The 2010 “Michigan Super Lawyers” roster includes three attorneys practicing in the Farmington Hills office of the statewide law firm Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC.
“Super Lawyers” in Foster Swift’s Farmington Hills office include:
• Michael R. Blum - Employment & Labor Law.
• Alan G. Gilchrist - Health Care Law.
• Frank T. Mamat - Employment & Labor Law.
Additionally, attorney John M. Kamins, a shareholder at Foster Swift, was elected chairman for 2010-2011 of the Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports (ACES) Section of the State Bar of Michigan on Oct. 1, at the annual meeting in Grand Rapids.
The ACES Section of the State Bar of Michigan provides education, information and analysis about issues of concern – regarding arts, communication, entertainment and sports – through meetings, seminars, the web site, public service programs, and publication of a newsletter.
Kamins counsels music, film, and other entertainment industry clients in Michigan and nationally, including with respect to intellectual property rights, the State of Michigan’s film production incentives and infrastructure development tax credits, and business and contractual matters. His clients include musical artists and songwriters, bands, producers, record companies, movie studios, screenwriters, producers, managers, actors and models.
Kamins earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Michigan.
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Mary Jo Larson, a partner with the law firm Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP, was selected to participate in Leadership Detroit.
Larson, an employee benefits attorney who practices in the Southfield office, is one of 63 local leaders participating in the XXXII Class of Leadership Detroit. The yearlong community leadership program works to enhance leadership skills of senior-level executives in southeast Michigan and help them gain insight and knowledge of regional issues.
Larson has been recognized for her employee benefits work by many professional organizations, including “Best Lawyers in America,” Chambers USA and dBusiness. She was named to the Top 100 “Michigan Super Lawyers” and one of the Top 50 “Women Michigan Super Lawyers.” She is a fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.
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Clark Hill attorneys Daniel J. Bretz and Reginald M. Turner have been elected to serve on the executive committee of Clark Hill PLC, firm CEO John Hern announced this month. Bretz and Turner will serve a two year term beginning Jan. 1, 2011. This is a first term for Bretz, and a third term for Turner.
Bretz represents clients across the entire spectrum of employment and labor law. His clients include regional and national employers in health care, transportation, construction, automotive and hospitality industries. He has served as first chair in class actions and individual cases involving discrimination, harassment, contract and labor issues. In both 2009 and 2010, he was named one of the Top 10 Lawyers in all of Michigan in a peer review survey conducted by “SuperLawyers.” For the last 5 years, Bretz has been rated “# 1” in the highest tier of Michigan labor and employment lawyers by Chambers USA: Leading Lawyers for Business. He has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America” for more than 10 years. Chambers USA describes him as “a leading light among litigators” in Michigan.
Bretz is a contributing author to “Employment Law In Michigan,” 2nd Ed. He has authored several articles and papers on collective bargaining, union organizing, the Family Medical Leave Act, sexual harassment, and litigating employment discrimination claims. He is a frequent speaker on labor and employment issues before various groups such as the ABA, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Michigan Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
Turner is a member of Clark Hill’s Executive Committee, its Government Policy Group and its Labor and Employment Group. He is also a director of Comerica, Inc. Turner is named in the peer review guides The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers®. He is a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He was named to Crain’s Power Lawyers 2008. Turner was a Michigan Lawyer of the Year in 2005. He is a past president of the National Bar Association and past president of the State Bar of Michigan. He serves as chairman of the American Bar Association Committee on Issues of Concern to the Profession.
Turner is a member of the labor and employment sections of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. He is certified in arbitration by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Turner previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Employers, the American Arbitration Association’s Michigan Employment Advisory Council and the State Bar of Michigan’s Labor and Employment Section Council.
