Christopher A. Andreoff, a partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, received a Certificate of Appreciation from U.S. District Court Chief Judge Gerald Rosen and U.S. District Court Judge Paul Borman under the 2012 Criminal Justice Act in recognition for his representation of criminal clients in the U.S. District Court. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement.
In addition to building a successful private practice, Andreoff has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. While in this role, he tried more than 100 federal cases. Andreoff was appointed deputy chief and acting chief of the Detroit Strike Force by the U.S. Justice Department, where he prosecuted organized crime and labor racketeering cases. Andreoff is a member of Jaffe's criminal and civil practice groups and has established his career in civil and criminal litigation, family law, administrative law and appellate practice in both state and federal courts.
An alumnus of Wayne State University, Andreoff is a frequent speaker and published author on federal criminal proceedings. He earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Andreoff's industry accolades include being named a Michigan Super Lawyer, Best Lawyer in America, and a DBusiness Top Lawyer multiple times.
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Kasturi Bagchi, a shareholder at Southfield-based Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC, has been selected to serve on the 2012 executive board for the Indo American Chamber of Commerce USA (IACC).
Bagchi serves on the IACC's monthly events subcommittee and has recently launched The "Meet" Market for the organization's members, businesses and professionals who are interested in getting to know the Indo American business community. The "Meet Market" is intentionally designed as a small and interactive to encourage one-on-one follow-up meetings and sharing of ideas and contacts to promote relationships and generate leads. Attendees come from a variety of industries, such as technology, legal, financing, wealth management, insurance and employment benefits.
Bagchi's areas of legal practice include real estate, corporate and business, as well as lending and finance. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California and her law degreefrom the Tulane University School of Law.
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Melissa Demorest of Demorest Law Firm PLLC was accepted to Leadership Detroit Class XXXIV.
Demorest practices business law with Demorest Law Firm. She was named a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2010, 2011, and 2012. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce and the YWCA of Western Wayne County. She is also the assistant coach of Birmingham Women's Lacrosse, 2012 MHSAA Division 1 State Champs.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC has expanded the firm's healthcare practice in Southeast Michigan with the addition of attorneys Mark E. Wilson and Rosanna J. Willis. They join Dickinson Wright's national healthcare practice with attorneys practicing throughout the firm's offices in Michigan, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.
Wilson joins Dickinson Wright as a member in the firm's Troy office. Wilson focuses his practice in the areas of healthcare, environmental, and real estate. He is widely recognized in the medical and legal community for his ability to assist clients in securing quality control and streams of income from a variety of sources including an array of compliant joint ventures and medical "super groups". He is also known for facilitating the implementation of My Doctor's Inn, a HUD financed assisted living complex in Sterling Heights; the UnaSource Health "megamedaplex" medical buildings in Troy, as well as the WellPointe multi-specialty medical complex in Rochester Hills.
Wilson is a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Health Law Section and the American Health Lawyers Association. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers and DBusiness magazine as a Top Lawyer. Wilson received his A.B. from the University of Michigan, and his law degrees from Boston University School of Law and Wayne State University Law School.
Willis joins Dickinson Wright as Of Counsel in the firm's Troy office. Willis focuses her practice on assisting healthcare providers and suppliers of all types with a variety of corporate matters such as operating agreements, bylaws, buy-sell agreements, employment agreements, and professional service agreements. She advises health industry clients on the structure of financial arrangements under the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Law, and maintaining effective compliance programs. She has experience with the State Certificate of Need Program and the corporate practice of medicine doctrine.
Willis is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, Saginaw County Bar Association, American Health Lawyers Association and the Health Care Compliance Association. Willis earned her B.B.A. from Saginaw Valley State University and her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.
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Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Cynthia J. Haffey has been named a "2012 Honoree for Michigan Women in the Law" by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Haffey is one of 20 female attorneys who will be honored during a luncheon on Sept. 27, at the Troy Marriott. The event will celebrate the individuals who have made meaningful and inspiring contributions to the legal community.
"I am truly honored to receive this significant and very special recognition by Michigan Lawyers Weekly," said Haffey.
Based in Butzel Long's Detroit office, Haffey is co-chair of the firm's Global Automotive Group and chair of the firm's Women's Leadership Committee. She was recently named Counsel to the Original Equipment Suppliers Association's (OESA) Communication Executives Council.
