Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP is pleased to announce that Sean F. Crotty, a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment Department, has been appointed as a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Civil Procedure and Courts Committee from Oct. 1, 2010 to September 30, 2013. The committee reviews proposed court rules and statutes related to civil practice in the courts and makes recommendations concerning improvements in the administration, organization and operation of Michigan state courts.
Crotty focuses his practice on counseling employers on employment and labor law matters, including noncompete issues, trade secret issues and employment discrimination cases brought under federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
In addition to his membership to the State Bar of Michigan Civil Procedure and Courts Committee, Crotty is a member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association and was recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” from 2008-2010 .
Crotty earned his law degree from Rutgers School of Law and a B.A. in History from the University of Michigan.
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Nemeth Burwell P.C.
Attorneys Patricia Nemeth and Linda G. Burwell, founding partners of Detroit-based employment law firm Nemeth Burwell P.C., have been named to the 2011 edition of the “Best Lawyers in America®” in their specialty area of labor and employment law.
Nemeth founded Nemeth Burwell in 1992. Since that time she and Linda Burwell, who joined Nemeth in 1994, have grown the firm to 29 total staff. Nemeth Burwell is now the largest women-owned law firm in Michigan to exclusively represent management in the prevention, resolution and litigation of labor and employment disputes.
Nemeth is a member of the State Bar of Michigan –Labor and Employment Section and International Section, and the American Bar Association – Labor Section and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. In addition to being a litigator, Nemeth is certified as a mediator. She is vice chair of Vista Maria in Dearborn Heights. Nemeth was included in the 2010 edition of the “Best Lawyers in America®” and has been named a “Michigan Super Lawyer” since the honor began in the state in 2006. She was included in DBusiness magazine’s exclusive 2010 Martindale-Hubbell list of metro Detroit’s finest barristers and was also named one of 25 Leaders in the Law in 2009 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly magazine.
Nemeth earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and law degrees from Wayne State University School of Law. In 2009, she received the Distinguished Alumni award from Wayne State. Nemeth is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Illinois Bar.
Burwell is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Employment Law Advisory Panel, a volunteer mediator for the Attorney Grievance Commission, and a regular presenter on employment law topics, serving as a legal expert throughout the United States and locally for The Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) seminars. She is a member of the Programs and Communication Committees for The National Association for Minority and Woman-owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). Burwell is past chair of Operation ABLE and previously served as vice chair for two years. She is past president of the Executive Committee and Board of the Human Resources Association of Greater Detroit, and recently served on the Association’s Advisory Panel.
Burwell was named a “Michigan Super Lawyer” for the past two years and was included in DBusiness magazine’s exclusive 2010 Martindale-Hubbell list of metro Detroit’s finest barristers. She was also named one of 25 Leaders in the Law in 2010 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly magazine. Earlier this year, Burwell and Nemeth were jointly honored in the small business category by the Michigan Business and Professional Association at its Annual Women and Leadership Symposium and Awards Event, recognizing extraordinary professional women.
Burwell earned her law degree from Wayne State University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Federal Bar Association, and the United States Supreme Court Bar.
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Howard & Howard
Mark W. Peyser of Howard & Howard’s Royal Oak office was recently named to the September/October 2010 issue of “Super Lawyers® — Corporate Counsel Edition” in the area of Civil and Criminal Litigation.
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Secrest Wardle
Secrest Wardle is pleased to announce that its Municipal Law Department has been named as “Top-Listed” in the State of Michigan by “Best Lawyers in America®.” Four Secrest Wardle Partners have been notified of their inclusion in the 2011 edition.
Those named “Top Listed” in the category of Municipal Law include: William P. Hampton, attorney for the Cities of Bloomfield Hills and Auburn Hills, and attorney for the Townships of Bloomfield, West Bloomfield and Orion; Thomas R. Schultz, attorney for the Cities of Novi and Farmington; Derk W. Beckerleg, Tax Tribunal specialist and assistant attorney for the City of Auburn Hills; and Gary L. Dovre, attorney for the Villages of Lake Orion and Bingham Farms and attorney for the Township of West Bloomfield.
Hampton, who has been named in “Best Lawyers in America” for more han 10 years, is also listed by the publication in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Family Law and Real Estate Law.
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Oakland County
Oakland County Corporation Counsel Judith Cunningham is being honored by “Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly” for her significant contributions to the law.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly featured Cunningham in its August 30th “Women in the Law 2010” edition.
Cunningham has been with Oakland County government for more than 27 years, first as circuit court administrator and judicial assistant. More than a decade ago, she was tapped by Patterson to serve as corporation counsel. She also serves as vice president of the Oakland County Bar Association.
Under Cunningham’s leadership, a vast majority of the county’s legal work has been performed in house and not contracted out to private firms, saving the county thousands of dollars in legal costs. The office also has a record of resolving about 85% of the cases it’s involved in without any payment by the county to litigants.
One of Cunningham’s major achievements was as a chair of a committee to draft changes to Michigan’s Jail Overcrowding Emergency Act. As a result of her efforts and those of her committee members, changes in the law were adopted that now make it easier for counties to manage chronic jail overcrowding while still protecting public safety.
The corporation counsel’s office has been recognized by the National Association of Counties with an achievement award for its Intellectual Property program which protects the County’s intellectual property assets.
Cunningham will be honored with others at a Sept. 16th awards luncheon at the Troy Marriott.
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Varnum
Varnum is pleased to announce that Dennis B. Schultz has joined the firm. Schultz, a litigator who has practiced law for more than 30 years in southeast Michigan, will be based in Varnum’s Novi office.
