Dykema
Dykema recently announced that Thomas M. Schehr was elected president of the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He will hold his new position for the 2014-15 year.
“I am very excited to take on this new role with the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter and continue to propel our vision forward,” said Schehr.
Based in the firm’s Detroit office, Schehr is the leader of Dykema’s Financial Services Litigation Practice Group. He maintains an active federal court practice, and has successfully tried several business and commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts and in arbitration.
Schehr received a B.A. from Michigan State University and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
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Kemp Klein Law Firm
Attorney Christopher R. Martella has joined Kemp Klein Law Firm as an associate.
Martella is an associate practicing in the areas of real estate acquisition/disposition, development and financing transactions. Along with a background in real estate, he focuses on structured finance and general corporate matters related to business start-up and turn around.
Prior to joining Kemp Klein, Martella worked at a boutique firm that advised mid-market qualified professional asset managers on the acquisition of commercial real estate and alternative investment vehicles.
Martella has experience working with the United States General Services Administration and its real estate service providers. Prior to his boutique practice, he worked in the State of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for the local office of a multinational law firm from 2006 to 2009. While in the Middle East, his practice focused on real estate acquisition and development, cross border mergers and acquisitions and Islamic and traditional finance. In addition, he is a leading advisor to many small and medium sized businesses on legal issues related to pre and post electronic data breach mitigation strategies, data security, and National Institute of Standards and Technology and ISO/IEC 27000 data
security and management compliance.
Martella graduated from James Madison College, Michigan State University with a B.A. in International Relations in 2001 and received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2006.
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Varnum LLP
Varnum LLP has once again been ranked in several practice areas in Chambers USA, a national directory that ranks leading law firms and lawyers. Varnum achieved rankings in four of the six practice areas for which Chambers ranks Michigan firms: Banking and Finance, Labor and Employment, Litigation — General Commercial, and Real Estate.
Chambers also acknowledged several Varnum attorneys as notable local practitioners including David McLeod (Banking) and Richard Hooker (Labor and Employment).
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The Health Law Partners, PC
Adrienne Dresevic, founding shareholder of The Health Law Partners, recently hosted an American Bar Association’s (ABA) webinar on the federal Anti-kickback Statute (AKS). Founding Shareholder Rob Iwrey made the announcement.
Sponsored by the American Bar Association, health care attorneys throughout the United States participated in the informative webinar, which provided an in-depth overview of this complex criminal statute. Along with an expert panel, Dresevic outlined the process to analyze arrangements under AKS, discussed Exceptions and Safe Harbors, highlighted the impact of the Affordable Care Act and analyzed the differences between AKS and other fraud and abuse laws.
Dresevic, a founding shareholder of The Health Law Partners, is an avid writer and speaker. She has published more than 60 articles on health care law and presents at national conferences throughout the year. Dresevic’s practice encompasses the full spectrum of health care law with a substantial portion of her practice dedicated to Stark & Anti-Kickback, Fraud and Abuse.
She received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
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Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA)
The Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA) recently held its 80th Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony at Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield.
During the awards ceremony, the OCBA recognized those attorneys celebrating their 40-year milestone in the legal profession. Oakland County Circuit Court Judges Joan E. Young and Rudy Nichols were honored as part of the recognition of members marking their 40th years as practicing attorneys.
Nichols, dean of the Oakland County Circuit Court bench, began his legal career as a general and municipal practice lawyer and also served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate before joining the Circuit Court in 1991. Nichols currently serves as the chief circuit judge pro tem.
Nichols is the recipient of the Outstanding Legislator of the Year award by the Michigan Judges Association and was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Police Officers Association of Michigan. He has authored and co-authored articles published in professional journals, including “Overview of Michigan Rules of Evidence” and Michigan’s “Domestic Violence Law” appearing in the State Bar Journal and in Laches.
Young began her career with the Oakland County Circuit Court as a deputy court administrator, later becoming the court administrator. She was elected in 1988 as a Probate Court judge and in 1997 was appointed as a Circuit Court judge. She currently serves in the Family Division and oversees the men’s section of the Adult Treatment Court.
Young is the recipient of many awards, including the OCBA Distinguished Service Award, the Women’s Survival Center Wonder Woman Award and the John N. O’Brien Leadership Award, to name a few. Judge Young has been a frequent lecturer on court reform, juvenile justice reform, financial issues affecting juveniles and adoption reform.
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Howard & Howard
Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Daniel L. Villaire Jr. has joined the firm. He will practice out of the firm’s Royal Oak Office.
Villaire concentrates his practice in employment law and litigation. He represents public and private employers in individual and class/collective employment actions, including cases involving the FMLA, the ADA, the ADEA, Title VII, the
FLSA, the EEOC, employment agreements and collective bargaining agreements. He also drafts and assists employers enforcing severance agreements, covenants not to compete and confidentiality/trade secret agreements.
FLSA, the EEOC, employment agreements and collective bargaining agreements. He also drafts and assists employers enforcing severance agreements, covenants not to compete and confidentiality/trade secret agreements.
Villaire has represented employers in federal and state courts, labor arbitrations, and administrative agencies throughout the country. He has taken multiple cases to trial and appeared before the United States Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit on multiple occasions.
Villaire routinely consults with employers to help them avoid litigation. He works with employers to develop effective strategies for responding to harassment and discriminations complaints, requests for disability accommodations and FMLA leaves, overtime claims, and issues that arise under collective bargaining agreements. His commercial litigation experience includes handling business torts, a variety of contract disputes and negligence matters.
Villaire received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1999 and his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1996. He is a member of Oakland County and American Bar Associations. Villaire is admitted to practice before all Michigan courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Michigan and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. He has also been admitted pro hac vice in Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, Mississippi and Kentucky.
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Secrest Wardle
Secrest Wardle has been selected to appear on the list published in Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s annual supplemental magazine, Michigan’s Largest Law Firms for 2014. Secrest Wardle tied for designation as the 19th largest firm out of 79 firms identified in the publication’s annual survey. To be eligible, firms must have at least 15 lawyers. The ranking criteria took into account the number of Michigan-licensed lawyers working within the state as of January 1, 2014.
