At the recent annual business meeting of Plunkett Cooney, partners Jeffrey C. Gerish, Jeffrey S. Hengeveld, Matthew J. Stanczyk, and Thomas P. Vincent were elected to the firm's board of directors.
Re-elected to three-year terms were Vincent and Gerish. Hengeveld and Stanczyk were elected to the board for the first time. In addition, partner Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. was elected to serve as secretary/treasurer of the board.
A member of Plunkett Cooney's Appellate Law Practice Group, Jeffrey C. Gerish practices in the areas of appellate law, insurance coverage and commercial litigation. He has successfully represented clients in numerous published decisions issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Michigan Court of Appeals. He is also a member of the firm's Insurance Coverage Practice Group.
Licensed to practice in Michigan and Indiana, Gerish, who is a member of Plunkett Cooney's Bloomfield Hills office, received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, the American Bar Association, and the DRI The Voice of the Defense Bar.
Jeffrey S. Hengeveld, who is also a member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, focuses his practice primarily in the area of professional liability with an emphasis on litigation brought against attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, and real estate professionals.
A member of the firm's Professional Liability Practice Group, Hengeveld is licensed to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan. He received both his law and undergraduate degrees from Michigan State University in 2003 and 1999, respectively. Hengeveld is member of the Oakland County, American, and Federal bar associations, as well as the State Bar of Michigan, ALFA International, and the members' attorney program of the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals.
Matthew J. Stanczyk serves as Plunkett Cooney's Product Liability Practice Group leader. He is a member of the firm's Detroit office and his practice includes complex litigation involving toxic torts, fire-related claims, construction issues, and commercial warranty matters. He represents product manufacturers, general contractors, construction managers, transportation firms, property restoration and remediation firms, commercial property owners and managers, among others who have litigation matters in the state and federal courts in Michigan and Ohio.
Stanczyk received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1986 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1983. He's a member of numerous associations, including the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the DRI The Voice of the Defense Bar, the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association, and the Scaffold Industry Association, among others.
Thomas P. Vincent is a partner in Plunkett Cooney's Bloomfield Hills office and is one of the firm's most accomplished trial attorneys having tried over 100 cases to jury verdict. His practice includes the areas of employment law, commercial disputes and general litigation claims. A member of the firm's board of directors since 1999, Vincent's clients include academic institutions, major retailers, financial institutions, high net worth individuals, and the policy holders of some of the world's largest insurance companies.
Vincent, who has received numerous legal industry honors and awards, graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 1981. He received his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 1977. He is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Firm board members also elected Michael P. Ashcraft, a partner in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, to continue on in his role as the board's secretary/treasurer for another one-year term. Ashcraft, who serves as the Plunkett Cooney's Professional Liability Practice Group leader, is one of the state's leading professional liability attorneys. He concentrates his practice primarily on the defense of attorneys and accountants in malpractice claims. He also represents insurance brokers and agents, securities brokers, real estate brokers and agents, investment advisors, officers and directors, and notaries public in professional liability cases in state and federal courts.
Admitted to state and federal courts in Michigan and Nebraska, Ashcraft graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 1992. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1987. Ashcraft is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association's Negligence Section, the State Bar of Michigan's Professional Ethics Committee, and the American Bar Association's Committee on Professional Responsibility and Liability.
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Butzel Long attorney Jennifer Dukarski discussed legal and regulatory hurdles to deployment of autonomous vehicles during a conference at The University of Michigan Law School on Friday, April 15.
Dukarski was among a group of industry, government, and academic experts who examined the high-priority issues from a variety of perspectives, including original equipment manufacturers, technology suppliers, insurance providers, federal, state, and local governments, ride-sharing providers, and emerging entrepreneurial ventures.
Dukarski focuses her practice at the intersection of technology and communications with an emphasis on emerging and disruptive issues: design for privacy, vehicle safety, infotainment, and connected and autonomous cars. With experience in intellectual property, automotive and media law, she leads clients in securing and protecting technology through transactions and litigation. A self-titled "recovering engineer," She serves as counsel to the OESA's Product Development Council.
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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the reappointments of Frank Eaman, Brandy Robinson, and Michael Swor to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.
The commission was created 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 and called for the 15-member Indigent Defense Commission that the governor signed into law in July 2013.
Eaman is an attorney with Frank D. Eaman PLLC. In this capacity his professional experience deals with trials and appeals in state and federal courts, with an emphasis on criminal cases. Eaman earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He will continue to represent members submitted by the Criminal Defense Attorneys Association of Michigan.
Robinson is the deputy defender, research and writing specialist with the Federal Defender Office. She previously served at the State Appellate Defender Office. Robinson earned her bachelor's degree and law degree from the University of Michigan. She will continue to represent those whose primary mission or purpose is to advocate for minority interests.
Swor has practiced federal criminal and immigration law for 42 years and has presented cases in state and federal courts in over 20 state and federal jurisdictions. He earned his bachelor's degree from Oakland University and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. He will continue to represent members submitted by the Criminal Defense Attorneys Association of Michigan.
Members will serve four-year terms expiring April 1, 2020. Their appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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Robert S. Bick, a shareholder of Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett PC in Birmingham, received the "All Star Attorney of the Year" award at the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Detroit M&A All Star Awards reception that was held at the Townsend Hotel on April 12.
Bick's law practice focuses on corporate law, mergers & acquisitions law, private equity law, corporate governance and business planning. He has completed hundreds of M&A transactions throughout the country.
Bick is a graduate of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and Law School.
The ACG is a professional organization focused on middle-market growth, private investment and M&A. ACG has 59 chapters and 14,500 members around the world. ACG's mission is to drive middle-market growth.
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Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC is pleased to announce that attorney Gavin Lacambra has joined the firm's Asbestos and Toxic Tort practice group. Lacambra will focus his practice on the defense of asbestos and toxic tort litigation.
Lacambra graduated with a Bachelor of Science in criminology from Florida State University in 2005, and a Masters of Public Administration from Webster University in Florida in 2009. Lacambra then received his law degre from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2014. While in law school, Lacambra worked as a clerk for the Friend of the Court Bureau, assisting litigants with family law issues. During his externship with the Michigan Court of Appeals, Lacambra wrote draft opinions and research reports for appellate panel review on a variety of civil and criminal cases.
Prior to joining the firm, Lacambra drafted and negotiated contracts as a legal analyst for the Department of Technology, Management and Budget for the State of Michigan. Lacambra has also worked for the Office of the State Attorney in Brevard County, Florida. In that capacity, he worked with first-time youthful offenders and served as a guest speaker on multiple occasions at different area high schools and civic organizations to promote community involvement.
Lacambra is licensed with the State Bar of Michigan and is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association.
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Andrew Goddeeris joins Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP as an associate in its Litigation Department. He will be located in the firm's Detroit office.
Goddeeris, who was a summer associate with Honigman in 2015, will focus his practice on assisting with complex commercial litigation. He completed a dual degree program receiving a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a Master of Urban Planning degree from U-M's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Goddeeris also earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan. He is anticipating admission to the State Bar of Michigan.