Schultz’s arbitration and lead counsel experience includes trials and litigation of major business disputes including claims on major construction projects, shareholder class actions, corporate hostile take-over actions, commercial contract disputes and trade secret/intellectual property cases.
Most recently at the firm of Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, and Sadler PLC, Schultz was at Butzel Long for 31 years until May 2009.
Prior to obtaining his law degree, Schultz spent many years in construction and real estate development where he developed feasibility analyses, prepared pro forma financial statements, and analyzed tax aspects of real estate investments.
Schultz is a graduate of Wayne State University and the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. A member of the American Bar Association and State Bar of Michigan, Schultz is also a member of the Construction Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Real Estate, and Litigation sections of the State Bar of Michigan.
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Adkison, Need & Allen, PLLC
Barry D. Malone, an associate attorney with Adkison, Need, & Allen, PLLC, has been appointed to two editorial boards with the American Bar Association (ABA). He is now an assistant editor with the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s publication The Young Lawyer. He also serves on the editorial board for Natural Resources & Environment, the quarterly publication of the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources.
Malone represents individuals, businesses, non-profits, and municipalities in matters related to real estate and land use matters throughout southeast Michigan. He is a regular author on topics related to land use and municipal law.
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Miller Canfield
The law firm of Miller Canfield announces that Frederick A. Acomb and Mary Kate Griffith, litigators in the Detroit office, co-authored the Michigan Chapter in “Getting the Deal Through-Dispute Resolution” 2010 handbook, published by Law Business Research Ltd., the official research partner of the International Bar Association (IBA).
The handbook is delivered to general counsel throughout the world, distributed at IBA meetings and is available to IBA members. For more information on “Getting the Deal Through” handbooks, visit www.GettingTheDealThrough.com .
Acomb, a principal at Miller Canfield, handles complex commercial litigation and international arbitration matters for clients from all over the world. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law and his B.M. from Northwestern University.
Griffith’s practice focuses on all areas of business and commercial litigation. An associate of the firm, she has worked on complex business litigation to analyze cases, devise strategies and implement litigation objectives. She earned her law degree from Washington University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
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Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy PLLC
Scott F. Cooper, Lelia Freijy and Christian S. Allen of the law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy PLLC will be included in the 2011 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” in the category of Immigration Law.
Cooper is the managing partner for the Troy office of national law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy PLLC. He has been repeatedly included in “The Best Lawyers in America” publication.
Cooper’s practice focuses on employment-based immigration and immigration-related compliance for a broad range of clients from Fortune 100 companies, universities and national research, cultural and health care institutions to senior executives, professionals, entrepreneurs and investors. Cooper is a member of the State Bar Michigan and Michigan Association of International Educators. He is an adjunct professor of Law at the University Of Detroit Mercy College Of Law and a faculty member at the Michigan Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
Freijy is an associate attorney with Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy PLLC. She joined the firm in 1999. Freijy has been included in “The Best Lawyers in America” publication every year since 2007.
Her practice encompasses corporate clients in a variety of industries as well as all aspects of corporate U.S. immigration and family immigration law. She is the secretary of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Michigan Chapter, and a member of Essay Contest, American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit, Mercy School of Law, where she co-teaches a course on Business Immigration Law.
Allen is an associate attorney with Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy PLLC. He joined the firm in 2010. Allen has been repeatedly awarded by “The Best Lawyers in America.” His practice focuses on all aspects of nonimmigrant and immigrant sponsorship for individual and corporate clients alike. He is a member of American Immigration Lawyers Association, the State Bar of Michigan International Law Committee and the Oakland County Bar Association Immigration Law Committee. He is also a Department of Labor liaison and treasurer of the Michigan AILA Chapter; and an adjunct professor at Oakland University.
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Alexander, Eisenberg & Spilman PLLC
Denise Alexander, Laura E. Eisenberg, and Amy M. Spilman are pleased to announce the formation of their new law firm, Alexander, Eisenberg & Spilman PLLC, located at 600 S. Adams, Suite 100, in Birmingham.
The boutique law firm specializes in family law matters including all financial aspects of divorce, child custody and parenting time disputes.
Alexander recently left Butzel Long where she served as the family law practice group leader. She is currently president of the Michigan chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is a Michigan Super Lawyer.
Eisenberg and Spilman were partners in the law firm of Eisenberg & Spilman PC before joining with Alexander. Both Alexander and Eisenberg are on the board of the Michigan Inter-Professional Association on Marriage, Divorce and the Family Inc. Eisenberg serves as a vice-president of the board of Congregation Beth Shalom.
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Olsman, Mueller, Wallace & Mackenzie
Olsman, Mueller, Wallace & MacKenzie President Jules Olsman has been named an adjunct professor at Michigan State University College of Law.
Olsman will be teaching the recently added Medical Malpractice Litigation course for the 2010 fall class offerings. The medical malpractice litigation course covers the intricacies of medical malpractice lawsuit, including the underlying negligence cause of action and the numerous special procedural aspects of the litigation including: the affidavit of merit, expert witnesses, caps on damages, and special standards of care.
“I believe this course will help aid students in providing a better understanding of a medical malpractice lawsuit,” said Olsman, “I’m honored to be a part of the MSU College of Law faculty this upcoming semester, as teaching has always been a passion of mine.”
Olsman has 31 years of experience in all aspects of personal injury litigation including medical malpractice, nursing home liability, police misconduct, product liability and workplace injury, trucking and automobile accident cases. Olsman has served as counsel for individuals in numerous states besides Michigan including Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota and South Carolina.
