LEGAL PEOPLE

Wayne State University Law School is pleased to announce that Ilana Ben-Ze'ev has been named the school's Assistant Dean of Students. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Emory University School of Law, Ben-Ze'ev has practiced business law more than 29 years. Most recently, she was a senior member at Bodman PLC in Detroit working in the real estate finance and banking groups. She chaired Bodman's Diversity Committee and implemented an interactive diversity training program to align outcomes with the firm's mission statement, and facilitated workshops highlighting gender-based differences in behavior and perceptions. She created a marketing training series addressing areas of focus for younger lawyers as well as a program introducing new and existing attorneys to their peers, promoting connections and developing relationships among members of the firm. * * * Clark Hill PLC has expanded its presence in Washington DC to premier office space at 601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, North Building Suite 1000. Clark Hill opened the doors to its Washington office in June of 2009. Managing Member Charlie Spies signed on to lead the firm's Political Law Team and the Washington office in the summer of 2010, and the firm has subsequently grown with the addition of former EPA Deputy General Counsel Kenneth von Schaumburg and former DOJ litigator John Sheehan, as well as former Department of the Treasury Official Peter Dugas and, most recently, former Army Corps of Engineers Chief Counsel Robert Andersen (previously the head of the Energy practice at a national law firm). In addition, Roberta Freedman co-leads the firm's national Immigration Practice out of the Washington DC office. * * * Butzel Long attorney Rebecca S. Davies will moderate a panel presentation during the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) Seminar and Commissioner "Rock Tour" on Tuesday, June 12, at the Westin Hotel in downtown Detroit. "The focus of the panel presentation is the interplay with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), ADAAA, and Workers Compensation," said Davies. "The overall seminar will offer employers excellent, practical information." Based in Butzel Long's Detroit office, Davies concentrates her practice primarily in the areas of employment law and commercial litigation. She represents employers in federal and state court litigation and before state and federal administrative agencies. She regularly counsels employers regarding compliance under federal and state employment laws (including FLSA, FMLA, ADAAA and Title VII), drafts policies and procedures, and advises on preventative strategies. Davies' objective is to assist clients in implementing preventative strategies. She is a frequent author and lecturer, not only for client in-house trainings and publications, but also for outside organizations, including: Walsh College, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Automation Alley, and the American Society of Employers. Davies earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan at Dearborn and her law degrees from the Detroit College of Law and Wayne State University Law School. Additionally, Butzel Long Litigation Technology Specialist Stephanie M. Shattuck, was recently appointed Detroit Chapter director of Women in eDiscovery. In this role, Shattuck is responsible for the overall management of the chapter. The mission of the Women in eDiscovery is to bring together businesswomen interested in technology related to the legal industry and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and other businesswomen grow personally and professional through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition. "The Women in eDiscovery is a leading professional organization," said Shattuck. "The Women in eDiscovery was established in 2007 and we've grown to 28 chapters in the U.S. in just five years. I am honored to be appointed to this important leadership position." Based in Butzel Long's Detroit office, Shattuck manages all of the electronic discovery projects and workflows for both electronically stored information and paper in various practice areas. She is also responsible for project management, electronic discovery, vendor selection and management. Shattuck is the liaison between case teams and litigation support while providing support for end users of the firm's litigation applications. Her previous paralegal experience includes work on complex litigation matters which include high volume document productions and management of the same. She has also performed extensive automotive product liability defense work as part of a national discovery team for a Michigan based OEM, which focused on component specific written discovery with extensive document management. In June, Shattuck will complete her Master's Degree in Information Management through Baker College's Graduate Program. She graduated from Baker College with her B.B.A. in 2008, with a focus on Management. She also graduated from Oakland Community College with an Associate's Degree in Applied Science and an ABA-approved Paralegal Degree in 2005. Shattuck has completed advanced Sanction training and the CT Summation Certified Trainer Program. Shattuck is a member of ILTA, ALSP and the Legal Assistants Section of the State Bar of Michigan. * * * The law firm of Miller Canfield announces that Kendal H. Kloostra has joined the firm as an associate in the Detroit office. She assists financial industry clients in originations, restructuring, enforcement issues, insolvency, bankruptcy, formation, regulatory compliance matters and capital markets transactions and bond issuance. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a federal court intern for U.S. District Court Judge George Caram Steeh, Eastern District of Michigan, and interned in the Washtenaw County Public Defender's Office. She also worked as a student attorney for the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic. She earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, her M.A. in Education from the University of Maryland, and her B.A. in English from the University of Michigan. * * * Andrea Johnson has joined the law firm of Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Rivers, & Golden as an associate attorney. Prior to joining the firm, Johnson served as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Victoria A. Roberts, Eastern District of Michigan. Johnson received her undergraduate degree from Marshall University. She attended West Virginia University College of Law. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association, Michigan Association for Justice, Wolverine Bar Association, and Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. * * * Collins, Einhorn, Farrell, & Ulanoff PC announced it has promoted attorney Richard Joslin to partner. For 20 years, Joslin has served as lead defense counsel in hundreds of cases in both state and federal court. The defense of health care professionals has served as a cornerstone of Joslin's practice - he defended cases involving professionals in areas ranging from nursing and physical therapy to orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery. In addition to defending medical malpractice actions, Joslin maintains an active practice in all areas of professional liability defense including the defense of lawyers, insurance agents and design professionals. During his career, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School alumnus has played an active role in a number of professional organizations including the Oakland County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute Medical Liability section, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, and the Association of Defense Trial Counsel. * * * The law firm of Dean & Fulkerson in Troy is pleased to announce that Eric H. Lipsitt has joined the firm as a shareholder. He was previously a partner at Howard & Howard in Royal Oak. Lipsitt chairs the firm's Insurance Law Practice Group with significant experience in complex commercial litigation for national and multi-national companies with particular emphasis in insurance coverage, contract, commercial lending, bonds, commission and receivership litigation. Lipsitt earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan, and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. * * * Joseph R. Owens has joined the law firm of Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP as a new attorney. Owens concentrates his practice on trusts and estates law, with an emphasis on providing counsel to individuals, physicians, small business owners and other professionals. He also has experience with probate litigation. Owens will practice in the firm's Sterling Heights office. Prior to joining Warner Norcross, Owens was an attorney with O'Reilly Rancilio PC in Sterling Heights. Owens is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Macomb County Bar Association, Macomb County Probate Bar, and the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Macomb County. He serves on the Business Resource Alliance Group of the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Owens earned a bachelor of arts from Oakland University and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. * * * James J. Parks, a partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, has been re-elected to the Oakland County Bar Association Board of Directors for a three-year term. Jaffe CEO William Sider made the announcement. This will be Parks second-time serving on the board. In 2010, he was honored by OCBA with the Professionalism Award which is given to an individual who consistently demonstrates the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and excellence in the practice of law. A member of the Jaffe's Litigation Group, Parks concentrates his practice on various facets of complex commercial litigation within state and federal courts. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona in Tucson and is a graduate of Pepperdine University School of Law. In addition, Parks serves as a board member for Generation of Promise and Winning Futures. He is also a discovery master and case evaluator for the Oakland County Circuit Court. * * * Leslie Stein, a partner in the Bloomfield Hills office of Plunkett Cooney, recently received the Annual Award from the Women's Bar Association (WBA) Oakland County Region of Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. "To have my colleagues nominate me is overwhelming, and I'm very honored to have received this award," said Stein, who is a member of the firm's Women's Initiative Committee. "I truly believe that women lawyers have a duty to help one another succeed. I've been fortunate to have had brilliant women coach me. I really owe this award to their help and the tools they gave me." The WBA Annual Award recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of women lawyers who excel in their field and who exemplify professionalism, excellence and a dedication to furthering opportunities for women in the law. An inspiration to other women lawyers, the award recipient approaches her practice with civility and professionalism in a manner that enhances her standing in the courtroom and in the community. Stein was selected based upon her professional excellence, civility and integrity over the course of her career, for her work and activities that showed her awareness of the needs and concerns of women, and for her work to help advance the position of women in general and in the legal profession, according to the WBA. Stein received the award at the 2012 WBA Annual Meeting/Dinner on Thursday, May 10 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. Attending the event to celebrate with Stein were numerous friends, colleagues and clients of Plunkett Cooney. A member of the firm's Banking, Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights Practice Group, Stein focuses her practice in the areas of business bankruptcy, reorganization and workouts with an emphasis on secured creditor representation, loan transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Nominated as a Michigan Super Lawyer in the area of bankruptcy/creditors' rights by Super Lawyers Magazine since 2006, Stein represents clients in commercial and real estate lending matters. Prior to entering private practice, she managed the bankruptcy/workout and commercial litigation functions for a national financial institution. A lecturer and author on bankruptcy law, Stein is a member of the State of Michigan and the American, Federal and Detroit Metropolitan bar associations. She is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, where she served as a treasurer and director at large. * * * The Metropolitan Detroit Association of Legal Administrators is pleased to announce the following appointments to the association's Board of Directors: --Beth Lockwood from Zausmer, Kaufman, August, Caldwell, & Tayler PC was elected president. --Vivian Straffon from Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone PLC was elected vice president/president elect. --Linda Benns from Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Rivers, & Golden PC was elected assistant treasurer. --Lyn Calu from Bowman and Brooke LLP was elected secretary. --Karen Comfort from Vandeveer Garzia PC was elected treasurer. --Denise Doherty from Sommers Schwartz PC was elected director of Meetings/Publicity. --Larry Halicki from Pepper Hamilton LLP was elected director of Business Partner Relations. --Ronda Harris from Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone PLC was elected Membership chair. --Lois Martin from Secrest, Wardle, Lynch, Hampton, Truex, & Morley PC will serve as past president. Published: Mon, Jun 11, 2012