Legal People

Thomas J. Manganello, a partner with the law firm Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP, has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of its 2015 “Leaders in the Law.”

Manganello co-chairs the firm’s Automotive Industry Group and has more than 35 years of experience serving the contracting, recall and litigation legal needs of auto suppliers. He has won federal court cases in Michigan, Kentucky, Alabama and Arkansas.

Manganello serves as chair and steering committee member of MICHauto, an organization he founded to support and grow the automotive industry in Michigan. He is a member of both the Product Liability Advisory Council and the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and has written for legal, trade
and media publications in Michigan and across the country on legal topics affecting the automotive industry.

Manganello is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan and is active in numerous sections of those organizations. He is a member of the Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Defense Research Institute.

Manganello has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America, as a Michigan Super Lawyer and as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness.

Active in the community, Manganello is a governing member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Detroit Economic Club and a graduate of Leadership Detroit.

•            •           •

Attorney Elisabeth D. Brin has joined Kemp Klein Law Firm as an associate.

Her practice areas include elder law, probate and estate planning, with a focus on government benefits of the elderly and those with special needs. Brin is well versed in government benefit eligibility for all categories of persons and has a particular interest in same-sex benefits in Michigan.

Brin graduated from the University of Maryland in 2007 with a B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. She received her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2012.

•            •           •

Jennifer Lord has joined law firm Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, & Rivers as a partner. After 18 years, she returns to the firm where her career as an employee rights advocate began.

Lord specializes in race, sex, gender, disability and age discrimination, whistleblower protection, breach of contract, class actions and Family and Medical Leave Act claims.

She has litigated claims in federal and state courts, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and arbitration. Lord has also served as a legislative assistant to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she drafted legislation and worked with a wide range of interest groups.

She has been selected to Michigan Super Lawyers. Lord is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, Michigan Employment Lawyers Association, Michigan Association for Justice, State Bar of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Law.

•            •           •

Brooks Kushman, intellectual property and technology law firm, is now listed in Intellectual Asset Management’s (IAM) annual World Trademark Review 1000, a guide that recognizes the world’s top trademark law firms and practitioners in key jurisdictions. The 2015 IAM World Trademark Review 1000 issue marks the first time any firms from Michigan were included in the publication. Of the Michigan firms listed in the directory, Brooks Kushman is the only firm listed as a gold-standard trademark firm.

“It is a great honor to be listed as the only gold-standard firm in Michigan” said, Mark Cantor president of Brooks Kushman. “Our trademark attorneys are constantly working to better themselves, and to make sure each of our clients’ needs are met, and I am happy they are being honored for their accomplishments.”

In addition to the firm’s recognition, President Mark A. Cantor and Shareholders Marc Lorelli, Robyn Lederman, and Elizabeth Janda were also recognized as top trademark leaders in the state. Cantor is recognized for his more than 30 years with the firm, while Lorelli, Lederman, and Janda are praised for their energy and efficiency, as well as their high client satisfaction rates.

•            •           •

José Ceppi, Of Counsel in Miller Canfield’s Troy office, has been appointed vice-chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Sales Committee’s Agency and Distribution Subcommittee.

Ceppi’s specialties include international distribution, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate and commercial law, corporate governance, international transactions, joint ventures, franchising and U.S. legal compliance.

His practice is centered on international law generally, but he has especially focused on Latin American markets, on which he has nearly twenty years of substantial experience. He has engaged in significant matters in virtually every major Latin American market over this period.

He joined Miller Canfield following a 17-year career with Chrysler Group LLC, where, as assistant general counsel, he was responsible for legal matters of the company’s international operations, as well as providing strategic advice and counsel to senior management. Ceppi was instrumental in Chrysler’s expansion of its international distribution operations to more than 100 markets throughout the world. He represented the company, or its affiliates, in major commercial and corporate matters across the globe including joint venture agreements, acquisitions, divestitures, arbitrations, distribution agreements, licensing, government negotiations, regulatory matters, competition and legal compliance issues.

Ceppi graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1981 and has a B.A. (1978) from Towson University in Maryland.

