Legal People

Michael Huget, Jonathan P. O’Brien, and Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP have been recognized in Intellectual Asset Management’s (IAM) Patent 1000—The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners 2016 edition.

The guide spotlights the top patent practitioners and law firms in key jurisdictions around the globe.

IAM conducted more than 1,500 interviews with patent attorneys and in-house counsel to identify leaders “with exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters.”

Huget and O’Brien are among only 14 attorneys and Honigman among six firms named in Michigan.

Honigman’s IP Department has nearly 90 professionals who serve clients locally, nationally and internationally.

Huget is chair of Honigman’s Litigation Department and leader of the firm’s IP Litigation Practice Group.

He is also a partner in Honigman’s Trademark and Copyright Practice Group.

Huget has experience in high-stakes patent and trademark cases throughout the United States. He also has appellate experience in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

He represents clients in industries as varied as automotive, pharmaceutical, media, consumer goods, software and manufacturing.

Huget was named by Managing Intellectual Property as an IP Star from 2013 through 2016, as well as its IP Litigator of the Year for Michigan in 2014. He also has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America from 2003 through 2016 and Michigan Super Lawyers from 2007 through 2015.

He earned a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

O’Brien concentrates his practice on life sciences (pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device), industrial chemistry, battery technology and nanotechnology.

He counsels clients on global IP strategies related to IP procurement and enforcement, product clearance, and various transactional and regulatory issues.

According to IAM, O’Brien “understands the business needs of both small academic and large multinational clients. A creative, dynamic attorney, he is not afraid to challenge the USPTO or see unusual solutions to clients’ problems.”

In addition to the IAM recognition, O’Brien was named an “IP Star” by Managing Intellectual Property magazine from 2013 through 2016.

He was named a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2014. O’Brien also has been named in The Best Lawyers in America from 2012 through 2016, and in Michigan Super Lawyers in 2011, 2013 through 2015.

He earned a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. O’Brien also received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S in chemistry from Hope College.

Honigman is also pleased to announce that its associate Mitra Jafary-Hariri was recently honored by the State Bar of Michigan’s Young Lawyers Section. She was named one of the finalists for the 2016 Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, which was announced at the section’s annual meeting. The award is given annually to recognize young lawyers in Michigan who have demonstrated an overwhelming commitment to public service, service to the bar and exceptional leadership.

Jafary-Hariri, a member of Honigman’s Litigation Department, assists with commercial disputes involving contract, insurance and issues of fraud. In addition, she helps counsel and represent media outlets on Freedom of Information Act, First Amendment and defamation matters. Jafary-Hariri also advises clients on intellectual property matters and serves as outside general counsel for start-up businesses.

She is very involved in Detroit’s redevelopment and legal communities, having key leadership roles for young professionals at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the Wolverine Bar Association and the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Jafary-Hariri received a Detroit Young Professionals Vanguard Award and pro bono Certificate of Appreciation from the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, in 2014.

She earned a law degree from Howard University School of Law. Jafary-Hariri also earned an M.S. in education from Pace University and a B.A. in education from Wayne State University. Before joining Honigman, she served as a senior law clerk for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Damon J. Keith, Sixth Circuit, and as a judicial clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Tarnow, Eastern District of Michigan.

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Butzel Long attorneys and practice areas have been recognized by Chambers USA 2016. – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2016 – The Client’s Guide. The firm’s Immigration Practice Department is the
only Michigan law firm ranked in Immigration by Chambers.

“Our Immigration Department has expanded to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said Clara DeMatteis Mager, practice group manager, Butzel Long. “Our recognition by Chambers is significant and a testament to everyone in our Immigration Department.”

Other Butzel Long practice areas included in Chambers USA are:

• Corporate/ Mergers and Acquisitions – Michigan.

• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation –Michigan.

• Labor and Employment – Michigan.

• Litigation: General Commercial  – Michigan.

Local Butzel Long attorneys ranked and highlighted in Chambers USA 2016 include:.

• Justin G. Klimko – Corporate/ Mergers and Acquisitions.

• Stephen A. Bromberg – Real Estate.

