Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton, P.C.
John A. Anderson, co-chair of the Health Care Section of Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC, has been selected by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) to serve on both the Legislative Policy Panel and the Small or Rural Hospital Council.
Anderson has experience as a business lawyer representing both middle-market clients and entrepreneurs. A major focus of his practice is in health care law, representing both providers and hospitals. As a partner in the Business Practice and Health Care groups at Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC, Anderson represents health care providers ranging from large single and multi-specialty groups to small groups and individual physicians, as well as hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals and Small or Rural Hospitals. He also represents Accountable Care Organizations, clinical labs, diagnostic providers, physical therapy providers, home health agencies and more.
Anderson was formerly general counsel and chief operating officer for a large medical billing company and, in that capacity, he worked closely with physicians, group practices and other providers on business matters as well as billing and reimbursement issues.
Anderson currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Ascension Health in Michigan and he chairs the Quality & Safety Committee for Ascension Health-Michigan. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors of the Genesys Physician Hospital Organization in Grand Blanc, which was one of the first 32 Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations in the country and which continues to operate a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO.
Anderson has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for Corporate and Health Care law (2013-2017), by U.S. News as a Best Lawyer (2013-2017), as a Top Lawyer in Health Care Law by DBusiness magazine (2012-2017), as a Michigan Super Lawyer in Health Care Law (2013-2017), and by Leading Lawyers (2014-2017).
Anderson is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received his Law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.
-----
Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP
Sixteen Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP attorneys in Southfield have been selected for The Best Lawyers in America 2018.
The peer-review award, which designates legal excellence in specific practice areas, individually recognized:
- Michael G. Brady, commercial litigation
- Kurt M. Brauer, environmental law
- Sean H. Cook, closely held companies and family businesses law
- Homayune A. Ghaussi, commercial litigation
- William R. Jansen, commercial litigation, regulatory enforcement litigation
- Jay A. Kennedy, tax law
- Steven C. Kohl, environmental law
- Mary Jo Larson, employee benefits law
- Thomas J. Manganello, commercial litigation
- Linda Paullin-Hebden, corporate law
- Alan T. Rogalski, health care law
- James E. Romzek, health care law
- Nazli G. Sater, family law, family law arbitration
- David M. Thoms, trust and estates litigation, non-profit and charities law, tax law, trusts and estates
- Brian D. Wassom, advertising law, intellectual property litigation
- Lisa B. Zimmer, employee benefits law
In addition, three partners in the Macomb County office of Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP have been selected for The Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
The partners are:
- Susan M. Cook, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/ insolvency and reorganization law
- Rozanne M. Giunta, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/ insolvency and reorganization law, bankruptcy litigation
- Frank E. Henke, trusts and estates
The local attorneys are among a total of 97 Warner Norcross attorneys, representing more than 55 different practice areas, to be included in the 2018 list.
