LEGAL PEOPLE

Barris, Sott, Denn, & Driker PLLC has been named as one of the top three firms in Michigan for general commercial litigation by Chambers USA for 2012. The firm also earned Chambers USA's third highest ranking ("Band 3") for real estate practice in Michigan. The publication also honored three BSD&D members. Recognized as "an icon of the profession," Eugene Driker earned a "senior statesman" honor for commercial litigation. Sharon Woods earned the highest ranking for commercial litigation attorneys in Michigan. William G. Barris earned the highest ranking for real estate attorneys in Michigan. * * * Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy LLP was named Firm of the Year in the corporate immigration category by Who's Who Legal, publisher of The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers. This is the eighth time the firm has been recognized, having won the award every year since its inception. Several Fragomen attorneys, including Scott F. Cooper, partner and managing director of the firm's office in Troy, were singled out in the annual rankings for outstanding contributions and achievements in field of law. Fragomenwas named "Law Firm of the Year" in 2011 for immigration law by U.S. News & World Report, marking the first time the media outlet, known for its rankings, conferred the award for this field of law. Fragomen was similarly recognized in 2011 as the pre-eminent global immigration services provider by Best Lawyers in America, Who's Who Legal, ACQ Law Awards, Chambers USA & Chambers Global, and as a "Go-To Law Firm of the World's Leading Companies" by ALM since 2005. * * * Nine Butzel Long attorneys in Michigan are recognized in the Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2012 The Client's Guide. "Butzel Long has an excellent group of high-respected attorneys," said Justin G. Klimko, president of Butzel Long. "It is truly an honor for us to have several of our attorneys recognized again by Chambers." The following Butzel Long attorneys are highlighted in Chambers USA: * Robert A. Boonin - Labor and Employment. * Stephen A. Bromberg - Real Estate. * Robert G. Buydens - Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation. * David F. DuMouchel - (Band 1) Litigation: White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations. * John P. Hancock Jr. - Labor and Employment. * Patrick A. Karbowski - Real Estate. * Justin G. Klimko - Corporate/ Mergers and Acquisitions. * Jordan Schreier - Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation. * Daniel B. Tukel - Labor and Employment. Klimko is president and managing shareholder of Butzel Long and serves on the firm's Board of Directors. He is based in the firm's Detroit office. Klimko has experience in securities regulation, corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate matters, fields in which he has practiced since 1980. Klimko has experience in securities regulation matters for publicly and privately held companies. Boonin is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long's Ann Arbor office. Boonin's practice is largely concentrated in the areas of labor, employment discrimination, public contract and education law. He has represented public and private sector clients across the country, in over 30 jurisdictions, in wrongful termination, employment discrimination, wage and hour, tenure proceedings and other employment-related lawsuits and claims, as well as in labor grievance arbitrations, labor negotiations, unfair labor practices and representational proceedings and labor strikes. He is well versed in NLRB issues, having extensively practiced before that agency in many NLRB Regions. Bromberg is counsel to Butzel Long and based in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office. He served as a director and president of Butzel Long. Bromberg has represented borrowers and institutional lenders, purchasers and sellers, non-profit entities and contractors and owners in all kinds of office, commercial shopping center, apartment and subdivisions matters, and major construction and zoning matters and workouts, reorganizations and foreclosures, in years of specialization in real estate transactions and litigation. Buydens is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long's Detroit office. Buydens concentrates his practice in the area of employee benefits including preparation of pension, money purchase, employee stock purchase, and profit sharing plans for individuals, partnerships, corporations and multiple-employer organizations, as well as the preparation of master plans for profit and non-profit corporations. He has experience in providing advice on and drafting welfare benefit plans, including self-funded health care plans, flexible benefit plans, disability plans, and life insurance plans. He is experienced in executive compensation which includes the preparation of deferred compensation plans, management incentive plans, bonus plans and stock option plans. Buydens has been active in the multi-employer and multiple-employer pension area and is experienced in advising clients on plan terminations and withdrawals from multi-employer and multiple-employer plans. DuMouchel is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long's Detroit office. DuMouchel chairs the firm's Corporate Compliance, Internal Investigations and Criminal Defense practice. DuMouchel's practice is limited to white collar criminal defense, professional licensure and criminal health care, criminal IRS investigations of both taxpayers and professionals, SEC enforcement of corporate executives, public corruption, as well as grand jury investigations, internal corporate investigations and compliance. Hancock is a shareholder based in Butzel Long's Detroit office. Hancock's practice focuses on collective bargaining negotiations and arbitrations as well as counseling of both public and private employers. He also has done extensive employment litigation and OSHA litigation. Hancock has served as chief negotiator in numerous collective bargaining negotiations for public schools, municipal and public utilities as well as clients in various other businesses ranging from casinos to steel plants to hospitals and country clubs. A good portion of his practice is devoted to counseling clients on employment issues. Karbowski is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long's Bloomfield Hills office. His practice includes both transactions and litigation, with concentrations in the areas of real estate and general business. Karbowski has served as the chairperson of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is an ex officio member of its governing Council, as well as a member of many of its committees including its Pro Bono and ADR Committees. He is a member of the Real Estate Advisory Board for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law teaching Real Estate Transactions at the Ave Maria School of Law. Schreier is a shareholder in Butzel Long's Ann Arbor office. He is the Practice Group Leader for the Employee Benefits Practice Group. He