Legal People ...

Fabrizio & Brook’s Managing Shareholder Jonathan Engman was recently appointed to sit as a case evaluator in Oakland County Michigan for a 5-year term. Case evaluation panels in the State of Michigan are made of up three attorneys, one representing the plaintiff’s bar, one representing the defense bar and one neutral. Engman will represent the civil defense bar bringing nearly 20 years of experience handling defense litigation on behalf of clients in state, appellate and federal courts including the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Engman was recognized as a top attorney in Michigan in the 2014 Crain’s Super Lawyers Magazine in the area of creditor rights. He currently serves as managing shareholder of the firm’s real estate and litigation departments.

In addition, Fabrizio & Brook is pleased to announce the hiring of attorney Paul Poles.  He brings five years of experience in litigation, creditors’ rights and real estate law to the firm.  He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan; admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, as well as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. 
Poles is a member of the Litigation Law Section and the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan; Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association; Oakland County Bar Association; Michigan Creditors Bar Association, and the Chaldean American Bar Association.  He has had articles published in the Legal League Quarterly and The Brief and spoke at the 2013 Legal League Spring Summit. 
Poles earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Wayne State University and his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

•            •            •

The Michigan Supreme Court recently announced that State Court Administrator John A. Hohman Jr. is retiring to focus his efforts on helping at-risk children and families. While leading the administrative arm of the court, Hohman focused on strengthening ties to trial courts and positioning the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) as an expert source of information and advice.

“I will miss the wonderful staff at SCAO,” said Hohman. “They are kind, professional, and truly dedicated to serving the trial courts and the public. I am grateful to the court, and especially to Chief Justice Young, for giving me the opportunity to serve my former colleagues on the bench and to work together toward the goal of making SCAO a consultancy to the trial courts.”

Prior to becoming state court administrator, Hohman was a Monroe County Probate and Family Court judge for 16 years. As a jurist, Hohman was often recognized for his work in juvenile justice and child welfare. Prior to his service on the bench, Hohman was in the private practice of law for 16 years.

•            •            •

Bodman PLC attorney Donovan S. Asmar has been named to the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) Class of 2015.

MPLP is a 10-month training session provided through Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research.  The program was founded to offer specialized training opportunities for public service professionals from varying political backgrounds ranging from political volunteers to members of Congress.

Selected participants include attorneys, business executives, bankers, marketers, and legislative aides from around Michigan. The participants will meet in Lansing, Detroit, and Grand Rapids to work alongside economists, budget experts, media representatives, and business leaders. Nearly half of MPLP’s approximately 600 graduates have served or are serving in elected or appointed positions.

Asmar is a member of Bodman’s Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He represents clients involved in complex commercial litigation matters.  Before joining Bodman he served as a clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Mary Beth Kelly. Asmar is a graduate of the University of Michigan and University of Notre Dame Law School.

•            •            •

Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce that Shareholder Frank Angileri was named Michigan’s IP Litigator of the Year by Managing Intellectual Property Magazine. The award is given each year during the publication’s North American Awards dinner.

Angileri was also named in Managing IP’s “IP Stars” listing, a comprehensive guide to leading IP firms and lawyers covering more than 80 countries. The awards were presented at the Managing IP North American Awards dinner on March 18, in Washington, D.C.

Angileri, who also serves as co-chair of Brooks Kushman’s Post-Grant Proceedings practice, was awarded for his work across various technologies and industries including, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial technologies, food and beverage, and home appliances.

•            •            •

Butzel Long attorney Rebecca S. Davies was a featured presenter during Walsh College’s Entrepreneur-You Conference on March 20 in Troy. Her presentation was titled “How Not to Get Burned by a Bad Hire.” Davies is an adjunct faculty member at Walsh College.

Davies concentrates her practice primarily in the areas of employment law and commercial litigation. She represents employers in federal and state court litigation and before state and federal administrative agencies. She regularly counsels employers regarding compliance under federal and state employment laws (including FLSA, FMLA, ADA and Title VII), drafts policies and procedures, and advises on preventative strategies.

She is a frequent author and lecturer, not only for client in-house trainings and publications, but also outside organizations including the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Automation Alley and American Society of Employers.

Davies earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan at Dearborn and law degrees from Detroit College of Law and Wayne State University Law School.

•            •            •

The law firm of Miller Canfield has re-elected Megan P. Norris to serve a two-year term as a managing director.  She will continue to serve as chair of the managing directors. Norris is part of a five-person management administration that works with the CEO to oversee the firm’s 16 offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Poland, and China.

Norris is a principal in the Detroit office where she is leader of the Employment and Labor Group. As an employment lawyer, she counsels clients on all conceivable day-to-day employment matters, ranging from helping to determine appropriate discipline to advising on conducting sexual harassment investigations to developing plans of action for handling difficult employees. She also defends clients against a wide range of employment-related claims and conducts management trainings. She is a nationally recognized expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She co-authored “Family & Medical Leave Act and the Law,” a book published by ALM’s Law Journal Press. She has been recognized for her work in Best Lawyers, in which she was named the 2015 Detroit Employment Law-Management Lawyer of the Year, Chambers USA and Michigan Super Lawyers. She is a member of the national College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Norris received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. from Wesleyan University, where she is a trustee emeritus.