-----
Bodman PLC
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that 46 of its attorneys have been listed in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
Local Bodman attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2018, including the practice areas under which they are listed, are:
Detroit
- Marc M. Bakst (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
- Jerrold M. Bigelman (Trusts and Estates)
- Andrew H. Curoe (Trusts and Estates)
- Herold M. Deason (Corporate Law)
- Laurence B. Deitch (Corporate Law)
- Robert J. Diehl Jr. (Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Litigation-Banking and Finance, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
- Forrest O. Dillon (Corporate Law)
- Fredrick J. Dindoffer (Environmental Law, Litigation-Environmental)
- Christopher J. Dine (Non-Profit / Charities Law)
- Stephen I. Greenhalgh (Banking and Finance Law)
- David M. Hempstead (Trusts and Estates)
- Kathleen O'Callaghan Hickey (Banking and Finance Law)
- George G. Kemsley (Commercial Litigation)
- Joseph J. Kochanek (Banking and Finance Law)
- David P. Larsen (Litigation-Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates)
- Marguerite Munson Lentz (Trusts and Estates)
- Dennis J. Levasseur (Litigation-Banking and Finance, Litigation-Intellectual Property)
- Ralph E. McDowell (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
- Michael B. Peterman (Banking and Finance Law)
- Jeffrey G. Raphelson (Commercial Litigation)
- Damali A. Sahu (Banking and Finance Law)
- Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. (Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law)
- Joseph J. Shannon (Commercial Litigation)
- Bonnie Sherr (Banking and Finance Law)
- E. William S. Shipman (Health Care Law)
- Larry R. Shulman (Banking and Finance Law)
- Brian R. Trumbauer (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy)
Troy
- J. Adam Behrendt (Litigation-Banking and Finance)
- Barbara A. Bowman (Banking and Finance Law, Municipal Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law)
- John C. Cashen (Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management, Qui Tam Law)
- Steven J. Fishman (Labor Law-Management)
- Gregory J. Gamalski (Real Estate Law)
- Michael B. Lewiston (Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Real Estate, Litigation-Trusts and Estates)
- Andrew Z. Spilkin (Real Estate Law)
- David C. Stone (Corporate Law)
- Thomas J. Tallerico (Commercial Litigation)
- Thomas Van Dusen (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Trusts and Estates)
- David B. Walters (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)
- Wendy L. Zabriskie (Banking and Finance Law)
- Glen M. Zatz (Real Estate Law)
-----
Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is pleased to announce that three attorneys from the firm's Detroit (Metro) office have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
The Detroit (Metro)-based Ogletree Deakins attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018 include:
- Margaret Carroll Alli (Education Law, Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment)
- Martin C. Brook (Employment Law - Management)
- Thomas A. Cattel (Labor Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment)
-----
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that 102 of the firm's attorneys in Michigan have been included in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
Local Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this year's list include:
Detroit
- Michelle L. Alamo, Litigation Intellectual Property
- Dennis W. Archer, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment
- Richard M. Bolton, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- William T. Burgess, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, International Mergers & Acquisitions, Litigation Bankruptcy
- Lawrence G. Campbell, Commercial Litigation, International Mergers & Acquisitions
- James N. Candler Jr., Gaming Law, Real Estate Law
- Christopher A. Cornwall, Construction Law
- Bernadette M. Dennehy, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- David R. Deromedi, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management
- Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate Practice
- William E. Elwood, Tax Law
- K. Scott Hamilton, Appellate Practice
- Mark R. High, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law
- Edgar C. Howbert, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Steven G. Howell, Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation Bankruptcy
- Timothy H. Howlett, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment
- W. Anthony Jenkins, Corporate Law, Municipal Law
- John K. Lawrence, Banking and Finance Law
- Kenneth J. McIntyre, Commercial Litigation
- Thomas G. McNeill, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Banking and Finance, Litigation Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation Securities
- Sharon R. Newlon, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation Environmental
- Francis R. Ortiz, Commercial Litigation
- Scott A. Petz, Commercial Litigation
- James A. Plemmons, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Bankruptcy
- Robert F. Rhoades, Litigation and Controversy Tax
- William P. Shield Jr., Banking and Finance Law
- James P. Spica, Litigation Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
- Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Banking and Finance, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Bruce C. Thelen, International Trade and Finance
- Kathryn S. Wood, Employment Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment
- L. Pahl Zinn, Litigation Antitrust
Troy
- Christian S. Allen, Immigration Law
- Timothy L. Andersson, Corporate Law
- John A. Artz, Patent Law
- Kevin M. Bernys, Trusts and Estates
- Margaret A. Coughlin, Environmental Law, Litigation Environmental
- Roger H. Cummings, Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law
- Stephen E. Dawson, Real Estate Law
- Joseph W. DeLave, Litigation Construction
- J. Benjamin Dolan, Litigation Real Estate
- Terence M. Donnelly, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law
