Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
Attorneys Scott B. Kitei and Chauncey C. Mayfield II have joined the Corporate Department at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP in the firm’s Detroit office.
Kitei has joined Honigman as a partner. He focuses his practice on representing clients in commercial transactions under Articles 2 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, including the development and negotiation of supply agreements and related contracts. He also provides counsel on restructuring and related litigation matters to creditors and debtors in Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 bankruptcies.
He earned his law degree from Cornell Law School and a B.S. in economics and journalism from Northwestern University. Kitei is admitted to practice in Illinois and his admission to the State Bar of Michigan is pending.
Kitei joined Honigman from Goldstein & McClintock LLLP in Chicago.
Mayfield has joined Honigman as an attorney. He has experience in acquisitions, dispositions, leveraged buyouts, secured and unsecured financings, and private equity transactions. Mayfield was a Honigman summer associate in 2010.
He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in political science from Purdue University. Mayfield is admitted to practice in Michigan and in the District of Columbia.
Mayfield joined Honigman from General Counsel PC in McLean, Virginia.
—————
Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith, PC
Attorney Lisa J. Hamameh joins Foster Swift’s Farmington Hills office as a senior attorney. She is a member of the firm’s Administrative and Municipal practice group.
Hamameh brings more than ten years of experience practicing law in the following areas: municipal law; land use and zoning; liquor license acquisition, and transfers; appeals and violation defense; landlord-tenant and summary proceedings; real estate litigation; criminal prosecution and defense; homeowners and condominium association representation.
She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Macomb County Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Arab American Bar Association. Hamameh is also a member of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys, American Institute of Architects, Sterling Heights, Shelby, Utica Chamber of Commerce, and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce.
Hamameh is a contributing co-author in the following Institute of Continuing Legal Education Publications: Michigan Municipal Law, 2012 and Michigan Criminal Procedure, 2010.
In 2011, she received Oakland County Bar Association’s Frances Avadenka Memorial Award for significant contributions to the community beyond the legal profession. She has also been included as a “Michigan Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers for 2011 and 2012.
Hamameh earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from Wayne State University and Wayne State University Law School, respectively.
—————
Fabian, Sklar & King, P.C.
Farmington Hills-based Fabian, Sklar & King PC recently announced that Founding Shareholder Michael H. Fabian and Shareholder Stuart A. Sklar were selected for inclusion in the 19th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2013) by Best Lawyers, a publication honoring America’s best attorneys for more than three decades.
Fabian was honored for his work in the practice area of Insurance Law, while Sklar was recognized for his contributions in the practice areas of both Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs.
“The Best Lawyers in America has long been regarded as one of the most highly respected catalogues of the top lawyers across the country,” said Fabian. “To be selected for inclusion on this list by our peers is an incredible honor.”
With more than 30 years of legal experience, Fabian has won numerous cases that have created groundbreaking national precedent in establishing and protecting the rights of policyholders. He serves as editor of Michigan Insurance Law and Practice, published by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), and as co-author of the chapter on Property Insurance Law. He also authored the Fire Insurance Chapter in ICLE’s Causes of Action Formbook.
In 2011, Fabian was named a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, a “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness magazine, and has been selected as a Michigan “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Magazine each year since 2006.
He earned a B.A. from the James Madison College of Michigan State University in 1975 and his law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1978.
Sklar has litigated hundreds of fire and explosion cases and has collected millions of dollars on behalf of his clients, including a $21 million dollar settlement for the children of a couple who were killed in a propane gas explosion. He serves as a principal member of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Technical Committee on Fire Investigations-the committee responsible for the development of NFPA 921: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. He has been active in the development of every edition of NFPA 921 since 2001.
Sklar is also a principal member of the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Investigation Qualifications responsible for NFPA 1033: Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator. In 2013, Sklar was named a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, and has been selected as a Michigan “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Magazine every year since 2006.
He earned a B.A. from Michigan State University in 1982 and his law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law in 1985.
—————
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Aaron V. Burrell has been selected as part of the inaugural class of the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA). He is among a select group of approximately 100 lawyers who were chosen to participate in the CBLA through a juried selection process.
Burrell is an associate in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses his practice in the areas of appellate, commercial & business litigation, creditor rights & bankruptcy, labor & employment, middle market business breakups & owner disputes, and minority business enterprises. As a member of the Labor & Employment practice group, he has advised clients regarding compliance with, and disputes involving, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and the Michigan Worker’s Disability Act.
Burrell is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Representative Assembly for the 3rd Judicial Circuit and is an Oakland County Bar Foundation Fellow. He is also a member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Straker Bar Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Burrell earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
—————
Bodman PLC
Bodman PLC attorney Brian C. Summerfield has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Grosse Pointe School Board.
Summerfield was appointed by unanimous vote of the current board members. He was one of 22 residents to apply for the position.
In addition to his board appointment, Summerfield will serve on the audit committee that works with the financial auditors to assess the district’s finances each year.
Summerfield is based in Bodman’s Detroit office. He concentrates his practice in commercial litigation, with a focus on the defense of lenders against claims of fraud and violations of the Truth in Lending Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Debt Collection Practice Act, Michigan Mortgage Brokers, Lenders, and Servicers Act and Michigan Consumer Protection Act.