Haffey represents clients in cases involving commercial disputes and business litigation, including automotive supply chain disputes, shareholder, partner and owner disputes, corporate mergers, acquisitions and other transaction disputes, fraud and other business torts, sales commission disputes, non-compete agreements and trade secrets, real estate disputes, construction contract disputes, anti-trust, bankruptcy and securities litigation. In addition, Haffey also has experience in advising and defending clients at trial and in arbitration in age, sex, and racial discrimination actions and other wrongful discharge claims.
Haffey is a member of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan, American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Oakland County Bar Association. She is co-chair of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter's Social Justice Committee.
Haffey is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School (1997) and Western Michigan University (B.S., 1980).
Additionally, Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Robin Luce Herrmann will be a panelist during the Federal Bar Association's "The Judicial Institute - A Backstage Pass for Journalists Covering the Federal Courts," on Wednesday, Sept. 5, in Detroit.
"This is an invaluable one-day program designed for journalists covering the federal courts," said Herrmann. "Journalists who attend this program will have greater insight on federal courts, the law and procedures practiced in those courts."
Herrmann, a Practice Group leader for one of Butzel Long's two Business Litigation Groups, concentrates her practice in the areas of media law, particularly defamation and access issues; commercial litigation, including RICO; non-competes and trade secrets; and civil rights.
Herrmann also is general counsel of the Michigan Press Association.
In addition, Herrmann previously taught Law of the Press in the Journalism Department at Oakland University. She also has been a guest speaker on Law of the Press at Wayne State University, Central Michigan University, and Oakland University.
Herrmann also leads the American Bar Association's First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee's Diversity Outreach Subcommittee.
In 2011, Herrmann was appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Law and Media Committee. She also is a member of the American Bar Association including the ABA Communications Law Forum; Woman Advocate Committee of the Litigation Section; a past member and vice-chair of the ABA Law and Media Committee; and active in the Media Law Resource Center.
Herrmann is a 1984 graduate of the University of Michigan and a 1993 graduate of the Detroit College of Law .
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Pepper Hamilton attorney Vicki R. Harding's blog, Bankruptcy Real Estate Insights, gives real estate and acquisition lawyers and other real estate professionals unfamiliar with bankruptcy insights into how issues might play out using current bankruptcy cases as examples. The blog is helpful to those who want to be informed about how pitfalls and opportunities in this area may impact today's transactions. To subscribe to the blog, visit www.bankruptcy-realestate-insights.com.
Harding is a partner in the Detroit office of Pepper Hamilton LLP. She handles commercial transactions with an emphasis on real estate and bankruptcy issues. She also is a member of the firm's Sustainability, CleanTech and Climate Change Team.
Harding represents clients in a broad range of matters involving real estate, including real estate acquisitions and dispositions, financings and workouts, leasing and zoning. She is one of a small number of attorneys who is a LEED® AP ID+C (accredited professional in the U.S. Green Building Council rating system applicable to tenant improvements). She has worked closely with members of the firm's environmental group in resolving special issues raised by the purchase and sale of industrial and other environmentally sensitive property and has significant experience with real estate transactions handled through bankruptcy proceedings.
Harding is on the board of governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. She has been listed in Who's Who Legal: USA - Real Estate and in The Best Lawyers in America in both Real Estate Law and Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law, and has been selected for inclusion on the Michigan Super Lawyers lists.
She also is a member of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section (RPTE) of the American Bar Association (ABA). Harding is co-vice-chair of the Emerging Issues and Specialty Leases Committee, and participated in the ABA RPTE leasing group's Green Lease Task Force. She is a former chairperson of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and has remained active in the Section's activities. Harding is a member of the board of directors and a former chairperson of Michigan Community Resources.
She earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from Harvard Law School.
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Megan Conlon McCulloch, a partner in Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP's Environmental practice, has been appointed as chair of the American Bar Association's (ABAs) Book Publishing Board for its Environment, Energy and Resources Section. McCulloch, as chair, will provide leadership and oversight to the book program, appoint the other board members, and lead the process of developing books of interest for the 10,000 members of the ABA section by selecting important topics and authors. In addition, she has been appointed to serve as a member of the Publications Services Group, which is comprised of the publication officer, and all the chairs of section committees responsible for publications.
