Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
(Ogletree Deakins)
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart P.C. has named Michelle J. LeBeau as the managing shareholder of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. LeBeau has more than 15 years of legal experience and has been practicing employment law exclusively since 1998. Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins in 2007 as a founding shareholder of the Bloomfield Hills office, LeBeau was a partner in the law firm of Cattel, Tuyn, & Rudzewicz PLLC.
LeBeau focuses her practice on litigation defense and counseling in the employment arena. She has experience in litigating matters before courts and administrative agencies, including federal, state trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies including the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and both the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth and United States Department of Labor as well as in arbitrations and mediations.
Outside of her legal practice, LeBeau is active in her civic and professional endeavors. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the organization’s sections on Labor & Employment Law and Litigation and Law Practice. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and its Labor & Employment Law and Litigation sections; a member of the Oakland County Bar Association and its sections of Labor, Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Mediation; and a member of the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the American Staffing Assurance Company and continues her involvement with Inforum, a professional women’s alliance.
LeBeau is also a frequent speaker and lecturer on topics relating to employment law where she presents to legal and human resources professionals. She is also an author of the Equal Pay Act Annual Report for the American Bar Association.
LeBeau earned her law degree from Michigan State University (Detroit College of Law) in 1994. She is fluent in both French and Romanian.
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Bodman PLC
Detroit-based law firm Bodman PLC has admitted David J. Nowaczewski as a member of the firm.
Nowaczewski, of the firm’s Detroit office, is a member of the Banking Practice Group and has also worked with the Debtor-Creditor Rights and Bankruptcy Practice Group. He concentrates his practice representing lenders in commercial loan originations. He has also represented business clients, including major financial institutions, in commercial bankruptcy issues and disputes.
Nowaczewski joined Bodman as an associate attorney in 2005. Before joining Bodman he served an externship with the City of Chicago Department of Law where he performed research on issues related to land use litigation.
Nowaczewski is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville and the University of Chicago Law School.
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Butzel Long
Butzel Long attorney and shareholder George B. Donnini will be featured during a Michigan Association of CPA (MACPA) webinar on Tuesday, March 8. The webinar is titled, “Corporate Fraud Investigation: Financial Fraud in Small to Medium Sized Companies.” The program will cover the accounting, investigative and legal aspects of fraud in small to medium sized companies. Donnini will co-present the webinar with Michael Kahaian, managing director, Stout Risius Ross, Inc.
Based in Butzel Long’s Detroit office, Donnini’s practice is focused on white-collar criminal defense, antitrust investigations, SEC enforcement actions and also routinely conducts corporate internal investigations.
Donnini has experience in an array of criminal and civil cases, representing clients at both the trial and appellate levels in federal and state courts across the country. He has experience representing clients in criminal cases involving allegations of revenue recognition, securities, and tax fraud, antitrust violations, theft of trade secrets, insider trading, stock options back-dating, health care, environmental and mortgage fraud. He also has conducted several internal investigations for both private and publicly traded companies.
He represents clients in a wide variety of federal and state criminal matters.
Prior to joining Butzel Long, Donnini served as a judge advocate for the United States Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003. Donnini also served as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge William H. Pauley III, Southern District of New York, from 1998 to 1999.
Donnini is admitted to practice in Michigan (2003), New York (1998) and California (2000). He also is admitted before all U.S. District Courts in Michigan, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd and 6th Circuits.
Donnini is affiliated with the American Bar Association (ABA), Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime Committee, Young Lawyers’ Division; National co-chair (2006-2009); ABA, Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime Committee; Midwest Regional co-chair (2005-2011); and, ABA, Criminal Justice Section, Book Board, Appointed Member (2008-2011).
Donnini is a member of the American Bar Association Sections of Litigation and Criminal Justice, Federal Bar Association, and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
He frequently presents at conferences on various topics involving white-collar criminal defense. In 2008, Donnini was named to the “Up and Coming Michigan Lawyers” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Donnini is a 1995 graduate of The George Washington University and a 1998 graduate of the Duke University School of Law.
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Foley & Mansfield PLLP
The national litigation firm Foley & Mansfield PLLP has named Gregory M. Meihn a partner. Meihn is located in the firm’s Detroit office.
Meihn focuses his practice in the areas of employment law and general civil and environmental litigation. He represents and consults with employers on employment and labor issues. He has defended employers in employment and labor litigation issues before all of Michigan’s federal and state courts.
Additionally, Meihn represents public and private schools, automotive dealers, franchisors, manufacturers, corporations and governmental and non-governmental agencies before state and federal courts and state and federal agencies. Meihn has litigated more than 53 trials and arbitrations to judgment across the United States.
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Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
Mark L. Kowalsky, a partner with Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss P.C., has been reappointed by West Bloomfield Township to serve on the Greater West Bloomfield Cable Communications Commission. Jaffe CEO Richard Zussman made the announcement.
The commission oversees the relationship between the community and the cable television providers serving the residents of West Bloomfield. In this role, the commission’s activities include the promotion and monitoring of programming on the municipal channel, making recommendations regarding the expenditure of funds generated by franchise fees and acting as a liaison between the community and the cable providers. He has served on the commission for 15 years, 10 of them as chair.