represents clients primarily in the area of ERISA, employee benefits and compensation. Schreier's practice primarily involves advising profit and nonprofit employers on planning and compliance issues involving all aspects of employee benefits, including welfare benefits, qualified retirement and other deferred compensation plans. Tukel is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long's Detroit office and serves as chair of the firm's Labor and Employment Law Department. Tukel's practice is devoted to representing both public and private employers in state and federal discrimination and wrongful discharge litigation, as well as traditional labor matters such as collective bargaining and union organizational drives. He regularly counsels employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, in statutory compliance and in creating, implementing and administering employee handbooks and other personnel policies and practices. In addition, Butzel Long attorney Rebecca S. Davies will be the featured speaker during a free program co-presented by Butzel Long and Benefit Review Services on Thursday, July 12, at Walsh College's Troy campus. The focus for the presentation will be the recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines regarding employer use of criminal background checks in recruiting. "This will be an interactive, information-packed program," said Davies. "Employers will gain key insight regarding the EEOC's recommended best practices and more." Based in Butzel Long's Detroit office, Davies concentrates her practice primarily in the areas of employment law and commercial litigation. She represents employers in federal and state court litigation and before state and federal administrative agencies. She regularly counsels employers regarding compliance under federal and state employment laws (including FLSA, FMLA, ADAAA and Title VII), drafts policies and procedures, and advises on preventative strategies. Davies' objective is to assist clients in implementing preventative strategies. She is a frequent author and lecturer, not only for client in-house trainings and publications, but also for outside organizations, including: Walsh College, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Automation Alley and the American Society of Employers. Davies earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan at Dearborn; her law degree from the Detroit College of Law in 1995; and, her master's degree, and her law degree in Labor and Employment Law, from Wayne State University Law School. * * * Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP earned the number one spot among Michigan-based law firms in a survey of Midwest firm associates by Vault.com. The firm also was recently recognized as a "Top Workplace" by the Detroit Free Press. Honigman invests significantly in developing its attorneys and other professionals through various training programs, including its Honigman Business Fundamentals Institute and the Honigman Institute for Professional Growth. * * * The law firm of Brooks, Wilkins, Sharkey, & Turco, PLLC, with offices located in Birmingham, recently announced the hiring of attorney Michael T. Price and paralegal Jaclyn S. Bua. Price comes to BWST with more than 13 years litigation experience. He previously worked at the Hyman Lippitt firm in Birmingham, after completing a clerkship with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly. Bua comes to BWST with more than 7 years of litigation support experience. She worked for 2 years at the Washington, D.C. firm of Skadden Arps. More recently, Jaclyn worked for 4 years at Young & Susser PC in Farmington Hills. * * * Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC shareholder and attorney Robert D. Kaplow received a 40-Year Honoree Award at the Oakland County Bar Association's 78th Annual Meeting. The award is in recognition of his 40 years of service to the legal profession. Kaplow concentrates his practice in estate planning and personal and corporate income tax planning. He also is a frequent lecturer before professional groups pertaining to tax and corporate matters. Kaplow earned his law degree from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Tax Law from Wayne State University. He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University. Kaplow, who has been listed in "Who's Who in American Law" and "Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America," is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (Taxation and Probate and Estate Planning sections), Oakland County Bar Association (Taxation Committee), and American Bar Association (Taxation, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections). * * * Attorney Tom Kalas, owner of Kalas Kadian PLC, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center (KCC), the hospital/clinical care function of Karmanos, and will also serve on the center's Quality of Care Committee. He will serve effective immediately. Kalas will work with other board members to help provide strategic direction related to patient care at Karmanos - Michigan's only independent, free-standing center exclusively focused on caring for cancer patients. Nearly 6,000 new patients annually seek diagnosis and treatment at Karmanos Cancer Center. A principal of Kalas Kadian PLC, Kalas has had a strong career emphasis on complex civil litigation, real estate investment and development, commercial transactions, zoning/land use, and loan workouts with debt restructuring and debt purchase. Kalas is also involved with construction lien litigation and homeowner/condo association lien foreclosures. He successfully represented numerous local and national developers, builders, users and other business entities with all aspects of land purchase, municipal administrative process, litigation, development and the entitlement process. Project values have ranged from a few million to several hundred million dollars. He represents borrowers for loan and debt restructuring, foreclosure litigation and achieving favorable settlements and resolution on multimillion dollar loan portfolios that are in default. Kalas earned his law degree from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Oakland University. Past and current memberships include: American Bar Association; State Bar of Michigan; Oakland County Bar Association; Michigan Association for Justice; Association; Hellenic Bar Association ov Michigan; OCBA Business Law and Real Estate Law Committees; Macomb County Bar Association; Macomb Country Bar Foundation Trustee; American Hellenic Institute; Case Evaluation and Facilitator in Oakland and Macomb counties. Kalas knows first-hand the importance of quality, compassionate care when it comes to treating cancer. He is a cancer and bone marrow transplant survivor who was treated at Karmanos. As a member of the Karmanos' Quality Care Committee, he will help identify, monitor, report and make recommendations to KCC's Board of Directors to continually enhance the quality of care experience for patients at Karmanos. Published: Mon, Jul 9, 2012