LEGAL PEOPLE

Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce that shareholder Kaitlin A. Brown has been appointed to the firm’s Executive Committee.

The announcement was made by the firm’s president and CEO, Steven D. Sallen.

Brown is a shareholder in the firm’s Corporate and Employment group. Specializing in employment law, she focuses on counseling employers to create welcoming and inclusive workplaces that are legally compliant to prevent costly claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and improper payment of wages.

Brown works closely with business owners, managers, and human resources directors to strategize best practices for managing employees, provide on-site training for employees and managers, and respond to employee concerns.
She conducts investigations, prepares and negotiates severance agreements, drafts onboarding documents and employee handbooks, and defends against agency charges of discrimination and unfair labor practices. Brown also manages audits conducted by the Department of Labor and attends hearings related to claims for unemployment insurance benefits. Brown looks for ways that the law can build business and protect people; she plans to apply those same principles to her work internally, through the Executive Committee.

With several awards to her credit, Brown has been included in the Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2020, was named the 2018 Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer by the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, and was recognized among Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2016 Up and Coming Lawyers. She has also been named a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2014 to 2020. As a contributor for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Brown co-edited the Michigan Causes of Action Formbook, Second Edition. She has also presented webinars about navigating employee compensation requirements and early resolution of employment law cases.

In the community, Brown has led the Oakland County Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee as chair since 2019, during which time the organization has developed an anti-racism statement and partnered with several professionals to lead and deepen conversations that will have a meaningful impact on the legal and community landscape throughout Metropolitan Detroit. For many years, Brown has been active in the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, where she currently serves on the Gender Equity Committee. In March, Brown will present as part of the Michigan Women in Leadership Symposium, hosted by the National Diversity Council.

Brown is admitted to practice law in Michigan, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and in Indiana.

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As Burris Law PLLC celebrates its fifth anniversary, the firm is pleased to announce the addition of Lou Houston, David Spears, and Julie Zamler to its team of patent attorneys.

Houston concentrates her practice in patent applications, patent clearance searches, and opinions. With a background in electrical engineering, she previously practiced at multiple national intellectual property law firms in the United States. She also worked as a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, focusing on technologies such as multiplexing network communication systems, including wired and wireless networks, data packaging, routers, switches, applications, and related databases. Houston received her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School and her Bachelor of Science from Prairie View A&M University.

Spears prepares and prosecutes patents for clients across a range of industries, including automotive, consumer products, and medical devices. His background in mechanical engineering includes his work during college with a large automaker and a major energy supplier. Previously, Spears was an associate at a national IP boutique in metropolitan Detroit. He received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and his Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University.

Formerly a paralegal at the firm, Zamler focuses in patent preparation and prosecution. She has previous industry experience working for a contract research organization in the biopharmaceutical field. She received her law degrees from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and her Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College.

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Butzel Long is growing to meet client needs with the addition of associate attorneys Louis F. Ronayne and Quendale G. Simmons who specialize in litigation. Butzel Long’s Litigation Practice Group is among one of the firm’s largest practice teams.

Based in the firm’s Detroit office, Ronayne focuses his practice primarily in the areas of commercial and appellate litigation. He is a former judicial law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian K. Zahra and research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Ronayne earned his law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law in 2017. He received his undergraduate degree in 2014 from Adrian College, where he played goaltender on the ice hockey team.

Simmons, based in Butzel Long’s Detroit office, focuses his practice on Business & Commercial Litigation. As a part of his practice, he represents businesses in complex business disputes and advises clients regarding their business legal needs.

Prior to joining the firm, Simmons’ practice included the representation of corporations and individuals in civil litigation disputes involving personal, property, and casualty insurance claims. He also has previously worked as a judicial law clerk at the Wayne County Circuit Court where he wrote judicial memoranda and legal opinions regarding pending civil lawsuits.

Simmons earned his law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

Simmons is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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Sinas Dramis Law Firm welcomed partner Brian A. McKenna in January of 2021. He represents plaintiffs in personal injury cases throughout the state of Michigan. McKenna joins George T. Sinas, Michael E. Larkin, James F. Graves, Bryan J. Waldman, Stephen H. Sinas, Thomas G. Sinas, and Catherine E. Tucker as firm shareholders.

McKenna has been with Sinas Dramis Law Firm since 2018 and opened the firm’s fifth office in Saint Clair Shores. He previously served as a shareholder and on the Board of Directors at Sachs Waldman in Southeast Michigan.
McKenna has enjoyed a successful career as a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer in Southeast Michigan, representing a wide variety of cases including wrongful death claims, auto accident claims, motorcycle accident claims, and more.

