LEGAL PEOPLE

The law firm of Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that it has received the 2014 Law Firm of the Year Award given by Michigan Community Resources (MCR) for its leadership and commitment to pro bono work across Michigan and most notably, for its dedication to MCR's pro bono legal referral program. Miller Canfield CEO Michael McGee accepted the award on behalf of the firm. "We are pleased to be recognized for our help in assisting Michigan's nonprofits. Helping nonprofit leaders find legal counsel and giving them that peace of mind allows them to do more, work harder and create a bigger impact that's the essence of our 'more than just the law' mantra. It's about giving back and investing in our communities," he said. Miller Canfield lawyers handled about a dozen pro bono projects in the past year for MCR, including this example: Miller Canfield connected with Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp. (GRDC) through MCR to pursue legal action against the owners of a blighted home that had stood vacant for more than 30 years. The lawyer team, led by Larry Dudek and Scott Lesser, negotiated a settlement that allowed the property on an otherwise stable and attractive block to be donated to the GRDC for nuisance abatement. The blighted property will be demolished as part of the City of Detroit's anti-blight initiatives. - - - Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Kimberly Slaven has been selected as a "2014 Up & Coming Lawyer" Honoree by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Slaven is an associate in the firm's Troy office where she focuses her practice on intellectual property law, particularly in the area of patents. She has experience in the chemical arts, especially material science and metallurgy, as well as the mechanical and electrical arts, particularly inventions related to the automotive industry. On behalf of the firm's clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual entrepreneurs, she handles patent application preparation and prosecution, including original filings, responses, appeals, oppositions, reexaminations, and reissue applications. She conducts patentability and clearance searches, and provides patentability opinions, patent infringement opinions, freedom to operate opinions, patent licensing agreements, non-disclosure agreements, intellectual property litigation support, and patent portfolio management. Slaven also has experience in trademark prosecution, frequently helping clients register their trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and her law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law. Throughout her career, Slaven has given voluntary lectures on patent-related topics to entrepreneurs and students at the University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Kettering University, and Wayne State University. In addition, she recently volunteered to serve in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's pro bono program, which is launching in Michigan in November 2014. Slaven is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Annual Meeting Committee, the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Detroit, the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, the Society of Women Engineers of Detroit, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Woodward Avenue Action Association. In addition, Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that attorney Steven G. Howell will receive the Barbara J. Rom Award for Bankruptcy Excellence from the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. Howell is a Member in the firm's Detroit office. He also serves as the Practice Department Manager for the firm's Banking & Finance, Creditors' Rights, Municipal Finance and International Law Practices. He focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy & restructuring law, including creditor rights and bankruptcy litigation, and banking & finance law. Howell is currently serving as a special assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan in the City of Detroit's Chapter 9 bankruptcy case, representing the State of Michigan. He has served as either counsel or co-counsel for clients in numerous Chapter 11 bankruptcies, CCAA proceedings in Canada, and workouts. Howell has expertise in assisting clients dealing with financially-challenged entities in a variety of industries including automotive, manufacturing, banking, municipal, and commercial real estate. Howell is a member of the Federal Bar Association's Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Turnaround Management Association. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America, including being named 2014 Detroit Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Lawyer of the Year; Chambers USA, including recognition as a Band 1 Leading Individual in Michigan in the bankruptcy field; Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness Top Lawyers. Howell received his B.G.S. from the University of Michigan and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Howell will be presented with the Barbara J. Rom Award for Bankruptcy Excellence at the Rakow Scholarship Awards/Historical Society/Barbara J. Rom Award FBA Luncheon on November 20 at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit. Dickinson Wright is also pleased to announce that it received 95 first-tier rankings in the 2015 "Best Law Firms" report by U.S. News and Best Lawyers. The survey ranked Dickinson Wright in 65 different areas overall. The firm received first-tier recognition in 68 practice areas in Michigan. The firm was also recognized for legal excellence for practices in our Columbus, Nashville, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. offices. Local state/metropolitan rankings: Tier 1 Detroit Appellate Practice Arbitration Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Construction Law Corporate Law Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Employment Law Management Energy Law Environmental Law Family Law Health Care Law Immigration Law International Trade and Finance Law Labor Law Management Litigation Antitrust Litigation Banking & Finance Litigation Bankruptcy Litigation Construction Litigation Environmental Litigation Labor & Employment Litigation Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation Real Estate Litigation Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Litigation Securities Mediation Mergers & Acquisitions Law Municipal Law Non-Profit/Charities Law Public Finance Law Real Estate Law Securitization and Structured Finance Law Tax Law Trusts & Estates Law Tier 2 Detroit Corporate Governance Law Land Use & Zoning Law Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law Litigation Intellectual Property Litigation Tax Litigation Trusts & Estates Patent Law Product Liability Litigation Defendants Trademark Law Tier 3 Detroit Criminal Defense: White Collar Litigation Patent National Rankings: Tier 1 Public Finance Law Tier 2 Commercial Litigation Corporate Law Litigation Real Estate Tax Law Trademark Law Tier 3 Appellate Practice Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Employment Law Management Environmental Law Immigration Law International Trade and Finance Law Labor Law Management Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law Litigation Environmental Litigation Labor & Employment Mergers & Acquisitions Law Real Estate Law Trusts & Estates Law - - - Fraser Trebilcock has received a First Tier ranking in Lansing in seven practice areas by U.S. News Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" in 2015. Those practice areas include: Administrative/Regulatory Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Litigation-Labor & Employment, Mediation, and Real Estate Law. In addition to the First Tier ranking in seven legal practice areas, Fraser Trebilcock has also been named a Tier Two firm in Lansing in six practice areas. Those areas include: Appellate Practice, Arbitration, DUI/DWI Defense, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation Construction, and Trusts & Estates Law. - - - Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP has been ranked one of the "Best Law Firms" by Best Lawyers and U.S. News & World Report. The awards recognized the firm's Southfield and Macomb offices with a first-tier ranking for closely held companies and family business, commercial litigation, corporate, employee benefits, environmental, health care, regulatory enforcement litigation and tax. Three other Warner Norcross offices were also included in the first tier for metropolitan areas. Warner Norcross also has 97 attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2015. Attorneys from each of the firm's eight offices were featured in the 2015 listings, which were released earlier this year. - - - Southfield-based Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC announced it earned recognition with a Tier 1 Ranking in five practice areas in the 2015 edition of U.S. News-Best Lawyers' "Best Law Firms." The firm was listed as a Tier 1 firm in the Detroit metropolitan rankings in: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Employment Law-Individuals Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants Real Estate Law Trusts & Estates Law "We are extremely proud of the high quality legal services that our attorneys and staff provide to our clients," said Maddin Hauser President and CEO Steven D. Sallen. "Being recognized with Tier 1 Rankings in these five separate practice areas, each of which represents a core concentration of our firm's business, is a significant honor." - - - For the fifth consecutive year, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP has been ranked among the nation's most prominent law firms in several key practice areas in the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® 2015 "Best Law Firms." In total, Honigman was ranked nationally in 22 of its practice areas. In the transactional practice areas, Honigman received high rankings nationally in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization, Corporate, Environmental, Health Care, Information Technology, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity, Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities/Capital