The National Law Journal (NLJ) has ranked Plunkett Cooney among its list of Top 15 firms nationally for the percentage of equity partners who are women.
Plunkett Cooney ranked 13th of the 221 law firms listed by NLJ with 22.35 percent of its 85 equity partners being women. According to an additional study by The National Law Journal, the largest firms in the United States by headcount shows that women represent just 15 percent of equity partners.
The data included in the NLJ report was collected as part of the 2012 NLJ/Am Law 200 Survey, and it reflects the average full-time equivalent number of attorneys for 2011.
Of the 258 law firms that responded to the survey, 221 were ranked based on their percentage female equity partners.
Plunkett Cooney has established a diversity plan that includes 10 specific goals designed to increase the size of the firm’s diversity pool of
employment candidates and to retain them once they have joined the firm.
The firm’s commitment to diversity serves to advance each of the strategic goals, which includes policies to recruit, train and maintain a diverse team of exceptional professionals, paralegals and support staff.
___________________________
Lewis & Munday PC is proud to announce the newest addition to its team of professionals, Naomi N. Oglesby.
The native Detroiter brings her professional experience to the firm’s preeminent Litigation Practice Group. At Lewis & Munday, her focus is in the areas of commercial and business litigation at the trial and appellate levels of state and federal courts.
After earning her law degree in 2005 from Wayne State University Law School, Oglesby concentrated on business litigation, family and immigration law while in private practice.
Oglesby continues to be active in the community. She serves as a tutor for the D. Augustus Straker Minority Bar Passage Program, helping aspiring attorneys prepare for the Michigan bar exam.
Prior to practicing law, Oglesby attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
As a co-founder of the University’s National Association of Black Journalists chapter, she was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc.
___________________________
Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the appointment of John Axe to the Michigan Judges Retirement System Board.
Housed within the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget’s Office of Retirement Services, the five-member board oversees the Judges Retirement System Defined Benefit plan.
Axe is president of Axe & Ecklund PC and is a permanent adjunct faculty at the Wayne State University Law School. Previously, he was the sole proprietor of John R. Axe and Associates, and was a partner with various southeast Michigan law firms.
Axe co-authored “Michigan Municipal Law,” a two-volume work published in 1981 by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education for the University of Michigan. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Harvard University.
Axe will represent the general public and fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Rick Simonson.
Axe will serve the remainder of a four-year term that expires March 31, 2015, and his appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
___________________________
After just one year in business, Blue Filament Intellectual Property LLC, a woman-owned legal firm, has already outgrown its original location and will be moving to allow for continued expansion as the firm evolves.
Blue Filament is now located at 450 North Old Woodward in Birmingham, just a short distance from its original Birmingham location. The firm expects its expansion to continue through year-end and into 2013.
Blue Filament, founded in September 2011 by attorney Mary Margaret O’Donnell, specializes in intellectual property, including trademarks, copyrights, domain names, brand protection, brand management and enforcement, risk assessment, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings and dispute resolution. Blue Filament offers services to clients throughout the U.S. and internationally through an established network of attorneys.
“I couldn’t be more proud of and pleased with the early success of Blue Filament,” said O’Donnell. “In creating the firm, I sought to break away from the traditional legal model and offer clients unparalleled service on a lean platform, resulting in quality-focused work instead of quantity-focused billing. Clearly it’s working. This approach is attractive both to clients and law professionals. Our model allows us to offer a fun and energized work environment with no geographical restraints.”
O’Donnell has more than a decade of experience working both in general practice firms and intellectual property boutique firms, and she and her team have prosecuted and managed thousands of trademarks throughout the world. Before founding Blue Filament, O’Donnell co-chaired the Trademark Group at the intellectual property firm of Rader, Fishman, & Grauer in Bloomfield Hills, and prior to that handled commercial litigation, intellectual property, trade secret and product liability matters at the Detroit-based general practice firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock, & Stone.
O’Donnell has been recognized by her peers and business organizations as a SuperLawyer “Rising Star,” a Michigan Lawyers’ Weekly “Up & Coming Attorney” and a Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” business leader.
