Legal People

Zausmer, Kaufman, August, Caldwell, & Tayler PC is proud to announce that Cinnamon Rice, Cameron Getto, and Matthew McNaughton have been promoted to shareholders of the firm. All three of the new shareholders were previously associates at the firm. Rice focuses her practice on insurance defense work. Getto represents companies and individuals in complex personal injury and property damage cases. McNaughton specializes in complicated commercial and construction litigation. * * * The law firm of Miller Canfield announces that Clarence (Rocky) L. Pozza Jr., a principal in the Detroit office, has been elected to a two-year term as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit Inc. A past chairman of Miller Canfield, Pozza handles complex business, commercial, securities and regulatory trials, arbitrations and mediations across the United States. He served as a managing director of Miller Canfield for 10 years and was chairman of the Litigation Group for eight years. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. from the University of Michigan. Pozza is a past president of the Old Newsboys Goodfellows Fund of Detroit Inc. and the University of Michigan "M Club," the Honor Club for letter winners. * * * Richard T. Counsman, a senior attorney who focuses his practice in the area of medical liability with an emphasis in birth trauma, recently joined Plunkett Cooney. For approximately 30 years, Counsman has handled hundreds of birth trauma cases, and he has tried more than a dozen such matters as both a plaintiff and defense attorney. Counsman represents hospitals and physicians in birth injury cases involving cerebral palsy, erbs palsy, infection, brain damage and preventable premature births. Counsman provides training to various medical groups regarding effective charting, record keeping issues and, in particular, appropriate fetal monitoring. Counsman earned his law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School in 1985 and his undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College in 1981. * * * Melanie T. Frazier, an attorney with Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC, was recently appointed to the Equity Transition Partners Executive Board. Frazier's practice is focused on trademark and copyright rights and IP enforcement. She has experience managing a number of international trademark portfolios and in trademark management, protection and prosecution strategies. Frazier has a background in litigation involving trademark, trade secret, copyright and patent enforcement and has been involved in all phases of litigation including investigation, pre-litigation enforcement, administrative proceedings, arbitrations and appeals. She has been the sole or lead attorney for more than 100 trials. Frazier has experience in preparing U.S. trademark opinions and prosecuting U.S. applications. She advises clients on strategies for selecting strong marks that are immediately protectable and registerable. Once the client selects the mark, availability searches are performed and clear, practical opinions are rendered. U.S. registration applications are completed so that all possible disputes can be avoided. Frazier counsels clients in brand management and development of a cost-effective trademark portfolio. She enforces a client's brand image and goodwill by addressing matters of false or deceptive advertising and provides immediate relief where necessary. She drafts and negotiates licensing agreements on behalf of her clients to provide effective brand strategy and protection. Frazier also counsels clients on their own advertising campaigns to help avoid any potential disputes. She often conducts seminars to assist brand owners/clients with all trademark issues including advertising, protection and licensing. Frazier has international trademark experience and counsels clients on the advantages and disadvantages of foreign registration and on the selection of foreign counsel. She works with foreign counsel regarding search results, potential disputes and all registration matters ensuring the enforcement of trademark rights after registration. Frazier prosecutes trade dress applications before the USPTO including product packaging and product configurations. She is also involved in the enforcement of trade dress rights. Frazier is involved in all methods of trademark enforcement. She is responsible for opposing competitors' marks before the TTAB. She polices her client's marks to avoid any likelihood of confusion or dilution. Frazier provides investigations and cease-and-desist letters with appropriate follow-up actions. She monitors dilution situations, cyber-squatting, counterfeiting, unfair competition and false advertising situations. Frazier is involved in litigation and can enforce trademark rights through the state and federal court system to obtain prompt relief through preliminary injunctions or seizure orders. She also works with U.S. Customs to stop the importation of infringing goods at the U.S. border. Frazier is involved in challenging infringing domain names through UDRP. She litigates cyber-squatting actions, negotiates domain name transfer agreements, and represents clients on numerous Internet issues. Frazier represents a large cross-section of clients including retailers, sports teams, entertainers, manufacturers, automotive suppliers, restaurants and banks. She also counsels and represents businesses, artists, authors and photographers in copyright and other Internet matters. Frazier earned her law degrees from Michigan State University College of Law in 1986 and Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2008. She earned her B.S. from Davenport University f/k/a Detroit College of Business in 1982. Frazier is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th and Federal Circuits as well as for the Michigan Supreme Court. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Michigan, Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, International Trademark Association and Inforum. Frazier frequently serves as a case evaluator for the Wayne County Circuit Court. * * * Cary McGehee, a founding partner of the Royal Oak law firm Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Rivers, & Gordon, has been named chair of the board of directors of the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights. As chair of the Coalition, McGehee oversees its educational, organizational and advocacy initiatives as they relate to today's most important civil rights and social justice issues. She also serves on the Coalition's executive and finance committees. Specializing in employment and civil rights law for more than 20 years, McGehee has been selected Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Public Justice Foundation. She has also received the Lawyers for the People award from the National Lawyers Guild and the Wade Hampton McCree award for the advancement of social justice from the Federal Bar Association. In addition, she is a Fellow with the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and on the advisory boards of the American Civil Liberties Union and Michigan Interfaith Trust Fund. She is a graduate of Bowling Green University and Detroit College of Law, now known as Michigan State University College of Law. Prior to becoming an attorney, McGehee played professional basketball for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's American Basketball Association and is currently an NCAA Division I women's basketball official. * * * Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC President and CEO Steven D. Sallen recently served as a speaker at the Michigan Local Government Management Association's (MLGMA) Annual Summer Workshop. The event took place at the Park Place Hotel in Traverse City. Sallen spoke during the presentation "Revitalization and Brownfields," which addressed the challenges city managers face while shaping their communities for economic success and development. Moderated by Davison City Manager Michael Hart, Sallen provided a picture of how municipal government can make improvements to facilitate economic development. Representatives from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Associated Environmental Services joined Sallen for the presentation. Sallen concentrates his practice in real estate, environmental and corporate law, and serves as the head of the firm's environmental law practice group. Sallen also is the editor of Maddin Hauser's electronic newsletter, Real e-State. Sallen is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, AIPAC and is on the board of trustees of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1981 and earned his law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1984. * * * James P. Cunningham, partner in the Birmingham law firm of Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett PC has accepted an invitation to join the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML). Headquartered in London, England, the IAML is a worldwide association of practicing lawyers who are recognized by their peers as being the most experienced family law specialists in their respective countries. In private practice specializing in domestic relations law and litigation, Cunningham's career includes 10 published appellate decisions, including three in the Michigan Supreme Court. An alumnus of Brown University and a former Naval officer, he is a 1980 graduate of Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University College of Law). He is a Fellow and past president of the Michigan Chapter of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, past president of the Oakland County Bar Association and currently an adjunct professor of family law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Cunningham is the fourth Michigan attorney presently a member of the IAML. * * * Allyson Miller , an associate in the Detroit Metro office of Ogletree Deakins, has been named the "Barrister of the Year" by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association (DMBA). The DMBA selected Miller as the member of the Barrister's Board who had the most significant impact on the section over the year. Miller was noted especially for her leadership, initiative, outstanding service, and creativity in providing networking opportunities for young attorneys in Detroit. In her practice, Miller represents employers in federal and state lawsuits and administrative proceedings alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of race, age, gender, disability and other protected classes. She also defends and counsels employers on a wide range of employment issues, including matters related to employee discipline and termination, disability accommodation obligations, e-mail and Internet use policies and privacy rights, enforceability of non-compete agreements, and compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act. * * * Paul Hage, an associate at Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, has been voted president-elect of the Michigan Chapter of The Turnaround Management Association. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement. Hage has been a member of TMA since 2007, and has served on the Michigan Chapter's Board of Directors since 2010. He will begin his yearlong role as president in June of 2013. Over the next two years, Hage wants to continue to enhance the overall membership experience by bringing in quality programing and diversifying the membership through TMA's Next Generation program - which allows professionals 35-years-old and younger to join at a reduced rate. A member of Jaffe's insolvency and reorganization practice group, Hage represents asset purchases, unsecured creditors' committees, debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, and trustees in bankruptcy proceedings nationwide. Hage has published dozens of articles on bankruptcy and speaks at national industry events throughout the year. He earned his bachelor's degree from James Madison College at Michigan State University and his law degrees from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and St. John's University School of Law. Published: Mon, Aug 6, 2012