Butzel Long
Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Sean H. Cook recently wrote a guest article that appears in Bloomberg Law Reports®. The title of the article is: “Tax Provisions of Health Care Reform: Whether a Cure or Catastrophe, It is Here.”
Cook’s practice includes federal and state tax planning and controversy; general corporate law which covers shareholder and owner issues, choice of entity analysis and formation and dissolution transactions; commercial law covering contract review and UCC issues; merger and acquisitions; succession planning; estate administration; non-profit entities, and general tax planning and consultation.
He has helped clients buy and sell their businesses from structuring the transaction and handling the due diligence through closing and post-closing transactions. In the succession planning area, he has handled generation wealth transfers through a variety of mechanisms from traditional gifting to recapitalizations and family partnerships. In addition, Cook is a CPA with more than eight years experience with a national firm and a metro Detroit firm.
Cook has published a number of legal articles. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan Taxation Section, the American Bar Association, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a former adjunct professor at Walsh College, and served on the board of the Walsh College Alumni Association and as its president in 2000. He is currently a member of the Walsh College President’s Advisory Council.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) (2009-2012) and is the immediate past chair of the MACPA Federal Tax Task Force.
Cook graduated from Wayne State University Law School (1995), Walsh College (M.S., Taxation, 1989) and University of Michigan (B.A., 1987).
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Strobl & Sharp P.C.
Strobl & Sharp PC announced today that Pamela S. Ritter has joined the growing Southeast Michigan firm.
Ritter earned her B.A. from Michigan State University in 1989 and her law degree from University of Detroit School of Law in May 1992.
Ritter has more than 17 years of experience representing financial institutions in the areas of commercial litigation, real estate and bankruptcy. She has assisted clients in understanding and navigating through bankruptcy and foreclosure laws and has worked with clients to develop recovery strategies in order to maximize returns. Ritter has experience litigating collection, real estate, fraudulent conveyance and transfer actions in both state and federal courts. Ritter frequently speaks on issues related to creditors’ rights, insolvency, foreclosure and workout strategies.
She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association and Michigan Creditors Association. She is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; United States District Court, Western District of Michigan.
The firm also recently announced that Alan C. Rudzewicz has joined Strobl & Sharp.
Rudzewicz earned his BBA from Western Michigan University in 1973 and his law degree from the Detroit College of Law in 1977, the same year he was admitted to the bar. Prior to joining Strobl & Sharp, Rudzewicz practiced law as a solo practitioner.
Rudzewicz is a member of the State Bar of Michigan/Estate Planning and Taxation Sections, the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Detroit, and the Financial and Estate Planning council of Macomb. Additionally, Rudzewicz is a member of the Wayne County Probate Bar Association and the Macomb County Probate Bar Association.
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Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker PLLC
Barris, Sott, Denn, & Driker PLLC was once again recognized by Chambers USA as one of America’s top law firms in Chambers USA’s 2010 publication. This year’s annual publication ranked Barris Sott as one of only few tier 1 litigation law firms in Michigan. The firm’s real estate practice was also ranked in tier 3.
The publication also individually honored three of the firm’s attorneys: Eugene Driker and Sharon Woods were honored as tier 1 commercial litigation attorneys in Michigan and William G. Barris was honored as a tier 1 real estate attorney in Michigan.
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Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP is pleased to announce that Stanley H. Pitts, a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment Department, has been appointed chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Professional Ethics Committee beginning on October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. The committee prepares written opinions regarding professional ethical conduct by request, recommends amendments to the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct and other standards of professional conduct, as well as reviews proposed amendments. Pitts has served as a member of the Professional Ethics Committee since 2009.
Pitts is litigator whose practice primarily includes defending business owners confronted with federal and state agency charges of unlawful employment discrimination, internal complaints of discrimination, whistleblower claims, family and medical leave act claims, other employment related claims and housing and lending discrimination claims. He also provides counseling to employers on various issues and topics, including independent contractor status, prevention of hostile work environment and retaliation claims, disability and religious accommodations, waivers and releases, and severance agreements.
In addition to his position on the State Bar of Michigan Professional Ethics Committee, Pitts is a member of one of the hearing panels for the State Bar’s Attorney Disciplinary Board, and a member of its Labor and Employment section and a member of its District H (Wayne, Monroe and Lenawee counties) Character and Fitness Committee.
Pitts earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.S. in accounting from Wayne State University.
Additionally, Honigman is pleased to announce that it will relocate its Oakland County office to 39400 Woodward Avenue in the Pinehurst Office Center in Bloomfield Hills during the summer of 2011. Honigman will lease nearly 30,000 square feet on the first and second floors of the office building. The site also serves as the headquarters for Kojaian Management Corporation. Honigman’s current office location is 38500 Woodward, Bloomfield Hills.
“Kojaian is recognized as one of the best landlords in the area and the Pinehurst Office Center is one of the finest and most efficiently managed mid-sized office buildings in metropolitan Detroit, as well as one that is particularly well-suited for professional service firms like Honigman,” said David Foltyn, chairman and CEO of Honigman. “We are excited about the opportunity to locate there to meet our current needs and to accommodate anticipated future growth.”
Honigman has nearly 230 attorneys in its offices in Detroit, Bloomfield Hills, Ann Arbor, Lansing and Kalamazoo. The firm has 37 attorneys working at its current Bloomfield Hills location. In the past six months, four attorneys have been added and the firm expects its growth in Oakland County to continue.
