LEGAL PEOPLE

The Oakland County Bar Foundation announces that 32 attorneys have been named "Fellows" by the charitable Foundation. A member can only reach "Fellow" status by nomination from another member. Reaching "Fellow" status recognizes members' charitable giving to the Foundation and recognizes their commitment. The 32 attorneys of the class of 2014 are: John T. Alfonsi, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors LLC. Jennifer Frushour Bean, The Miller Law Firm PC. Charles D. Bullock, Stevenson & Bullock PLC. J. Matthew Catchick, Catchick Law PC. Michael R. Colasanti, Bodman PLC. Jason S. Conti, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, & Cohn LLP. Kathryn Cushman, Breitmeyer Cushman PLLC. Michael H. Fabian, Fabian, Sklar, & King PC. Elizabeth A. Favaro, Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC. Karen R. Geibel, Oakland County Circuit Court. Randi P. Glanz, Clark Hill PLC. Jeffrey Hauswirth, Yeo & Yeo. Kristopher K. Hulliberger, Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC. Colleen E. Johnson, The Law Firm of John F. Schaefer. Marcus M. Kasper, Attorney At Law. Channelle Kizy-White, Kizy Law. James Lampertius, Lampertius & Associates PLC. Michael S. Leib, Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, PC. Jason W. LeRoy, Doeren Mayhew. Megan McGown, Law Offices of Lee & Correll. G. Michael Meihn, Foley & Mansfield PLLP. Pamela J. Monville, Oakland County Circuit Court. Ryan C. Plecha, Lippitt O'Keefe PLLC. Don Price, Baker Tilly. Jake Reed, Stout, Risius, Ross Inc. Nelson O. Reed, Miller, Canfield, Paddock, & Stone PLC. Craig S. Schwartz, Butzel Long. Jana Berger Simmons, Foley & Mansfield PLLP. Mark M. Snitchler, Hubbard, Snitchler, & Parzianello PLC. Thomas P. Van Dusen, Bodman PLC. Howard I. Wallach, Foley & Mansfield PLLP. Randolph M. Wright, Berry Moorman PC. * * * As an advocate, counselor, and member of Sommers Schwartz's employment law and business litigation practice, Daniel Swanson is committed to achieving the most favorable, most just outcomes for his clients, as well as helping to improve the community in which we live. These accomplishments have earned recognition as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly "Leader in the Law" for 2014. While Swanson primarily represents employees, he also represents employers, which is a rarity in the practice today, and a testament to the zealous advocacy he provides regardless of where the parties sit in the courtroom. The matters he handles involve employment discrimination, breach of employment contracts, Family & Medical Leave Act violations, executive employment agreements, sexual harassment, whistleblower and retaliation claims, and wrongful termination. Swanson has also held elected positions with the State Bar of Michigan Labor & Employment Section and Labor & Employment Council, the Professionalism Advisory Committee at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice. Outside of the legal profession, Swanson has taken a quiet pledge to improve his community, and he was recently elected to serve as the chairman of the board of directors for Cass Community Social Services, a Detroit-area non-profit dedicated to making a profound difference in the lives of diverse populations by providing for affordable housing, promoting self-reliance, and encouraging community improvement. "This is a tremendous honor," says Swanson, " and to be recognized alongside such a distinguished group of lawyers is a highlight of my career." * * * Justin G. Klimko, president and managing shareholder of Butzel Long, participated in a panel presentation during a Breakfast Roundtable titled, "Mergers and Acquisitions: A Breakfast Series for Executives and Business Owners" on February 27 in Birmingham. The program was sponsored by Doeren Mayhew and Harvey Hohauser & Associates. During the event, professionals from the legal, investment banking, wealth management, executive search, accounting and private equity fields discussed the current M&A environment and equip attendees with information to help navigate the complexities of selling a business or achieving growth through acquisitions. Klimko, based in the firm's Detroit office, has experience in securities regulation, corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate matters, areas in which he has practiced since 1980. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for business law matters and is ranked as one of Michigan's leading M&A lawyers. He taught corporation law for five years as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, frequently lectures and authors articles on business law subjects and has served as general editor of a treatise on Michigan Business Forms and as a contributing author for a treatise on Michigan contract law. Klimko is a past chair of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He serves as chair of the Section's Corporate Laws Committee, which prepares amendments to Michigan corporate statutes for legislative approval to keep Michigan corporate law current with modern trends and developments. He also is a member of the Legal Opinions