O’Donnell earned a LLM in Intellectual Property from the Université Bordeaux IV in Bordeaux, France, her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and also completed political science and law programs in
Aix-en-Provence, France and Shanghai, China.
“The question we get asked the most? People always ask about the firm’s unusual name and logo,” notes O’Donnell. “A non-traditional firm name better suits our approach. Plus, as branding professionals, we have to set the bar!”
For more information on Blue Filament, visit www.bluefilamentlaw.com
___________________________
Butzel Long senior attorney Jeremy R. Cnudde will be a featured presenter during the 3rd Annual Property Tax Appeal seminar, presented by Sterling Education Services, Inc., on Wednesday, Dec.19, in Southfield.
The program will include: an overview of a property tax appeal, appraisal/ valuation, options, and the tax tribunal trial process.
Cnudde will be addressing issues that arise during the Tax Tribunal hearing process. “While many appeals will settle prior to the formal hearing, being informed and prepared for the potential hearing and the nuances of the Tax Tribunal is important so you don’t settle a matter based upon fear of the process,” he said.
Cnudde concentrates his practice on corporate transactions and federal and state tax planning and tax appeals litigation. He represents middle-market, entrepreneurial businesses with diverse backgrounds, including those in the manufacturing, aerospace and defense, distribution, retail grocery, and agricultural industries. He assists with mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and shareholder disputes, business succession planning, buy-sell agreements and drafting of supplier and representatives agreements.
He also has represented companies on corporate finance and capital acquisition matters, including private equity investments, recapitalizations, bank financing, and private placement issuance.
Cnudde has experience with federal, state, and local tax planning, Michigan property tax appeals, and nonprofit/tax-exempt formation and governance matters. This includes tax-free reorganizations of businesses, partnership formation and tax planning regarding adding partners and partner distributions, state tax planning regarding sales, use and business taxes, and formation of non-profit corporations and assistance with obtaining and maintaining tax exempt status from the IRS.
He has authored several articles and served as a seminar lecturer on various tax planning and tax appeal issues. Cnudde also provides pro bono assistance through the Accounting Aid Society, a year-round low income tax clinic that provides assistance and representation for low- to moderate- income taxpayers who have tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.
Cnudde is a graduate of Michigan State University – Detroit College of Law (2003), with a concentration and certification in Taxation Law. Cnudde received his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the Michigan State University’s Eli Broad School of Business (1999). He received certification from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) in 2006.
Cnudde is a member of the Detroit chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG), the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, and the Macomb and Grosse Pointe Chambers of Commerce. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Corporate, and Taxation, sections and a member of the American Bar Association Corporate and Taxation Sections. Cnudde also is on the State Bar’s Unincorporated Enterprises Committee, he is a board of director and secretary for the Marinelife Aquarium Society of Michigan and a Board of Director for the Lakeshore Bar Association. Cnudde is a DBusiness Top Lawyer for Tax Law and Non-Profit/Charities Law (2012 and 2013).
Additionally, Butzel Long received national recognition in the third edition of the 2013 “Best Law Firms,” rankings by U.S. News Media Group, the publisher of U.S. News & World Report, and Best Lawyers®.
Butzel Long was nationally ranked in the first tier in Immigration Law (Tier 1).
Butzel Long was ranked in multiple legal specialties in the Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing and New York offices.