In addition, Miller Canfield has been recognized on the winning team for the “Restructuring of the Year Award (over $5 billion)” by The M&A Advisor for its role as co-bankruptcy and bond counsel for the City of Detroit bankruptcy.

“It’s our privilege to have served as counsel to the City of Detroit – our home for more than 160 years,” said Miller Canfield CEO Michael McGee. “We’re grateful for this award recognizing some of the best collaborative legal work ever. Our team consisted of lawyers in municipal finance, bankruptcy, labor law, pensions, benefits and local government working together for a better, stronger city for all.”

The awards gala will take place at the 2015 M&A Advisor Distressed Investing Summit on February 23 in Palm Beach, Florida.

•            •           •

The Law offices of Burgess & Sharp proudly announces the changing of its name to Burgess, Sharp, & Golden. Rex Burgess, Heidi Sharp, and Joe Golden now make up the largest Employment Law firm in Macomb County and will represent clients throughout the state.

Golden who has been one of the most prominent Employment Law attorneys in the state of Michigan, brings his decades of expertise and success to this already prominent group.

Golden is a graduate of University of Detroit School of Law and has been named to Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.

Burgess is a graduate of Detroit College of Law and was also named as a Super Lawyer.

Sharp is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and has been tabbed as a Rising Star, Super Lawyer.

Other practice areas of Burgess, Sharp, & Golden  include Civil Rights, Business Law and Real Estate.

•            •           •

Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC, a defense litigation firm in Southfield Michigan, is pleased to announce that its colleague Neil W. MacCallum has been named a 2015 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

MacCallum, the co-managing shareholder of the firm, has worked in the legal industry for more than three decades. He focuses his practice on the defense of asbestos personal injury and property damage, other toxic tort matters, general personal injury and property damage claims.

In addition to managing the firm’s recent growth and success, MacCallum has also become a recognized leader in his area of practice. His skills have enabled him to assist his clients in navigating the legal system, while simultaneously working with the courts to help create one of the nation’s most efficient asbestos litigation dockets.

MacCallum is involved in a number of groups and associations, including serving as an appointed member in the Wayne County Circuit Court Steering Committee for Asbestos Litigation. MacCallum also serves as coordinating counsel in asbestos litigation throughout the state.

•            •           •

Dykema recently announced the addition of Donna A. O’Connor to its Health Care Practice Group as senior counsel in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. She joins Dykema after spending more than seven years working in-house for Detroit Medical Center, which was acquired by Vanguard Health Systems in 2011 and Tenet Healthcare Corporation in 2013.

In her previous roles with Tenet and Vanguard, O’Connor served as vice president and regional compliance officer, where she led the compliance program operations and initiatives across the eight-hospital Detroit Medical Center region. She supervised compliance professionals and staff responsible for hotline operations, investigations, auditing, monitoring and reporting.

Before the Tenet and Vanguard acquisitions, O’Connor was senior vice president legal affairs, assistant general counsel and assistant secretary of the Detroit Medical Center.

In this role, she led a team of attorneys and staff providing operational, transactional and regulatory legal services for the organization. Her team focused on physician compensation and transactions, regulatory matters, Medicare and Medicaid regulation, merger and acquisition due diligence and post-acquisition integration, real estate, information privacy and security and patient care issues. O’Connor also served as senior counsel for Henry Ford Health System.

O’Connor received a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

•            •           •

Pepper Hamilton LLP announced that Brett M. Gelbord has joined the firm as an associate in the Detroit office. Gelbord concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and international trade. Gelbord joined the firm in September of 2014. Prior to joining Pepper, Gelbord was a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds. He also served two years as Of Counsel for the New York City Human Resources Administration in New York, NY. He is admitted to practice in Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, and before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Gelbord is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School where he helped to found the Michigan Immigration and Labor Law Association and worked as a student attorney with the Michigan Law School Child Advocacy Law Clinic. He is a 2003 graduate of Queens College, City University of New York where he double majored in English and anthropology.

•            •           •
Detroit-based business law firm Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that it has admitted Celeste E. Arduino, Charles M. Russman, Greg M. Ryan, and Andrew J. Schuster as local members of the firm.

All previously were associate attorneys with Bodman.

