Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
The chairman and CEO of Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP, David Foltyn, has been elected to the board of directors for the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP). The DDP is a private/public partnership of corporate and civic leaders that supports and develops programs and initiatives that help create a clean, vibrant, safe, beautiful and economically sound Downtown Detroit community.
Two other board members were also elected: Sergio Marchionne, chairman and CEO of Chrysler Group LLC and CEO of Fiat S.p.A. and Steven A. White, chair and CEO of Detroit Renewable Energy.
In his legal practice, Foltyn counsels publicly- and privately-held businesses, boards of directors, and financial service firms in corporate mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, financial transactions, public offerings and private placements of securities and debt. He also advises clients on applicable state and federal corporate governance laws.
Foltyn has been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2005 as a top-ranked lawyer in the Corporate/M&A field. He has also been recognized in the last 16 editions of Best Lawyers in America and has been named as one of the Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers by Michigan Super Lawyers for several years in a row. In addition, he is a former chairman of the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section Council.
In the community, Foltyn also is a member of the board of directors of the United Way of Southeastern Michigan and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the board of governors of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, and a vice president of the board of trustees and a member of the executive committee of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and past chairman (2004 - 2006) of JVS.
Foltyn earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Additionally, Tara E. Mahoney, a partner in Honigman’s Labor and Employment Department in the Detroit office, has been elected president of the Neutral Zone’s Board of Directors. Located in Ann Arbor the Neutral Zone is a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth and artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. Mahoney has served as a Board member and chaired its Human Resources Board Committee since 2008.
“I am very proud to serve as president of the Neutral Zone’s Board, not only because it is an opportunity to lead this important community organization, but it also gives me a chance to work directly with teens to develop their leadership skills,” said Mahoney. “The Neutral Zone’s diverse range of programs provides opportunities for teens to lead, create and innovate. It is very rewarding to watch our teens grow to become responsible, committed adults.”
Mahoney counsels employers on a wide range of employment and labor matters, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment and non-compete issues in state and federal courts. She also represents employers in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency. She has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers from 2009 through 2012.
Mahoney earned her law degree at the University of Michigan Law School and a B.G.S. from the University of Michigan.
Futhermore, Kelsey Vidaillet Switzer, an attorney at Honigman in the firm’s Labor and Employment Department, has been elected to the board of directors of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (DHDC). The DHDC is committed to meeting the needs of its community by providing quality, innovative and culturally appropriate programs and services, primarily in the Southwest Detroit area.
In her legal practice, Switzer counsels employers on employment and labor law matters; defends employment discrimination, retaliation and harassment cases brought under federal and state laws; represents employers in administrative proceedings; and advises employers on employment handbooks, policies and procedures.
She earned her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. Switzer also has an M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean studies from Florida International University and a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
—————
Goodman Acker PC
Gerald Acker, senior partner at Southfield-based Goodman Acker PC, has been voted president-elect of the Michigan Association of Justice’s (MAJ) 2012-2013 leadership team. The new officers were elected during the business meeting at MAJ’s Annual Convention, and took office effective July 1.
“It’s an honor to serve alongside my peers as an officer of an organization as important as the MAJ,” said Acker. “I look forward to continuing our work and making a difference in the safety and well-being of Michigan residents.”
Acker, who founded Goodman Acker PC in 1993 with partner Barry Goodman, specializes in personal injury litigation, including catastrophic automobile negligence claims, no-fault claims, medical malpractice, premises liability and nursing home negligence.
Acker earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School. He was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1981, the U.S. District Court in 1982, and the District of Columbia Bar in 1993. He is a long-standing member of the Michigan Association for Justice and has served on its executive board since 1985. Currently, Acker also serves on the National Finance Committee for President Barack Obama.
—————
Butzel Long
Butzel Long attorneys W. Patrick Dreisig and David W. Sommerfeld each have been named a 2012 FIVE STAR Wealth ManagerSM as a result of a survey completed by HOUR Detroit magazine, DBusiness magazine and FIVE STAR Professional. A listing of individuals named a 2012 FIVE STAR Wealth ManagerSM appears in the July/August edition of DBusiness. This is the third year that Dreisig and Sommerfeld have each been named a FIVE STAR Wealth ManagerSM. The FIVE STAR Wealth ManagersSM are a select group representing less than seven percent of the wealth managers in the Detroit area.
Dreisig is a vice president of Butzel Long and serves on the firm’s Board of Directors. He is co-chair of the firm’s Global Automotive Industry Group and a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice.
He focuses his practice in general business law and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, recapitalizations, debt and equity finance transactions, venture capital transactions, supply agreements, intellectual property development and licensing transactions, customer and supplier workouts, entity selection and formation, corporate governance and business succession.
Dreisig practices extensively within the automotive supplier industry. He is highly experienced in representing automotive suppliers in structuring and negotiating long term supply and other commercial arrangements with automotive manufacturers and other suppliers.
Dreisig earned his his B.A. degree from the University of Michigan in 1974 and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1977.
Dreisig is a member of the Business Law and Taxation Sections of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He has also served as a member of the Legal Issues Council, and has served as past counsel to the Chief Purchasing Officers Council, of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association.
Based in Butzel Long’s Bloomfield Hills office, Sommerfeld serves as manager of the firm’s Probate, Trust and Estate Planning Practice.
Sommerfeld practices in the areas of estate planning, probate, and trust administration. He also has experience in the areas of income tax, estate and gift tax, and related tax and financial matters.
