LEGAL PEOPLE

The Michigan Supreme Court has announced the following appointments of local residents to the Attorney Grievance Commission: * Barbara B. Smith, attorney and principal in the law offices of Barbara B. Smith PLLC and Smith Mediation Center, is reappointed for a term ending October 1, 2016. Smith is also appointed chairperson for a term ending Oct. 1, 2014. * Charles S. Kennedy III, attorney and member in the law firm of Fildew Hinks PLLC is appointed vice-chairperson for term ending Oct.1, 2014. * Reverend Douglas Ward Gallager, senior minister emeritus of the Birmingham Unitarian Church in Bloomfield Hills, is reappointed for term ending Oct. 1, 2016. * * * Attorney Benjamin J. Aloia has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve on the Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions. Aloia will serve the remainder of the term of former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Patricia J. Boyle, who resigned from the committee. His term will end on Dec. 31, 2015. Aloia is founder and president of the Mount Clemens based law firm of Aloia & Associates PC. Previously, Aloia worked as an associate attorney with Beeding Legal Group and Joseph P. Ciaramitaro PC. He also served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. * * * Attorney Danielle M. Brown has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve as a commissioner-at-large on the State Bar of Michigan's Board of Commissioners. Brown was recently reappointed to the Michigan Compensation Appellate Commission. She has been a member of the commission since 2011. Previously, Brown was an administrative law judge in the Michigan Administrative Hearing System. She also served as assistant deputy legal counsel to Governor Jennifer Granholm. * * * Laura J. Davis has joined Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP as an attorney in its Corporate Department. She will be located in the firm's Detroit office. Davis will assist in private equity transactions and other corporate matters. She has experience in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, financings and entity formation. Davis has represented clients in a variety of industries, including the technology, healthcare, energy and transportation sectors. She served as a judicial clerk to United States District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland, Eastern District of Michigan. Davis was also a law clerk for the International Finance Corporation in Istanbul, Turkey and for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. She earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. Davis is admitted to practice in Michigan and the District of Columbia. She joins Honigman from Baker Botts LLP in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Honigman is pleased to announce that 129 of its attorneys were named in the 2013 Michigan Super Lawyers, including 87 as "Super Lawyers" and 42 as "Rising Stars." The firm also was noted as the top large law firm in the Business & Transactions and the Construction, Real Estate & Environmental categories. Honigman has the most attorneys of all Michigan law firms named in the "Top 10," "Top 100" and "Top 50 Women" categories. They are: Top 10 - Norman C. Ankers and Joseph Aviv. Top 100 - Norman C. Ankers, Joseph Aviv, Judy B. Calton, David Foltyn, Lawrence D. McLaughlin, Linda S. Ross, William D. Sargent, and Phillip D. Torrence. Top 50 Women - Judy B. Calton, Denise J. Lewis, Linda S. Ross, and Linda A. Wasserman. * * * Attorney Patricia Nemeth, founding partner of Detroit-based employment law firm Nemeth Burwell PC, has been named a Michigan Super Lawyer for 2013 in the eighth annual survey. Additionally, Nemeth was named to the Top 25 Women Business Michigan Super Lawyers and the Michigan Top 50 Women. Nemeth Burwell partner Anne Widlak was also named a Michigan Super Lawyer and attorneys Erin Behler and Cliff Hammond were named Michigan Rising Stars. Nemeth was recognized in Employment Litigation: Defense and Labor and Employment, 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 holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and her law degrees from Wayne State University Law School. She is an ABA Foundation Fellow and a member of the Michigan, Illinois, Federal and the United States Supreme Court Bar. Widlak was named a Michigan Super Lawyer in Employment & Labor. She has successfully defended cases in state and federal courts involving a comprehensive array of claims, including workplace harassment, discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, national origin and other protected categories, retaliation, violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, wrongful discharge and intentional interference with an at-will employment relationship. Widlak serves as a panel chairperson for the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board. She is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), a trial lawyer honorary society comprised of less than one-half of one percent of lawyers in the United States. Widlak earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English from Georgetown University. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Behler, a Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star, joined Nemeth Burwell in 2009 as an attorney after starting with the firm as a law clerk in 2007. She focuses her practice on management labor and employment law and represents clients in litigation before State and Federal Courts and Administrative Agencies. Behler is a frequent author on articles regarding workplace employment trends. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University. Hammond, who also received the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star designation in 2011, joined Nemeth Burwell in 2007 and exclusively represents employers in labor and employment law. Prior to joining the firm, he served as labor counsel for the largest union local in Michigan (SEIU, Local 79), where he negotiated union contracts and arbitrated more than 300 labor disputes, traversing 28 counties throughout Michigan in the process. His expertise includes Michigan's Right to Work law, customized union training for employers, issues involving decertification, de-authorization, unit clarification, union organizing, union avoidance, and enforcing the union contract. Hammond has successfully defended clients before the NLRB, MERC, state and federal courts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware and earned his law degree from Widener University School of Law, also in Delaware. Prior to beginning his law career, Hammond served as a history and social studies teacher and coached football and track and field in Detroit. * * * Miller Canfield recently announced that several of its lawyers have been recognized in Super Lawyers in 2013. Special recognition went to Thomas W. Cranmer, whom the publication ranked as the top lawyer in Michigan. Cranmer is the co-leader of Miller Canfield's Litigation Practice Group. His practice focuses largely on white-collar criminal defense, complex commercial litigation and "bet-the-company" litigation. Three other lawyers were ranked within the top 100 in Michigan: Matthew F. Leitman (Criminal Defense - White Collar, Troy office), Megan P. Norris (Employment and Labor, Detroit office), and Jerome R. Watson (Employment Litigation Defense, Detroit office). Norris was also one of three Miller Canfield lawyers listed among the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Michigan, along with Pamela C. Enslen (Employment Litigation Defense, Kalamazoo office) and Amy M. Johnston (Personal Injury Defense: Products, Detroit office) Local Miller Canfield lawyers named in Super Lawyers Michigan 2013 (* denotes new to the list) include: Detroit office * Marjory G. Basile, Intellectual Property Litigation. * William B. Beach, Government/Cities/Municipalities. * Orin D. Brustad, Employee Benefits/ERISA. * Harold W. Bulger Jr., Bonds/Government Finance. * Beverly Hall Burns, Employment and Labor. * Michael P. Coakley, Securities Litigation. * Donna J. Donati, Employment and Labor. * Lawrence M. Dudek, Real Estate. * W. Mack Faison, Business Litigation. * Adam S. Forman, Employment and Labor. * Joseph F. Galvin, Litigation. * Leonard D. Givens, Employment and Labor. * Jonathan S. Green, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights. * Saul A. Green,* Criminal Defense . * Michael W. Hartmann, Litigation. * Irene Bruce Hathaway, Litigation. * Todd A. Holleman,* Business Litigation . * Amy M. Johnston, Personal Injury Defense: Products (Top 50 Women Michigan Super Lawyers). * Stephen S. LaPlante, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights. * Thomas W. Linn, Government/Cities/Municipalities. * Michael P. McGee, Bonds/Government Finance. * Jeffrey M. McHugh, Tax. * Christopher A. McMican, Employee Benefits/ERISA. * Megan P. Norris, Employment and Labor (Top 50 Women Michigan Super Lawyers and Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers). * A. Michael Palizzi, Business Litigation. * Thomas G. Parachini, Business Litigation. * Joel L. Piell, Government/Cities/Municipalities. * Clarence L. Pozza Jr., Business Litigation. * Steven A. Roach, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights. * Jerry