcast of Ronnie and Friends.  In the introduction o...

Attorney Eric Artrip  is a partner with the law firm of  Mastando and Artrip . This firm is highly respected, and you can listen to a  podcast I did previously with one of Eric's law partners, Teri Mastando, here.   As you'll hear me say on this podcast, for the past several years, whenever there is notable news of any type in North Alabama that entails some type of legal matter, I expect to see E...

The  Honorable Chris Comer  has been on the bench for about the past decade or so, serving as a Circuit Court Judge in Madison County, Alabama.  Judge Comer is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. After graduating, he served as a judicial clerk for Judge Buddy Little.  He then worked for several years as an assistant district attorney in Madison County followed by a partnership a...

I know  attorney Robert Geller  as a fellow member of the  American Consumer Bankruptcy College .  As you'll hear, Robert is personable, thoughtful, engaging and intelligent.   His main office is located in Tampa, Florida  and he practices in the areas of consumer bankruptcy, personal injury, family law and immigration.  South Floridians are fortunate to have such an accomplished attorney availabl...

If there was a  NBA Best Players list  or a  New York Yankees Murderers Row  for lawyers, attorney  Roy Black  would unquestionably be on it.  He has been an integral part of American jurisprudence over the last 50 years.  His accolades are too numerous to list separately but you can find them  here .  He even has his own  Wikipedia page  so that pretty much sums up his career!  He is a founding p...

Attorney Laura Harper  is the  President  of  Lanier Ford , a large and well-respected law firm located in Huntsville, Alabama.   I have previously done podcasts with Lanier Ford partner,  Andy Sieja  and former Lanier Ford partner,  Bob Bailey .  Laura practices in the areas of corporate law and estate planning.  Laura left her native Huntsville to attend law school at Mercer University in Georgi...

Brendan Prince is an attorney here in Huntsville, Alabama.  He is well-known as a "local product," first for his athletic achievements ( Alabama High School State Wresting Champion  and Alabama State Swimming Champion) and, now, for his legal work in government contracting and procurement, in addition to all the work he does for non-profit organizations.  Brendan left Huntsville after high school...

I did not realize that attorney  Jeff McKinney  was part of the University of North Alabama crew that made their way to law school, including  Brad Botes  and  Stuart Maples , until we talked on this podcast. I am sure there are several others in that group that I am probably missing. Jeff practices with his long-time law partner,  Clint Butler , with the law firm of  McKinney and Butler  located...

This podcast features attorney  Jonathan Lusk .  Jonathan is a highly respected attorney with offices in both Huntsville and Guntersville, Alabama. As you'll hear on this episode of the podcast,  Jonathan's firm goes back to 1895 when it was started by his great-grandfather, John Lusk.   The law practice was then continued by his grandfather, Marion Lusk,  then his father, Louis Lusk, and, now, Jo...

As you'll hear on this episode of the podcast, attorney  David Hodge  has really benefitted from his humble roots working throughout his childhood into his college years on his father's farm.  Interestingly enough, his farm background has greatly benefited his clients with a number of plaintiff's cases he has brought just because of what he knows and has seen in his past work on the farm!  David i...

David Holt  is a founding partner of  Loftin Holt , a law firm he started with  Bartley Loftin .  You can hear  Bartley's episode of the Next Lawyer Up podcast here .  David is a highly respected lawyer who gives back to many organizations in our community.  He is past president of the  Madison County Volunteer Lawyers Program  and the  President-Elect of the Huntsville Bar Association .  David ha...

If you watch CNN at all, you have undoubtedly seen attorney  Elie Honig , CNN Senior Legal Analyst, especially over the past several months. Elie always comes off very knowledgeable about any legal matter that he is asked about and he has an easy going and affable manner about him that allows him to help explain complicated and nuanced legal situations quickly and in an understandable way.  Elie,...

I have known of attorney  Mark Zaid  by reputation for many years, given my own security clearance practice.  I recently ran across Mark's name again in the  July/August 2023 issue of the Washington Lawyer Magazine  which gets distributed to all DC bar members.  The article was titled  "Keeping Up with Pioneers in Evolving Practices" and it discussed Mark's work over the years.   His law practice,...

Robert Lockwood  is a well-known and highly respected attorney in Alabama.  He practiced with a large Huntsville law firm for over 25 years before deciding to go out on his own earlier this year.  You can find Robert's information at his two websites,  LockwoodLawyers.com  and  EmployingAlabama.com    As I mentioned to Robert on the podcast, I don't know where he found the time, between his law pr...

Joe Milowic  is the director of well-being and serves as of counsel for  Quinn Emanuel.  He has previously been selected as a New York  Super Lawyer  in Intellectual Property and he was also chosen as a Global Fellow by the Federal Circuit Bar Association in recognition of  his commitment to leadership and cooperation in the global legal community.   I first learned about Joe from the  July/August...