By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Love of the law runs deep in the family of Chauncey C. Mayfield II, a partner with Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn in Detroit.
“My grandfather was a prominent criminal defense attorney and civil rights activist in Georgia – the stories my father told me about what he did really drew me to study law because I heard about the difference he made in so many people’s lives,” Mayfield says. “I believed law could also be my avenue to help people’s lives as well.”
After graduating from the Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA) in Virginia, Mayfield earned his undergrad degree in political science from Purdue University, as well as a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
“I was interested in how our government operated and I believed political science was the best major available to prepare me for law school,” he says.
He then headed to Ann Arbor to earn his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he won the Michigan Real Property Book Award, and was a quarterfinalist in the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition. He enjoyed the caliber of the U-M Law students and the professors.
“The majority of the books used in class were written by the professors teaching the classes, who were also renowned experts in their respective areas of the law,” he says.
“The students were very smart, dedicated, and from diverse backgrounds, which really enlivened classroom discussion. It was all around one of the best places to receive a legal education.
“I enjoyed Ann Arbor because there was always something really fun to do – whether it was attending the Art Fair, a Saturday afternoon football game at the Big House, or just hanging out with friends at a local bar. I still visit frequently.”
After working for General Counsel PC in McLean, Va., Mayfield joined Honigman in 2013, having previously worked there as a summer associate in 2010. He concentrates his practice on complex commercial transactions, acquisitions and dispositions, secured and unsecured financings, and general corporate law, and enjoys representing entrepreneurs and private and public companies.
“I’ve been fortunate in my legal career to have worked with some very smart, talented, and dedicated individuals who allow me to help them navigate through complex legal and business issues,” he says. “Whether I’m helping an individual establish a company or helping an entity with a complex transaction, I take pleasure in learning about each client’s business and using my legal skills to help them achieve their business goals.”
Among his many cases, Mayfield represented a Fortune 500 company in the outsourcing of its global employee recruiting functions; the work included assisting in drafting the Master Services Agreement and negotiating local participation agreements for the client’s various entities in the North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
In a couple of other interesting cases, he assisted in the drafting and negotiating of a contract manufacturing agreement on behalf of a contract manufacturer for the assembly of luxury vehicles; and he represented a client in a complex commercial transaction with a financially distressed supplier that involved, among other things, a $55 million secured loan facility and a $15 million equity investment.
A member of the American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division and Business Law Section, and a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, in 2013 Mayfield was one of 100 early-to-mid career minority attorneys under 40 from the Midwest named to the Lawyers of Color’s inaugural “Hot List” for the Midwest region.
A native of Ellicott City, Md., Mayfield now makes his home in Farmington Hills, with his wife Erica, and baby son, Chauncey “Trey” C. Mayfield III.
He enjoys seeing the revitalization of Detroit and all that is going on downtown.
“Detroit is such a different place than it was when I first got here in 2010 and I’ve really enjoyed seeing the city’s revitalization and growth,” he says. “Detroit and the general Detroit area is making a comeback and I’m excited I get to be here when it happens.”
In his leisure time, Mayfield enjoys teaching himself the piano, working on his house, learning how to golf, and traveling – “and enjoying every moment I can with my wife and newborn son.”
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