Legal People

Danielle C. Lester has joined Bodman PLC as an associate in the firm’s Workplace Law Practice Group in the firm’s Troy office. She concentrates her practice in labor and employment law, exclusively representing management in the private and public sectors.

Lester has experience with representing employers in unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), negotiating union contracts, advocating for employers in arbitration, and advising them on many day-to-day labor issues. She also has experience representing employers in employment litigation and counseling employers on various employment matters including compliance, investigations, and training.  Prior to joining Bodman, Lester worked on the labor relations staff of a large automotive company where some of her responsibilities included NLRB matters, arbitrations, and contract negotiations.  Drawing from her prior experience, Lester is adept at maximizing solutions that protect business interests and labor relationships.

Lester is a 2008 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law. In 2014, Lester earned her masters of business administration at Michigan State University Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. 
Before moving to an in-house counsel position, Lester was selected twice for inclusion in Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” list.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Attorney Aaron V. Burrell will receive the Barristers President’s Award from the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. The Barristers President’s Award recognizes a young attorney whose early career has exhibited high standards of service to the profession, his clients, and the public.

Burrell is an associate in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses his practice in the areas of appellate, commercial & business litigation, labor & employment, and minority business enterprises. Burrell was recently elected to the Oakland County Bar Association’s Board of Directors and is the immediate past president of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association. He is a member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Burrell received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.

Burrell will receive the Barristers President’s Award at the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association’s 2016 Summer Breeze on July 14 at Sinbad’s in Detroit.

Dickinson Wright is also pleased to announce that the firm was named to the “Honor Roll of Core Firms in Insurance” in the latest edition of BTI Power Rankings 2016.

Dickinson Wright’s Insurance team handles virtually all matters related to insurance. Its clients include health insurers, stock and mutual insurers, title insurers, guaranty associations, governmental entities, malpractice insurers and captive insurers, and they participate in the life, health, disability, property, casualty, professional liability and alternative insurance fields, among others.

The BTI Power Rankings is the only law firm ranking based solely on direct, unprompted feedback from corporate counsel. The strength of client relationships in 16 industries is based on in-depth interviews with more than 320 corporate counsel at the world’s leading organizations.

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Sara Schimke, an associate with Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, has been appointed to the Michigan Parkinson Foundation (MPF) Board of Directors. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement.

Since 1983, MPF has focused on the educational and support needs of people with Parkinson’s, their families and health professionals. The non-profit strives to support research into the mechanisms underlying the disease, therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the burden of illness, and engaging and enlisting the support of institutions and individuals whose activities impact the needs of people with Parkinson’s and related disorders.

In her role as a board member and speaker, Schimke will participate in MPF’s legal endeavors, advise and educate Parkinson’s patients and their families, and participate in board deliberations. She is currently an associate in Jaffe’s estate planning and probate practice group where she focuses on elder and disability law, including long-term care planning, Medicaid planning and veteran’s benefits. She also counsels and represents clients with special needs planning, blended families, tax planning and real estate succession planning.

Schimke is a frequent speaker at bar association events, courts, legal education groups and community interest forums on topics and trends surrounding her practice. She serves as an adjunct professor at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, as an accredited attorney with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, as a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and on the Financial & Estate Planning Council of Metro Detroit.

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The law firm Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP has been recognized by the State Bar of Michigan with a 2016 Pro Bono Circle of Excellence award at the leadership level for its pro-bono contributions.

To be recognized at the leadership level, law firms must provide free or reduced-fee representation to low-income individuals or organizations and/or contribute a minimum of $500 per attorney to the State Bar’s Access to Justice Fund to assist in providing civil legal services to persons of limited means.

“Pro bono work is an important aspect of our commitment to serving the whole community,” said Douglas A. Dozeman, the firm’s managing partner. “Our firm’s culture is built on respect, inclusion and teamwork. We are pleased to be recognized for this commitment and our pro-bono work.”

Warner Norcross attorneys provide direct client representation, serve on boards for legal aid programs, engage in community legal education programs and advise nonprofit and low-income public interest groups. In addition, the firm makes an annual financial contribution to the State Bar’s Access to Justice Fund.

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Michigan-based law firm Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce the opening of its Los Angeles, California office at the end of June. Joining the firm and based in this new office are Lisa I. Carteen and Ryan A. Ellis. 

The office is located in Century Plaza Towers at, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 330, Los Angeles, CA 90067-3105.

“The West Coast is a dynamic environment for domestic and global commerce. Establishing a new office here is an important part of our growth strategy and will also allow us to better accommodate and support our growing client base in Southern California,” said firm president and CEO, Mark A. Davis.

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Tishia Browning has been appointed director of employer development in Wayne State University Law School’s Career Services office.

Browning specializes in employer outreach and advises students seeking employment within law firms and the corporate sector.

She succeeded Kathy Fox, who was appointed assistant dean of admissions for Wayne Law.

Prior to joining Wayne Law, Browning worked for JD Advising LLC where she counseled and tutored law students from throughout the nation and worked closely with recent graduates from a variety of law schools to prepare them for the Michigan Bar Exam. Previously, she practiced commercial litigation at Mantese Honigman.

Browning graduated in 2014 from Wayne Law.  She also earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

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Clark Hill PLC has been named to the State Bar of Michigan’s 2016 Pro Bono Circle of Excellence at the Leadership Level.

The award honor lawyers’ contributions of pro bono service and the firms whose lawyers have demonstrated full compliance with the Voluntary Pro Bono Standard set by the State Bar.

Clark Hill was recognized at the Leadership Level, meaning that all eligible attorneys met the Voluntary Standard level of 30 hours or contributed an average of $500 per attorney in financial donations. Qualifying activities include volunteer legal services for low-income individuals and organizations, and financial contributions to support legal services for those clients.

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Jesse Reiter and Emily Thomas of Reiter & Walsh PC co-authored an article titled “ACOG Replaced the Friedman Curve with Unproven Guidelines: Is Lowering the Caesarean Rate Worth the Rise in Birth Trauma?” in the American Association for Justice Professional Negligence Section Newsletter.