LEGAL PEOPLE

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that Michigan Lawyers Weekly has recognized Ryan Bewersdorf, senior counsel in the Detroit office, as a 2012 "Up & Coming Lawyer." * * * The law firm of Miller Canfield announces that David M. Thoms, principal in the Troy office, has been re-elected for a one-year term as president of the Alliance Française de Grosse Pointe. At Miller Canfield, Thoms is a member of the Personal Services Group and co-leader of the Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations Group. His areas of expertise are estate planning and tax, non-profit organizations, business entity planning and tax, succession planning, and real estate. He earned his law degrees from Wayne State University Law School and the University of Detroit-Mercy, a M.U.P. (Masters of Urban Planning) from Wayne State University, and a B.A. in History from Kalamazoo College. He also attended l'Université de Caen, France. * * * Khalilah V. Spencer, a partner in Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP's Litigation Department, has been named one of FrontPage Detroit's 40 under 40 for 2012. Spencer has experience in a wide variety of complex commercial and employment litigation matters in federal and state courts and in arbitration. She has represented individuals and public and private companies in a wide variety of industries, including automotive, financial services, telecommunications, logistics and real estate. She is a member of the executive committee of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP, chair of its Legal Redress Committee and a co-advisor of its Detroit Youth Council. In addition, Spencer is a member of the executive committee for Gilda's Club of Metropolitan Detroit. She earned her law degree at the University of Michigan Law School and B.A. in political science from the University of Michigan. Additionally, for the fourth year Honigman is the only Michigan law firm to be named one of the 50 Best Law Firms for Women by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers. Honigman earned this recognition in 2008, 2009 and 2011 as well (there was no list in 2010). Recognition is based on law firms' family-friendly policies and focused initiatives that help retain and advance women attorneys. Honigman will be featured in the December/January issue of the Working Mother magazine, and on workingmother.com and flextimelawyers.com. Honigman's family friendly practices and professional development initiatives have received numerous accolades. The firm earned statewide recognition as a Top Workplace in Michigan from the Detroit Free Press in November 2011. Honigman was ranked sixth on the list, which included such other large employers in the state as Lear, Thomson Reuters, FedEx and Johnson Controls and was the only law firm honored in this category. The firm also earned accolades from the Michigan Business & Professional Association for being one of the "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in both the Metropolitan Detroit (2010, 2011 and 2012) and West Michigan regions (2011 and 2012). These awards are based either in whole or in part on employee and attorney interviews and survey responses. Also, for the third year in a row, Honigman has been ranked among the nation's most prominent law firms in several key practice areas by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers® 2013 "Best Law Firms" in its national rankings. In total, Honigman was ranked nationally for 24 of its practice areas and was the only Michigan-based firm ranked nationally for its Venture Capital and Media and First Amendment practices. In the transactional practice areas, Honigman received high rankings nationally in Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Securities/Capital Markets, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization, Securities Regulation and Tax. In the litigation practice areas, the firm received high national rankings in Commercial, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Regulatory Enforcement, Construction, Environmental, Media and First Amendment, Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities, and Tax. In addition, Honigman's Trademark, Media and First Amendment, Environmental, Health Care, Immigration, Information Technology, Tax, and Trust and Estates practices received high national rankings. Many of Honigman's key practice areas also received top rankings in the "Best Law Firms" Michigan Metropolitan Rankings. National Rankings Tier 1 Venture Capital Law Tier 2 Corporate Law Litigation - Bankruptcy Litigation - Real Estate Media & First Amendment Law Mergers & Acquisitions Law Private Equity Law Securities/Capital Markets Law Trademark Law Tier 3 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Environmental Law Health Care Law Immigration Law Information Technology Law Litigation - Construction Litigation - Environmental Litigation - Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Litigation - Securities Litigation - Tax Securities Regulation Tax Law Trusts & Estates Law Metropolitan Rankings Tier 1 Ann Arbor Corporate Law Litigation - Intellectual Property Mergers & Acquisitions Law Non-Profit/Charities Law