Markets, Securities Regulation, Tax, Trademark, Trusts and Estates, and Venture Capital. In the litigation practice areas, the firm received high rankings nationally in Bankruptcy, Commercial, Construction, Environmental, Mergers and Acquisitions, Real Estate, Regulatory Enforcement, Securities and Tax. The "Best Law Firm" rankings are presented in three tiers, or levels, both on a national and metropolitan scale. Honigman was ranked in Tier 1 in nearly 40 practice areas in its significant metropolitan markets in Michigan. The following list indicates in which tier Honigman's local practice areas are ranked. National Tier 2 Commercial Litigation Corporate Law Litigation-Real Estate Securities/Capital Markets Law Trademark Law Venture Capital Law National Tier 3 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Environmental Law Health Care Law Information Technology Law Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law Litigation-Bankruptcy Litigation-Construction Litigation-Environmental Litigation-Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation-Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Litigation-Securities Litigation-Tax Mergers & Acquisitions Law Securities Regulation Tax Law Trusts & Estates Law Metropolitan Tier 1 Detroit Antitrust Law Appellate Practice Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Construction Law Copyright Law Corporate Compliance Law Corporate Governance Law Corporate Law Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Employment Law-Management Environmental Law Franchise Law Health Care Law Insurance Law Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law Litigation-Antitrust Litigation-Bankruptcy Litigation-Construction Litigation-Environmental Litigation-Intellectual Property Litigation-Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation-Real Estate Litigation-Securities Litigation-Tax Mergers & Acquisitions Law Non-Profit/Charities Law Real Estate Law Securities Regulation Tax Law Trademark Law Trusts & Estates Law Venture Capital Law Metropolitan Tier 2 Detroit Criminal Defense: White-Collar Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law Employment Law-Individuals Family Law Government Relations Practice Immigration Law Information Technology Law Litigation-Labor & Employment Litigation-Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Metropolitan Tier 3 Detroit Patent Law In addition, attorney Chao (Charley) Meng has joined the Corporate Department at Honigman. He is located in the firm's Detroit office. Meng, who speaks Mandarin fluently, focuses his practice on commercial transactions. He has experience in the automotive, manufacturing, agriculture, printing and apparel industries. Meng is admitted to practice in Michigan. He earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in economics from Stanford University. Meng joins Honigman from Foley & Lardner LLP in Detroit. - - - Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart PC is pleased to announce that the firm has been named "Law Firm of the Year" in the Labor Law-Management category in the 2015 edition of the U.S. News Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list. This is the fourth consecutive year that Ogletree Deakins has been named a "Law Firm of the Year" and the second consecutive year that the firm has been named "Law Firm of the Year" in the Labor Law-Management category. Additionally, Ogletree Deakins' Detroit Metro office earned metropolitan "First Tier" practice area rankings in two categories: Employment Law-Management and Litigation-Labor & Employment. Nationally, the firm maintained its "First Tier" practice area rankings in six categories: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Employment Law-Management; Immigration Law; Labor Law-Management; Litigation-Labor & Employment; and Construction Law. Earlier, 184 Ogletree Deakins attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2015. Many earned recognition in multiple categories-144 were named under the Employment Law-Management category; 104 were named under the Labor Law-Management category; and 105 were named under the Litigation-Labor and Employment category. - - - Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, and Sadler PLC is proud to announce its inclusion in the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, 2015 "Best Law Firms" rankings. Dawda Mann ranked in 9 practice areas: Tier 1 Rankings Corporate Law Environmental Law Litigation Real Estate Real Estate Law Tier 2 Rankings Empoyee Benefits (ERISA) Law Litigation Environmental Litigation Labor & Employment Trusts & Estate Law Tier 3 Rankings Employment Law-Management - - - Patricia Nemeth, founder of Nemeth Law PC, a Detroit-based labor and employment law firm, has been selected to join the board of directors of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, an award winning national model for arts education and youth development. Nemeth joins Mosaic after serving more than 10 years on the board of Vista Maria, the oldest and largest private, not-for-profit child welfare agency in Michigan for girls and young