Legal People

Varnum attorneys Barbara Buchanan and Terry Miglio are contributing authors to the recently-released Third Edition of “Employment Litigation in Michigan,” published by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

The manual covers the full array of employment claims, with content provided by respected employment litigators. Buchanan and Miglio are co-authors of the chapter “Wrongful Discharge and Other Non-statutory Claims.”

Both Miglio and Buchanan are partners in Varnum’s Labor and Employment practice, representing employers before federal and state courts in litigation involving all types of employment and labor claims. They also represent and advise employers before federal and state administrative agencies in various matters including EEO charges, unfair labor practice charges, and wage and hour complaints.
“Employment Litigation in Michigan” was released in December 2017 and is available for purchase via the ICLE website.

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Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC is pleased to announce that attorney Lindsey A. Peck has joined the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. Peck will be focusing her practice on appellate litigation, dispositive motion practice, and post-verdict litigation in the trial courts.

As an experienced litigator, trial attorney, and appellate practitioner, Peck has litigated countless cases that resulted in summary disposition or summary judgment in favor of her clients. She has also tried multiple cases, all of which resulted in defense verdicts in favor of her clients.

Peck received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota and went on to obtain a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.

Peck has been a listed “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers® Magazine every year since 2013. She has also been recognized by Hour Detroit’s List of “Top Women Attorneys in Michigan” for the past five years, as well as a listed “Top Lawyer” by Michigan Top Lawyers in 2015.

Peck is a member of the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

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Katherine M. Pacynski, a shareholder with The Dobrusin Law Firm in Pontiac, has been selected as a member of the 2018 Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 under 40 class.

Pacynski focuses her practice on preparing and prosecuting patent applications, filed in the U.S. and internationally, with a number of clients involved in the automotive industry. Pacynski also is the current recording secretary of the Women’s Bar Association and a member of the Women’s Lawyers Association of Michigan. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Art & Soul, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to and inspiring adoption of foster children in Michigan.

The 2018 class was recently recognized at the State of the County address by Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson. Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 program celebrates its seventh year as the region’s leading award program that spotlights the top leaders under the age of 40 who excel in their vocation and show dynamic leadership.

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Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Thomas A. Kabel was the moderator and lead presenter at a Homeward Bound seminar titled,
“Opening the Closing Statement” on March 9. The seminar was presented by ICLE and the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section.

Kabel concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and real estate-related finance. He has been involved in all facets of acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and development of real property throughout his career.

He has experience representing commercial lenders in conventional financing and also has served as bank and bond counsel on numerous industrial revenue and other tax-exempt financings.

Kabel is a council member of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is former chair of the Section’s CLE Committee and of the Section’s Special Committee on Commercial Leasing and Property Management.

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Amy Mass, vice president and counsel of Citizens Insurance Company of America, was awarded the Mary Massaron Award for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession at DRI’s Women in Law Seminar on February 1. DRI, formerly known as the Defense Research Institute, is a leading organization of civil defense attorneys and in-house counsel members.

“It’s an honor to receive the Mary Massaron Award, and I appreciate the leaders at Citizens Insurance and DRI who believed in me and invested in the success of this important issue,” said Mass, who has worked for Citizens for the past 15 years. “It is encouraging to see the number of women employed in the legal profession grow, however it is critical to ensure that growth reaches the senior leadership levels of law firms and corporate legal departments. I am proud to play a role in helping more women find success at all levels of the legal profession.”

The award’s namesake, Mary Massaron, served as president of DRI in 2012 and 2013, becoming just the second woman to hold the post.

“Amy is well-deserving of the award,” said Mary Massaron, senior shareholder at Plunkett Cooney. “She worked to promote and support the advancement of women through her involvement in the Women in the Law Committee, her work on DRI’s Board of Directors, her leadership within DRI, and also within the State of Michigan on issues such as the American Law Institute’s work on a Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance, problems with the No-Fault Act, and aspects of the autonomous vehicles that will be coming soon. Amy has worked tirelessly to help achieve gender equality, justice and understanding in the legal profession for women and attorneys from all walks of life.”

The award is presented to a DRI member who has advocated for the inclusion and promotion of women in the legal profession, actively fought against gender discrimination, and is committed to mentoring women in the legal profession.

Mass oversees Citizens’ government affairs and provides legal support for the company. She has also served on DRI’s board of directors, chaired the Corporate Counsel Committee, and served on the steering committee of the Women in the Law Committee.

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Warner, Norcross, and Judd LLP has been again been recognized as one of the leading law firms in Michigan by Chambers USA 2018.

This is the 16th consecutive year that Warner Norcross has been ranked as one of Michigan’s leading law firms in the areas of banking and finance, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, employee benefits and executive compensation, labor and employment, general commercial litigation and real estate.

Additionally, Mary Jo Larson and Lisa Zimmer were recognized individually for their work in employee benefits and executive compensation. The two Southfield attorneys were among the eight Warner Norcross recognized individually for their work.

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Jeff Dobson, practice group leader and senior counsel, business operations for ITC Holdings Corp. has been recognized by DBusiness as one of metro Detroit’s Top Corporate Counsel for the second consecutive year.

Dobson joined ITC in 2011. In his role as senior counsel, he directs non-regulatory litigation for ITC and handles a diverse variety of legal matters including grid and business operations, risk management, physical security and cybersecurity across the 7-state ITC footprint.

Prior to joining ITC, he served as a member at the law firm of Dickinson Wright PLLC specializing in land use, business and utility law.
He earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from
Michigan State University.

Dobson is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Detroit Historical Society and a member of a scholarship committee for grants to the University of Detroit Mercy.