LEGAL PEOPLE

The Solo and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of Michigan just announced that attorney George W. Gregory, of the law firm George W. Gregory PLLC in Troy, has been named as the winner of the section’s 2018 Outstanding Achievement Award.

Gregory’s practice includes the areas 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 to these and other groups.

Gregory was a professor with Wayne State University’s School of Business Administration where he taught classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He was a revenue agent with the IRS from 1973–1980. He is very active in the Section, and earlier this year served as a speaker on taxation at the Section’s spring taxation seminar given at the Auburn Hills campus of WMU-Cooley Law School.

In addition to providing significant services to the Sole & Small Firm Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Gregory has served in numerous capacities in other sections as well, including being chair of the Probate & Estate Planning Section and the Taxation Section.

Gregory was also chair of the Tax Section’s After Hours Tax Series, the 1994 Summer Tax Conference, and the Tax Section’s Directory. He was one of the draftsmen of the Michigan Estate Tax Act, which repealed the old Michigan inheritance tax. He has written about tax related topics for the Michigan Bar Journal and other publications. Gregory is also a CPA and has been a member of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Gregory is rated AV for very high to preeminent legal abilities by the Martindale-Hubble rating service and has been named by Best Lawyers magazine as their Lawyer of the Year for 2014 in Litigation-Trusts for the Detroit area.

The Outstanding Achievement Award is given annually to an attorney or attorneys who are current members of the Solo & Small Firm Section and who have exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of the Section or others. The recipient’s contribution may have been made during the past year or by virtue of cumulative effort or service during his career.

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Metro Detroit birth injury law firm Reiter & Walsh ABC Law Centers welcomes attorney Anne Randall to the team. She brings extensive medical-legal knowledge and more than 30 years handling healthcare and malpractice cases to the firm.

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Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the reappointment of Douglas Messing to the Michigan Appellate Defender Commission.

The seven-member commission develops a system of indigent appellate defense services and oversees the State Appellate Defender Office and Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System.

Messing has worked for the Michigan Court of Appeals since 1989, currently serving as the assistant director of the Research Division. He previously worked at the court as a prehearing attorney, a judicial law clerk, a senior research attorney and as supervisor of the senior research attorneys.

Messing received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Dayton and his law degree from Detroit College of Law. He will continue to serve as the designee of the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Messing will serve a four-year term expiring May 24, 2022.

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Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce Shareholder Robyn Lederman has been appointed to serve as co-chair of the firm’s Trademark practice. Lederman joined Brooks Kushman in 2002 and has been instrumental in growing and developing the firm’s global footprint and expertise in trademark law.

Lederman has more than 25 years of experience in both U.S. and international trademark law. Her clients include some of the world’s most prominent brands with whom she counsels on global branding strategies to clear, protect and enforce trademarks and their impact on the business. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Lederman worked at a technology law firm in Israel and continues to connect and create partnerships between Israeli innovators and Michigan investors. She also has worked on economic projects for clients in both regions.

Lederman is actively involved in many legal and community organizations in southeastern Michigan. She served on the board of Jewish Family Services, Hillel of Metro Detroit and the founding board of the Michigan Israel Business Bridge. Lederman also served on the International Trademark Association (INTA) Well-Known and Famous Marks and Parallel Imports Committees. A longtime advocate for supporting those who live in work in Detroit, Lederman is passionate about mentoring start-ups, and actively volunteers with Retooling Detroit, a literacy program in Detroit Public Elementary Schools.

Lederman graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in
telecommunications.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Kelly Martorano has been elected as chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Environmental Law Section. Her
selection took place during the Annual Meeting on September 27.

The State Bar of Michigan’s Environmental Law Section examines proposed legislation and regulations concerning natural resources and environmental law. The chair is responsible for leading the section’s Executive Council and promoting the education of members of the Bar and the general public in those areas pertaining to natural resources and environmental law. This is accomplished through the sponsoring of webinars and conferences as well as the publication of the Michigan Environmental Law Journal.

Martorano is Of Counsel in the firm’s Troy office. Through her practice, she assists clients such as, large and small companies, financial institutions, and municipalities with evaluating and navigating various transactional and regulatory environmental issues. In addition, she has prepared and negotiated purchase and sale agreements, leases, easements, and various real estate documents related to the acquisition, disposition, leasing, construction and financing of medical office building projects in Michigan.

Martorano is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars.” She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Air and Waste Management Association, and the Michigan Wetlands Association. She received her B.S. from Michigan State University and her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.