Legal People

Sommers Schwartz PC is pleased to announce that attorneys Andy Dragovic and Jesse Young have been elected to shareholder status. Both had previously been associates at the 39-attorney law firm, now in its fifth decade.

Dragovic is a member of the law firm’s Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Litigation Groups and represents individuals and families harmed or killed as the result of medical malpractice, automobile and trucking accidents, and other forms of negligence. He appears in federal and state courts across Michigan and serves on both the medical malpractice and personal injury case evaluation panels for Oakland County Circuit Court.

Young is a member of Sommers Schwartz’s Complex Litigation Group and manages the firm’s national Wage & Hour practice which includes individual and class action lawsuits involving allegations of nonpayment of minimum wages and overtime, misclassification of employees, unpaid “off the clock” work, improper recordkeeping, and other issues across a wide variety of industries. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” as well as an “Up & Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Western Wayne County.

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Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce that the firm’s Detroit managing shareholder has been recognized in the 2015 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Managing Shareholder Maurice G. Jenkins is one of 62 attorneys from the firm recognized in the 2015 edition of Chambers USA. 

Jenkins is the office managing shareholder and litigation manager of the Detroit and Grand Rapids offices of Jackson Lewis PC. Jenkins has practiced labor and employment law for more than 30 years.

A trial lawyer, Jenkins, who is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, has first chaired jury trials, labor and civil rights arbitrations, NLRB hearings and state civil rights administrative cases on behalf of employers in such business sectors as automotive (OEM; Tier .5-4 suppliers and retail), pharmaceutical manufacturing, international, national and regional consumer retailers, information technology, telecommunications, gaming, and financial services.

Jenkins also advises and represents employers with respect to strategic labor relations matters, collective bargaining and NLRB litigation.

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Lipson, Neilson, Cole, Seltzer, Garin PC announced that it has expanded into Arizona with an office in Phoenix. This new office enhances the firm’s national prominence as well as the synergy of the firm’s four offices. Now, with offices in Bloomfield Hills, Grand Rapids, Las Vegas and Phoenix, the firm is more capable than ever to serve clients anywhere in the country.

The Phoenix office will be run by Arizona attorney Dax Watson who has litigation and professional liability defense experience, especially in the field of real estate.

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The Katz Law Firm announced today that Managing Partner Donald Katz will serve as a qualified mediator under the State Court Administrative Office rules. In addition to his business practice, Katz will mediate civil litigation cases involving business transactions, shareholder and partnership disputes, and commercial controversies.

“In representing clients in mediation over the years, I have seen the benefits of mediation to clients first hand,” says Katz, “business relationships can be the most valuable asset a company has, and mediation provides the best chance at preserving that relationship, which litigation generally cannot do.”

Serving as a mediator furthers the firm’s commitment to useful processes.   

The Katz Law Firm delivers legal and advisory services to businesses, business owners and investors. Based in Birmingham, the firm’s attorneys serve clients on legal and tax issues arising from the ownership and operation of small and medium-size businesses. Prior to founding the firm, Donald Katz, its managing member, was counsel in the Combat Systems Group of General Dynamics Corporation. Katz has published articles on business law, e-commerce and tax policy.

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Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart PC (Ogletree Deakins) is pleased to announce that Rae Gross has rejoined the firm’s Detroit (Metro) office as a shareholder. Gross returns to Ogletree Deakins from DTE Energy Company, where she spent seven years as a director and assistant general counsel, labor and employment. Gross initially joined Ogletree Deakins in 2007, when the firm merged with Cattel, Tuyn, & Rudzewicz PLLC.

For more than 25 years, Gross has represented management in a full range of labor and employment matters before federal and state courts and administrative agencies including the Department of Labor (DOL), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), and state agencies. She has experience with the broad spectrum of workforce regulatory compliance requirements applicable to federal contractors and critical infrastructure industries. Gross has also successfully planned and executed potentially high risk employment initiatives, including reorganizations, incentive exit programs, and involuntary reductions-in-force.

Gross earned her law degree from American University and earlier received a B.A. in public affairs and political science from the University of Miami. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the District of Columbia Bar.

In addition, Ogletree Deakins is pleased to announce that Margaret Carroll Alli and Thomas Cattel, shareholders in the firm’s Detroit (Metro) office, have been included in the 2015 edition of Chambers USA.

In total, the firm’s offices in 22 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 75 of the firm’s attorneys, have been included in the 2015 edition.

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Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Vincent C. Ilagan has joined the firm.  He will practice out of the firm’s Royal Oak Office.

Ilagan offers more than 14 years of diversified experience representing domestic and international clients in various intellectual property matters.  While he handles all aspects of intellectual property to help clients grow their businesses, his practice is mainly focused on procuring patents, conducting due diligence reviews and providing litigation support in a broad range of mechanical engineering technologies. 