Below is a full list of Butzel Long’s 2013 Best Law Firm rankings:
National Rankings
Tier 1
• Immigration Law
Tier 2
• Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions
Tier 3
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Employment Law – Management
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – ERISA
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Litigation – Real Estate
Metropolitan Rankings
Tier 1
Ann Arbor
• Employment Law – Management
• Labor Law – Management
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Real Estate Law
Detroit
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Compliance Law
• Corporate Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Governmental Investigations
• Criminal Defense: White Collar – Litigation
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Employment Law – Management
• Immigration Law
• International Trade and Finance Law
• Labor Law – Management
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – Eminent Domain & Condemnation
• Litigation – ERISA
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Real Estate Law
Lansing
• Construction Law
• Litigation – Construction
Tier 2
Ann Arbor
• Corporate Law
Detroit
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
• Family Law
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Tier 2
New York City
• Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions
Tier 3
Ann Arbor
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Detroit
• Corporate Governance Law
• Environmental Law
• Litigation-Environmental
• Litigation – Trusts & Estates
• Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Securities Regulation
• Trusts & Estates Law
Also, several Butzel Long attorneys were recognized as Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit 2013 by DBusiness magazine. The list appears in the November/December 2012 edition. The attorneys and their practice areas are listed below:
Bloomfield Hills office
• Alexander B. Bragdon, Employee Benefits Law.
• Stephen A. Bromberg, Land Use and Zoning Law.
• Jeremy R. Cnudde, Tax Law, Nonprofit/Charities Law.
• Edward D. Gold, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Family Law.
• Beth S. Gotthelf, Environmental Law.
• Roberta P. Granadier, Employee Benefits Law.
• D. Stewart Green, Real Estate Law, Land Use and Zoning Law.
• Adele P. Jorissen, Health Care Law.
• Patrick A. Karbowski, Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law.
• Daniel P. Malone, Commercial Litigation, International Trade and Finance Law.
• Allan Nachman, Real Estate Law.
• Max J. Newman, Bankruptcy and Creditor /Debtor Rights Law.
• R. Peter Prokop, Tax Law.
• Thomas B. Radom, Bankruptcy and Creditor /Debtor Rights Law.
• Anthony Saulino Jr., Real Estate Law.
• Dennis B. Schultz, Construction Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law.
• Thomas L. Shaevsky, Employee Benefits Law.
• David W. Sommerfeld, Trusts and Estates
Detroit office
• Linda J. Armstrong, Immigration Law.
• Rick A. Berg, Business Litigation, Commercial Litigation.
• James C. Bruno, Civil Rightsl Law, International Trade and Finance Law.
• Robert G. Buydens, Employee Benefits Law.
• Carey A. DeWitt, Labor and Employment Law.
• David F. DuMouchel, Professional Malpractice Law, White-Collar Criminal Defense.
• Eric J. Flessland, Construction Law, Construction Litigation
• John P. Hancock Jr., Civil Rights Law.
• Robert A. Hudson, Business Law, International Trade and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities Law.
• Justin G. Klimko, Business Law, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities Law.
• Phillip C. Korovesis, Business Litigation, Insurance Law.
• Michael J. Lavoie, White-Collar Criminal Defense.
• Clara DeMatteis Mager, Immigration Law.
• Reginald A. Pacis, Immigration Law.
• Richard E. Rassel, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Commercial Litigation, First Amendment Law, Government Relations Law.
• Joseph E. Richotte, Appellate Law.
• James S. Rosenfeld, Labor and Employment Law.
• Daniel R.W. Rustmann, Personal Injury.
• Bruce L. Sendek, Business Litigation, Commercial Litigation.
• Nicholas J. Stasevich, Antitrust Law, Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law.
• Louis Theros, Labor and Employment Law.
• Daniel B. Tukel, Civil Rights Law, Labor and Employment Law.
• James E. Wynne, Personal Injury, Product Liability .
___________________________
John C. Clark, partner of the law firm, Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC, has been appointed as special assistant attorney general of the State of Michigan.
Clark concentrates his practice in the areas of labor and employment law, servicing clients in both the public and private sector. Clark has been a member of the firm since 1995. In addition, he is a certified employment arbitrator through the American Arbitration Association overseeing complicated employment matters litigated by both public and private sector claimants.
Clark has experience in labor and employment law, including contract negotiations, arbitrations, employment discrimination claims, wrongful
discharge matters, civil rights complaints, proceedings in state and federal court, as well as matters pending before the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the National Labor Relations Board.
Clark represents a variety of public and private sector clients, including several high profile Metro Detroit cities and townships, private sector manufacturing companies, as well as various non-profit organizations and public and charter schools..