In her law practice, McCulloch counsels clients regarding a variety of environmental issues, including remediation liability for contaminated sediment sites; federal and state superfund proceedings; economic development incentives for brownfield sites; litigation; compliance and permitting issues; and transactional due diligence. She also assists the Sediment Management Work Group, a national ad hoc industry group, with shaping public policy on contaminated sediment management issues at the federal and state levels.
Aside from her involvement in the ABA, McCulloch is a member of the State Bar of Michigan Section of Environmental Law and the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals. She has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Michigan Super Lawyers from 2008 through 2012.
McCulloch earned her law degree at the University of Michigan Law School. She earned an M.Sc. in ecology and environmental biology at the University of Alberta, Canada, and a B.S. in biology at the University of Michigan.
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Nemeth Burwell PC announces it has been named one of Metropolitan Detroit's 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA). This is the eleventh time Nemeth Burwell, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its founding in 2012, has received the award. All award winners will be honored at an event to be held on Sept. 27 at The Henry in Dearborn.
This year's winners represent best practices in human resources in a variety of industries. An independent research firm evaluates each company's entry based on key measures in various categories, including compensation, benefits and employee solutions; employee enrichment, engagement and retention; employee education and development; recruitment, selection and orientation; employee achievement and recognition; communication and shared vision; diversity and inclusion; work-life balance; community initiatives and strategic company performance.
Nemeth Burwell, which has 25 staff members, was recognized for its well defined HR programs, its non-traditional bonus structure, generous health and tuition reimbursement benefits, high energy social events, including fun ways to celebrate firm and employee "wins" (both professional and personal), and efforts to help employees maintain an effective work/life balance. Patricia Nemeth, the firm's founding partner, says the 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work for award reinforces the firm's longstanding commitment to its staff.
"We value and support our staff and continue to seek out opportunities that allow them to grow their careers and knowledge base," saysNemeth. "It's especially meaningful to be included on the 101 Best & Brightest list in the year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nemeth Burwell's founding. This milestone anniversary is the result of the collective efforts of our team through the years."
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Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Michael M. Bell has joined the firm. He will practice out of the firm's Royal Oak Office while still advising clients in Southwest Michigan and Indiana.
Bell concentrates his practice in the areas of finance, real estate development, agriculture and strategic corporate planning. His experience in structuring unique and complex financial transactions has served him well in his representation of credit unions. Bell represents financial institutions on mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, loan documentation and review, workout and foreclosure services, contract review and negotiation, property acquisition and highly sensitive employment and personnel issues. He additionally advises credit unions regarding all regulatory matters including NCUA and State regulators and provides strategic and legal advice in the area of CUSOs.
Bell has experience counseling individual entrepreneurs through publicly traded companies on strategies such as growth in difficult economic climates, business restructuring, and employment and personnel issues.
Bell represents developers from Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan in complex residential and commercial real estate developments across Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana. Bell also provides practical legal strategy and advocacy for clients on zoning, land use, and property issues before local, county, and state governmental agencies. He acts as general counsel for various homeowner and condominium associations.
Bell earned his law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2003 and his B.A. from Adrian College in 2000. He is licensed to practice in the States of Michigan and Indiana. Bell currently serves as the president of the Junior Achievement of Michigan and he is a member of the Valparaiso University School of Law Alumni Council.
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Anne Cubera Lipp has joined Lippitt O'Keefe PLLC, a full-service law firm in Birmingham.
Lipp will focus on commercial transactional law and litigation, as well as matters related to intellectual property rights and e-commerce.
A graduate of Michigan State University College of Law, she chaired the college's symposium committee. At the law school's tax clinic, Lipp also worked to resolve federal, state and local- government tax issues for low-income tax payers.
A member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Notre Dame Club of Detroit and the Detroit chapter of Notre Dame Women Connect, Lipp also earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
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Bodman PLC attorney Amanda J. Pontes has been selected as one of only 69 emerging Southeast Michigan community leaders to participate in Leadership Detroit Class XXXIV.
Pontes will join other executives from the business community, government, education, health services, and community organizations. The 10-month program challenges participants to create positive change by focusing on key issues affecting the region.
Pontes is a member of Bodman's Business Practice Group. She represents clients involved in a variety of matters including corporate organization, mergers and acquisitions and other commercial transactions. She has experience with automotive industry clients, having served extended in-house assignments with two major automotive suppliers.
Pontes was recognized as a "Rising Star" in business law in Michigan Super Lawyers 2010. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School.
Published: Mon, Aug 27, 2012