Committee, the Negotiated Acquisitions Committee and the Federal Regulation of Securities Committee of the American Bar Association. Klimko is included in the publication The Best Lawyers in America. He is rated one of Michigan's top Corporate/M&A attorneys by Chambers USA Guide of America's Leading Lawyers for Business and is listed in Michigan Super Lawyers (Mergers and Acquisitions). Klimko was the recipient of the 2009 Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award from the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and was named Best Lawyers' 2012 Lawyer of the Year in Detroit for Corporate Governance Law and 2014 Lawyer of the Year in Detroit for Corporate Law. * * * Barris, Sott, Denn, & Driker PLLC (BSDD) is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers has named Eugene Driker as Detroit Antitrust Litigation Lawyer of the Year for 2014. Driker is a founding member of BSDD and a life-long resident of the City of Detroit. He specializes in complex business and antitrust litigation and in corporate and business counseling. Driker was recently appointed as a special mediator in the City of Detroit bankruptcy by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Gerald E. Rosen, Eastern District of Michigan. He is also a member of the Board of Governors at Wayne State University. Driker received a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University, graduated first in his class from Wayne State University Law School, and received a Master of Laws degree from The George Washington University Law School. Barris Sott is also pleased to announce that Best Lawyers has named Sharon M. Woods as Detroit Professional Malpractice Defense Lawyer of the Year for 2014. Woods specializes in business litigation, including commercial and complex litigation, construction, securities, intellectual property litigation, employment litigation, class action litigation, professional malpractice defense, and alternative dispute resolution. She is a senior member of BSDD and is chairman of its litigation department. She is a fellow and former regent of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Woods graduated from the University of Detroit and from the University of Detroit School of Law. * * * Demorest Law Firm PLLC is pleased to announce that Lisa M. Okasinski has become an associate attorney with the firm. She is a candidate to sit for the February 2014 Michigan Bar exam, and was admitted to the California Bar in 2013. Prior to moving to Michigan, Okasinski received her B.A. in Justice Studies from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. She then received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio in May 2013. While attending law school, Okasinski worked as a certified legal intern for the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic's Community Development Center, where she gained experience providing transactional and corporate counsel legal services to small businesses and nonprofits. * * * Elizabeth (Liza) A. Favaro, a shareholder at Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC, published an article titled "Legal Cheat Sheet-The Top 3 Legal Problems Small Business Owners Face and Tips for Solving Them" in January's edition of "Focus on Small Business" magazine. As a business litigator, Favaro concentrates on employment, contract, and intellectual property disputes. She chronicles her experience in non-compete and trade secrets cases in her blog entitled "Non-Compete Counsel" (www.noncompetecounsel.blogspot.com). One of her blog posts was included in the "Employment Law Blog Carnival," a roundup of articles written by lawyers across the country. The link is http://mahalawgroup.com/elbc-charitable/. Favaro's article, "The Doctor Is In (or Out)? Physician Non-Compete Agreements" appears half way down the page. * * * Edward D. Gold, counsel at Butzel Long, is one of 30 attorneys named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's 2014"Leaders in the Law." Gold will be honored during a luncheon on March 20. Gold, practices matrimonial law full-time in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office. For more than 15 years, he served as the practice group leader for the firm's Family Law practice. He has handled complex matrimonial matters and has significant experience in the valuation of all types of business and personal assets. In 2013, Gold was named to the Leading Michigan Lawyers list in the areas of Family Law and Family Law ADR. He is a former chairperson of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, from which he received its Lifetime Achievement Award. Gold is a member of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, membership in which is limited to 100 of the country's top Family Law Trial lawyers. Gold previously served as a national vice president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and as president of the Michigan chapter. He is an elected member of the Matrimonial Network, a group of the 30 finest matrimonial lawyers in the country. He also has served as president of the Southfield Bar Association and the Oakland County Bar Association. He is listed in the current edition of the Best Lawyers in America and has been continuously listed for the past 20 years. He was named one of the 10 best divorce lawyers in metropolitan Detroit by Detroit Monthly magazine and is recognized as one of Michigan's Super Lawyers. Gold is a lifetime member of the Board of Directors of Jewish Family Service and served as its president. He has served on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and chaired its Attorney Division and also served on one of its Budget and Allocation committees. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Oakland County Legal Aid Society. Gold attended Wayne State University and Detroit College of Law. He has authored numerous articles on family law and is a contributing lecturer for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the State Bar Family Law Section Seminar Series, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the Michigan Trial Lawyers. He helped create the Family Forum, an annual program for Family Court Judges, Family Law attorneys and therapists. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he taught Family Law. * * * Attorneys Charles W. Browning and Scott K. Lites were recently elected to the Board of Directors of Plunkett Cooney. Long-time board members, Browning and Lites were re-elected to their trustee positions. Both will serve three-year terms. A co-chair of the firm's Insurance Coverage Practice Group, Browning is known nationally for his experience and expertise in the area of insurance coverage litigation. He has the distinction of serving as coverage counsel for several major property and casualty insurance companies and appears in courts throughout the country. Browning, who is a partner in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, is annually listed among The Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers as a top practitioner in his area of expertise. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan; numerous federal courts; the DRI - The Voice of the Defense Bar (Insurance Law Committee); International Association of Defense Counsel (Casualty Insurance Committee (Chair 2006 to 2008) and Reinsurance and Excess and Surplus Lines Committee); Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (Insurance Committee) and the American Bar Association (Litigation Section and Torts and Insurance Practice Section). A recently-elected Fellow of the American College of Coverage and Extra Contractual Counsel, Browning received his law degree from University of Detroit School of Law in 1981 and his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 1978. Chair of the Plunkett Cooney's Finance Committee, Scott K. Lites is a partner in the firm's Business Law Practice Group who focuses his practice in the areas of corporate law, banking and finance, real estate and healthcare law. He has experience representing clients in all aspects of commercial transactions, including negotiating and drafting complex real estate, franchise and financing agreements. Lites is a member of State Bar of Michigan and Texas Bar Association and the American Health Lawyers Association. He is also a certified player agent with the National Hockey League Players Association. He received his law degree from University of Detroit School of Law in 1985. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1982. * * * Wayne State University Law School Assistant Professor Kirsten Carlson has been awarded a $250,000 grant for the university from the National Science Foundation. Carlson will use the grant to conduct a two-year research project--"Legal Mobilization, Rights Claims, and Federal Indian Policy Reforms"--that aims to develop a better understanding of how, when and with what success American Indian nations use the political process to change the law. The professor served as a staff attorney for four years at the Indian Law Resource Center in Montana with a practice on advocacy to protect the rights of Indian nations. She joined Wayne Law in 2011. Carlson is excited about the project and the benefits it will bring to the university and to her law students, as well as to political and legal scholars and to Indian nations--the most impoverished group in the United States--seeking solutions to problems. "The grant allows me to hire several research assistants to work on the project," Carlson said. "I will also incorporate the research into several classes, which will train students about legislative advocacy. This is a great opportunity for students interested in advocacy to learn more about legal mobilization, advocacy strategies and the success and failure of advocacy strategies." The project begins officially May 1, but the professor already has developed a legislative database of all identifiable bills related to Indians that were introduced and/or enacted by Congress between 1975 and 2011--a dataset of 6,968 bills. "Few studies have analyzed the role of legislation in law reform in Indian country," Carlson wrote in her grant proposal. "Indian nations lose in the U.S. Supreme Court