- Deborah L. Grace, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Roberta P. Granadier, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Henry M. Grix, Non-Profit/Charities Law, Trusts and Estates
- Hanley M. Gurwin, Family Law
- Craig W. Hammond, Banking and Finance Law, Public Finance Law
- William H. Honaker, Litigation Intellectual Property, Litigation Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law
- Robert P. Hurlbert, Criminal Defense: White-Collar
- Richard A. Jones, Patent Law
- Monica J. Labe, Real Estate Law
- Judith Fertel Layne, Trusts and Estates
- Elise S. Levasseur, Immigration Law
- Christopher C. Maeso, Corporate Law
- Anna M. Maiuri, Environmental Law, Litigation Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
- Kelly M. Martorano, Environmental Law
- Cynthia A. Moore, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- John H. Norris, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law
- Edward H. Pappas, Arbitration, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Real Estate, Mediation
- Robert V. Peterson, Real Estate Law
- Daniel D. Quick, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Banking and Finance, Litigation Intellectual Property
- Robert L. Schwartz, Public Finance Law
- Robert L. Stearns, Litigation Intellectual Property
- Peter H. Webster, Land Use and Zoning Law
- Rhonda D. Welburn, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law
- J. Bryan Williams, Corporate Law, International Mergers & Acquisitions
- Mark E. Wilson, Health Care Law
- Laurence E. Winokur, Real Estate Law
- Paul M. Wyzgoski, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law
- Katheryne L. Zelenock, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Securitization and Structured Finance Law
In addition, Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that 12 of the firm's lawyers in Southeast Michigan have been identified as the leading practitioner in their practice area by Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
The following local Dickinson Wright lawyers were selected as Best Lawyers in America® 2018 "Lawyer of the Year:"
Detroit
- Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate Practice
- Steven G. Howell, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Thomas G. McNeill, Litigation Securities
- James A. Plemmons, Litigation Bankruptcy
Troy
- Craig W. Hammond, Public Finance Law
- Anna M. Maiuri, Environmental Law
- Edward H. Pappas, Litigation, Real Estate
- Mark E. Wilson, Health Care Law
- Paul M. Wyzgoski, Municipal Law
-----
Butzel Long
Sixty-three Butzel Long attorneys have been chosen by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018 (copyright 2018 by Woodward/White, Inc. of Aiken, SC).
The following local Butzel Long attorneys were selected for the 2018 edition:
Bloomfield Hills office
- Alexander B. Bragdon, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation ERISA
- Stephen A. Bromberg, Litigation Real Estate, Real Estate Law
- Mark E. Crane (first year listed), Collaborative Law: Family Law
- Carey A. DeWitt, Employee Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment
- W. Patrick Dreisig, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Corporate Governance Law
- Geoffrey S. Gallinger (first year listed), Real Estate Law
- Debra A. Geroux (first year listed), Health Care Law
- Michael Golab (first year listed), Corporate Law
- Beth S. Gotthelf, Environmental Law
- D. Stewart Green, Litigation Real Estate, Real Estate Law
- David W. Hipp, Real Estate Law
- Thomas Kabel, Real Estate Law
- Sheldon H. Klein, Commercial Litigation, Litigation Antitrust
- Bushra A. Malik, Immigration Law
- Daniel P. Malone, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation Defendants, Product Liability Litigation Defendants
- Thomas R. McAskin (first year listed), Health Care Law
- Allan Nachman, Real Estate Law
- Max J. Newman, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Robert P. Perry (first year listed), Trusts and Estates
- Elissa Noujaim Pinto (first year listed), Immigration Law
- R. Peter Prokop, Corporate Law, Tax Law
- Thomas B. Radom (first year listed), Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Richard E. Rassel, Commercial Litigation
- Dennis B. Schultz, Construction Law, Litigation Construction, Litigation Real Estate
- T. Gordon Scupholm II (first year listed), Family Law
- John D. Selesko (first year listed), Trusts and Estates
- Thomas L. Shaevsky, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation ERISA
- Jack D. Shumate, Environmental Law, Litigation Environmental
- Thomas C. Simpson, Litigation Real Estate, Real Estate Law
- David W. Sommerfeld, Litigation Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
- Daniel B. Tukel, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment
Detroit office
- Linda J. Armstrong, Immigration Law
- James C. Bruno, Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law
- Arthur Dudley II, Corporate Law
- David F. DuMouchel, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
- Eric J. Flessland, Construction Law, Litigation Construction
- John P. Hancock Jr., Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management , Litigation Labor and Employment
- Robert A. Hudson, Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law
- Justin G. Klimko, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
- Gary W. Klotz, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management
- Phillip C. Korovesis, Commercial Litigation
- Mark R. Lezotte, Health Care Law
- Clara DeMatteis Mager, Immigration Law
- Donald B. Miller, Employment Law Management , Labor Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions Defendants, Product Liability Litigation Defendants
- Reginald A. Pacis, Immigration Law
- James S. Rosenfeld, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management, Litigation Labor and Employment
- Bruce L. Sendek, Commercial Litigation
- William B. Slowey, Antitrust Law
- Nicholas J. Stasevich, Corporate Law
- James E. Wynne, Personal Injury Litigation Defendants, Product Liability Litigation Defendants
Moreover, the following local Butzel Long attorneys have been named Lawyer of the Year: John P. Hancock Jr. (Labor Law Management Detroit), and Justin G. Klimko (Corporate Governance Law Detroit).