Turner is vice chairman of the Detroit Institute of Arts, and vice chairman of the Detroit Police Foundation. He is a Director of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and a Board Member of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. He formerly served on Governor John Engler’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Michigan Gaming and on the City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Advisory Committee. He is a past chairman of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
Additionally, Clark Hill attorney Michael M. Antovski was elected to the State Bar of Michigan Tax Council. Michael will serve a three year term.
Antovski is a member in the firm’s Corporate Practice Group in the Birmingham office, and focuses his practice in our Business Practice Group. Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of tax planning, acquisitions and dispositions, and general corporate matters, and regularly advises clients on tax planning strategies involving corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships.
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Dykema announces that Mark G. Malven, the leader of the firm’s Technology Transactions Practice, has been elected chairman of the Information Technology Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
Malven is known for his skill in the negotiation of technology transactions and the representation of technology-based businesses. He has experience acting as the outside general counsel and trusted strategic advisor for organizations in a variety of industries, with a particular focus on information technology, biotechnology, entertainment and manufacturing. Malven was recognized as a “Michigan Super Lawyer” by the publishers of Law & Politics.
He has handled hundreds of strategic technology transactions involving development, consulting, sponsored university research, manufacturing, licensing, distribution, value-added reseller, private-label, content licensing, e-commerce, acquisition, and joint venture relationships. Malven was one of the primary negotiators for two of the largest outsourcing transactions of their kind ever undertaken, involving billions of dollars in services.
Malven splits his time between Dykema’s Ann Arbor and Bloomfield Hills offices. He earned his B.S. in Engineering from Purdue University and his law degree from the University of Michigan.
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Miller Canfield principal Richard A. Walawender (Detroit); principal Andrzej Chelchowski (Warsaw, Poland); associate Karolina Niemirska-Fido (Warsaw, Poland); and associate Maja Binkowska (Warsaw, Poland) assisted with preparing three legal books: “Translation of the Bankruptcy and Reorganisation Law,” “Translation of the Code of Administrative Proceedings” and “The Public Real Estate Management” along with C.H. Beck publishing house, a law, tax and economy publishing house in Poland.
Walawender, Niemirska-Fido and Binkowska, in addition to preparing translation of complete text, also provided legal guidance for the “Translation of the Bankruptcy and Reorganisation Law,” which also highlights the latest amendments of bankruptcy law and restructuring. Bankruptcy and reorganisation law is a modern legal act that governs the issues and effects connected with a debtors’ insolvency, both on domestic and international levels. This English edition of the law is helpful to foreign investors, their advisors and Polish lawyers in dealing with the basic guidelines of bankruptcy issues.
“The Translation of the Code of Administrative Proceedings,” translated by Walawender, Chelchowski and Binkowska, additionally includes comprehensive introduction to the administrative proceedings system. “The Code of Administrative Proceedings” is one of the key legal acts in the Polish legal system and this edition of the code will improve understanding of the basic rules of administrative procedure and quality of communication regarding all types of administrative proceedings between Polish and English-speaking lawyers, translators, private individuals, professionals and entrepreneurs.
In a book by Chelchowski, “The Public Real Estate Management,” Chelchowski provides his legal real estate expertise in the area of management of state and municipal properties. It is available in Polish only.
Miller Canfield also announces that Heather M. Olson has joined the firm in the Troy office as an associate in the Real Estate Group. Her practice focuses on commercial real estate workouts and foreclosures.
Olson is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association and was a 2004-2005 Trial Competition winner under WSU Law School’s Student Trial Advocacy Program. She is admitted to practice in Michigan and New York.
She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and B.A. from Hamilton College.
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Pepper Hamilton LLP is ranked number one nationally in The American Lawyer’s 2010 Summer Associates Survey. The firm received an overall score of 4.953, based on a scale of 1 to 5. The average overall score was 4.58. Pepper’s position climbed from number 49 in the 2009 rankings.
Thomas P. Wilczak, partner-in-charge of Pepper Hamilton’s Detroit office, said, “We are extremely proud to have earned the number one spot. We’ve worked hard to make our summer program meaningful and rewarding, and it’s great to hear confirmation from our summer associates that we’re exceeding expectations.”
