Legal People

Miller Canfield
 The law firm of Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that the following local attorneys have been elected principals of the firm:

Detroit office
Michael C. Simoni, from senior attorney to principal. Simoni is a commercial litigator whose diverse practice includes large-scale business, class-action, and antitrust matters, and focuses in brand protection, trademark, copyright and patent litigation.

Simoni received his law degree (2006) from Wayne State University Law School and his B.A. (2003) from the University of Michigan. 

Colin M. Battersby, from associate to principal. Battersby focuses his practice on commercial litigation involving breach of contract, tort, product liability, legal and accounting malpractice and securities arbitration and litigation.

Battersby received his law degree (2007) from Wayne State University Law School and his Bachelor of Economics (2004) from the University of Michigan.

Troy office
Alexander J. Clark, from senior attorney to principal. Clark concentrates his practice in corporate real estate law specializing in commercial leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, construction, and development. 

Clark received his law degree (2006) from Case Western Reserve University and his B.S. (2003) from the University of Notre Dame.

—————

Young & Associates
Farmington Hills-based Young & Associates, a boutique law firm specializing in complex business litigation, has been named to 2015 “Best Law Firms” list by the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. Young & Associates founder Rodger Young made the announcement.

“The entire staff of Young & Associates is proud to be included in this year’s Best Law Firms list,” Young said. “We are a lean yet powerful firm focused on providing the highest quality legal expertise and trial success to our clients, and are honored to see our efforts ranked among the finest law firms in the country.”

The 2015 rankings are particularly significant because more law firms across the country participated and more client ballots were counted than ever before. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top four percent of practicing attorneys in the US. Over 17,000 attorneys provided almost 600,000 law firm assessments, and almost 7,500 clients provided more than 40,000 evaluations.

This is not the only recent major accolade for Young & Associates. All six of the firm’s attorneys – Rodger D. Young, J. David Garcia, Jason D. Killips, Sara K.
MacWilliams, Terry Milne Osgood, and Jaye Quadrozzi – were named 2014 Super Lawyers.  Young & Associates Founder Rodger D. Young achieved the Super Lawyer designation for the eighth consecutive year.

—————

Potestivo & Associates P.C.
Potestivo & Associates PC is pleased to announce the hiring of associate attorney Josie Lewis. Based at the firm’s Rochester Hills Office, she will serve as an associate attorney supporting the firm’s Litigation Department.

Lewis attended Western Michigan University where she completed her B.A. in Political Science in 2002. She earned her law degree at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2006.

Lewis has been representing mortgage lenders and servicers for almost ten years, and has a background in collections. She formally worked as a post-judgment collection supervisor. She has received extra training in the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act and the Service members Civil Relief Act requirements, and has notably managed to recover several properties for clients that were lost due to tax foreclosures.

Lewis also presented a course about foreclosure law to the code enforcement officers in the City of Detroit, as well as a seminar to assist individuals with saving their
homes through loan modifications. She often trains new attorneys in how to get started in this profession, and has taught substantive courses about condominium and tax law. In the past she has assisted low income and elderly individuals with their legal issues.

Lewis is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan. In addition, she is a member of the Real Estate section of the State Bar of Michigan.

—————

Plunkett Cooney
Municipal law attorney Audrey J. Forbush was recently named the new Governmental Law Practice Group Leader of Plunkett Cooney.

Forbush focuses her practice primarily in the area of municipal liability with particular expertise in police liability matters, including pursuits, excessive force, civil rights violations, whistleblower claims and labor and employment matters. In addition to her municipal practice, Forbush has experience in the area of professional liability where she routinely defends physicians and hospitals in malpractice claims.

Forbush is a member of the public corporation section of the State Bar of Michigan and Genesee County Bar Association. She also has the distinction of serving as legal advisor to the Law Enforcement Action Forum (LEAF), an organization consisting of select law enforcement executives throughout the state of Michigan.

Forbush received her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1988. She received her undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University in 1984.

—————

Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
Jennifer Oertel, partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC’s Tax Exempt Practice Group, has been honored as a 2015 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.  Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement.

Oertel was recognized as one of 30 attorneys who have changed the law, expanded access to justice and improved the legal profession and the communities that they serve.

Oertel is the coordinator of the Firm’s Tax Exempt Practice Group, co-chair of the Nonprofit Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and founding vice chair of the Social Enterprise Alliance Detroit Chapter. She earned the distinction of Community Legal Resources (now Michigan Community Resources) Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, in which she committed to a year of several hundred hours of pro bono service acting as outside general counsel. In 2012, Oertel was one of only two Super Lawyers in Michigan with a focus on nonprofit law.

Oertel earned her bachelor’s degree from the Michigan State University Honors College and is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. She also earned a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University.

—————

Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C.
Hall, Render, Killian, Heath, & Lyman is pleased to announce associate attorney Lisa Lucido has joined the firm’s Detroit office.

Lucido practices in the area of health law with a focus on supply chain structure and operations, compliance counsel and corporate transactions. She completed her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University in 2010 and received her law degree from the Wayne State University Law School in 2013.

Lucido was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2013 and is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, Oakland County Bar Association, and the State Bar of Michigan’s Health Law, Business Law, and Administrative & Regulatory sections.

—————

Bodman PLC
Benchmark Litigation has named Bodman PLC its Michigan Law Firm of the Year for the second straight year.

The selection was announced at a national award ceremony held at the Essex House in New York.  State winners are chosen based on an analysis of case matters held during the prior year, including potential precedent set or verdicts with notably high dollar amounts at stake.

Bodman was ranked as “highly recommended” for business litigation, the highest level possible, and 13 Bodman attorneys were listed as “Litigation Stars” or “Future Stars.” Bodman has more individually ranked attorneys than any other Michigan-based law firm.

Bodman’s Litigation and Alternative Dispute Practice Group focuses on a wide variety of civil disputes ranging from simple breach of contract claims to antitrust, securities, professional liability, trade secret, and other complex matters.