Karen L. Kushkin has joined the Southfield office of Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC as an associate in the firm's estate planning and probate practice group. Jaffe CEO William Sider made the announcement.
Kushkin will concentrate her practice in the areas of lifetime and post-mortem financial and tax planning, probate and trust administration, and charitable giving.
Prior to joining Jaffe, Kushkin worked at a number of notable law firms across the Midwest and East Coast. Her most recent position included serving as an associate with Loeb & Loeb LLP in New York, where she drafted critical documents to implement various estate plans and sale transactions for high net worth individuals. She was also involved in all aspects of the administration of complex estates, including preparing federal and state estate tax returns and handling estate tax audits.
Kushkin graduated from the University of Michigan, where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration. She earned her law degrees from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago and New York University School of Law.
In addition, Deborah L. Baughman, a partner in the Southfield office of Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, spoke at the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) Closely-Held Business Forum. Jaffe CEO William Sider made the announcement.
The conference took place at the Michigan State University Management Education Center on Thursday, May 18, in Troy. The MICPA Closely-Held Business Forum covered succession planning, financing and tax issues that face family businesses, LLCs and partnerships. As a panelist speaker, Baughman shared her expertise on employee benefits for small employers during the panel titled "The Talent War, Small Biz & Employee Benefit Plans."
"With so many closely-held businesses in Michigan, I'm thrilled to share my insight around these timely trends and topics that business owners and operators face every day," said Baughman.
With more than 18,400 members, the MICPA is the leading statewide professional organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing the value of the CPA profession. The group represents Michigan CPAs working in business, education, government and public accounting.
Baughman's expertise spans across six different practice groups at Jaffe, including Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits, Healthcare, Tax, Impact Investing & Social Enterprise, Emerging & Growth Business, and Privacy & Data Security. She specializes in employee benefits, executive compensation arrangements, welfare and cafeteria plans, employee agreement plans, and severance agreement plans. She also regularly counsels Michigan public school academies.
Baughman is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School, and holds a certificate in nonprofit executive management from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. She is a registered certified public accountant in the District of Columbia, and is a licensed Michigan Resident Counselor in life, accident, and health insurance.
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Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Brett J. Miller will be a featured speaker during "HR Summit 2017" from 8:30 am. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, at the Troy Community Center. The event is presented by Wilshire Benefits Group.
Miller will discuss disability and other leaves of absence including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and how to file a disability claim. He also will discuss when an employee loses coverage due to leave of absence, layoff, voluntary or non-voluntary termination.
Miller, chair of the firm's Employment Practices' Liability Insurance Sub-Practice, focuses his practice on labor and employment-law and fair-housing litigation. In addition to representing clients in federal and state court venues, Miller has appeared before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Moreover, he has represented clients in labor arbitrations.
Miller is AV® Peer Review Rated by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell. He was named a Rising Star in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014 by Super Lawyers. He was recognized as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly "Up & Coming Lawyer" in 2015. He also was recognized as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine in 2014.
He has published numerous articles and is a frequent speaker on labor and employment matters. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Healthcare Human Resources Association, and the MHA Business Advisory Counsel.
Miller earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
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Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC announced that members of the firm spoke at a recent workshop and will speak at two upcoming programs in metro Detroit: the Michigan Association of CPAS (MICPA) International Practice Workshop on May 18 at the Michigan State University Management Education Center in Troy, the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) event on May 23 at the Somerset Inn in Troy, and TU-Automotive Detroit on June 7 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Managing Member Ed Dawda made the announcement.
Jeff Moss, who concentrates his legal practice in tax law, estate planning, business transactions, tax exempt nonprofit matters and real estate transactions, will discuss "IRS Audits: FBAR, OVDP & FATCA Compliance" at the MICPA International Practice Morning Workshop.
Brian Balow, whose practice includes IP protection and licensing, privacy and data security, and information technology/cyberlaw, will present at OESA's "Cyberliability: Response and Recovery in an Automotive Environment" event, discussing "Managing Risk via Lawyers and Insurance." In addition, Balow will co-lead a roundtable at the TU-Automotive Detroit conference entitled "The Court Battle: Navigating the Legal Challenges around Connected & Autonomous Vehicles," covering how autonomous vehicles and the related infrastructure bring a new set of legal and regulatory questions and concerns to light, including safety, data security, and privacy.
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Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC proudly announces the election of its partner Kari L. Melkonian to the Board of Directors for the Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA). Melkonian will be serving a three year term beginning June 1, 2017.
Melkonian has been actively involved in the OCBA since 2008, and serves on a number of committees within the association. She is the present chair of the Circuit Court Committee, and is a member of the Energy, Sustainability and Environmental Law Committee, the Inns of Court Committee, the New Lawyers Committee, the Family Law Committee, and the OCBA Mentor Program. Melkonian is a past chair of the Criminal Law Committee, and a past member of the OCBA Board of Directors Nominating Committee. Melkonian is also actively involved in a number of other organizations, including her role as co-chair of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel's Social Media Committee.
Melkonian focuses her practice on the defense of general and automotive liability claims, and has substantial experience in all phases of litigation, including discovery, dispositive motion practice and trial. She has been listed a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers® Magazine since 2016. She is a past recipient of the Oakland County Circuit Court MVP Award (2010) and the 10-Year Service Award from Oakland County for her public service.
Melkonian is a graduate Oakland University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2008.
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Foster Swift welcomes attorney Drew L. Block to the firm. Block will be joining the firm's litigation practice group in its Southfield office.
Block focuses his practice in insurance coverage litigation. He has extensive experience representing both insurers and the insured in cases of intellectual property, property losses, underinsured motorists, and catastrophic construction accidents. Block also has experience in defense litigation concentrating on premises liability, products liability, and medical malpractice.
Block earned his bachelor's degree in history from The Ohio State University and is a Loyola University Chicago School of Law alum. He was also named an Illinois Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers in 2015.
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce Michael B. Peterman, a banking and real estate law attorney with more than 30 years of experience, has joined the firm as a member in the Detroit office.
Peterman focuses his practice on real estate and commercial loan originations, real estate sales and acquisitions, and commercial leasing. He represents national and regional financial institutions with an emphasis on bi-lateral and syndicated real estate and construction originations and workouts, commercial and industrial asset-based loans, and international financing.
Peterman also represents large corporate clients in connection with the management of national real estate portfolios, including site acquisitions and dispositions and commercial leases for retail, office, and industrial properties.
Before joining Bodman, he was a principal and banking practice leader at a Detroit-based national law firm.
Peterman is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2017 under Banking and Finance law. He has been honored by DBusiness magazine as a "Top Lawyer." He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Real Property Law and Business Law sections.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Dan Quick has been re-elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors for the Oakland County Bar Association. His term begins on July 1, 2017.
Quick is a member in the firm's Troy office and is practice department manager for Commercial Litigation, Antitrust & Trade Regulation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is a commercial litigation trial attorney who specializes in business torts (including minority shareholder and "business divorce disputes," trade secrets, and noncompetes) and all facets of intellectual property litigation. He frequently writes and lectures on business torts and is a coauthor of the national "Trade Secrets" portfolio published by BNA.
Quick is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and is recognized as a leader in his field by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness. He received the Frances R. Avadenka Community Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Oakland County Bar Association. Quick received his law degree from the University of Michigan.
Published: Mon, May 22, 2017