Detroit Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Copyright Law Corporate Governance Law Corporate Law Environmental Law Health Care Law Information Technology Law Insurance Law Litigation - Antitrust Litigation - Bankruptcy Litigation - Construction Litigation - Eminent Domain & Condemnation Litigation - Environmental Litigation - Intellectual Property Litigation - Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation - Real Estate Litigation - Securities Litigation - Tax Media & First Amendment Law Mergers & Acquisitions Law Natural Resources Law Non-Profit/Charities Law Private Equity Law Real Estate Law Securities/Capital Markets Law Securities Regulation Tax Law Trademark Law Trusts & Estates Law Venture Capital Law Kalamazoo Biotechnology Law Lansing Commercial Litigation Government Relations Practice Insurance Law Litigation - Eminent Domain & Condemnation Litigation - Environmental Litigation - ERISA Litigation - First Amendment Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Tax Law Tier 2 Ann Arbor Private Equity Law Securities/Capital Markets Law Venture Capital Law Detroit Antitrust Law Appellate Practice Banking and Finance Law Construction Law Corporate Compliance Law Criminal Defense: White-Collar - Governmental Investigations Criminal Defense: White-Collar - Litigation Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Family Law Franchise Law Government Relations Practice Immigration Law Litigation - First Amendment Litigation - Labor & Employment Project Finance Law Kalamazoo Real Estate Law Lansing Corporate Law Tier 3 Detroit Employment Law - Individuals Employment Law - Management Litigation - ERISA Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Patent Law Lansing Gaming Law * * * John Anderson was recognized by Martindale Hubble as a Best Lawyer in America 2013. Anderson is the co-chair of the Health Care Practice Group at Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC, representing numerous health care providers ranging from large single and multi-specialty groups to small groups and individual physicians. He also represents diagnostic providers, physical therapy providers, and home health agencies. He has experience as a business lawyer representing both middle-market clients and entrepreneurs, with a main focus of his practice is in health care law, primarily on the provider side. He also has experience working with banks, particularly in relation to loan workouts, special asset issues, forbearance agreements and foreclosures, as well as the civil and bankruptcy litigation related to such workout matters. Anderson's practice areas include all manner of business transactional and litigation matters, with an emphasis on banking and health care law and the full spectrum of health care provider issues including compliance matters, fraud & abuse, third-party audits, billing & reimbursement, entity formation, contract negotiations, physician self- referral/Stark, Anti-kickback, licensing and litigation. Anderson is an adjunct professor of Management at Walsh College, teaching in their MBA program. Honors and awards include: U.S. News - Best Lawyers 2013; DBusiness Top Lawyer 2012. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Leadership positions include: Genesys Regional Medical Center (GRMC)- Executive Committee and Board vice-chair, Physician Hospital Organization - Board Member; State Bar of Michigan - Business Law Section; American Health Lawyers Association; State Bar of Michigan: Health Care Law Section (HCLS) - member of that Section's Governing Council; HCLS Publications Committee - former co-chair; and HCLS Health Providers Subcommittee - former member. * * * David H. Fink, founder and managing partner of Bloomfield Hills-based Fink & Associates Law, has been named a Michigan Super Lawyer for the sixth consecutive year. Fink founded Fink & Associates Law after serving as state employer in Governor Granholm's Cabinet, and has since then nurtured the firm to deliver passionate representation with uncompromising integrity. He concentrates his practice in complex commercial and class action litigation, focusing on business disputes, antitrust, consumer fraud, environmental law, intergovernmental disputes, securities fraud, shareholder derivative litigation and construction contract matters. In addition to being named a Michigan Super Lawyer every year since 2007, Fink has received numerous accolades, including recognition as a Leader in the Law from Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2011. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Fink serves on the Michigan State Officers Compensation Commission (SOCC) and the Michigan State Bar Committee on Judicial Qualifications. An active member in the community, he currently is the president of the Bloomfield Hills School Foundation. * * * Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that 23 of our attorneys have been named to DBusiness Top Lawyers 2013. The Howard & Howard attorneys named in DBusinesss Top Lawyers 2013 and the area(s) they are listed under are as follows: * Dean W. Amburn (Information Technology Law). * Brandon J. Booth (Health Care Law). * David B. Braun (Securities Law). * Henry J. Brennan III (Mergers & Acquisitions Law). * Joseph J. DeVito (Banking & Financial Service Law; Commercial Law; Corporate Law; and Mergers & Acquisitions Law). * Stephen P. Dunn (Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense). * Michael O. Fawaz (Appellate Law). * Christopher M. Francis (Intellectual Property Law). * Robert E. Graziani (Insurance Law). * Lisa S. Gretchko (Banking & Financial Service Law; and Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights). * Samuel J. Haidle (Information Technology Law; and Intellectual Property Law). * J. Patrick Howe (Land Use & Zoning Law). * Robert B. Johnston (Employee Benefits Law). * Jeffrey A. Hoover (Commercial Law). * Michael V. Kell (Business Litigation). * Rodger A. Kershner (Energy Law). * Jon D. Kreucher (Energy Law). * Henry P. Lee (Nonprofit/Charities Law; Tax Law; and Trusts and Estates). * Patrick M. McCarthy (Commercial Law). * Richard M. Miettinen (Business Law; Corporate Governance and Compliance Law; Corporate Law; and Mergers & Acquisitions Law). * Brad A. Rayle (Alternative Dispute Resolution - Business Law; and Labor and Employment Law). * Jeffrey A. Sadowski (Information Technology Law; and Intellectual Property Law). * Timothy M. Wittebort (Banking & Financial Service Law; Business Law; and Corporate Law). * * * Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC recently hosted its 21st Annual Symposium to a record crowd of 346 on Nov. 10 at the Sheraton Detroit-Novi Hotel. Firm attorneys presented to an audience that included tax professionals and certified public accountants. Among the broad range of topics discussed were: -Prohibited Transactions -Identifying Wage and Hour Compliance Issues -Health Care Compliance for 2013-2014 -Modifying Irrevocable Trusts -Officer Liability in Michigan -Life Insurance--Friend of Foe -Roundup of Recent Tax Developments -Foreclosure and Short Sales 101 -Mergers, Acquisitions and Combinations of Medical Practices -Trust Protectors "Tax laws change all of the time, so it is important that we help keep all of those who may be affected informed of the latest rules and regulations," said Maddin Hauser Shareholder Charles M. Lax, who chaired this event. "By enlisting our attorneys as speakers to discuss their different areas of expertise, we are able to provide our audience with a variety of information that will hopefully prepare them for whatever may be headed their way as a result of changes in the law." Materials from the Tax Symposium, as well as past events, can be found on the firm's website, www.maddinhauser.com, under "Events and Info." * * * A'Jene M. Maxwell has joined Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC as a partner in the firm's real estate practice group. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement. Maxwell has established his practice in industrial, office, retail and residential real estate law, including financing, acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, incentives and land use matters. He has counseled several significant real estate transactions in the state of Michigan and has substantial experience in office, industrial and retail projects throughout the United States. Prior to establishing an awarded legal career, Maxwell spent multiple years working for financial institutions and a leading real estate investment trust. An alumnus of Grand Valley State University, Maxwell earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. He then graduated from Wayne State University School of Law with his juris doctorate. In addition to being a member of the State Bar of Michigan and American Bar Association, Maxwell is also involved in retail and real estate trade associations, including the International Council of Shopping Centers - Law Division and the Urban Land Institute - Young Leaders Group. * * * Attorneys R. Terrance Rader, Michael D. Fishman, Glenn E. Forbis, Kristin L. Murphy, and Michael B. Stewart of Rader, Fishman, & Grauer PLLC, have been named Michigan Super Lawyers for 2012. All of the Rader, Fishman & Grauer attorneys named Michigan Super Lawyers have been recognized on the list before. Rader has repeatedly been named a Super Lawyer. He has been trial counsel in more than 400 federal intellectual property lawsuits, and has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts or settlements for plaintiffs and defendants. Rader has litigated on behalf of a number of high-profile celebrity clients including the rock group KISS and singer Aretha Franklin. He earned his law degree from American University. Fishman has held the Super Lawyers designation since the list's inception in 2006. He has managed the filing, prosecution and maintenance of thousands of trademark applications and registrations in more than 200 jurisdictions worldwide. Fishman earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Forbis has also held the Super Lawyers designation since the list's inception in 2006. He litigates patent and trademark disputes in federal court around the U.S., and advises companies on managing and expanding their domestic and foreign patent portfolios. Forbis earned a law degree, MBA and BS from University of Michigan. Murphy has also been named a Super Lawyer multiple times. She