-----
Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School
Professor Robert M. Ackerman has been appointed director of the Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School.
Ackerman will lead the center in furtherance of its goal to educate future attorneys, business leaders, legislators and public servants on the role of oversight and bipartisanship in good government.
He succeeds former Dean Jocelyn Benson, who served as director of the Levin Center since Sept. 2016. She will continue her affiliation with the Levin Center by serving as vice chair of its advisory board. Benson stepped down from her role as dean last fall to become the CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a venture led by professional sports organizations and networks to improve race relations in America.
Ackerman teaches courses in torts, dispute resolution and negotiation. He serves on the advisory boards for Labor@Wayne and the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, and he helped found Wayne State's Dispute Resolution Consortium. Ackerman recently concluded a two-year appointment as scholar in residence in Wayne State's Humanities Center. He also serves as Wayne State University's faculty athletics representative.
From 2008 to 2012, Ackerman served as dean at Wayne Law, where he helped establish the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic, the Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, the Law School's Student Voluntary Pro Bono Program and the Program for International Legal Studies. In 2011, he welcomed more than 600 guests to campus for the dedication of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.
Prior to coming to Wayne Law, Ackerman served as a professor at Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law. Previously, he was dean and professor of law at Willamette University College of Law. Early in his career, he worked for the Denver firm of Holme, Roberts, & Owen and the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.
Ackerman, who has co-authored a book on torts, has written extensively in the fields of torts, dispute resolution, communitarian theory and civic responsibility. He also has lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad.
Ackerman earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and his bachelor's degree from Colgate University.
The Levin Center at Wayne Law was launched in March 2015 and is named in honor of former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan's longest-serving U.S. senator, who retired at the beginning of 2015 after 36 years in the Senate.
The Levin Center is supported, in part, by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation whose Madison Initiative focuses on strengthening democratic values, norms and institutions.
In addition, a Wayne Law faculty member and a Wayne State law library supervisor were named Unsung Legal Heroes by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. They are: Mary Bonk, supervisor of access services and operations at Wayne State University's Arthur Neef Law Library, and Lawrence C. Mann, Wayne Law class of 1980, associate director of professional skills at Wayne Law.
Bonk began her career at Wayne State as an assistant in the Registrar's Office before joining the university's library system. In her current position, Bonk is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Wayne State's Arthur Neef Law Library. She earned her bachelor's degree from Wayne State.
Bonk was nominated by Virginia Thomas, director of the Arthur Neef Law Library.
Mann has worked in both the public and private sectors throughout his career. After law school, Mann served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Horace Gilmore, Eastern District of Michigan. He then practiced law with Dykema Gossett as an associate in the litigation section before joining Wayne Law's faculty. Mann also served as a partner with Bowman and Brooke where he tried products liability cases throughout the United States.