• David F. DuMouchel – Litigation, White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations.

• John P. Hancock Jr. –Labor and Employment.

• Thomas Kabel – Real Estate.

• James S. Rosenfeld – Labor & Employment.

• Daniel B. Tukel – Labor and Employment.

Other local Butzel attorneys recognized by Chambers USA 2016 include:

• Arthur Dudley II.

• Nicholas J. Stasevich.

• Carey A. DeWitt.

• Lynn McGuire.

• James Bruno.

Klimko is president and managing shareholder of Butzel Long and serves on the firm’s Board of Directors. He is based in the firm’s Detroit office. Klimko has experience in securities regulation, corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate matters, fields in which he has practiced since 1980. Klimko has experience in securities regulation matters for publicly and privately held companies. 

Bromberg is counsel to Butzel Long and based in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. He served as a director and president of Butzel Long. Bromberg has represented borrowers and institutional lenders, purchasers and sellers, non-profit entities and contractors and owners in all kinds of office, commercial shopping center, apartment and subdivisions matters, major construction and zoning matters and workouts, reorganizations and foreclosures, with years of specialization in real estate transactions and litigation.  

DuMouchel is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long’s Detroit office. He chairs the firm’s Corporate Compliance, Internal Investigations and Criminal Defense practice. DuMouchel’s practice includes white collar criminal defense, professional licensure and criminal health care, criminal IRS investigations of both taxpayers and professionals, SEC enforcement of corporate executives, public corruption, as well as grand jury investigations, internal corporate investigations and compliance. 

Hancock is a shareholder based in Butzel Long’s Detroit office. His practice focuses on collective bargaining negotiations and arbitrations as well as counseling of both public and private employers.  He also has performed extensive employment litigation and OSHA litigation. Hancock has served as chief negotiator in numerous collective bargaining negotiations. A good portion of his practice is devoted to counseling clients on employment issues. 

Kabel is a shareholder based in Butzel Long’s Bloomfield Hills office. He is chair of the firm’s corporate and real estate departments. He concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and real estate-related finance.  Kabel has been involved in all facets of acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and development of real property throughout his career.

Rosenfeld is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long’s Detroit office. He practices in the area of labor and employment law and is the manager of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group. 

Tukel is a shareholder practicing in Butzel Long’s Detroit office and serves as chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Department. His practice is devoted to representing both public and private employers in state and federal discrimination and wrongful discharge litigation, as well as traditional labor matters such as collective bargaining and union organizational drives.

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In partnership with the Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan, Intellectual Property Owners Educational Foundation and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Brooks Kushman was able to distribute more
than 160 IP Patches throughout southeast Michigan during the 2015/2016 Girl Scouts calendar year. The IP Patch was created to supplement the Innovation badge series.

The program was made available to the Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior level Girl Scouts. To earn their IP Patch, the girls learn how to think like an inventor, how inventions can improve lives, how to think like an entrepreneur and how to identify and develop solutions for social problems.

Since the inaugural IP Patch workshop last year, the program has grown to an average of 55 attendees per session. This year a special workshop was hosted at the Detroit USPTO on April 23rd, which included a tour of the facility, one of just four Regional Offices in the United States, and a presentation by Midwest Regional Director Christal Sheppard. Brooks Kushman will host a total of four workshops during the 2015/2016 school year and anticipates hosting eight workshops during the next calendar year; one session for each age group with Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan and Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan.

“We are excited to see the program grow and develop,” said Brooks Kushman attorney Rachel Smith. “It is especially rewarding to see how each of the programs brings an awareness and enthusiasm for intellectual property. The girls have also demonstrated an eagerness to learn about the abundance of career opportunities available in IP law and other STEM industries.”

Brooks Kushman co-founded the workshop in an effort to promote STEM education and awareness of STEM career opportunities for women in an industry historically male-centric. Smith notes, “Research shows girls typically start losing interest in math and science during middle school; by providing a fun, dynamic, interactive workshop we increase the likelihood they will stay engaged with STEM learning throughout their academic careers. Building a diverse and inclusive industry starts with them.”