Kowalsky is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Securities practice groups, focusing in civil litigation with concentrations in securities law and commercial disputes. He is routinely involved in handling disputes that involve contracts, non-competition agreements, trade secrets, employment, shareholders, partnerships, dissolutions, collections and leasing. He regularly provides advice and representation to regional and national securities firms, public and privately held corporations, and individuals in matters that involve requests for immediate injunctive relief and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including arbitration and mediation.
Kowalsky graduated from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.
A frequent speaker and published author, Kowalsky has served as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), American Arbitration Association (AAA) and National Arbitration Forum. He also serves as a case evaluator for the Oakland County Circuit Court and district courts.
He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Compliance and Legal Division of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and is past president of Jewish Home and Aging Services.
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Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP is pleased to announce that Michael A. Lisi, a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, recently served as a panelist at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and U.S. Commercial Service seminar “Protecting Your Intellectual Property in the Global Marketplace,” which took place at Wayne State University. Lisi was a featured speaker during a session titled “Roundtable on Trademark Litigation Tactics: Is There a Bull in the Trademark Shop?” in which he discussed strategies for avoiding and defending trademark infringement claims.
Lisi, has more than 20 years of experience in assisting clients in trademark and copyright clearance, registration and enforcement matters, and in trademark and copyright licensing, purchases and sales transactions.
He serves as an editor of the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) online publication Trademark Cancellations: International Practice and Procedures and vice chair of INTA’s Publication Committee. He also serves as outside general counsel for the Original Equipment Suppliers Association’s Product Development Council and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Intellectual Property Law Section.
He was recognized in “Best Lawyers in America” from 2008-2011 and named in DBusiness magazines’ Top Lawyers in 2008 and 2011.
Lisi earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. from Carleton College.
Additionally, Honigman is pleased to announce that Lawrence D. McLaughlin, a partner in and chair of its Real Estate Department, has been named one of 25 “Leaders in the Law” for 2011 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
McLaughlin’s legal practice focuses on representing developers of commercial, industrial and residential real estate. He has more than 30 years of experience in acquisitions, land use, entitlements, development incentives, partnerships and joint ventures, financing, construction, leasing, taxation, sales, workouts and restructuring.
McLaughlin has been recognized as a “star” in the legal field by Chambers USA, “America’s Leading Lawyers” for Business in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and a “Leading Individual Attorney” in 2004 and 2006.
He also has been on the “Best Lawyers in America” list for 20 years and on the “Michigan Super Lawyers” listing since 2006. His leadership as chair of the Real Estate Department has helped it achieve recognition by Chambers as the number one Real Estate Practice in Michigan since 2004.
McLaughlin is a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL) and has been a member of the organization for 10 years, serving as a member of its Program Planning Committee and previously as chair of its Member Selection Committee. He has also served for seven years on the Law Conference Planning Committee for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual meetings, where more than 1,000 legal professionals gain knowledge and insight from the country’s leading authorities.
McLaughlin has been an attorney at Honigman since he earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1977. He also earned a B.S.M.E. from the General Motors Institute.
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Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP
During 2010, staff and attorneys in the law firm of Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP raised more than $10,000 in donations for Michigan charities.
Several internal fundraisers were held throughout the year as part of the firm’s Holiday Aid efforts raising donations of both money and food items. Fundraising events included a book sale, white elephant sale, sundae bar, Halloween breakfast and weekly candy sales, among other activities.
Each of the firm’s six offices designated funds they raised to specific charities throughout the state, including homeless shelters, food pantries and children’s advocacy agencies.
These included donations to:
• The Karmanos Cancer Center from the Southfield and Sterling Heights offices in honor of Warner Norcross partner Mike Cruse, who is battling pancreatic cancer. The firm’s donation will help fund research to develop advanced screening technology to detect pancreatic cancer at its earliest stages.
• The Lansing City Rescue Mission from the Lansing office, which provided four barrels full of food to those in need within the community.
• Feeding America West Michigan from the firm’s Muskegon office, which purchased approximately 10,000 pounds of food. Warner Norcross volunteers helped distribute food to more than 300 families in need.
• Degage Ministries and the Children’s Assessment Center from the Grand Rapids office to support their work with the homeless and with victims of child sexual abuse, respectively.
• The Children’s Advocacy Center and the Community Action House from the firm’s Holland office to support their work with victims of child sexual abuse and providing emergency food, clothing and shelter services, respectively.
“As a law firm, we are committed to giving back to the communities where we live and work,” said Douglas E. Wagner, managing partner. “Commitment from Warner Norcross attorneys and staff made these fundraising efforts successful. The firm is proud to continue its community efforts to help provide for those in need across Michigan.”
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Miller Canfield
Miller Canfield associate Emma T. Chen was appointed to an eighteen-month term as president of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MAPABA), a group dedicated to providing resources and enhancing connectivity of the Asian Pacific American law community in the state of Michigan. Chen previously served as secretary of MAPABA from 2009-2010.
At Miller Canfield, Chen’s practice covers all areas of commercial and business litigation including contract disputes, international arbitrations, and international contract actions.
She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. She is fluent in both Mandarin and Taiwanese. She earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. from Yale University.