women. During her board tenure, including serving as board vice chair, Nemeth received Vista Maria's Outstanding Board Leadership Award. Nemeth became acquainted with Mosaic through her daughter, now a freshman in the BFA Guthrie theatre program at the University of Minnesota, who was a Mosaic member from 2007 to 2011. "Serving on the Mosaic Board presents a wonderful opportunity to give back to an organization that gave my daughter so much," Nemeth said. "The artists involved learn discipline, time management, how to be their best selves and how to work as a team. Mosaic's motto, 'Only the best, nothing less,' exemplifies what the artists expect of themselves not only on stage but off stage as well. I'm very proud to be a Mosaic Board Member." Nemeth founded Nemeth Law as a solo practitioner in 1992. The firm now has 12 attorneys and is the largest woman-owned law firm in Michigan to exclusively represent management in the prevention, resolution and litigation of labor and employment disputes. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and law degrees from Wayne State University School of Law. - - - Dykema recently announced that the firm was nationally ranked in 27 practice areas in the 2015 U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" list, as well as receiving a total of 100 metropolitan rankings representing various areas of law. Dykema's recognized local practices are listed below: National Tier 1 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Land Use & Zoning Law Litigation-Intellectual Property Litigation-Real Estate Real Estate Law National Tier 2 Commercial Litigation Corporate Law Litigation-Labor & Employment National Tier 3 Construction Law Environmental Law Health Care Law Labor Law-Management Litigation-Banking & Finance Litigation-Bankruptcy Litigation-Construction Litigation-Environmental Litigation-ERISA Litigation-Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation-Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Litigation-Securities Litigation-Tax Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions-Defendants Mergers & Acquisitions Law Securities / Capital Markets Law Securities Regulation Tax Law Trusts & Estates Law Metropolitan Tier 1 Detroit Arbitration Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Corporate Governance Law Corporate Law Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Employment Law-Management Environmental Law Health Care Law Labor Law-Management Land Use & Zoning Law Litigation-Antitrust Litigation-Bankruptcy Litigation-Construction Litigation-Environmental Litigation-Labor & Employment Litigation-Land Use & Zoning Litigation-Real Estate Litigation-Securities Litigation-Tax Litigation-Trusts & Estates Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions-Defendants Mediation Mergers & Acquisitions Law Product Liability Litigation-Defendants Real Estate Law Securities / Capital Markets Law Securities Regulation Tax Law Trusts & Estates Law Metropolitan Tier 2 Detroit Antitrust Law Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law Information Technology Law Litigation-Banking & Finance Litigation-ERISA Litigation-Intellectual Property Litigation-Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation-Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants Public Finance Law - - - Kemp Klein Law Firm celebrates being named to the 2015 edition of "Best Law Firms in America." Kemp Klein Law Firm is proud to have been named as a Tier 1 law firm in the categories of: Litigation Trusts & Estates; as well as Trusts & Estates Law. - - - Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt Heuer, & Weiss PC recently announced that 23 of its attorneys have been selected as Top Lawyers for 2015 by DBusiness magazine. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider proudly made the announcement. DBusiness has recognized the following local Jaffe attorneys as 2015 Top Lawyers: - Peter M. Alter, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Banking and Finance, Litigation Real Estate. - Christopher A. Andreoff, Criminal Defense: White-Collar. - Mark G. Cooper, Insurance Law, Litigation Insurance. - Joel S. Golden, Trusts and Estates. - Jeffrey G. Heuer, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Construction. - Ira J. Jaffe, Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law. - Shirley A. Kaigler, Trusts and Estates. - Mark P. Krysinski, Real Estate Law. - Eli Maroko, Immigration Law. - Michael A. Rajt, Litigation Insurance. - Louis P. Rochkind, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. - Mark D. Rubenfire, Real Estate Law. - Stephen G. Schafer, Banking and Finance Law, Public Finance Law. - Brian G. Shannon, Appellate Practice. - Julianne Cassin Sharp, Immigration Law. - William E. Sider, Tax Law. - Peter Sugar, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation. - Holli Targan, Information Technology Law. - Jay L. Welford, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation Bankruptcy - Arthur A. Weiss, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law. - Richard A. Zussman, Real Estate Law. Published: Mon, Nov 10, 2014