over 75 percent of the time. As a result, many lawyers and advocates in Indian country have encouraged Indian nations to pursue legislation rather than litigate problems plaguing Indian country. Yet most legislation introduced in Congress never gets enacted." Existing data about political advocacy by Indian nations in the United States is lacking, as most political scientists omit Native Americans from their studies or narrow their areas of study to tribes involved in gaming, Carlson wrote. "The proposed study will be the first to consider systematically the legislative strategies used by the 565 federally recognized Indian nations in the United States in their efforts to change federal Indian law and policy, and to measure their impact on law and policy change." Carlson said the general lack of knowledge on Indians and Congress prompted her to start the project. "I really wanted to know whether tribal legislative strategies were successful, especially since Indian nations are increasingly pursuing these. I think research and scholarship should inform advocacy strategies, and we just don't know enough in this area." The project, in its first stage, will involve sophisticated data analysis as well as the development of a new database of legislative hearings on each relevant policy proposal. The second stage of the project will involve case studies to provide context to the data. Carlson anticipates conducting 40 to 50 interviews. The findings will be available to Indian law scholars, attorneys, advocate groups and tribal leaders through publications, conferences, workshops and participation in law and policy forums. Carlson earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University, master's degree in Maaori studies from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, and a law degree and doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan. She teaches Civil Procedure and American Indian Law. * * * John Nevin, a seasoned communications advisor who has worked for government agencies in Lansing, Detroit, and Washington, D.C., has been named communications director of the Michigan Supreme Court, effective March 10, Chief Justice Robert P. Young Jr. announced recently. Nevin comes to the court after more than 12 years of service to the Great Lakes region of the International Joint Commission, a body created by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to advise the U.S. and Canada regarding transboundary water and air issues. For the past three years, Nevin served as the public affairs advisor to IJC. He previously served as the IJC chair's senior advisor, a position he was appointed to in 2002. Among other achievements, Nevin organized IJC advocacy that helped to lead the U.S. and Canada to renegotiate the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement for the first time in more than 20 years. He also served as the IJC's communications advisor, leading the public engagement strategy of a five-year project to improve regulation of Great Lakes water levels. From 1991-2002, Nevin served as chief speechwriter to Governor John Engler. From 1986-1990, Nevin was an associate consultant with L.P. Horist & Associates in Chicago, where he served as campaign press secretary to the sheriff of Cook County and provided communications and issue management consulting services to political candidates and organizations. Nevin earned an AB in economics from Harvard College, where he founded the Harvard International Review. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago School of Business. In 2010, Nevin received the Pinnacle Award from the Public Relations Society of America in recognition of his achievements. He is also a former Ingham County commissioner. * * * Rader, Fishman, & Grauer PLLC is pleased to announce that Paul M. Ratzmann has been named a partner at its Bloomfield Hills office. Ratzmann, a patent attorney,joined the firm in November, 2012 as a senior attorney. Ratzmann has continued to work with his client base in Wisconsin while building his practice from the Bloomfield Hills office. Ratzmann's practice focuses on patent prosecution with an emphasis on mechanical and electro-mechanical components. He has experience drafting and prosecuting patents for a wide range of mechanical and electrical devices. Prior to joining Rader, Fishman, & Grauer, Ratzmann was a patent attorney with an intellectual property firm in Milwaukee. In addition, his experience includes a product development engineer with General Electric and research engineer at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois where he worked closely with staff physicists and collaborating universities. Ratzmann has eleven patents issued as a named inventor and has authored several journal articles in various engineering and physics publications. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of Wisconsin, and State Bar of Missouri. Ratzmann earned his law degree from Marquette Law School and both his M.S.M.E., with an emphasis on thermodynamics, and B.S.M.E. from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Published: Mon, Mar 3, 2014