Pepper Hamilton earned perfect or near-perfect scores in all key categories, including the level of training, guidance, and feedback they offered summer hires, as well as the number of substantive, interesting assignments they handed out.
The survey, conducted from early June to mid-August, generated responses from 3,000 first- and second-year law students at 137 firms. Of those firms, 101 qualified for the overall rankings.
Michael P. Subak, chair of Pepper Hamilton’s Hiring Committee, commented, “We were fortunate to have such an extremely diverse and talented group of individuals who came together and developed phenomenal camaraderie.”
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Butzel Long received the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award from the Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. (LAD) on Oct. 20. Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. is the largest provider of legal services to low- and moderate-income people in Michigan and one of the largest in the nation.
Throughout its more than 150 years, Butzel Long has a long and distinguished history of public service, particularly assisting clients who could otherwise not afford legal representation. Providing quality pro bono legal services is a priority for Butzel Long. The firm’s lawyers, from the newest associate to members of the Board of Directors, use their expertise and training to make a difference each year, providing thousands of hours to those in need through a wide range of programs and relationships.
Butzel Long and LAD have a longstanding tradition of matching firm attorneys with clients who could otherwise not afford legal representation. Dozens of Butzel Long attorneys have participated in the annual Detroit Legal Services Pro Bono Clinic. Through their participation in this program, these attorneys have assisted indigent clients in a myriad of matters by drafting wills and probating estates, obtaining relief from wrongfully issued garnishments, expunging criminal records, restoring driving privileges, assisting with consumer disputes, home ownership and foreclosure matters, landlord-tenant disputes, and family law matters.
“Coordinating the Butzel Long Pro Bono Clinic the past two years has been one of the most personally gratifying experiences I have had as an attorney,” said Paul Mersino, Butzel Long associate attorney who co-coordinates the firm’s participation in the clinic. “The cases I have taken on through the LAD have allowed me to help those in my community who have most needed it. Whether it has been assisting a single mother in successfully defending herself against fraudulent charges or assisting non-profit organizations in giving back to the community, the appreciation and gratitude that the clients have shown has been more valuable than any amount of payments could have been. Organizing our annual clinic has been one of the most rewarding opportunities I have had to be able to give back to the community and assist someone in need of help.”
Butzel Long is honored to receive LADA’s recognition. When informed of Butzel’s award, attorney Jim Wynne, a member of Butzel Long’s Board of Directors and the Board’s liaison to the firm’s pro bono committee, said: “We are proud of Butzel Long’s dedication to pro bono work and truly appreciate LAD. We will continue to provide the resources and support necessary to encourage everyone associated with Butzel Long to participate in our pro bono and public service efforts. We maintain this commitment because supporting LAD and providing pro bono services is the right thing to do.”
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Wayne State University Law School is pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Paul R. Dubinsky as director of graduate studies. Dubinsky succeeds Wayne Law Associate Professor Linda Beale, who has served with distinction as director since 2008. As director, Dubinsky is responsible for overseeing a significant resource for practicing lawyers in Michigan – a program that provides advanced study in three popular fields of specialization: corporate and finance law, labor and employment law, and taxation. He will also continue teaching courses in international and comparative law, his areas of scholarly specialization.
Dubinsky began his law career as a law clerk to U.S. Court of Appeals Jon O. Newman, Second Circuit. Dubinsky then became an associate at the firm of Wilmer Cutler and Pickering (now Wilmer Hale).
Before coming to Wayne Law in 2005, Dubinsky was an associate professor at New York Law School and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. From 1996 to 1997, he served as associate director of the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic and associate director of the Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School. As an International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dubinsky was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Hague Conference on Private International Law during negotiations that culminated in the Hague Choice-of-Court Convention. This past March, he delivered the Justice K.T. Desai Memorial Lecture at the Bombay High Court in Mumbai, India, and for the past two years he has taught summer courses (most recently Comparative National Security Law) at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
Dubinsky currently serves on the executive committee of the American branch of the International Law Association and on the U.S. Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Private International Law. He serves also on the executive editorial board of the American Journal of Comparative Law and as a reporter for the 2010 International Congress of Comparative Law.