In addition, Honigman is pleased to announce that Aaron Feinberg has joined the firm as a Partner in its Corporate and Securities Department and will also work closely with the firm’s Tax Department. Honigman has added six attorneys to its Corporate and Securities Department since January 2010 and 66 percent (4) were recruited from firms outside of Michigan (Boston, Chicago, New York and Minneapolis).
Feinberg concentrates his practice on public and private mergers and acquisitions (including cross-border stock and asset transactions), international tax restructurings, cross-border debt and equity offerings, and U.S. federal tax issues arising from Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings.
He earned law degrees from Georgetown University Law Center and Boston University School of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University.
He has been admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association. His State Bar of Michigan admission is pending.
Feinberg comes to Honigman from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C.
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Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC
Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC was recently named as one of the Top Real Estate Law firms by Midwest Real Estate News in its 11th annual Best of the Best edition. Midwest Real Estate News conducted a survey of law firms across the Midwest.
More than 50 law firms responded to the survey and Dawda Mann has been ranked 6th. A firm of 35 attorneys, Dawda Mann joins a list of 9 other law firms in the top ten. The firm represents clientele of Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, publicly and privately owned companies of varied sizes, emerging businesses and individuals located globally and throughout the United States. The firm specializes in the areas of Real Estate, Environmental, Business, Automotive, Tax, Mergers and Acquisitions, Trusts and Estate Planning, Labor and Commercial Litigation.
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Sue Ellen Eisenberg & Associates PC
The law office of Sue Ellen Eisenberg & Associates PC announces that Louis B. Eble has joined the firm as an attorney to help lead the firm’s nationally respected employment litigation practice.
Eble joins the firm with many years of experience in labor and employment litigation on behalf of private and public sector employers and has extensive experience representing employers in multi-plaintiff employment litigation in both state and federal courts. He was selected a “Michigan Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics (2007-2009) and was named a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America (LCA).
The LCA is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Eble is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan Labor and Employment Law Section as well as the Oakland County Bar Association where he has served as a chair on the Employment Law Committee. He is also a member of the State Bar of Texas (inactive).
A former Texas State Trooper, sergeant with the Houston homicide division, and special deputy with the Oakland County Sheriff Department (Michigan) Cold Case Unit, Eble earned his law degree (1994) from Harvard Law School and his B.S. (1991) from the University of Houston.
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Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP
Warner Norcross & Judd LLP has established a Health Care Reform Practice Group to assist employers, insurers and health-care providers in preparing for – and complying with – the sweeping changes to health insurance and health care-related programs enacted by the U.S. Congress.
Members of the firm’s Employee Benefits and Health Law practice groups have joined forces to provide counsel on issues arising from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law this spring. The legislation is designed to change health insurance coverage practices and create health insurance exchange markets. The act requires individuals to carry health insurance and requires employers to offer group health benefits – or face penalties.
The new group has two areas of focus. The Employers’ Task Force has expertise in employer-sponsored group health plans. The Health Care Providers’ Task Force is available to help physicians, medical practice groups, biotechnology companies and others move forward under the new laws.
“The PPACA will be phased in over the next few years, with some immediate reforms taking effect as soon as September,” said Sue Conway, a Warner Norcross partner who concentrates her practice in employee benefits law. “While many significant changes will not take place until 2014, others are more imminent. Employers and health plans should begin preparing for them now.
“Our new practice group brings together attorneys with experience in group health plans, tax, employee benefits, health law and related areas to help businesses navigate the increasingly complex issues created by recent health reforms. Warner Norcross has analyzed the package of bills and regulations and can provide practical, proactive solutions to help companies move forward with confidence.”
Major changes to the law include:
• Mandated insurance coverage for all Americans by 2014.
• Penalties for large employers who offer no or unaffordable health coverage by 2014.
• Refundable tax credits and reduced cost-sharing requirements, as well as an expansion of Medicaid, to offset expenses for those with lower incomes.
• Establishment of health insurance exchanges for families and small employers.
• Elimination of certain restrictions, such as pre-existing conditions, for employer-sponsored health plans.
• Elimination of life-time coverage limits.
• Extension of coverage for children up to age 26.
• Uniform benefit descriptions to allow employees to more easily compare coverage options.
• New reporting requirements.
• New programs that offer tax credits on health insurance premiums for small employers.
• Early retiree reinsurance.
“While these changes are being phased in gradually, individuals and businesses cannot afford to postpone planning for the necessary changes to their employee health plans,” Conway said.
“Many of the provisions are complicated and will require modifications to existing plans. Companies that do not comply with health reform face stiff financial penalties.”
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Cooley Law School
Cooley Law School Professor Phil Prygoski has been selected for inclusion in “What the Best Law Teachers Do,” a law professor-focused study.
The study’s goals include finding the best law teachers in America; synthesizing the principles by which they teach as best practices to which colleagues in legal education can aspire, and; sharing the principles and stories of these brilliant teachers. The results of the study are set to be published by the Harvard University Press.
In order to conduct the study, investigators will visit each professor’s law school to interview the professor, observe the professor in the classroom and talk with focus groups of students and alumni.
“I enjoy the ever-evolving dynamics of the law and feel privileged to share my knowledge with students and members of the legal profession,” said Prygoski. “Being selected for inclusion in this study is an honor.”
Principal investigators for the study include Michael Schwartz of Washburn University School of Law, Sophie Sparrow of Franklin Pierce Law Center, and Gerald Hess of Gonzaga University School of Law. Schwartz will visit Cooley during the fall semester to personally observe and analyze Prygoski’s teaching. The study will review the teaching practices of 25 law professors; approximately 300 professors were nominated.