Sommerfeld is a 1963 graduate of the University of Detroit and a 1967 graduate of the Detroit College of Law. He is a Certified Public Accountant as well as an attorney.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness as a 2011 Top Lawyer in Metro Detroit for Trusts and Estates. He is a member of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit.
Sommerfeld is a frequent lecturer on the subject of estate planning on behalf of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education of the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, and Professional Education Systems, Inc.
—————
Plunkett Cooney
Sean M. Carty recently joined Plunkett Cooney as a senior attorney in the firm’s Banking, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group.
Focusing his practice in the areas of loan originations and real estate, Carty represents various lending clients in commercial transactions ranging from small business loans to large commercial real estate deals. A member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, he also represents landlords and tenants in leasing transactions.
Prior to joining the firm, Carty worked as an in-house attorney for over 12 years at The PrivateBank and Trust Company and at Bank of America. His experience includes commercial loan documentation, related to syndications, participations, asset-based transactions and real estate secured loans.
Licensed to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan, Carty is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the American Bar Association.
Carty received his law degree from University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1991. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1988.
—————
Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
Robert J. Gordon, a partner at Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC. has been appointed co-chair of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s Alliance for Jewish Education and chair of the Federation’s Schulman Millennium Fund. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement.
As co-chair of the Federation’s Alliance for Jewish Education, Gordon will be responsible for providing additional educational support for the Jewish community through innovative programs that go beyond what the individual congregations can provide. The Federation is committed to taking care of the needs of the Jewish people and building a vibrant future through community outreach, education, leadership development and philanthropic programs.
The Alliance for Jewish Education (Alliance) has successfully created programs including advanced teacher education, adult learning seminars and support for special needs students. The committee continually assesses the Alliance’s curriculum and explores new teaching methods and ideas for the community’s educational advancement.
Serving as the chair for the Schulman Millennium Fund, Gordon will lead grant reviews and allocate funds to support innovative programs that foster Jewish teens’ participation in philanthropic, leadership and scholastic initiatives throughout the Jewish and Detroit communities. In addition to seed money, the committee provides strategic direction to help facilitate and build self-sustaining, quality extracurricular programs.
Gordon is a member of Jaffe’s corporate practice group and specializes in various aspects of business law including mergers and acquisitions, formation, governance and operations, general contract, e-commerce, securities filings and succession planning. Honored as a DBusiness Top Lawyer in 2009, Gordon also serves on the United States Civil Rights Commission — Michigan Advisory Committee, in addition to being a member of the American Bar Association.
Gordon graduated from Boston University School of Law, and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
—————
Frank Haron Weiner PLC
David L. Haron of Frank, Haron, Weiner PLC in Troy will teach a course on health care fraud at the University of Michigan Law School for the Fall 2012 semester.
The two-credit hour course, titled “Health Care Fraud & Abuse,” will be offered to second and third-year law students and will offer an in-depth look at fraud and the resulting impact on the health care industry and physician-patient relationships.
Haron earned both his B.A. and law degrees from the University of Michigan, and has previously taught health law courses at both the University of Michigan Law School and Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
He currently represents health care clients in a variety of legal matters, including compliance with fraud and abuse laws, and licensing, credentialing, and employment matters. For the past 18 years he has represented whistleblowers in federal and state False Claims Act litigation, and has experience litigating cases involving Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Through his work with FCA cases, he has helped recover $250 million dollars in government funds.
—————
Rogers, Mantese, & Associates PC
Rogers, Mantese, & Associates PC announced the relocation of its office from Royal Oak to Farmington Hills. The new office is located in the TriAtria Building located at 32255 Northwestern Hwy. The firm will reside in Suite 60 until mid-September, and move to its permanent suite, 190, upon completion of renovations in that space.
Rogers, Mantese, & Associates represents health care organizations, professionals and businesses across Michigan. The firm represents clients in organizing and operating physician group practices, professional license cases, health care fraud-and-abuse compliance and investigations, the Affordable Care Act, HIPPA compliance and investigations, and third-party payer audits.
“Being in Farmington Hills is more convenient for many of our clients, and provides us with easy access to many health care organizations and offices,” said David L. Rogers, president at Rogers, Mantese, & Associates PC. “The choice to relocate really was extremely easy.”
—————
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit is pleased to announce that, T.L. Summerville of Dykema Gossett PLLC will join its 20-member board as the newest elected member.
Summerville was elected during the Big Brothers Big Sisters Annual Meeting and Donor Recognition reception held at the Detroit Golf Club on July 19.
Summerville is member of the Dykema’s Detroit office and focuses his practice on business and commercial disputes and consumer finance matters. He has successfully represented clients in breach of contract and fraud cases, real estate development suits, construction litigation cases, environmental contamination actions and matters involving consumer credit and residential mortgages and automotive supplier disputes.
An active member of the Detroit community, Summerville is the immediate past president of the Wolverine Bar Association and a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Commercial Litigation Committee and served as the Articles Liaison for the March 2012 edition.
“The opportunity to join the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit is a great privilege and an honor for me,” says Summerville. “I can’t think of anything more important to our community and society than helping to ensure that our youth have the support they need and the processes in place to excel and become exceptional men and women. BBBS has been doing just that in our community for years by connecting mentors with children in need. I’m proud to contribute to that legacy and look forward to doing what I can to help make a better today and tomorrow for our youth.”
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
