Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that 70 of its attorneys have been listed in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
Local Bodman attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2023, including the practice areas under which they are listed, are:
DETROIT OFFICE
Hebba Aref (Banking and Finance Law)
Marc M. Bakst (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
Eric C. Bartley (Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law, Real Estate Law)
Andrew H. Curoe (Trusts and Estates, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law)
Jessica L. Davis (Banking and Finance Law)
Herold M. Deason (Corporate Law)
Laurence B. Deitch (Corporate Law)
Robert J. Diehl Jr. (Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Litigation-Banking and Finance, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
Forrest O. Dillon (Corporate Law)
Fredrick J. Dindoffer (Environmental Law, Litigation-Environmental)
Christopher J. Dine (Non-Profit / Charities Law)
Anthony T. Finn (Banking and Finance Law)
Brian P. Foley (Real Estate Law)
David M. Hempstead (Trusts and Estates)
Kathleen O’Callaghan Hickey (Banking and Finance Law)
Frederick H. Hoops III (Trusts and Estates)
Thomas J. Howlett (Real Estate Law)
George G. Kemsley (Commercial Litigation)
Joseph J. Kochanek (Banking and Finance Law)
David P. Larsen (Litigation-Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates)
Melissa A. Lewis (Banking and Finance Law)
Dennis J. Levasseur (Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Banking and Finance, Litigation-Intellectual Property)
Carla S. Machnik (Banking and Finance Law)
Ralph E. McDowell (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
Adam B. Norlander (Banking and Finance Law)
Joseph G. Nuyen Jr. (Health Care Law)
Rebecca D’Arcy O’Reilly (Litigation-ERISA)
Michael B. Peterman (Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law)
Jane Derse Quasarano (Commercial Litigation)
Jeffrey G. Raphelson (Commercial Litigation)
Damali A. Sahu (Banking and Finance Law)
Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. (Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law)
Joseph J. Shannon (Commercial Litigation)
Bonnie S. Sherr (Banking and Finance Law)
E. William S. Shipman (Health Care Law)
Larry R. Shulman (Banking and Finance Law)
Brian R. Trumbauer (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
Jaimee L. Witten (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law)
TROY OFFICE
J. Adam Behrendt (Litigation-Banking and Finance)
John T. Below (Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Labor and Employment))
David C. Bosman (Banking and Finance Law)
Barbara A. Bowman (Banking and Finance Law, Municipal Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law)
Robert J. Cambridge (Mergers and Acquisitions Law)
John C. Cashen (Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management, Qui Tam Law)
Steven R. Cole (Corporate Law)
Michael G. Costello (Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law)
Anthony P. Cracchiolo (Trusts and Estates)
Michelle Thurber Czapski (Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation-Insurance)
Gary S. Fealk (Employment Law-Management)
Gregory J. Gamalski (Real Estate Law)
Jennifer M. Hetu (Trademark Law)
Amanda E. Hill (Trademark Law)
Marguerite Munson Lentz (Trusts and Estates)
Michael B. Lewiston (Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Real Estate, Litigation-Trusts and Estates)
Mark W. Peters (Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law)
Karen L. Piper (Labor Law-Management)
Mara Letica Saad (Commercial Litigation)
Andrew Z. Spilkin (Real Estate Law)
Thomas J. Tallerico (Commercial Litigation)
Thomas Van Dusen (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Trusts and Estates)
David B. Walters (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)
Glen M. Zatz (Real Estate Law)
• • •
Nine Brooks Kushman attorneys were recognized in The Best Lawyers in America©. Those included in the 2023 edition are:
Frank Angileri (president)
Elizabeth Janda (co-chair trademarks)
John LeRoy (co-chair litigation)
Marc Lorelli (co-chair litigation)
John Nemazi (co-chair patent prosecution)
Mark Cantor (chairman emeritus & general counsel)
Hope Shovein (shareholder)
Erin Bowles (shareholder)
Thomas Lewry (chair emeritus – litigation)
• • •
Lisa B. Hysni has joined Kerr Russell as member and chair of the Real Estate practice group.
She brings more than 35 years of experience to the firm and will focus her practice on negotiating leases for commercial clients, representing owners and developers in the sale and financing of commercial properties, and navigating clients through real estate laws and regulations.
Hysni steps in as the chair of Kerr Russell’s Real Estate Practice Group, following Kurt Vilders’ retirement in 2022 after nearly 40 years of practice.
Hysni previously served as in-house counsel to a major commercial developer and was in private practice for more than 15 years. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
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Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that 27 lawyers have been included in the 2023 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, including four receiving “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. Eleven of the 27 lawyers have been included in the Ones to Watch edition.