Before joining Bodman, Summerfield served as a senior trial attorney with the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he represented service members in courts-martial, clinical privilege hearings, and administrative discharge boards. He received several awards and decorations while in the Navy, including the National Defense Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals and the Navy Achievement Medal.
—————
Butzel Long
Butzel Long attorney Joseph E. Richotte is the 2013 recipient of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel’s (MDTC) Ninth Annual Young Lawyers Section Golden Gavel Award. Richotte will be honored during the Awards Banquet at the MDTC Annual Meeting and Conference June 21 to 22, at Crystal Mountain Resort.
Based in Butzel Long’s Bloomfield Hills office, Richotte practices in the areas of white collar criminal defense, SEC civil enforcement actions, corporate investigations, news media defense, and professional discipline matters for lawyers and judges.
Before joining Butzel Long, Richotte interned for U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn, Eastern District of Michigan. He has also worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan in the National Security Unit and for the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Richotte is admitted to practice in Michigan, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Lex Mundi Business Crimes Group, the Lex Mundi Media, Sports, and Entertainment Group, and the Media Law Resource Center.
—————
Collins, Einhorn, Farrell
Collins Einhorn Farrell attorneys Michael J. Sullivan and David C. Anderson will be among the presenters at the International Association of Defense Counsel’s (IADC) Professional Liability Roundtable on May 16 at New York University Law School in New York City.
Sullivan is serving as the program chair and moderator for the event, which focuses on “Managing the Tripartite Relationship.” Anderson is among several other lawyers and industry professionals scheduled as featured speakers.
Anderson is participating in a panel discussion on “When the Tripartite Relationship is Challenged by Coverage Issues.” The “tripartite relationship” is the relationship between the insurer, the insured and insurer-appointed defense counsel. Although these relationships are generally symbiotic, they can be challenged by coverage issues as a case progresses through the litigation process. From reservation of rights to settlement or trial, Anderson’s panel will identify these challenges, suggest methods for overcoming them, and relate industry trends and relevant case law.
Sullivan has nearly 30 years of litigation experience. In the professional liability arena, the University of Detroit School of Law alum has defended attorneys, physicians, accountants, architects, engineers, real estate appraisers, real estate brokers and title agents in defense of significant claims involving personal injury, property damage and business loss.
Anderson also focuses his practice on the defense of professional liability claims. For nearly 15 years, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law alum has successfully defended lawyers, accountants and a variety of insurance and real estate professionals.
—————
Bowman and Brooke LLP
A $100,000 gift from Lawrence Mann will support Advocacy at Wayne, an expansion of Wayne State University Law School’s Student Trial Advocacy Program (STAP) founded in 1985.
Wayne Law has a tradition of graduating attorneys with real-world practice skills as well as a firm grounding in legal theory. Advocacy at Wayne will further improve that tradition, and make possible an advanced skills course focusing on voir dire, expert witness testimony and the use of technology in the courtroom. In addition, Mann’s gift will allow the law school to hire a distinguished trial court judge to direct and reshape the program.
Mann is a seasoned trial attorney who has earned “super lawyer” status every year since 2006. He is a managing partner with Bowman and Brooke LLP in its Detroit office, and practices in litigation areas including commercial and product liability defense. Mann has taken cases to verdict in state and federal courts of eight states. He was special counselor on products liability to former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, and a special master for a class action, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. In 2011, Michigan Lawyers Weekly named him a “Leader in the Law.” And until December 2008, he was a tenured associate professor at Wayne Law, where he taught courses in evidence, civil procedure, trial advocacy, torts and product liability.
“Enhancing the presentation opportunities for students will captivate and empower many of them,” he said. “In turn, they will be able to provide all citizens, including under-represented groups, top-notch legal services. WSU must hold fast to its urban mission. My experience as a student at Wayne excited and empowered me, and allowed me to create a professional pathway that has provided great fulfillment. Providing Michigan students with a first-class opportunity to maximize potential as presenters and persuaders is likely to energize and empower others.”
His gift also will allow intensive “boot camps” for STAP students facilitated by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and will enhance the internal and external competitions that help students hone their courtroom skills.
As a professor, Mann got to know many students and enjoyed teaching them, as well as learning from them, he said.
“Teaching at its best is a reciprocal process,” he said. “You get out of it as much as you put into it. I truly loved it.”
His gift is a way of giving back to his alma mater, he said.
“In this way, I pay the debt I owe to WSU and to the state of Michigan,” Mann said.
He is confident that his gift will give students “an appreciation of the very hard work and thoughtfulness that underpins a successful, winning presentation, in any context,” and that those students, like him, will someday chose to give back, too.
—————
1-800-Law-Firm PLLC
Chad C. Silver joins 1-800-LAW-FIRM PLLC of Southfield as managing partner of its National Tax Defense Group. Silver is a tax attorney whose practice focus is on tax resolution issues related to the IRS and all 50 states in the areas of wage garnishments, levies, liens, negotiation, offer in compromise, and back taxes.
Silver is a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
––––––––––––––––––––
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