___________________________
Wright Beamer is pleased to announce the addition of two attorneys to the firm.
Kathryn R. Spray has practiced law for eighteen years, developing specialties in commercial transactions and business planning. She is also a LEED accredited professional with the United States Green Building Council who has successfully passed the Michigan Real Estate Licensing examination in order to better assist clients with real estate transactions and development.
Evan M. Chall started his career with an Oakland County litigation firm where he gained invaluable exposure to complex commercial litigation.
Super Lawyers magazine tagged him a “Rising Star” in 2011 and 2012. He is an adjunct professor of political science at Henry Ford Community College.
___________________________
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart PC is pleased to announce that the firm has been named “Law Firm of the Year” in both the Litigation – Labor & Employment and the Employment Law – Management categories in the 2013 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers ”Best Law Firms” list. Only one law firm in each nationally ranked practice area receives the “Law Firm of the Year” honor.
This is the second consecutive occasion that the firm has been named “Law Firm of the Year” in the Litigation – Labor & Employment category.
In Detroit, Ogletree Deakins earned “First-Tier” rankings in the Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor & Employment categories.
Nationally, the firm is recognized with four “First-Tier” rankings in the following employment law categories: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; and Litigation – Labor & Employment. .
___________________________
Secrest, Wardle, Lynch, Hampton, Truex, & Morley PC is pleased to announce that Nancy Cooper Green has joined its Municipal Department at its Troy office.
In addition to practicing Municipal Law, Cooper Green also specializes in Real Estate and Property Law, Public Employment Law, and Contract Law.
Cooper Green served as the City of Warren’s chief assistant city attorney from 2001 - 2012 and as their assistant city attorney from 1986 - 2000. She represented the City of Warren in matters before the Michigan Dept. of Civil Rights, EPA, and MIOSHA in addition to drafting legislation and providing legal opinions.
After obtaining her B.A. from Michigan State University, Cooper Green attended Michigan State University College of Law where she obtained her law degree.
Cooper Green is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Woman Lawyers of Michigan, Macomb County Bar Association, and Fraternal Order of Police (associate member). She is admitted to the U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals. .
___________________________
Founding Partner Robert Iwrey of Southfield.-based The Health Law Partners has been recognized as a 2013 Top Lawyer by DBusiness magazine for the third time. Founding Partner Carey Kalmowitz made the announcement.
Iwrey is a practicing litigator and has specialized his practice in health care transactional law, including licensure, staff privileges, contracts, physician practice issues, and health care investigation and audit defense. Iwrey was also recognized as a DBusiness Top Lawyer in Health Care in 2010 and 2012. An alumnus of the University of Michigan, Iwrey went on to graduate from Wayne State University Law School. .
___________________________
Attorneys Patricia Nemeth and Linda Burwell, founding partners of Detroit-based employment law firm Nemeth Burwell, PC, have been recognized by their peers as leading lawyers in their field by The Best Lawyers® in America for 2013.
Additionally, Nemeth Burwell received Tier 1 rankings in the 2013 Edition of U.S. News / Best Lawyers ‘Best Law Firms’ in management side employment law, management side labor law and labor and employment litigation.
Nemeth was recognized in management side labor law, employment law and labor and employment litigation and specializes as a litigator, consultant, negotiator and mediator.
Her areas of expertise include all aspects of traditional labor and employment litigation law, including complex employment investigations and analyses, discrimination/harassment, age, disability, sex, race, whistleblowers, wrongful discharge, union organizing activities and union issues, and multi-party lawsuits.
She is a certified mediator for all types of civil litigation, including employment. Nemeth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and her law degrees from Wayne State University School of Law.
She is a member of the Michigan, Illinois, Federal and the United States Supreme Court Bar.
Burwell was recognized in management side labor law and labor and employment litigation and specializes as a litigator, arbitrator and consultant, representing 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, Ohio, Federal, and the United States Supreme Court Bar.
––––––––––––––––––––
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