2023 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” recipients:
David C. Anderson – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Donald D. Campbell – Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Brian D. Einhorn – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Deborah A. Lujan – Litigation – Insurance
2023 Best Lawyers recipients:
David C. Anderson – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Theresa M. Asoklis – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Donald D. Campbell – Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Trent B. Collier – Appellate Practice and Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Daniel E. Collins – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Michael J. Cook – Appellate Practice
Katherine A. Crowley – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Brian D. Einhorn – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Clayton F. Farrell – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Lauren A. Frederick – Insurance Law
Melissa E. Graves – Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Deborah A. Hebert – Appellate Practice and Insurance Law
Richard A. Joslin – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Deborah A. Lujan – Litigation – Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Michael J. Sullivan – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Nicole E. Wilinski – Insurance Law
2023 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” recipients:
Zabbia N. Alholou – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Brian A. Catrinar – Insurance Law
Kyle M. Dysarz – Insurance Law and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Daryle F. Houston – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
James J. Hunter – Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Professional Malpractice Law, and Transportation Law
Stephen D. Jacobites* – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Christopher T. Lang – Commercial Litigation
Sam S. Mate – Insurance Law and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Scott J. Pawlak* – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Lindsey A Peck – Appellate Practice
Joshua M. Stapp* – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
*Notes the lawyers who are listed for the first time in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
• • •
Maddin Hauser proudly announces that Corinne Rockoff, an associate in the firm’s Financial Services Group, has been named a Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association (MMLA) Rising Star.
In the relatively short time she’s practiced law, Rockoff has set herself apart through her dedicated representation of the mortgage industry in both transactional and adversarial contexts. She has handled regulatory and compliance matters, risk assessments, broker disputes and litigation, borrower litigation, vendor negotiations, and more.
The MMLA Rising Star Award is awarded to the “Rising Stars” of the Michigan mortgage industry who show commitment to the MMLA, dedication to their community, and have positively impacted the mortgage industry.
Rockoff’s practice comprises real estate and mortgage litigation, general civil litigation, securitization transactions and disputes, title claims and litigation, construction disputes, and financial services, and unique work in the area of Sharia lending. She is admitted to practice in Michigan, New York, and the District of Columbia.
Rockoff is also a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan LGBTQA Law Section, and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
In addition, Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that 21 attorneys have been included in the 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for their work across various practice areas. Associate Rachael Frawley-Panyard is newly recognized this year in the “Ones to Watch” category.
The 2023 list names 17 Maddin Hauser attorneys as Best Lawyers:
Stuart Bordman (Franchise Law)
David Eisenberg (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy)
Earle I. Erman (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Bankruptcy)
David H. Freedman (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law)
Mark Hauser (Real Estate Law)
Harvey R. Heller (Insurance Law and Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants)
Robert D. Kaplow (Tax Law and Trusts and Estates)
Kathleen H. Klaus (Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants)
Charles M. Lax (Corporate Law and Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)
Michael W. Maddin (Real Estate Law)
Julie Chenot Mayer (Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants)
Richard F. Roth (Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates)
Steven D. Sallen (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) and Real Estate Law)
Ronald A. Sollish (Employment Law – Individuals)
Julie B. Teicher (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Bankruptcy)
Steven M. Wolock (Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants)
Craig E. Zucker (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy)
Four attorneys earned the designation of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch:
Rachael Frawley-Panyard (Litigation – Real Estate)
John A. MacKenzie (Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Real Estate)
Corinne S. Rockoff (Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law)
Jesse L. Roth (Insurance Law)
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Bradley L. Cobb to the Third Circuit Court of Wayne County.
Cobb currently serves as an assistant prosecutor for Wayne County. He has been an assistant prosecutor since 1997 and currently serves as a docket supervisor in the General Trials Division and as chaplain for the office. During his time with the prosecutor’s office, he has served as lead attorney for the Violent Crimes Unit and principal attorney for the Community Prosecution and Diversion Units.
Following his graduation from law school, Cobb worked as a pre-hearing attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals reviewing criminal and civil appeals and writing legal memorandum. Cobb earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Wright State University.
Outside the courtroom, Cobb is a pastor with the Mount Beulah Baptist Church in Detroit. He is also a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-Detroit Chapter, the NAACP, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
“I am so grateful to Governor Whitmer for appointing me to a seat on the Third Judicial Circuit Court bench that will allow me to continue to serve the citizens of Wayne County,” said Cobb. “I have committed myself to public service
for over 25 years and in this new role I look forward to making a positive impact on the lives of the entire Wayne County community. I vow to be fair, cordial, seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly as I carry out the duties of the office to which Governor Whitmer has appointed me.”
This appointment was made to fill a partial term, which will commence on October 10, 2022 and expire at twelve o’clock noon on January 1, 2025, following the resignation of Judge Lawrence Talon effective April 15, 2022. If Cobb wishes to serve the remainder of Talon’s term, expiring January 1, 2027, he would be required to run for reelection in November of 2024.
Judicial appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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Secrest Wardle is proud to announce that Executive Partner John L. Weston has been named as one of Michigan’s Top 100 Super Lawyers for 2022.
Weston is a member of the firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Property, Fire & Casualty Litigation Practice Groups and is a member and co-chair of the Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group.
• • •
Employee benefits and ERISA law firm J.J. Conway Law is pleased to announce that principal attorney and founder John Joseph (J.J.) Conway has been selected for inclusion on Michigan’s Leading Lawyers list for 2022 in the category of Employee Benefits.
