University of Michigan Law School
Michael J. Steinberg, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, will join the University of Michigan Law School faculty this fall as a professor from practice. Steinberg will start the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative, which will provide students with the opportunity to advance social justice by litigating civil rights cases. He also will teach courses in civil rights and civil liberties law.
Steinberg has served as the legal director of the ACLU of Michigan since 1997, where he is responsible for overseeing all litigation taken on by the ACLU throughout the state. He has worked on numerous high-impact, cutting-edge cases on a wide range of civil liberties issues including: racial justice, freedom of speech and expression, post 9-11 issues, police misconduct, immigrant rights, LGBT rights, women's rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, religious freedom, right to counsel, and prisoner rights. Seven cases on which he worked reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to his ACLU work, Steinberg has been an adjunct member of the Michigan Law faculty since 2013.
"For the past 22 years, I have been privileged to work with the nation's best advocates at the ACLU to address the most important civil rights issues of our time," said Steinberg. "I look forward to mentoring the next generation of students who will continue the fight for social justice and the rights of the most vulnerable in our society. I am absolutely thrilled to join the faculty at Michigan Law, which is deeply committed to its public mission and offers a uniquely collegial and supportive learning environment."
Steinberg is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Harvard Law School's Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship and Wayne State University Law School's Treasure of Detroit Award. He earned a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Following law school, Steinberg clerked for Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Marilyn Kelly.
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Honigman
Honigman LLP is pleased to announce that Kristin L. Murphy has joined the firm as a partner in its growing Intellectual Property department. Murphy is based in Honigman's Bloomfield Hills office
Murphy focuses her practice on client counseling, patent portfolio management, and IP litigation for patents and trademarks. She is experienced in serving clients in the automotive, medical device, and industrial manufacturing industries.
Bringing 20 years of IP experience, Murphy joins Honigman from Brooks Kushman. She also teaches Patent Litigation as an adjunct faculty member at Michigan State University College of Law.
Murphy earned both her law degrees from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She earned her B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Western New England University, where she recently served as a member of the Board of Trustees.
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Plunkett Cooney
At the recent Annual Meeting of Plunkett Cooney, local partners Jeffrey C. Gerish, Jeffrey S. Hengeveld, and Matthew J. Stanczyk were elected to the firm's board of directors.
A member of Plunkett Cooney's Appellate Law Practice Group, Gerish practices in the areas of appellate law, insurance coverage and commercial litigation. He has successfully represented clients in numerous published decisions issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Michigan Court of Appeals. He is also a member of the firm's Insurance Coverage Practice Group.
Licensed to practice in Michigan and Indiana, Gerish, who is a member of Plunkett Cooney's Bloomfield Hills office, received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, the American Bar Association, and DRI The Voice of the Defense Bar.
Co-leader of the firm's Professional Liability Practice Group, Hengeveld focuses his practice primarily in the area of professional liability with an emphasis on litigation brought against attorneys, accountants, insurance agents and real estate professionals. A member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, Hengeveld is licensed to practice in Michigan's state and federal courts, and he regularly consults on ethics issues.
Hengeveld received both his law and undergraduate degrees from Michigan State University in 2003 and 1999, respectively. He is member of the Oakland County, American and Federal bar associations, as well as the State Bar of Michigan, ALFA International, and the members' attorney program of the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals.
A member of the firm's Detroit office, Stanczyk serves as Plunkett Cooney's Product Liability Practice Group leader. His practice includes complex litigation involving toxic torts, fire-related claims, construction issues and commercial warranty matters. He represents product manufacturers, general contractors, construction managers, transportation firms and other clients who have litigation matters pending in the state and federal courts in Michigan and Ohio.
Stanczyk received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1986 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1983. He's a member of numerous associations, including the Detroit Bar Association, DRI The Voice of the Defense Bar, the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association, and the Scaffold Industry Association, among others.
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Butzel Long
Butzel Long has added Steve Ratliff as the firm's new chief information officer. In addition, Vanessa Crocetto has been promoted to chief marketing officer; Joanne Klimko is now chief administrative officer; and Lori Thomas has been promoted to chief human resources officer.
Based in Butzel Long's Bloomfield Hills office, Ratliff formerly held a similar position with another Detroit-based law firm. In that role, he helped the firm grow from a Midwest-based regional firm with seven offices to a firm with an international footprint and 25 offices. He formerly held positions with General Motors and R.L. Polk. He earned a B.S. in Computer Science Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Oakland University.
Crocetto is formerly the firm's director of Marketing and Business Development. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University. She is an advisor of Alpha Xi Delta Women's Fraternity. Crocetto also is actively involved with Kensington Church.
Klimko formerly was the director of operations at Butzel Long. She is a senior member of the Butzel Long administrative team, marking her 40th year as part of firm management. From installing direct dial numbers and voice mail to equipping and configuring the first dedicated word processing department to establishing and managing the firm's paper to digital initiative in 2011, her principal goal has always been to keep the firm moving forward. Her favorite pastime outside the office is spending time with her family, especially her three grandchildren.
Prior to her promotion, Thomas was Butzel Long's Human Resources director. She earned a Master of Arts from Ball State University. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Michigan University.
Published: Mon, Mar 04, 2019