T. Rupley, Bonds/Government Finance. * Larry J. Saylor, Business Litigation. * Richard J. Seryak, Employment Litigation Defense. * Michael H. Traison, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights. * Amanda Van Dusen, Bonds/Government Finance. * Richard A. Walawender, Mergers and Acquisitions. * Peter W. Waldmeir, Litigation. * Jerome R. Watson, Employment Litigation Defense (Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers). * John H. Willems, Employment and Labor. Troy office * James L. Allen, Real Estate * Thomas G. Appleman, Securities and Corporate Finance. * Brad B. Arbuckle, Securities and Corporate Finance. * Thomas W. Cranmer, White-Collar Criminal Defense (#1 Ranked Michigan Super Lawyer). * Gerald J. Gleeson II, Litigation. * Gary R. Glenn, Tax. * Kal G. Goren, Employee Benefits/ERISA. * Robert J. Haddad, Civil Litigation Defense. * Ronald E. Hodess, Real Estate. * David D. Joswick, Securities and Corporate Finance. * Kenneth E. Konop, Estate Planning and Probate. * Matthew F. Leitman, White-Collar Criminal Defense (Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers). * Stephen J. Ott, Personal Injury Defense: Products. * Ronald H. Riback, Banking. * Dawn M. Schluter, Estate Planning and Probate. * James A. Simpson, Banking. Local Miller Canfield lawyers named "Rising Stars" in Super Lawyers Michigan 2013 include: Detroit office * Lavon M. Ammori,* Employment Litigation: Defense. * Laura M. Bassett,* Bonds/Government Finance. * Colin M. Battersby,* Business Litigation. * Kimberly A. Berger,* Intellectual Property Litigation. * Emma T. Chen,* Business Litigation. * Steven M. Frank, Bonds/Government Finance. * Mary Kate Griffith,* Information Technology/Outsourcing. * Noah Page Hood,* Business Litigation. * Shawn N. Hopper,* Banking. * Lara L. Kapalla,* General Litigation. * Robert E. Murkowski,* Business Litigation. * Adam B. Norlander, Banking. * Nelson O. Ropke, Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor. * Jennifer L. Sabourin, Employment Litigation Defense. * Saura James Sahu, Employment and Labor. * Brian M. Schwartz, Employment Litigation Defense. * M. Misbah Shahid,* Employment and Labor. * Michael C. Simoni,* Business Litigation. * Joni M. Thrower-Grundy,* Securities and Corporate Finance. * Christopher M. Trebilcock, Employment and Labor. * Joseph G. Vernon, Business Litigation. * Richard W. Warren Jr., Employment and Labor. Troy office * Matthew P. Allen,* Business Litigation. * Eric C. Bartley, Banking. * Alexander J. Clark,* Real Estate. * Brian H. Holt, Real Estate. * Abdu H. Murray, Business Litigation. * Kenneth J. Sachs, Employee Benefits/ERISA. * * * Ten attorneys from Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett, PC in Birmingham, have been selected for inclusion in Thomson Reuters' list of "Michigan SuperLawyers 2013," The attorneys include: Robert S. Bick, a partner whose law practice focuses on corporate law, mergers & acquisitions law, corporate governance and business planning; Sidney L. Frank, Of Counsel whose law practice focuses on business litigation, corporate law, construction and surety law; Robert B. Labe, a partner whose law practice focuses on business law, estate planning, estate and trust administration, tax law and tax planning; and Richard D. Rattner, a partner whose law practice focuses on real estate, land use, zoning and corporate law. * * * The People's Law School, a seven-week program to help the community learn about the legal system, is getting support from Wayne State University Law School, including a professor and three alumni. Distinguished Professor of Law Robert Sedler, one of the world's foremost authorities on constitutional law, led a Sept. 17 session on "Hot Issues in Constitutional Law," for the venture, which is sponsored by the Michigan Association for Justice, Wayne Law and the law firm of Sinas Dramis. Issues tackled by Sedler included gay rights and the national Voting Rights Act. The two-hour sessions are at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center. They began Sept. 10 and continue through Oct. 22. Wayne Law alumnus Stephen Sinas (class of 2007) led a Sept. 10 session on the Affordable Care Act, and alumnus George Sinas (class of 1975) will take on Michigan's auto no-fault laws Sept. 24. Alumnus Bryan Waldman (class of 1992) will speak about bicycle and pedestrian law Oct. 1. All three attorneys are with Sinas Dramis. Other sessions in the series will include estate planning Oct. 8, criminal law Oct. 15 and civil disobedience Oct. 22. Visit www.peopleslawschool.org to learn more. * * * Marla Zwas recently joined Flagstar Bank as senior vice president and deputy general counsel. In her new position, she is responsible for legal oversight of corporate governance, securities, regulatory matters, and human resources. She has 20 years of legal experience, with corporate experience spanning several sectors, including automotive, homebuilding and high technology. Prior to joining Flagstar, she was in the office of general counsel at Chrysler Group LLC in Auburn Hills. * * * Super Lawyers magazine has recognized 14 attorneys at Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC as some of the finest up-and-coming attorneys in Michigan. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement. The following attorneys were recognized as 2013 Michigan Rising Stars: * David Z. Adler - Business Litigation. * Jeremy D. Bisdorf - Intellectual Property. * Alexander E. Blum - Business Litigation. * John P. Decker - Business/Corporate. * Demrie L. Graham - Real Estate. * Ethan Holtz - Business Litigation. * Lee B. Kellert - Mergers & Acquisitions * A'Jene Maxwell - Real Estate. * Derek D. McLeod - Business Litigation. * Jonathan C. Myers - Bankruptcy. * Eric D. Novetsky - Bankruptcy. * James W. Rose - General Litigation. * Salvatore J. Vitale - General Litigation. * Sarah S. Weston - Securities & Corporate Finance. * * * Harness Dickey is pleased to announce 13 of its attorneys have been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2014. The lawyers selected are: * Lisabeth H. Coakley - Trademark Law, Copyright Law and Litigation-Intellectual Property. * Matthew L. Cutler - Patent Law and Litigation-Intellectual Property . * Monte L. Falcoff - Trademark Law. * Glenn E. Forbis - Litigation-Intellectual Property and Trademark Law. * J. Timothy Keane - Patent Law. * Paul A. Keller - Patent Law. * Robert J. Lenihan - Litigation-Intellectual Property. * George D. Moustakas - Litigation-Intellectual Property. * G. Gregory Schivley - Patent Law. * Gregory A. Stobbs - Patent Law and Litigation-Intellectual Property. * Rudolph A. Telscher - Litigation-Intellectual Property. * Joseph E. Walsh Jr. - Trademark Law. * Bryan K. Wheelock - Patent Law and Trademark Law. * * * Southfield-based Collins Einhorn Farrell announced attorney Joshua I. Arnkoff has joined the firm. Arnkoff will concentrate his practice on the defense of professional liability claims and the defense of general liability matters. Arnkoff comes to the firm from the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, where, in the course of his 10-year career there, he tried dozens of jury and bench trials. Additionally, he taught classes at the Oakland County Police Academy (Admissions & Confessions, Evidence) and taught legal updates to the local police agencies. Given his background, Arnkoff also will practice in the area of white collar criminal defense. Arnkoff graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 2001. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Wayne State University. Arnkoff is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association. He also is a Fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation. * * * Reiter & Walsh PC announces that the Seventeenth Annual Respected Advocate award was presented to Jesse M. Reiter at the State Bar Annual Meeting held on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Reiter was honored to be chosen by the Michigan Defense Trial Council this year. Reiter has handled birth trauma cases for more than 25 years. His firm, Reiter & Walsh PC is listed in US News & World Report/Best Lawyers: Best Law Firms, 2013. Reiter was selected as a Michigan Lawyer's Weekly Lawyer of the Year (2006) and a Michigan Lawyer's Weekly Leader in the Law (2012). He is a past-president of the Michigan Association for Justice, and is currently chair of the American Association for Justice's Professional Negligence Committee. Reiter is immediate past co-chair of the American Association for Justice's Birth Trauma Litigation Group. He is a frequent organizer, speaker and moderator at medical malpractice and birth trauma seminars both nationally and internationally. * * * Farmington Hills-based Fabian, Sklar, & King PC recently announced that founding shareholder Michael H. Fabian has been recognized by his peers as the Detroit Insurance Law "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers, which has been celebrating the best attorneys throughout America for more than three decades. Fabian, Sklar, & King Shareholder Stuart A. Sklar made the announcement. 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 his 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. Published: Mon, Sep 30, 2013