Foster Swift attorney Stefania Gismondi was among those from the State Bar of Michigan's Young Lawyers Section sworn in at the United States Supreme Court at a small group bar admission ceremony on October 10 in Washington, D.C.
Gismondi, an alumna of the University of Michigan, is a member of the firm's General Litigation group and practices in the Southfield office. The 2010 Wayne State University Law School grad has experience working with small business enterprises and non-profits.
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Businesses investing in talent was the focus for Forward Detroit's investor briefing program Oct. 16 at the Detroit Athletic Club which featured Butzel Long Chairman Richard E. Rassel as a speaker. He provided an update on the Detroit Regional Chamber's Detroit Drives Degrees talent initiative.
Rassel practices primarily in the area of complex business litigation and arbitration with a special concentration in media law. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers from 1989-2013 and is a graduate of the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution Mediation and Arbitration.
In addition, Butzel Long announces that attorney Angela Emmerling Shapiro will be a featured speaker during the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) Midwest Regional Conference and eDiscovery Symposium on Friday, Oct. 26, at the Greektown Hotel. Shapiro is a panelist for the session titled "AI Defining, Demystifying and Paths to Really Using Artificial Intelligence."
Shapiro is a litigation attorney with a focus on electronic discovery. She helps clients overcome the technological and legal challenges presented during civil litigation and governmental investigations where large volumes of potential evidence have been electronically created and stored.
Electronic discovery is a constantly-evolving field and companies face serious legal consequences when evidence is not adequately preserved or when preserved data is not defensibly collected and reviewed during the litigation discovery process. Shapiro works with clients to meet these challenges efficiently and cost effectively. She also works with multi-national clients to navigate complex data privacy laws that impact the preservation, collection and use of electronic evidence during U.S. litigation.
Shapiro was one of the first attorneys in the state to develop a deep practice in the area of electronic discovery. She is an advocate for using technology, including predictive analytics and artificial intelligence where appropriate, to efficiently and effectively assess Terabytes of data and to find the key records necessary for successful legal advocacy.
Shapiro has achieved the Certified Electronic Discovery Specialist certification. CEDS certification is earned by individuals who pass a comprehensive four-hour examination that provides a tough and objective measure of an individual's mastery of all aspects of electronic discovery.
In addition to achieving her CEDS certification, Shapiro has been named a DBusiness Magazine "Top Lawyer" in the Information Management and eDiscovery category repeatedly since the category was first introduced in 2014. In 2018 she was also named a "Top Lawyer" in the Information Technology Law category.
She is one of 25 Michigan women named to Crain's Detroit Business' "Notable Women in Tech.
Shapiro is a recipient of the 2015 Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (MDTC) Volunteer of the Year Award and a 2018 Distinguished Service Award for her longtime role as a (now former) MDTC board member. She is a member of the national and Detroit chapters of the Academy of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) and serves on the Technology Committee for the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association and is admitted to practice in all Michigan state and federal courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shapiro also serves as the chair of Butzel Long's Women's Leadership Committee and in that role has organized multiple fundraisers for Gleaners Community Food Bank, including a "PBJ & Wine" event that benefited Gleaners' Hunger Free Summer Program. She also sits on the firm's Pro Bono and Technology Committees.
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Michael J. Sulaka has joined the firm as an associate attorney in the Detroit office.
Sulaka is a member of the firm's Business Practice Group, Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Practice Group, Real Estate Practice Group, Intellectual Property Practice Group, and Tax Practice Group.
He represents and advises clients involved in mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, strategic management decisions, and general corporate matters.
Sulaka provides counsel to clients operating within all phases of the business life cycle: including formation, operation, valuation, and exit. He routinely handles intellectual property and tax matters for his client base, which includes athletes, artists, and creative agencies, along with the most prominent and culturally influential brands in Detroit in the convergent space of fashion, music, film, and design.
Before joining Bodman, Sulaka was a partner at another southeast Michigan law firm where he represented and counseled small and mid-sized businesses and nonprofit organizations on corporate law matters and practiced real estate, tax, and intellectual property law. Prior to that, he worked as a tax consultant at an industry-leading international accounting and consulting firm developing and optimizing tax strategies for global multinational enterprises.
During his graduate studies at the University of Detroit Mercy, Sulaka earned his J.D./MBA with concentrations in corporate law, strategy and management and externed as a law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice David F. Viviano.
Dedicated to community enrichment, Sulaka currently serves as the executive director at fam love, a 501(c)3 charity that connects diverse individuals and communities through fashion, art, athletics, and music culture.
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Michigan Super Lawyers magazine recently named 22 attorneys from Plunkett Cooney to its 2018 list of "Super Lawyers."
For the twelfth consecutive year, Plunkett Cooney appellate attorney Mary Massaron has received special recognition by the magazine inclusion among the state's top 50 women lawyers. D. Jennifer Andreou, the firm's Medical Litigation Practice Group co-leader, was included on the list of the top 50 women lawyers as well.
Below is a list of local Plunkett Cooney's partners who have received the 2018 Michigan Super Lawyer designation:
Bloomfield Hills office members:
- Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. - Professional Liability: Defense
- Douglas C. Bernstein - Bankruptcy
- Charles W. Browning - Insurance Coverage
- Henry B. Cooney - Civil Litigation Defense
- Lawrence R. Donaldson - Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Jeffrey C. Gerish - Appellate
- Robert G. Kamenec - Appellate
- Mark S. Kopson - Health Care
- Anthony J. Rusciano - Business Litigation
- Scott H. Sirich - Construction Litigation
- Thomas P. Vincent - Professional Liability: Defense
- Michael D. Weaver - Employment Litigation Defense
Detroit office members:
- D. Jennifer Andreou - Personal Injury Defense: Medical Malpractice
- James R. Geroux - Workers' Compensation
- Laurel F. McGiffert - Personal Injury Defense: Medical Malpractice
- Stanley A. Prokop - Insurance Coverage
- Mary Catherine Rentz - Insurance Coverage
- Matthew J. Stanczyk - Personal Injury Defense: Products
In addition, Michigan Super Lawyers magazine has awarded several lawyers from Plunkett Cooney its "Rising Star" honor.
Below is a list of local Plunkett Cooney attorneys who have received the 2017 Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star designation:
Bloomfield Hills office members:
- Hilary A. Ballentine - Appellate
- Abe Barlaskar - Personal Injury: Defense
- Alexander R. Baum - Personal Injury: Defense
- Karen E. Beach - Appellate
- Josephine A. DeLorenzo - Appellate
- Marc P. Jerabek - Bankruptcy: Business
- Chase M. Kubica - Personal Injury: Defense
- Patrick C. Lannen - Banking
- Courtney L. Nichols - Employment & Labor
- Olivia M. Paglia - Insurance Coverage
Detroit office members:
- Joseph A. Campbell - Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
- Kimberly K. Seibert - Civil Litigation: Defense
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Joseph J. Pytel Jr. has joined the firm's Troy office as Of Counsel.
Pytel concentrates his practice on providing strategic counseling on intellectual property matters and preparing and prosecuting patent applications in the electrical, computer hardware and software, and mechanical arts. He has more than 15 years of industry experience supporting a major automotive company while at Electronic Data Systems and Hewlett Packard holding roles including project software engineer, engineering project manager, and global ITIL process owner for Change and Release Management.
Pytel is the secretary for the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers "Rising Stars."
Pytel received his B.S. in computer engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute; his M.S. in manufacturing management from Kettering University; his M.S. in operations management from Kettering University; and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Published: Mon, Oct 22, 2018