Arduino, of Bodman’s Detroit office, assists nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations in obtaining and maintaining exempt status. She also advises individual clients on estate, gift, and income tax matters, and businesses on corporate governance, business planning, and general operational issues. 

Arduino is a graduate of Bowling Green State University and Wayne State University Law School.

Russman, of Bodman’s Troy office, advises employers on employee benefit, executive compensation, and privacy matters. Among other services, he drafts plan documents, assists clients with regulatory compliance, negotiates agreements for products and professional services related to benefits administration, and advises businesses on the privacy and security of client information. 

Russman is a graduate of Michigan State University, Wayne State University Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Ryan, of Bodman’s Detroit office, represents financial institutions in a variety of commercial bankruptcy matters and debtor-creditor disputes. Before joining Bodman, he was a vice president in the Special Assets Group at Comerica Bank. 

Ryan is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Schuster, of Bodman’s Troy office, represents clients in a variety of business and technology matters and other commercial transactions. He primarily assists clients in the review, drafting, and negotiation of complex vendor agreements and other commercial contracts. His clients include banks, professional sports teams, automotive suppliers, and technology-based businesses. 

Schuster is a graduate of the Madonna University and Wayne State University Law School. 

•            •           •

The Dobrusin Law Firm PC announced the appointment of Paul J. Palinski as associate.

Palinski’s practice includes preparing and prosecuting patent applications in the mechanical, electromechanical, and the biomedical arts.

He represents a broad list of clients ranging from multi-national companies to individual inventors.

Palinski completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Operations, respectively, at Kettering University and received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.

Prior to joining The Dobrusin Law Firm, Palinsky was employed with another Detroit-area law firm specializing in intellectual property and has worked in various legal capacities in New York City, Washington, D.C., and throughout Michigan.

Before practicing law, Palinski was an engineer in the automotive industry, where he was responsible for the design, engineering, manufacturing, and quality of various automotive interior and exterior plastic components. Palinski is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is licensed to practice law in Michigan and Illinois.

In addition, The Dobrusin Law Firm announced the appointment of Farrah N. Arif as associate. In her role, Arif is currently preparing and prosecuting patent applications for a variety of technologies.

Arif graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Master of Science in Basic Medical Sciences. She received a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Prior to joining The Dobrusin Law Firm, Arif worked in e-discovery in patent infringement and other complex litigation cases.

Arif gained admission to the State Bar of Michigan in November 2007, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Arif is a member of the Women Lawyer’s Association of Michigan and the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association.

•            •           •
Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett PC is pleased to announce the addition and promotion of the following attorneys:

William T. Myers has been named Of Counsel to the firm.  Myers’ practice focuses on real estate law with an emphasis on residential and commercial developments.

Myers has been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America, the Super Lawyers of Michigan and dBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers in Michigan. 

Myers received his law degree from Harvard Law School and an A.B from the University of Michigan.

C. Kim Shierk has been named a Shareholder of the firm. Shierk’s practice focuses on residential and commercial real estate development with an emphasis on condominium law as well as other forms of community property development and on telecommunications law. 

She is a member and former chairperson of the Real Property Law Section Council of the State Bar of Michigan. Shierk has been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America, the Super Lawyers Top 100 Michigan Lawyers, DBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers in Michigan, Fortune® Magazine’s Michigan Women Leaders in the Law, and Hour Detroit’s Top Women Attorneys in Michigan. 

Shierk received a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a B.A. from Michigan State University.

Robert A. Labelle has been named a Senior Attorney of the firm. LaBelle’s practice focuses on real estate, municipal and environmental law, with a substantial emphasis on the acquisition, sale, development, leasing and subleasing of commercial real estate, surplus asset disposition and management, the permitting, licensing and zoning of commercial properties, and environmental regulation and investigation.

LaBelle received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and an A.B. in Economics, with honors, from the University of Chicago.

Donna M. Medina has been named a Senior Attorney of the firm.  Medina’s practice focuses on litigation, including personal injury, products liability, medical malpractice and general tort claims, family law, probate and estate administration and civil and criminal appeals.

Medina received her law degree and a B.S.B.A.from Wayne State University