After retiring from Bowman and Brooke, Mann returned to Wayne Law as an adjunct professor for the Disability Law Clinic. He became associate director of professional skills in 2015 and served as interim director of clinical education from fall 2016 until July of this year. Mann earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan.
Mann was nominated by Interim Dean Lance Gable.
-----
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is pleased to announce that four of its attorneys from the Detroit office were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Detroit attorneys selected for this year's Best Lawyers® guide include:
- Thomas E. Anderson (Patent Law)
- Ronald W. Citkowski (Patent Law)
- Douglas J. McEvoy (Patent Law)
- Douglas W. Sprinkle (Litigation - Intellectual Property; Patent Law)
Additionally, Thomas E. Anderson received "Best Lawyers® 2018 Patent Law "Lawyer of the Year" designation.
-----
George W. Gregory, PLLC
The publication Best Lawyers in America® recently announced that attorney George W. Gregory, of the law firm George W. Gregory PLLC in Troy, has been designated as one of the Best Lawyers in the specialty of Trusts and Estates and in the area of Litigation Trusts and Estates. This is the 17th consecutive year of his selection as one of the Best Lawyers. Gregory is also accomplished in the areas of tax controversy, business succession planning, probate, and presenting expert testimony.
Gregory's practice includes the area of IRS tax controversy, business succession planning, probate, real estate, corporations, and presenting expert testimony in these practice areas.
A current member of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), as well as a Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) member, Gregory is the past chair of the Employee Benefits Committee and the Probate Estates and Trusts Committee of the Oakland County Bar Association and a former Chair of the Probate and Estate Council and the Taxation Section Council, both for the State Bar of Michigan. He is also a frequently invited presenter.
-----
Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC
Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC announced that attorneys Edward Dawda, Susan Sadler, and Theresa Joswick have been recognized by Best Lawyers as 2018 "Lawyers of the Year." Managing Member Curt Mann made the announcement.
Dawda, Sadler, and Joswick were recognized for their work in the areas of Real Estate Law, Environmental Law and Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, respectively. All three also have also been recognized as Best Lawyers. Dawda has been honored 12 times in the practice area of Corporate and Real Estate law, Sadler eight times in the practice areas of Environmental Law, Litigation Environment, and Litigation Real Estate and Joswick 21 times (since 1997) in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law.
Dawda is a founding member of Dawda Mann and concentrates his practice on a variety of business and real estate transactional matters. He has nearly 40 years of experience in the industry and previously has been named a Top Lawyer in Metro Detroit by DBusiness, and has been named a Super Lawyer since 2007. Dawda also ranked in 2017 in band one in the real estate category by Chambers USA, his 13th consecutive year of such recognition. He earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law.
Sadler, also a founding member of Dawda Mann, is the head of the Environmental, Energy and Sustainability practice group where she concentrates on a broad spectrum of environmental issues. She is currently an active member of the American Bar Association's Litigation and Natural Resources and Energy and Environmental Law sections and is a Board Member of the Great Lakes Center for Legal Studies. She was previously the vice chair of the American Bar Association's Solid and Hazardous Waste Committee. Sadler earned her bachelor's degree from Albion College and her law degree from the University of Toledo.
Joswick, a member of Dawda Mann, has more than 40 years of experience in the employee benefits area (32 years as an attorney) and previously was named in the Top 50 Women Attorneys in Michigan in the New York Times, and has been named a Top Lawyer in Metro Detroit by DBusiness since 2010, a Super Lawyer since 2007, and recognized as a leading lawyer in band two or three in Chambers USA since 2006. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
- - -
The Michigan State Bar Foundation is pleased to announce our 2017 Award Recipients. The Founders Award recognizes lawyers who exemplify professional excellence and outstanding community contributions. The Access to Justice Award honors persons who have significantly advanced access to justice for the poor in Michigan.
The Founders Award will be presented on behalf of the Foundation at the September 27th State Bar Awards Banquet during the NEXT Conference, the State Bar's Annual Meeting, and the Access to Justice Award will be presented on September 27th during the 2017 Michigan State Bar Foundation's Fellows Reception.
