LEGAL PEOPLE

Twenty-six Plunkett Cooney attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022.

In addition to inclusion on the list this year, D. Jennifer Andreou received the Best Lawyers™ 2022 Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” award in Detroit and Douglas C. Bernstein was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Bloomfield Hills.  Lawyer of the Year is a designation awarded to only a single attorney in each practice area in each community.

Below is a list of local Plunkett Cooney attorneys who have received the 2022 Best Lawyers designation:

Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Best Lawyers:

Michael P. Ashcraft (partner) – Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
Douglas C. Bernstein (partner) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law / Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law / Real Estate Law
William D. Booth (Of Counsel) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Charles W. Browning (partner) – Insurance Law
Lawrence R. Donaldson (Of Counsel) – Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
Michael A. Fleming (partner) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Jeffrey C. Gerish (partner) – Appellate Practice
Howard B. Goldman (senior attorney) – Real Estate Law
Robert G. Kamenec (partner) – Appellate Practice
Mark S. Kopson (partner) – Health Care Law
David A. Lerner (partner) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Scott K. Lites (partner) – Corporate Law
Mary Massaron (partner) – Appellate Practice
Lauren B. McMillen (partner) – Insurance Law
Saulius K. Mikalonis (senior attorney) – Environmental Law
Kenneth C. Newa (partner) – Insurance Law
Scott H. Sirich (partner) – Construction Law and Litigation
Thomas P. Vincent (partner) – Commercial Litigation

Plunkett Cooney’s Detroit, Michigan Best Lawyers:

D. Jennifer Andreou (partner) – Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Laurel F. McGiffert (partner) – Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Claudia D. Orr (senior attorney) – Employment Law, Labor and Employment Litigation
Stanley A. Prokop (partner) – Insurance Law
Mary Catherine Rentz (partner) – Insurance Law

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Saturday, September 18, the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) hosted its 76th Annual Banquet at Ford Field in Detroit. The event brought together trial lawyers from across the state for an evening of celebration and engagement. Five individuals were honored during the event for the outstanding work they had showcased throughout the year. Steve Pontoni, MAj executive director, made the announcement.

Partner with Charters, Tyler, Zack, & Shearer PC, Morrison R. Zack was awarded the MAJ Special Service Award, which recognizes individuals who go above and beyond for the organization. MAJ was proud to present Zack with this Special Service Award for his willingness to give his time and knowledge freely on the list server.

Partner with The Law Offices of Goodwin & Scieszka, Scott Goodwin was awarded the 2021 Champion of Justice Award, which recognizes an individual in appreciation of their commitment to the civil justice system and to preserving the rights of citizens. Goodwin was the 2014-2015 MAJ president, has been recognized as a DBusiness Top Lawyer 11 times and has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2006.

Michigan Attorney General Dana M. Nessel was awarded the 2021 MAJ Women’s Caucus Award of Excellence. The Women’s Caucus was honored to select Nessel as this year’s Award of Excellence recipient in recognition of her service to the State of Michigan. Her selection celebrates her commitment to the truth and unapologetic fight for justice.

Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Amy Ronayne Krause, 4th District, and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David J. Allen both received the 2021 Judicial Excellence Award. This award is given in appreciation for the recipient’s commitment to the law and serving the public.

The honorees were celebrated by the 375+ MAJ members and guests in attendance at the banquet.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that the firm’s labor and employment practice and its attorneys are recognized in the Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment 2022 Edition.

Benchmark Litigation recognized the following Dickinson Wright labor and employment practices and attorneys:

Michigan – Highly Recommended

Timothy Howlett – Local Labor & Employment Star
William Thacker – Local Labor & Employment Star
Kathryn Wood – Local Labor & Employment Star

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Jerome P. Pesick, managing shareholder of Steinhardt, Pesick, & Cohen PC (SPC), a Michigan-based law firm specializing in eminent domain and condemnation, commercial property tax appeals, commercial real estate litigation and land use, has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the practice areas of eminent domain, condemnation law and real estate law. He also received Lawyer of the Year honors in the practice area of Real Estate Law - Troy. Pesick has received the Lawyer of the Year honor six times since 2011.

Possessing more than 40 years of legal experience, Pesick’s achievements include serving as lead counsel on behalf of the property owners in the largest eminent domain verdict in Michigan history, rendering $25 million in a case that involved a 6.3-acre parcel on the Detroit River with an original government offer of $13.7 million. He has successfully represented clients in nearly every major condemnation project in Detroit and Southeast Michigan, including the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Poletown, Detroit Waterfront Casino and Reclamation Project, Comerica Park and Ford Field, I-696, M-59 (Hall Road), M-5 (Haggerty Connector), Northwestern Connector, Van Dyke Highway, Detroit Metropolitan Airport Expansion, Wayne State University Welcome Center, Wayne County Pinnacle AeroPark, Ypsilanti Water Street Redevelopment, Eastern Michigan University Business School, and the Orchard Lake Road widening.

Recent projects include representing the interests of commercial shopping center clients impacted by the introduction of a large traffic circle on Orchard Lake Road in Oakland County. In November 2018, Pesick was part of a legal team that achieved a major settlement for a client in a protracted eminent domain case against the City of Pontiac. Known for his collaborative approach in complex commercial real estate cases, Pesick was sought out by a prominent Michigan law firm to help handle the eminent domain issues specifically and to otherwise assist in the disputes between their client, the owners of a large office complex, and the City of Pontiac. He obtained a dismissal of the eminent domain case and assisted the legal team in negotiating a global settlement of several million dollars for the client.

The Best Lawyers/Lawyer of the Year nod comes on the heels of Pesick being named a 2021 Michigan Super Lawyer, a recognition he has received every year since 2006, as well as being recognized in the Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers list for 2021 and numerous years prior.  He also was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Leader in the Law class of 2019 for his outstanding contributions to the practice of law in Michigan and the leadership example he sets for other lawyers.

Pesick is involved with a variety of professional organizations including membership in the American Bar Association’s Section on Litigation-Committee on Real Estate, Condemnation and Trust Litigation.  He is also involved in State Bar of Michigan as a member of the sections on Litigation and Real Property and was a past chair of the Real Property Law Section, where he served as chair of the Eminent Domain Committee for seven consecutive years. He is also a member of the Real Property Law Section’s Land Title Standards Committee. In addition, Pesick is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association.  He has authored numerous articles on eminent domain and is a popular speaker at real property law and eminent domain conferences.
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