He has technical experience in the medical field, including: tracheostoma holding devices, voice prosthesis insertion tools, robotic catheter positioning and control systems, and bipolar surgical cutting and coagulation devices. Ilagan’s broad technical experience also involves automotive applications, including: turbochargers, valvetrains, engine cylinder liners, crankshafts,
transmissions, exhaust gas recirculation systems, safety restraint systems, constant velocity joints, steering and suspension systems, headlamp assemblies, vehicle entertainment systems and various vehicle body structures. 

Ilagan also has technical experience in aerospace and power generation technologies, including: gas turbine engines, combined cycle power plants, electrically conductive fluid couplings, and aircraft hydraulic air bleed valve systems.

Prior to joining Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC, he served as onsite counsel at the headquarters of a major car manufacturer and as a director for a global research provider.  He uses this experience to provide clients with peace of mind that the services rendered will help them to continue developing their businesses and compete in their respective markets.

Ilagan received his law degree from John Marshall Law School in 2001 and his B.S. from the University of Michigan in 1998. He is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association.  Ilagan is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

In addition, Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Jason P. Tejani has joined the firm.  He will practice out of the firm’s Royal Oak Office.

Tejani concentrates his practice in intellectual property law with a focus on preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications in the chemical arts. In addition, he counsels clients regarding validity, non-infringement, and freedom-to-operate. Tejani has legal and technical experience with a diverse array of material technologies, including polyurethanes, silicones, elastomers, and thermoplastics. He also has legal and technical experience in various biotechnologies, including pharmaceutical design, molecular genetics, and cellular biology. 

Prior to joining Howard & Howard, Tejani worked as a formulation chemist at AkzoNobel where he developed automotive primers and clearcoats to meet the needs of today’s heavily regulated markets. While at AkzoNobel, he also managed regulatory compliance of AkzoNobel’s products from formulation to disposal. In addition, Tejani worked as a research associate in the Department of Dermatology at Michigan State University where he investigated the genetic mechanisms associated with various autoimmune diseases.

Tejani received a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2007 from Michigan State University. He also received his M.S. in Chemistry from Oakland University in 2010. Tejani joined Howard & Howard in 2011 as a full-time intern in its intellectual property law internship program while attending law school in the evenings. In 2014, he received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Tejani is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan.

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Butzel Long will receive the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association (DMBA) Pro Bono Service Award during “Raising the Bar 2015,” the Association’s Annual Meeting on June 2.

The award honors Butzel Long for the firm’s outstanding commitment to pro bono causes. Butzel Long attorneys are frequently and consistently involved with Pro Bono cases on a wide range of issues. One project in particular involved a team of attorneys who have been actively involved with the Detroit Legal Services Clinic, a key community service activity for the DMBA and the DMBA Foundation.

“As part of our long-standing commitment to providing pro bono legal services to the Detroit community, in collaboration with Detroit Legal Services and the Wayne County Friend of the Court Assistance Clinic, Butzel Long attorneys provided information and legal advice to more than 60 individuals on issues ranging from basic civil matters to family law/domestic and criminal matters,” said Ivonne Soler, one of the Butzel Long attorneys who participated in that pro bono clinic. “Some of the participants faced complicated legal issues including child support and custody and paternity, while others simply needed general advice and help in navigating the legal system, such as how to file a motion.”

In addition to the Detroit Legal Services Clinic, Butzel Long attorneys have been involved with pro bono cases in state and federal courts.

Throughout its more than 160 years, Butzel Long has a long and distinguished history of public service, particularly assisting clients who could otherwise not afford legal representation.

Providing quality pro bono legal services is a priority for Butzel Long.

The firm’s lawyers, from the newest associate to members of the Board of Directors, use their expertise and training to make a difference each year, providing thousands of hours to those in need through a wide range of programs and relationships.  

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James J. Parks, a partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, has been re-elected to the Oakland County Bar Association Board of Directors for another three-year term. Jaffe CEO William Sider made the announcement.

This will be Parks third term on the OCBA board. In 2016, he will begin serving on the executive board as secretary, eventually working his way up to president in 2018. The OCBA honored Parks with the 2010 Professionalism Award—given to an individual who consistently demonstrates the highest standards of integrity, fairness and excellence in the practice of law.

A member of Jaffe’s Litigation and Employment & Labor Practice Groups, Parks concentrates his practice on various facets of complex commercial litigation within state and federal courts, and provides comprehensive counsel and support for a wide range of employment and labor law issues confronting employers. In addition to his position with the OCBA, Parks serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit organizations Winning Futures and Generation of Promise. He is also a Discovery Master and Case Evaluator for the Oakland County Circuit Court. Parks earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson and is a graduate of Pepperdine University School of Law.