The Founders Award will be presented to Linda K. Rexer. For almost three decades, Rexer directed the Foundation in its mission to provide leadership and funding to improve access to justice, particularly through civil legal aid for the poor, and for improvements in the administration of justice.
Rexer served as the first executive director of the MSBF. During her tenure, the Foundation grew to an entity that has awarded up to $11 million annually. Established in 1947, the Foundation has since made more than 1,950 grants and distributed over $190 million. Rexer provided state and national leadership for access to justice.
Rexer was a founding member of the State Bar of Michigan's Access to Justice Task Force in 1997 and even though she is retired, she is completing her term as co-chair of the Committee on Justice Initiatives (CJI).
One of Rexer's many legacies and proudest accomplishments was the creation of the national award winning Michigan Legal Help Program. Rexer had the visionary leadership and fortitude to understand the continuum of services needed and the necessity of a statewide online resource for pro se litigants to access information.
Rexer received many national awards and State Bar of Michigan Awards. In 2016, Rexer received the State Bar's highest award, the Roberts P. Hudson Award, honoring her legacy overflowing with long-lasting improvements to access to justice for all in Michigan.
The Access to Justice Awards will be presented to Angela Tripp and Michigan Legal Help, along with Ari Schrag and Edelson PC.
Tripp has devoted her career to serving the poor. After receiving her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in 2003, she immediately started working as a staff attorney for Prison Legal Services of Michigan (PLSM). In 2005, she was hired by Legal Services of South Central Michigan as a staff attorney and in 2012 became the co-director of the Michigan PLP, the entity that administers several statewide advocacy organizations including the Michigan Poverty Law Program.
Tripp also is the director of the Michigan Legal Help Program and has been involved since inception and led implemtation. The Michigan Legal Help Program is responsible for the statewide website (MichiganLegalHelp.org) for self-represented litigants and its affiliated Self-Help Centers around the state of Michigan.
Since the public launch of the Michigan Legal Help website and through June 30, 2017, the website has had over 11.4 million page views; 3.78 million visitor sessions and in June, 2017, visits to the website averaged 28,000 per week. Tripp has been invited to speak nationally about the Michigan Legal Help Program and was a presenter in 2015 at Legal Services Corporation's Fourth Annual White House Summit on Increasing Access to Justice.
Tripp has received many awards but most recently she was nominated for the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law.
Edelson PC is a consumer privacy and technology firm that actively promotes and advocates for access to justice. In 2017, low income individuals in Michigan benefited from two large cy pres awards that were directed to the Access to Justice Fund by Ari Scharg, a partner at the firm. The cases were both federal class action lawsuits involving the personal privacy rights of Michigan residents. Scharg is proud to support access to justice in his home state of Michigan.
Edelson PC has been recognized as "pioneers in the electronic privacy class action field" and for its unwavering commitment to access to justice by the Chicago Bar Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation. Scharg co-chairs the firm's Case Development and Investigations Group, sits on the Executive Oversight Council for the Array of Things, and chairs the Illinois State Bar Association's Privacy and Information Security Section.
The Michigan State Bar Foundation provides leadership and grants to improve access for all to the justice system, including support for civil legal aid to the poor, law-related education, and conflict resolution. For additional information, visit www.msbf.org.
- - -
Thirty one Plunkett Cooney attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Below is a list of local Plunkett Cooney attorneys who have received the 2018 Best Lawyers designation:
Bloomfield Hills
- Michael P. Ashcraft (partner) Legal Malpractice Law
- Douglas C. Bernstein (partner) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- William D. Booth (of counsel) Personal Injury Litigation. Booth has the distinction of being named to the Best Lawyers list for 30 years.