A nationally recognized trial attorney, Conway has legally navigated the complexities of disability, employee health benefits, and ERISA law for the past 23 years. Establishing his practice on the principle of helping people secure the employee benefits rightfully owed to them, Conway has recovered more than $65 million for his clients and won landmark class-action lawsuits in favor of families and retirees.
Conway is known in particular for securing healthcare benefits for children and successfully co-litigated the first federal autism benefits healthcare action against an employee benefit plan where the court held that denying medical treatment for autism was “arbitrary and capricious.”
In addition, Conway served as co-lead class action counsel for 9,000 pension plan participants against the City of Detroit’s Pension Fund, its trustees and advisors, seeking protection of the funds themselves and resulting in a multi-million-dollar settlement and major structural reforms concerning the investment of pension monies in unregulated investments.
Throughout his career, Conway has been the recipient of multiple awards including the Thomas P. Moore Leadership in Philanthropy Award from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the State Bar of Michigan Champion of Justice Award. He authored a primer on ERISA law and benefits: “Hitting You When You Least Expect It: A Basic Guide to ERISA for Non-ERISA Lawyers,” which is one of the top searched documents on the web discussing employee benefits claims.
Conway, who is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, and State Bar of Arizona, has also been elected to membership in the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation.
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After 60 years at the firm of Foster Swift, firm name partner Webb A. “Tony” Smith has decided to call it a career. Smith officially retired from the firm as of July 31. Known for his knowledge, leadership, and caring manner, Smith was always the first to greet new associates when they arrived at the firm.
As the firm looks to another generation of attorneys to lead the way, Smith leaves his mark on the firm’s recruiting values. “We are always looking for people who are competitive, who are good at what they do but who do it in the proper manner and that has become the standard that has helped our firm to grow to become what it is today” Smith replies. “When we invite someone to join us, we invite them hoping they will be with us for a long, long time.”
Smith joined the law firm of the then-named Foster, Campbell, Lindemer, & McGurrin on June 6, 1962, after receiving his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. In 1989, Smith’s name was added to the masthead, giving the firm the name by which it is known today: Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith.
He has served as mentor to dozens of junior attorneys over the years and served as head of the firm’s Diversity Committee, the role of this committee has been to meet and provide guidance to the firm’s Executive Committee for internal diversity training programming, policy consideration and community support.
• • •
The State Bar of Michigan Real Property Law Section has awarded the C. Robert Wartell Distinguished Service Award to Williams, Williams, Rattner, and Plunkett PC partner Jerome Pesick at the section’s 2022 Summer Conference. The award has only been given out on 12 prior occasions and recognizes attorneys like Pesick who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Real Property Section over an extended period.
During his more than 40-year career, Pesick has tried and settled multimillion-dollar condemnation and eminent domain cases across Michigan. He has worked on several highly visible projects, including the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Detroit Waterfront Casino and Reclamation Project, Comerica Park, Ford Field, and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Expansion.
Pesick is a past chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section and served as chair of the section’s Eminent Domain Committee for seven consecutive years. He has been named the Best Lawyers “Eminent Domain and Condemnation Lawyer of the Year” five times for two Metro Detroit regions. Best Lawyers also named him the “2022 Real Estate Lawyer of the Year” for its Troy region, which includes most of the major communities in Oakland and Macomb counties.
• • •
Butzel attorney and shareholder Leslie “Les” Glick, has been appointed co-chair of the International Trade Committee, American Bar Association (ABA), International Law Section, which is comprised of more than 450 members. It is one of the largest committees in the International Law Section. Previously, Glick served as vice-chair of programs for the International Trade Committee, where he organized numerous seminars and webinars.
Glick is co-chair of Butzel’s International Trade and Customs Specialty Team. He has experience in the areas of international trade and customs law. He has handled major international trade cases before the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Court of International Trade.
He assists U.S. and foreign clients with compliance with laws and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in relation to food products, meat and poultry, plants, medical devices and the importation of pharmaceutical and biological materials as well as consumer product safety and automotive product regulation and recalls (NHTSA and FMVSA).
Glick has been active in developing customs compliance programs for many U.S. corporations. He is the author of books on customs law and NAFTA and most recently on the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), and has been widely consulted by companies and trade associations regarding U.S./Mexico legal questions involving imports, exports, investment, transportation, to name a few.
Glick has been an adjunct professor of Law at the George Mason University Law School (University of Virginia) and the University of Baltimore (University of Maryland).
• • •
Kemp Klein has welcomed attorneys Neal Nusholtz and William E. Haines II.
Nusholtz specializes in all areas of taxation, including income tax, estate and gift taxation, estate planning, business transactions and planning, probate, trust administration, audits, IRS administrative appeals, and tax litigation in federal district courts, the Michigan Tax Tribunal, the U.S. Tax Court, and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Nusholtz serves on several committees of the State Bar of Michigan, is a frequent lecturer for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and he was selected by Corp Magazine as one of the Top Ten Business Attorneys in Southeastern Michigan.
Haines specializes in estate and trust administration, Medicaid asset protection planning, and probate litigation.
He is currently a member of the Probate and Estate Planning and Elder Law and Disability Rights sections of the State Bar of Michigan.
