Legal People

Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the reappointment Kevin Oeffner to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.

The commission was created as a result of efforts to improve legal representation for low-income criminal defendants. In October 2011, Snyder issued Executive Order 2011-12, establishing the initial Indigent Defense Advisory Commission, responsible for recommending improvements to the state’s legal system. These recommendations served as the basis for legislation to address this need as well as called for the 15-member Indigent Defense Commission that the governor signed into law in July 2013.

Oeffner is the administrator of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court in Oakland County. He previously served as the deputy court administrator of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court, the chief of program
evaluation for the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, and as a program evaluation analyst for the Ingham County Controller’s Office.

Oeffner earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in public administration, and a master’s degree in business administration and finance, all from Michigan State University. He continues to represent members submitted by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

He will serve a four-year term expiring April 1, 2019. His appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

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Michele Hall, deputy chief counsel of the Civil Law Group of Legal Aid and Defender Association Inc. (LAD), has been appointed to the Dean’s Advisory Board of University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) School of Law by Dean Phyllis L. Crocker.

Hall joined LAD as deputy chief counsel in 2002. Since 2012, she has also served on the adjunct faculty of Baker College. Before joining LAD, she was managing attorney of UAW Daimler-Chrysler Legal Services Plan.

Hall earned a BGS degree from the University of Michigan, a law degree from UDM Law, and an MBA in healthcare administration from Oakland University.

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Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the reappointment of John Axe and Mark Boonstra to the Michigan Judges Retirement Board.

The board provides oversight of the Judges Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan.

Axe is president of Axe & Ecklund PC and serves as a permanent adjunct faculty member at the Wayne State University Law School. He was the sole proprietor of John R. Axe and Associates, and was a partner with various southeast Michigan law firms. Axe co-authored “Michigan Municipal Law,” a two-volume work published in 1981 by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education for the University of Michigan. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Harvard University. He continues to represent the general public.

Boonstra was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2012 and previously served as senior principal for Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone PLC. Boonstra works with the State Bar of Michigan, Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions, Federal Bar Association, and the Washtenaw County Bar Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in applied economics and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He continues to represent the general public.

Appointees will serve four-year terms expiring March 31, 2019. Their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

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Plunkett Cooney recently expanded its business and private-client services with the addition of senior tax attorney Evan H. Kaploe.

A senior attorney in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Kaploe serves as Plunkett Cooney’s Tax Management Practice Group leader. He focuses his practice primarily on the litigation of civil and criminal tax controversies in state and federal court, as well as on litigating commercial disputes.

Formerly an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Kaploe’s practice includes tax litigation; tax planning; mergers and acquisitions; corporate and business reorganizations; IRS audits and appeals; estates, gifts and trusts tax; international tax; tax-exempt organizations; and white collar criminal matters. He also provides tax planning services for start-up companies and individuals.

Named a 2014 Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyers, Kaploe is admitted to practice in Michigan, Illinois and Missouri, and in the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kaploe received his master’s degree in taxation from Northwestern University in 2007. He received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2006 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2002.

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Miller Canfield announces that Thomas W. Cranmer, a principal and co-leader of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group (Troy office), will receive the 2015 Excellence in Defense Award from the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (MDTC) at an awards banquet on May 15 in Midland, Mich.

The Excellence in Defense Award honors civil defense counsel who have demonstrated contributions beyond their normal roles as advocates, including professionalism, creativity, judgment, advocacy skills and educating other lawyers. Cranmer is one of two lawyers to receive this year’s award.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized along with Jim Feeny of Dykema by the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel,” said Cranmer.

Cranmer is a trial lawyer at Miller Canfield who concentrates his practice in civil and criminal litigation. With more than 35 years of courtroom experience, his practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, complex commercial litigation and “bet-the-company” litigation.

He is recognized as one of Michigan’s leading lawyers. He has been listed in the Top 10 Attorneys in every edition of Michigan Super Lawyers and he has been the highest or second highest rated attorney out of more than 42,000 Michigan attorneys for the past seven years in a row. He was recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as its Lawyer of the Year for 2014.

He received his law degree (1975) from Ohio Northern University and his B.A. (1972) from the University of Michigan.

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Honigman partner Donald J. Kunz has been named to the Law360’s seven-member Capital Markets Editorial Advisory Board.

Law360 is an online news source covering corporate deals, litigation, legislation and regulation, major personnel moves, and legal industry news and trends. The Capital Markets section provides the latest news and analysis on stock and bond offerings, as well as legislation and regulation pertaining to stock, bond, foreign exchange, and other capital markets. In addition to IPOs, follow-on offerings, and debt deals, it covers high-stakes litigation related to those offerings.

Kunz, who is located in the firm’s Detroit office, chairs Honigman’s Corporate Department and leads the firm’s Insurance Transactions Practice Group, focuses his practice on corporate transactional matters and client counseling, with a particular emphasis on the representation of publicly traded companies. He conducts domestic and international acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures, capital raising, commercial contracts, and various regulatory and compliance matters.

Kunz also has experience representing public and private companies and their owners, directors and officers on a range of day-to-day issues, including corporate governance issues and compensation planning for key executives.

He has been recognized as one of the top Corporate/M&A attorneys in Michigan by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2003, by The Best Lawyers in America since 2005 and by Michigan Super Lawyers since 2007. 

Kunz earned a law degree from the Harvard Law School and a B.S.E. in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

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Potestivo & Associates PC is pleased to announce the promotion of Rachelle Magolan, the firm’s newest Bankruptcy Department manager.

Magolan possesses more than ten years of experience within the bankruptcy field. She began at Potestivo & Associates PC as a Bankruptcy Coordinator and was later promoted to Supervisor of the firm’s Michigan Bankruptcy Department. She was most recently promoted to Bankruptcy Department manager and currently manages and supervises the firm’s Michigan and Illinois Bankruptcy teams.

Magolan says that it has been her tenure at Potestivo & Associates PC that has allowed her to learn all aspects of the bankruptcy process, and she uses that knowledge daily to provide excellent customer service to our clients. She is also registered with The Consumer Bankruptcy Association.

Outside of the office, Magolan volunteers with the Salvation Army, Relay for Life, and the American Red Cross.