LEGAL PEOPLE

Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has elected eight of its attorneys as new partners in the firm effective Jan. 1. Honigman's new local partners are: Adam Jahnke practices in the Real Estate Department in the firm's Detroit office. He counsels clients in many aspects of real estate law, including development, leasing, financing and entity formation and restructuring. His experience spans a variety of industries, including retail, office, industrial, multifamily and casino gaming. Jahnke earned a law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and a B.B.A. in finance and marketing from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Adam K. Keith practices in the Commercial Law, Bankruptcy and Reorganization Department in the firm's Detroit office. Keith counsels manufacturers and other businesses throughout the supply chain in their relationships with suppliers, customers and lenders. He also counsels buyers and sellers of distressed and non-distressed businesses and assets with a special emphasis on automotive- related transactions. Keith earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.S. in economics from Michigan State University. Matthew Keuten practices in the Health Care Department in the firm's Detroit office. Keuten's practice focuses on advising health care providers in connection with affiliations, mergers and acquisitions and compliance matters, including the Stark Law, Anti-kickback Statute, and laws and regulations affecting tax-exempt entities. He also advises managed care companies with regard to enrollment, certification and various other third-party payer issues. He earned a law degree, cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. in political economy from Michigan State University. Brett A. Krueger practices in the Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group in the firm's Oakland County office. Krueger counsels clients on identifying, evaluating, procuring, enforcing and licensing intellectual property rights, as well the avoidance of infringement risks. His experience includes patent prosecution and opinions in the areas of mechanical engineering, robotics, automation, medical devices and software. Krueger earned a law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering with a bioengineering option from the University of Illinois. Evan J. Leibhan practices in the Corporate and Securities Department in the firm's Detroit office. Leibhan focuses his practice primarily on the representation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies in many aspects of their businesses. His experience includes structuring, negotiating and advising on various acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, senior and subordinated debt financings, growth equity and venture capital investments, restructurings, commercial business transactions, executive compensation arrangements, corporate governance matters and other general corporate matters. Leibhan earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. in general business administration from Michigan State University. Shawn A. Strand practices in the Tax Department in the firm's Detroit office. Strand advises clients regarding corporate and partnership taxation, mergers and acquisitions, tax-exempt entities, individual tax collection matters and taxation of captive insurance companies. He also advises clients regarding captive domiciles, ownership structure and operations for legal and tax purposes, as well as counsels individuals on various aspects of estate and wealth transfer planning, including the preparation of wills and trusts, and the formation and operation of private foundations and public charities. Strand earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.S. in computer science from the University of Michigan. Additionally, Julie E. Robertson, a partner in and chair of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP's Insurance Department, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Starfish Family Services. Starfish is a private, nonprofit agency which serves vulnerable children and families in metropolitan Detroit. Robertson has more than 15 years of experience in representing health care providers and other business organizations across the country in relation to alternative risk programs. She organizes and represents captive insurance companies, self-insurance programs, risk purchasing groups, rent-a-captive and risk retention groups. Robertson has been recognized for health care law and insurance law in Best Lawyers in America since 2007. She has been listed in Michigan Super Lawyers since 2009 and named as one of the "Top 50 Women" in 2010 and 2011. Robertson has also been recognized as one of DBusiness magazine's "Top Lawyers" in 2010 and 2011. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan. * * * Oakland County Commissioners Robert Gosselin and David W. Potts announce the appointment of longtime Bloomfield Hills resident A. David Baumhart III to the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission. Baumhart is an attorney and was the former director of the Michigan Court of Appeals Settlement Office. As an Oakland County Parks and Recreation commissioner, he will work to preserve parkland and to create recreational, leisure, and learning experiences for county residents. He will serve a 3-year term. * * * Dawda Mann has been named by Fortune magazine and LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell® as one of the top law firms in the United States. * * * Charles E. Dunn, Environmental attorney and partner of Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Great Lakes Guardians, a Michigan based non-profit organization. Dunn focuses his practice at Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC in the areas of real estate, environmental law, and administrative law involving private and public sector clients. Over the course of his legal career, he has represented an array of Fortune 500 companies, including automotive suppliers and manufacturers, cement producers, chemical