prosecutes domestic and foreign patents and domestic trademarks, and counsels companies on trade secrets, intellectual property valuations and agreements and unfair competition. Murphy is president of the Women Bar Association - Oakland County region of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, and is first vice president of the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association. Murphy earned law degrees from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now known as the University of New Hampshire School of Law). Stewart has also been named a Super Lawyer multiple times. He prosecutes domestic and foreign patents and trademarks in a wide variety of disciplines including IT, e-commerce, telecommunications, aerospace and nuclear engineering. He also advises companies on managing large global intellectual property portfolios. Stewart earned his law degree from University of Michigan Law School. * * * Richard D. Rattner from Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett PC in Birmingham has been selected as the Lawyer of the Year 2012 in Land Use and Zoning Law in the Detroit metropolitan area by The Best Lawyers in America. Rattner, is a partner whose law practice focuses on real estate, land use, zoning and corporate law. In addition, seven attorneys from the firm have been selected for inclusion in DBusiness Magazine's list of "Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit 2013." Robert S. Bick is a partner whose law practice focuses on corporate law, mergers & acquisitions law, corporate governance and business planning; James P. Cunningham is a partner whose law practice focuses on family law; Robert B. Labe is a partner whose law practice focuses on business law, estate planning, estate and trust administration, tax law and tax planning; John F. Mills is a partner whose law practice focuses on family law, with an emphasis on family law alternative dispute resolution and adoption law, Thomas G. Plunkett is a partner whose law practice focuses on commercial litigation, estate and trust administration and family law; Richard D. Rattner, is partner whose law practice focuses on real estate, land use, zoning and corporate law; and R. Jamison Williams Jr. is a partner whose practice focuses on corporate law, mergers & acquisitions law, and business and estate planning. * * * Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that Scott Seabolt, partner in the firm's Detroit office, has been elected to serve a two-year term as chair of the Think Detroit PAL board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2013. In this role, Seabolt will be responsible for helping to guide the strategic direction of Think Detroit PAL, one of Detroit's leading non-profit organizations dedicated to building character in young people through athletic, academic and leadership programs. He has served in a number of other roles on the Think Detroit PAL board of directors over the past five years, including three years on its Executive Committee and three years on its Nominating Committee. Seabolt also supported the organization as interim CEO in 2010, and was subsequently recognized with the Think Detroit PAL John D. Scodellaro Builder Award in recognition of his dedication, hard work and long-term service. * * * Brian E. McGinty has joined Butzel Long as an associate based in the firm's Detroit office. He specializes in Corporate and Business Law Matters. McGinty is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Prior to attending law school, McGinty attended and graduated from Dartmouth College. He spent a year studying at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland before matriculating at Dartmouth. In addition, he studied abroad for a trimester at Beijing Normal University in China and for a semester at the Queen's University of Belfast in Northern Ireland, U.K. McGinty has a working knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. * * * Gifford, Krass, Sprinkle, Anderson, & Citkowski PCis pleased to announce that Cesare Sclafani and Erin Morgan Klug were recently elected as shareholders. Sclafani joined the firm in 2008 and focuses his practice on all aspects of intellectual property including patents, trademarks, copyrights, with a primary focus on patent application preparation and prosecution. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Sclafani is the vice president of Finance on the Executive Board of the Wayne State University Law Alumni Association and a member of the Italian American Bar Association of Michigan. Klug joined the firm in 2008 and focuses her practice on all forms of intellectual property including, but not limited to, patent prosecution and procurement, trademarks, copyrights, IP litigation, trade secrets, trade dress, licensing, contracts and foreign IP matters. Klug earned her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan - Dearborn. Klug is the current recording secretary for the Women's Bar Association and is active in the Oakland County Bar Association, Animal Law Defense Fund, Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, Women's Lawyer's Association of Michigan and Inforum Professional Women's Alliance. Published: Mon, Nov 26, 2012