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Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart PC welcomes Ruthie Goodboe to the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office as a shareholder. Previously, Goodboe was a partner with McGuireWoods LLP in the firm’s Norfolk, Virginia office.
Goodboe has experience in traditional labor matters, including experience with union campaigns, strikes, boycotts, and in union avoidance counseling and training. She has represented clients in elections and campaigns before the National Labor Relations Board, and in unfair labor practice charges and actions under the Labor Relations Management Act. She regularly assists clients with effective auditing, negotiating and administrating collective bargaining agreements, including handling arbitrations involving discharge, discipline, sub-contracting, removal of bargaining unit work, recall rights, shutdown of plant operations, and other contractual issues.
In addition to her labor law experience, Goodboe also represents management in a wide range of employment law matters, including individual and class action federal and state employment litigation under Title VII of the Civil Right Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Pay Act, and corresponding state statutes.
Goodboe earned her law degree from the College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1995, and a B.A. in journalism from The Ohio State University in 1983.
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Andrew B. Wachler of Wachler & Associates PC spoke on the latest developments related to the Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) and the impact the contractors will have on long-term care providers, including skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice. RACs are government contractors paid on a contingency basis to recover Medicare overpayments to health care providers and to identify underpayments. Wachler addressed the Michigan Chapter of the National Association Directors of Nursing in Long Term Care (NADONTA/LTC) at their 2010 Annual Convocation and Expo.
Wachler has been practicing health care law for more than 25 years. He counsels health care providers and organizations nationwide in a variety of health care legal matters. In addition, he writes and speaks nationally to professional organizations and other entities on health care law topics such as Medicare appeals, Stark and fraud and abuse, HIPAA, and other topics.
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TiE Detroit, along with the Great Lakes Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) and Great Lakes Entrepreneurs’ Quest (GLEQ), has selected Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC attorney and shareholder Kasturi Bagchi as a moderator for one of its ‘Savvy Entrepreneur Series’ programs.
The session was held at Southfield’s own Lawrence Tech University on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
The Savvy Entrepreneurs Series provides technology-based start-ups with the opportunity to learn in a small group setting with a panel consisting of a subject matter expert, an entrepreneur and an investor. The event focused on protecting intellectual property rights on a shoestring budget.
Bagchi focuses her legal practice on real estate, corporate and business, as well as lending and finance.
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Mark Cooper, partner with Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, Weiss PC, has been elected to a two-year-term as chair of the Insurance and Indemnity Law section of the State Bar of Michigan. Jaffe CEO Richard Zussman made the announcement.
Cooper serves as a member of the firm’s litigation practice group specializing in complex commercial matters with a focus on construction defect, development, contract issues and all aspects of insurance. He frequently litigates, tries and arbitrates complex commercial matters with first-chair experience including numerous trials, arbitration and other methods of alternative dispute resolution.
Cooper earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and his law degree from the Michigan State University Law School. He is a member of the Oakland Country Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, and the American Inns of Court.
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Lisa Hamameh of Adkison, Need, & Allen PLLC co-authored the Plea Bargaining chapter in ICLE’s new publication – “Michigan Criminal Procedure.” Hamameh’s chapter details the legal, ethical, and tactical considerations when negotiating plea bargains. Hamameh has experience as a prosecutor for White Lake and Springfield Townships.
Hamameh regularly provides criminal legal updates to municipal clients, including a recent overview on the Medical Marijuana Act. In addition to Hamameh’s prosecutorial experience, she advises clients on zoning and land use matters, liquor license issues, and serves as counsel to condominium and homeowners’ associations.