McKenna has been included in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013 and in Michigan Super Lawyers since 2008 in the field of plaintiff personal injury law.

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Bodman is pleased to announce that Pro Bono Counsel Anne M. Yantus has received the “Exemplary Pro Bono Service Award” from Michigan Community Resources (MCR). The award was announced at MCR’s recent Year-End Award Telecast.

The Exemplary Pro Bono Service Award honors attorneys who have provided outstanding service to MCR and to the nonprofit organizations it serves. As Pro Bono Counsel, Yantus coordinates all aspects of Bodman’s pro bono program in conjunction with the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and manages the firm’s relationships with numerous legal clinics and referring organizations, including MCR.

In announcing the award, Maureen Kasner, MCR’s director of Legal Programs, said that “Anne has been a tremendous resource for MCR. Anne is constantly seeking case assignments for Bodman attorneys, all of whom demonstrate a deep commitment to quality pro bono service.”

Yantus added, “I am proud to receive this recognition from MCR, but the award really recognizes the work of all the Bodman attorneys who handle pro bono matters referred by MCR. I’m a matchmaker, matching the opportunities with available and interested attorneys. The hard work is done by our attorneys, and I greatly appreciate their commitment and professionalism.”

Michigan Community Resources advances the missions of Michigan nonprofit organizations that serve low-income individuals and communities through pro bono and low cost legal and other professional services, organizational development, and trusted guidance. Bodman has a long history of providing pro bono legal services to community-based organizations referred through MCR.

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the following appointments to the Workers’ Compensation Board of Magistrates:

Keith A. Castora is a current magistrate with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Magistrates and has been serving since 2013. He previously worked as an attorney with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith. Castora earned his law degree from the Detroit College of Law, now known as the Michigan State University College of Law. He is reappointed for a term commencing January 27, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025.

Lisa L. Dykstra is a current magistrate with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Magistrates and has been serving since 2013. She previously served as an attorney with Kluczynski, Girtz, and Vogelzang. Dykstra earned her law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law. She is reappointed for a term commencing January 27, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025.

Richard J. Ehrlich is an attorney with Zamler, Shiffman, & Karfis PC. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Ehrlich is appointed for a term commencing February 1, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025. He succeeds Robert Timmons whose term expired January 26, 2021.

John Housefield is a current magistrate with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Magistrates and has been serving since 2017. He previously served as an attorney and partner with McGinty, Jakubiak, Hitch, & Housefield PC. Housefield earned his law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. He is reappointed for a term commencing January 27, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025.

Kevin P. Kales is an attorney with Legghio & Israel PC. He earned his law degrees from Wayne State University Law School. Kales is appointed for a term commencing February 1, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025. He succeeds Jane Colombo whose term expired January 26, 2021.  

Lenny Segel is an attorney with Bernstein and Bernstein. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Segel is appointed for a term commencing February 1, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025. He succeeds John Sims whose term expired January 26, 2021.

David H. Williams is a current magistrate with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Magistrates and has been serving since 2013. He previously worked as an attorney with Kluczynski, Girtz, Zamler, & McCubbrey PC. Williams earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Williams is reappointed for a term commencing January 27, 2021 and expiring January 26, 2025.

The Workers’ Compensation Board of Magistrates has been established as an autonomous entity within the Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency per Executive Order No. 2019-13. Only workers’ compensation magistrates can hear cases for which an application for hearing has been filed with the Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency. The Board of Magistrates currently consists of 14 members appointed by the governor. All members of the board shall be members in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan and have been an attorney licensed to practice in the courts of this state for 5 years or more.

Appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Dickinson Wright joins the ranks of 767 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.

“We were thrilled to participate in the 2021 Corporate Equality Index and honored to achieve a perfect 100 for the fourth year in a row,” said Michael Hammer, CEO of Dickinson Wright. “Our participation in the Corporate Equality Index reflects the firm’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment for all of our employees. At Dickinson Wright, we understand that hiring, training, integrating, and retaining a diverse workforce is at the core of our firm’s values and is instrumental to providing our clients with the best legal service.”

“From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign president. “This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways. Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do—but the best business decision.”

The results of the 2021 CEI showcase how 1,142 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but also for the 57% of CEI-rated companies with global operations who are helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. Dickinson Wright’s efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria earned a 100 percent ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.
The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to over 18 million U.S. workers and an additional 17 million abroad. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.

The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:

  • Non-discrimination policies across business entities.
  • Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families.
  • Supporting an inclusive culture.
  • Corporate social responsibility.

The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.

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The Kitch firm is pleased to announce the promotion of Katharine Gostek to associate principal. She focuses her practice on appellate law.

Gostek earned her B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in 2013. She earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2016.