manufacturers and distributors, utilities and electricity generators, financial institutions, petroleum suppliers, metal coating and finishing companies, various municipalities and their associated road and drain authorities. * * * Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Robin Luce Herrmann is heading up a new committee within the American Bar Association. Herrmann will lead the First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee's Diversity Outreach Subcommittee. The objective of the new committee is to respond to the needs of the committee's underrepresented lawyers and to promote diversity within the committee, the media law bar and the legal profession. Herrmann concentrates her practice in the areas of media law, particularly defamation and access issues; commercial litigation, including RICO; non-competes and trade secrets; and civil rights. She has extensive trial and appellate experience in both state and federal courts in a variety of areas. Herrmann also is general counsel of the Michigan Press Association. In addition, Herrmann previously taught Law of the Press in the Journalism Department. at Oakland University. She also has been a guest speaker on Law of the Press at Wayne State University, Central Michigan University, and Oakland University. Herrmann was recently appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Law and Media Committee. She also is a member of the American Bar Association including the ABA Communications Law Forum; Woman Advocate Committee of the Litigation Section; a past member and vice-chair of the ABA Law and Media Committee; and active in the Media Law Resource Center. Herrmann has been very active with Community Legal Resources over the years. Currently, she is chair, Board of Directors. She also served as vice-chair Board of Directors - 2006 to 2009; chair, Finance Committee - 2003 to 2006; she has been a board member since 2003. Herrmann is a 1984 graduate of the University of Michigan and a 1993 graduate of the Detroit College of Law. Herrmann was also recently named a Practice Group Leader for one of the firm's two Business Litigation Groups. In this role, Herrmann is responsible for leading and growing this key practice area, including oversight of professional development, workflow and strategic marketing efforts for the group and its members. Additionally, Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Gary W. Klotz was the featured speaker during the Positive Employer-Employee Relations Roundtable presented by the American Society of Employers on Jan. 20. Klotz provided an NLRB update for Union and Non-Union Employers. Klotz has represented employers in labor and employment law matters for more than 30 years. He has successfully defended employers in state and federal courts, as well as before state and federal administrative agencies. He also has experience representing employers in labor arbitration cases, collective bargaining negotiations, and preventive employee relations counseling. He is the author of numerous articles about labor and employment law, and he regularly speaks at management education programs about labor and employment issues. Klotz's professional memberships include the Labor and Employment Section of the American Bar Association and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Klotz is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (1977) and Oakland University (B.A., 1973). Also, Joseph W. Iskra, a registered patent attorney, has joined Butzel Long as an associate based in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office. Iskra concentrates his practice in the area of intellectual property law, with a specific emphasis upon the preparation and prosecution of both domestic and foreign patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He also advises clients on a variety of other intellectual property matters, including the preparation and prosecution of federal trademark registrations; opinions related to intellectual property infringement, validity, and freedom to operate; and proceedings before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC Section 337 Investigations). Before joining Butzel Long, Iskra gained patent prosecution experience in Washington, D.C., where he prosecuted patent applications related to cutting-edge electronic and computer technologies for a number of years at multiple intellectual property law firms. Prior to law school, Iskra gained technical experience at a major consulting firm where he was a systems developer of various internet-based and laboratory computer applications. Furthermore, Iskra worked for multiple corporations during his undergraduate education as an engineering intern, including Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Ameritech. Iskra's technology background includes the electrical, computer, and mechanical arts, including: digital systems; computer storage devices; optical/telecommunication technologies; semiconductor devices and manufacturing processes; navigation systems; optoelectronics; printers; networks; image processing; computer and internet-related hardware, internet applications, electronic commerce, cryptography, and software; electromechanical control systems; medical devices; sporting goods; mechanical devices, etc. Iskra is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire School of Law (J.D., 2006), which specializes in Intellectual Property law, and Wayne State University (B.S., Electrical Engineering). Iskra is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Eastern and Western District Courts of Michigan, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). Iskra also maintains a patent law blog at www.patenthowto.net. * * * Darryl Bressack, an associate with Bloomfield Hills-based Fink & Associates Law, was recently honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of 20 Up and Coming Lawyers for 2011. The announcement was made by Fink & Associates Law Managing Partner David Fink. Bressack was selected by the Michigan Lawyers Weekly panel for making a significant impact on both his profession and within his community during his first 10 years of practice. Bressack focuses his practice on commercial litigation, including individual and class actions and specializes in antitrust, securities fraud and consumer fraud. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He has been listed as a Rising Star in Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine and is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. * * * Attorney Linda G. Burwell, a founding partner of Detroit-based employment law firm Nemeth Burwell PC, has been named a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Minority & Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). Burwell has been an active member of NAMWOLF since 2005. Her involvement includes serving on the Annual Meeting and Membership Committees, serving as co-chair of the Member Outreach Committee, presenting legal updates at NAMWOLF's national meetings and contributing to NAMWOLF publications. In her practice at Nemeth Burwell, Burwell specializes in the labor and employment arena as a litigator, arbitrator and consultant and represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law. Her areas of expertise include wrongful discharge, discrimination, non-competition, harassment, interference with contract, equal pay, retaliation, whistleblowers, wage and hours, unfair labor practices, breach of contract, libel and slander, and invasion of privacy. She regularly counsels management on collective bargaining agreements, pre-employment, discipline, and pre-termination and post-termination matters. A nationally recognized speaker and author on employment law and risk management issues, Burwell often serves as the legal expert on panels involving employment laws. She 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 Michigan, Federal, and the United States Supreme Court Bar. * * * Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP announced recently that it has relocated to new offices, enhancing the law firm's technological capabilities in metro Detroit to improve client support. The move also provides flexibility for anticipated growth. The new office is located at 50 W. Big Beaver, Suite 200, inside the Liberty Center in Troy. Office phone numbers will remain the same. Fragomen's Troy office is one of 38 in 15 countries, where more than 1,000 legal professionals provide immigration counsel to Fortune 100 companies, major universities and research institutions, and manufacturing, service and technology providers on international legal, regulatory and policy matters. The Troy office also assists entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and senior executives with immigration matters. The offices are linked by proprietary immigration-specific technology. Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy LLP was named "Law Firm of the Year" in 2011 for immigration law by U.S. News & World Report, marking the first time the media outlet, known for its rankings, conferred the award for this field of law. Fragomen was similarly recognized in 2011 as the pre-eminent global immigration services provider by Best Lawyers in America, Who's Who Legal, ACQ Law Awards, Chambers USA & Chambers Global, and as a "Go-To Law Firm of the World's Leading Companies" by ALM since 2005. * * * Michael A. Robbins was recently showcased in the Nov. 21 issue of Newsweek Magazine as one of the Top Eight Family Law Attorneys in the United States. Robbins is a Bloomfield Hills attorney who practices exclusively in the area of Family Law and divorce. Robbins was also recently included in the 2012 edition of "The Best Lawyers in America" in the area of Family Law. He was also named in 2011 by the New York Times and Super Lawyers as one of the top 100 attorneys in Michigan. Robbins has also served as president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and chairman of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. * * * The Michigan Supreme Court has reappointed Bodman PLC attorney Thomas Van Dusen to the Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions, which drafts standard instructions for juries in civil cases. The committee is composed of 21 judges and attorneys who ensure that model civil jury instructions used in Michigan courts are concise, understandable, conversational, unslanted, and not argumentative. The committee also has the authority to amend or repeal existing instructions and, when appropriate, adopt new instructions. Van Dusen, who practices in Bodman's Troy office, is a member of the Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He has experience in the areas of commercial, insurance and personal injury defense litigation including arbitration hearings, bench trials, jury trials, and appeals. Van Dusen is listed in The Best Lawyers in America under Commercial Litigation and in Michigan Super Lawyers under Business Litigation. He is a member of the American Arbitration Association, National Diocesan Attorneys Association, and the Oakland County Circuit Court's Case Evaluator Panel. Van Dusen is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. * * * Jay L. Welford, a partner in the Southfield office of Michigan-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC. has been re-elected as president of ALS of Michigan. This will be his second two-year term. Jaffe CEO Richard Zussman made the announcement. Welford is a partner and member of the firm's insolvency and reorganization practice group. He has specialized in the areas of bankruptcy, creditors' rights and leasing law for nearly 30 years. Recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as one of Michigan's top attorney's in bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights for six consecutive years, Welford is a member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association and State Bar of Michigan Creditors Rights Committee. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Michigan and earned his law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1982 Published: Mon, Jan 23, 2012