ABOUT

Established in 2015, Vanover Legal, LLC serves clients in the areas of entertainment law, intellectual property law (trademark, copyright, and right of publicity), and business law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and beyond.

I founded Vanover Legal to provide high quality entertainment law and intellectual property law representation to clients in Wisconsin and Illinois at reasonable prices, and it has grown to serve clients from around the world. I prefer to collaborate with my clients to meet their legal needs and to empower them with the knowledge they need to help themselves in the future. I know how to quickly and effectively deliver the advice and guidance my clients need without unnecessary expense.

I am based in the Milwaukee area and licensed to practice law in Wisconsin and Illinois. In addition to my law practice, I also write about business and legal issues affecting the comic book and entertainment industries at ComicsLawyer.com, and I am the author of Comics Startup 101: Key Legal and Business Issues for Comic Book Creators. I am a founding board member of the Wisconsin Entertainment Lawyers Association, I serve as the literary publishing division chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, and I served six terms as the chair of the Milwaukee Bar Association’s intellectual property law section.

Our Team

EDUCATION

Marquette University Law School

Juris Doctor

University of Illinois

Master of Science in News-Editorial Journalism

Bachelor of Science in News-Editorial Journalism

BAR ADMISSIONS

Wisconsin Supreme Court, May 2008

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, May 2008

Illinois Supreme Court, November 2008

BAR ASSOCIATIONS

American Bar Association, 2008-Present

Chair, Literary Publishing Division, Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, 2020 – Present
Vice Chair, Literary Publishing Division, Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, 2019
Member, NFT Task Force, Section of Intellectual Property Law, 2022-Present
Chair, State of Wisconsin, ABA Golf, 2015-2016

Wisconsin Bar Association, 2008-Present

Chicago Bar Association, 2008-Present

Milwaukee Bar Association, 2008-Present

Chair, Intellectual Property Law Section, 2015-2021

Wisconsin Entertainment Lawyers Association, 2019-Present

Board Member, 2019-Present

PUBLICATIONS

ComicsLawyer.com

Author, Heroes For Hire No More: Rethinking The Presumption That Comic Books Qualify As A Work-Made-For-Hire Under The Copyright Act Of 1976, Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, vol. 40, no. 1, page 5, Winter 2024.

Author, Comics Startup 101: Key Legal and Business Issues for Comic Book Creators (1st ed. 2017).

Author, Methods for Protecting Public Domain Characters after Klinger v. Doyle Estate, Ltd., Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, vol. 33, no. 1, page 49, Fall 2016.

Co-author, Intellectual Property in Wisconsin (2nd ed. 2016).

Case Note, Figueroa v. United States, Intellectual Property News, State Bar of Wisconsin Intellectual Property Section, Spring 2007 .

PRESENTATIONS

Panelist, Defending Comics Today: Understanding Contracts, San Diego Comic Con, July 22, 2023.

CLE Presentation, I'm Sorry...I'm Afraid You Can't Do That: Legal Issues in AI-Generated Creative Works, Wisconsin Entertainment Lawyers Association, May 25, 2023.

Presentation, How to Protect Your Intellectual Property, C2E2, March 31, 2023.

Presentation, Building Your Entertainment Law Practice, Wisconsin Entertainment Lawyers Association, February 21, 2023.

CLE Presentation, The Ins and Outs of Option Agreements for Literary Works, ABA 44th Annual Entertainment and Sports Industries Conference, Las Vegas, NV, October 6, 2022.

Panelist, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Art Duel and Legal Q&A, San Diego Comic Con, July 24, 2022.

Presentation, Who Should Own the Comic Characters? Copyrights and Credit with Marvel, DC and Other Comic Book Universes, C2E2, December 10, 2021.

CLE Presentation, Ethically Dealing with Your Client’s Agent: Navigating the Symbiotic Lawyer-Client-Agent Relationship in Entertainment and Sports, American Bar Association, October 7, 2021.

CLE Presentation, Tattoos, Video Games and Copyrights, Wisconsin Entertainment Lawyers Association, January 26, 2021.

CLE Presentation, The Basics of Comic Book Law, Chicago Bar Association, September 21, 2020.

CLE Presentation, Literary Publishing: Where the Roles of Lawyers and Agents Intersect, American Bar Association, July 28, 2020.

CLE Presentation, What is the CASE Act?, Milwaukee Bar Association, January 21, 2020.

Presentation, Intellectual Property and Comics, Wizard World Madison, October 26, 2019.

Presentation, Is Fan Art Legal?, Wizard World Madison, October 26, 2019.

CLE Presentation, Comic Books 101: An Overview of the Comic Book Industry, American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, July 11, 2019.

Presentation, Is Fan Art Legal?

Wisconsin Comic Convention, June 29, 2019
Planet Comicon, March 30, 2019
Indiana Comic Con, March 30, 2018
Wizard World St. Louis, February 3, 2018

CLE Presentation, Copyright 101, Milwaukee Bar Association, April 16, 2019.

CLE Presentation, Comic Books and Intellectual Property, Chicago Bar Association, April 17, 2018.

Presentation, Comics Startup 101: Contracts, C2E2, April 6, 2018.

Presentation, Intellectual Property & Copyright 101, Capricon 38, February 17, 2018.

Presentation, From Page to Screen – The Legal Journey, Capricon 38, February 16, 2018.

Presentation, Comics Startup 101: Legal and Business Tips for Comic Book Creators

Wizard World Madison, September 23, 2017
C2E2, April 21, 2017
Wizard World St. Louis, April 9, 2017.

Presentation, Comics Startup 101: Intellectual Property Issues in Making Comics

Wizard World Madison, September 22, 2017
Wizard World Chicago, August 24, 2017
Wizard World St. Louis, April 8, 2017

CLE Presentation, Conflicts of Interest in the Practice of Entertainment Law, National Sports Law Institute, Marquette University Law School, June 27, 2017

Guest Lecturer, Comics Startup 101: Legal and Business Tips for Comic Book Creators, International School of Comics – Chicago, June 14, 2017.

CLE Presentation, Intellectual Property and Comic Books, Milwaukee Bar Association, March 21, 2017.

Presentation, Intellectual Property Basics, 42 Business Network, Milwaukee, WI, Oct. 19, 2016.

Presentation, Comics Startup 101: Legal and Business Tips for the Independent Comics Creator

Wizard World Chicago, August 20, 2016
Wizard World Philadelphia, June 5, 2016
Indiana Comic Con, April 29, 2016
Wizard World Madison, April 9, 2016
Wizard World St. Louis, April 2, 2016.

Guest Lecturer, Comics Startup 101: Legal and Business Tips for the Independent Comics Creator, International School of Comics – Chicago, June 16, 2016.

CLE Presentation, The Licensee’s Perspective: Merchandise Licensing of Trademarks and Copyrights, Milwaukee Bar Association, February 16, 2016.

CLE Presentation, 3rd Party Intellectual Property and Domain Registry Notices – Trolling, Fishing, or Scamming?, Milwaukee Bar Association, March 18, 2013.