- Charles W. Browning (partner) Insurance Law
- Lawrence R. Donaldson (of counsel) Professional Malpractice Law
- Michael A. Fleming (partner) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Jeffrey C. Gerish (partner) Appellate Law
- Gregory Gromek (partner) Personal Injury Litigation
- Robert G. Kamenec (partner) Appellate Practice
- Mark S. Kopson (partner) Health Care Law
- David A. Lerner (partner) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Mary Massaron(partner) Appellate Law
- Saulius K. Mikalonis (senior attorney) Environmental Law
- Stanley C. Moore III (of counsel) Employment and Labor Law Management
- Kenneth C. Newa (partner) Insurance Law
- Scott H. Sirich (partner) Construction Law and Litigation
- Thomas P. Vincent (partner) Commercial Litigation
Detroit
- D. Jennifer Andreou (partner) Medical Malpractice Law
- James R. Geroux (partner) Workers' Compensation Law
- Laurel F. McGiffert (partner) Medical Malpractice Law
- Claudia D. Orr (senior attorney) Employment Law
- Stanley A. Prokop (partner) Insurance Law
- Mary Catherine Rentz (partner) Insurance Law
- - -
Beth Rivers has been elected a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Rivers is a partner with Royal Oak-based Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, & Rivers, a civil and employment rights law firm.
The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers is a non-profit professional association honoring those attorneys, who by their long and outstanding service, have distinguished themselves as leaders in the field of labor and employment law.
Rivers has devoted her entire legal career to advocating for individuals in employment discrimination and civil rights cases. She has successfully briefed and argued in a variety of venues, including the Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court, and many federal appellate courts.
She was responsible for two landmark decisions interpreting the Older Worker's Benefit Protection Act in federal court. In addition, Rivers wrote a brief to the New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of the plaintiff-employee in a case in which the court ruled that employers must abide by policies and procedures contained in handbooks and manuals.
Rivers is currently a member of the Flint Class Action Legal Team, a group of law firms and attorneys representing thousands of Flint residents in several class actions filed in the aftermath of lead contamination of the city's public water system.
In addition, Rivers is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, National Lawyers Guild, National Employment Lawyers Association, Michigan Association for Justice, and State Bar of Michigan Labor and Employment Section.
She is a graduate of Rutgers University and University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
- - -
Secrest Wardle is pleased to announce that five of the firm's attorneys have been listed in Best Lawyers in America for 2018. The firm congratulates Thomas J. Azoni, Derk W. Beckerleg, Daniel P. Makarski, Mark E. Morley, and Bruce A. Truex. All five attorneys are located in the firm's Troy office and have been listed in their respective categories in Troy.
Thomas J. Azoni is listed in the Insurance Law category. Azoni is a senior partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm's Construction, General Negligence, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation practice groups. Azoni serves as chair of the General Negligence Practice Group.
Derk W. Beckerleg is listed in the Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation Municipal and Municipal Law categories. Beckerleg is an executive partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm's Governmental Litigation, Municipal and Real Estate Practice Groups. Beckerleg serves as the managing partner of the Municipal Law Practice Group.
Daniel P. Makarski is listed in the Litigation Insurance category. Makarski is a senior partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group and serves as chair of the group.
Mark E. Morley is listed in the Insurance Law, Litigation Insurance, and Personal Injury Litigation Defendants categories. Morley is a senior partner and co-managing partner of Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution, Employment, Insurance Coverage, Malpractice/Professional Liability, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation and Product Liability Practice Groups. He serves as chair of the Malpractice/Professional Liability Practice Group.
Bruce A. Truex is listed in the Personal Injury Litigation Defendants category. Truex is a senior partner, president and co-managing partner of Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm's Commercial and Business Law, Employment, Environmental and Toxic Tort, Intellectual Property/Advertising Injury and Product Liability Practice Groups and serves as chair of each group.
In addition, Secrest Wardleis proud to announce that Senior Partner and Co-Managing Partner Mark E. Morley and Senior Partner Thomas J. Azoni have received Best Lawyers 2018 "Lawyer of the Year" awards in their respective categories in Troy.
Morley has been named the Best Lawyers 2018 Litigation Insurance "Lawyer of the Year" in Troy. Azoni has been named the Best Lawyers 2018 Insurance Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Troy.
Published: Mon, Aug 21, 2017
