LEGAL PEOPLE

Plunkett Cooney Plunkett Cooney recently added two attorneys, Macy R. Abdallah and Chase M. Kubica, to its Tort & Litigation Practice Group. A member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, Abdallah has a practice that includes the defense of commercially-insured businesses through some of the nation's leading insurance providers. She has expertise in the areas of premises liability, foodservice and hospitality law and municipal law. Abdallah also works with businesses and individuals in the area of tax law. Abdallah is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce. She received her law degree from University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2013 and her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan 2010. Kubica is a member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office who focuses his litigation practice in the areas of motor vehicle liability, no-fault law and premises liability. His clients include businesses and individuals involved in first- and third-party automobile negligence claims and in matters involving uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits. He also works with some of the nation's leading insurance providers to resolve allegedly fraudulent motor vehicle accident cases and matters involving suspicious insured and medical provider claims. A Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2013, Kubica is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. He received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2010 and his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 2006. ----- Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP For the fifth consecutive year, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP was ranked among the top 25 large companies in the Detroit Free Press 2015 Top Workplaces in Michigan and the only law firm named in the large company category. The list includes many of Michigan's most prominent and innovative companies. "We thank our team members who have once again given our firm high ratings as a great place to work," said Robert D. Kubic, Honigman's chief operating officer. "Honigman is not just a great place to work, but has a well-earned reputation for providing excellent service to its clients. Our firm understands that there is a direct correlation between happy people and client engagement and dedication." More than 1,500 companies and 61,000 employees in Michigan participated in the survey. Employee survey responses, including comments on the individual's job and opportunities for career advancement, are the criteria for the rankings. Honigman has been recognized as one of the Best and Brightest Companies To Work For nationally, in Metropolitan Detroit and in West Michigan by the National Association for Business Resources. ----- Secrest Wardle Secrest Wardle has been featured in the 2015 Super Lawyers Business Edition. The firm received this honor because of the number of attorneys from the firm who were selected to a Super Lawyers list within a business-related practice area. Listed Secrest Wardle attorneys include: Senior Partner Thomas J. Azoni, Personal Injury General-Defense; Senior Partner Nathan J. Edmonds, Personal Injury General-Defense; Executive Partner Caroline A. Grech-Clapper, Employee Litigation-Defense; Senior Partner Mark F. Masters, Civil Litigation-Defense; Senior Partner and Co-Managing Partner Mark E. Morley, Civil Litigation-Defense; Partner William D. Shailor, Construction Litigation; and Partner John L. Weston, Personal Injury General-Defense In addition, Secrest Wardle is pleased to announce that it has been selected among The Top Workplaces for 2015. The firm has been selected as a Top Workplace for three years in a row. Top Workplaces are determined based solely on employee feedback. The employee survey is conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a research firm on organizational health and employee engagement. This year 100 Michigan businesses were recognized. Secrest Wardle, headquartered in Troy, with additional offices in Lansing and Grand Rapids, specializes in defense litigation and counsel for insurance, municipal, and commercial clients. With locations across Michigan, Secrest Wardle has been recognized for 2015 as one of the "Largest Law Firms" ranked by number of attorneys in Southeast Michigan by Crain's Business Detroit. Secrest Wardle was recently named in U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" 2016 in Metropolitan Tier 1 Troy: Litigation-Municipal, Litigation-Real Estate, and Municipal Law; Metropolitan Tier 2-Troy: Commercial Litigation, Family Law, and Litigation-Land Use & Zoning; and Metropolitan Tier 3-Troy, Land Use & Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. ----- Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Daniel R. Chojnowski has joined the firm. He will practice out of the firm's Royal Oak Office. Chojnowski focuses his practice in building and maintaining intellectual property value for his clients. In particular, his practice includes global patent procurement and opinion preparation with an emphasis on patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law. Chojnowski also counsels clients on clearance/freedom-to-practice issues, as well as on strategies for management of their global intellectual property portfolios. Prior to joining Howard & Howard, he gained more than 8 years of experience in industry. While in industry, he worked as an international product development chemist at AkzoNobel Coatings developing coatings for automotive and consumer electronics markets. Chojnowski has experience with thin film technology, dry film transfer techniques, and thermoformable coatings. Prior to AkzoNobel, he worked at Magni Industries as an analytical chemist where he conducted failure analysis investigations of protective/corrosion resistant coatings. In addition, he has experience in the pharmaceutical industry where he was also employed as an analytical chemist. Chojnowski joined Howard & Howard in 2012 as a full-time intern in its intellectual property law internship program while attending law school in the evenings. Chojnowski earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2015. He also earned a M.S. in Polymer and Coating Technology from Eastern Michigan University in 2010 and a B.S. in Chemistry from Western Michigan University in 2005. His thesis involved surface modification of nanoparticles to create solvent free nanofluids, and developing methods to study their resulting rheological properties. Chojnowski is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan. ----- Bodman PLC Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that six new attorneys have joined the firm: Alex E. Haney, Kristen T. Hansen, Zackery T. Hugg, Kristen M. Benvenuti Pytel, Jasmine D. Rippy, and Erica J. Shell. Haney is a staff attorney with Bodman's Enterprise Procurement Group in the Troy office. He represents business clients in the drafting and negotiation of vendor contracts. Before joining Bodman, Haney worked as a commercial law clerk at a Michigan-based global manufacturer of high-technology products where he reviewed, drafted and revised corporate supply agreements, contract amendments, and real estate leases. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. Hansen is an associate with the Business Practice Group in the Troy office. She represents business clients in connection with corporate formations, mergers, acquisitions, and other commercial transactions. Before joining Bodman, Hansen served as a judicial intern for U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn, Eastern District of Michigan. She is a graduate of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Hugg is a staff attorney with the Enterprise Procurement Group in the Troy office. He represents business clients in commercial transactions and intellectual property matters, including the drafting of IP and confidentiality agreements. Before joining Bodman, Hugg acted as independent counsel to a local law firm. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Pytel is a staff attorney with the Enterprise Procurement Group in the Troy office. She represents business clients in connection with a variety of commercial transactions, including the drafting and negotiation of vendor contracts for a variety of goods and services. Before beginning her legal career, Pytel enjoyed a successful career in communications and public relations. She is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. Rippy is an associate with the Banking Practice Group in the Detroit office. She concentrates her practice in representing lenders in commercial loan originations. Before joining Bodman, Rippy served as a judicial extern to U.S. District Court Judge Jack Zouhary, Northern District of Ohio and to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Thomas Tucker, Eastern District of Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law. Shell is an associate with the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group in the Detroit office. She represents clients involved in complex commercial litigation matters. Before joining Bodman, Shell worked as a judicial intern for U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds, Eastern District of Michigan. She is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. ----- Miller Canfield Miller Canfield announces that Frederick Acomb, leader of the International Disputes Group (Detroit office), has co-edited a 50-nation legal compendium published by the International Bar Association Litigation Committee. The compendium is titled "Handbook on Multi-Tiered Dispute Resolution Clauses." The 229-page compendium includes individual chapters on the relevant law in the following jurisdictions: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldavia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, U.A.E, Ukraine, New York, and the U.S.A. In addition to co-editing the compendium, Acomb co-authored the United States chapter. He also serves as an Officer of the International Bar Association Litigation Committee, which published the handbook online. Miller Canfield's International Disputes Group, which is led by Acomb, has a robust transnational litigation practice and has presented and defended a wide range of international arbitration claims, conducted under most institutional rules, in every major region of the world. Drawing on its deep roots in Detroit, the center of the global automotive industry, the group's core mission is to serve as the preeminent midmarket international disputes group in the world in service of the global manufacturing industry. In addition to Acomb, members of the Group include Professor Troy L. Harris, Professor Charles H. Brower II, Professor Julian Davis Mortenson, James L. Woolard Jr., Paul D. Hudson, and Larry Saylor. ----- Butzel Long Fifty-six Butzel Long attorneys have been named Top Lawyers in metro Detroit 2016 by DBusiness magazine. The list appears in the November/December 2015 edition. The local attorneys and their practice areas are listed below: Bloomfield Hills office -Alexander B. Bragdon Employee Benefits Law -Stephen A. Bromberg Real Estate Law -Carey A. DeWitt Litigation Labor Employment Benefits Labor and Employment Law -Gordon W. Didier Real Estate Law -John A. Forrest Franchise Law -Beth S. Gotthelf Energy Law Environmental Law -Robert A. Hudson Corporate Law International Trade Law Securities Law -Laura E. Johnson Corporate Law -Susan L. Johnson Environmental Law -Thomas A. Kabel Banking & Financial Service Law Real Estate Law -Sheldon H. Klein Antitrust Law -Bushra A. Malik Immigration Law -Allan Nachman Real Estate Law -Max J. Newman Bankruptcy and Creditor /Debtor Rights Law -Robert P. Perry Tax Law -R. Peter ProKop Tax Law -Thomas Radom Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law -Joseph E. Richotte White-Collar Criminal Defense -Dennis B. Schultz Litigation Construction Construction Law -Craig S. Schwartz Labor and Employment Law -Robert H. Schwartz Health Care Law -Thomas L. Shaevsky Employee Benefits Law -Thomas C. Simpson Franchise Law, Real Estate Law -William B. Slowey Antitrust Law -David W. Sommerfeld Trusts and Estates, Tax Law -Ronald Paul Strote Construction Law Litigation Construction, Mediation -Daniel B. Tukel Litigation -Labor Employment Benefits Labor and Employment Law -Roxana Gale Zaha Real Estate Law Detroit office -Linda J. Armstrong Immigration Law -James C. Bruno International Trade Law Corporate Law Mergers & Acquisitions Law -Rebecca S. Davies Labor and Employment Law -Clifford J. De Vine Construction Law -George B. Donnini White Collar Criminal Defense -Arthur Dudley II Corporate Law Mergers & Acquisitions Law Securities Law -David F. DuMouchel White-Collar Criminal Defense -Eric J. Flessland Construction Law -Bernard J. Fuhs Franchise Law Trade Secrets -John A. Hancock Jr. Litigation -Labor Employment Benefits Labor and Employment Law -Justin G. Klimko Mergers & Acquisitions Law Corporate Law Securities Law -Gary W. Klotz Labor and Employment Law -Michael J. Lavoie White-Collar Criminal Defense -Mark R. Lezotte Nonprofit/Charities Law Health Care Law -Clara DeMatteis Mager Immigration Law -Donald B. Miller Product Liability -Reginald A. Pacis Immigration Law -James S. Rosenfeld Labor and Employment Law Litigation Labor Employment Benefits Arbitration -Bruce L. Sendek Antitrust Law Litigation Antitrust, Commercial -Jack D. Shumate Environmental Law -Nicholas J. Stasevich International Trade Law Corporate Law Mergers & Acquisitions Law -James E. Wynne Product Liability Published: Mon, Nov 30, 2015