Fabrizio & Brook P.C.
Fabrizio & Brook PC, a Michigan-based law firm, has announced Panayiotis D. Marselis (Pete) as the newest addition to the company's group of attorneys.
Marselis brings 14 years of experience representing creditors. With his litigation and bankruptcy background, he will be in the role of managing bankruptcy attorney.
Marselis received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, including an international law program in Athens, Greece through Temple Law University Beasley School of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Wayne State University.
Marselis is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. He is a member of the Hellenic Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He has been listed as a Super Lawyers "Rising Star" since 2013.
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Plunkett Cooney
Plunkett Cooney recently expanded its motor vehicle liability practice with the addition of attorney Dennis J. Malecki.
Malecki is a member of the firm's Transportation Law Practice group, which is focused on the defense of litigation involving first- and third-party auto and trucking liability claims. He focuses his practice on insurance-related claims involving no-fault law and motor vehicle negligence.
In addition, Malecki has experience representing clients in the areas of family law, corporate law, criminal law and real estate law.
Admitted to practice in Michigan, Malecki received his law degree Michigan State University College of Law in 2015 and undergraduate degree from MSU in 2008.
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Dykema
Dykema recently announced the addition of James R. Case to its Commercial Litigation Practice Group as a member in the firm's Detroit office. Case joins Dykema after practicing with Kerr, Russell, and Weber PLC's Detroit office for more than 38 years.
Case's practice focuses on commercial, contract, construction, and surety law. Throughout his career, he has provided ongoing representation for numerous design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, owners, and suppliers in a wide range of business matters, including defense and prosecution of claims relating to damages for delay, differing site conditions, construction change directives, owner interference, design errors/omissions, and contract interpretation in connection with public and private construction projects. Case also represents sureties in large and small matters including defaults, litigation, and claims against performance and payment bonds.
Case also serves on the American Arbitration Association's National Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators, and the American Arbitration Association's Large, Complex Case Panel. He has served on numerous arbitration and mediation panels and regularly attends alternative dispute resolution continuing education and training.
Case earned his law degree from St. Johns University Law School, as well as a B.A. from Colgate University.
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Howard and Howard Attorneys PLLC
Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Richard J. Cantor has joined the firm. He will practice out of the firm's Royal Oak office.
Cantor concentrates his practice in intellectual property with a focus on the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and international patent applications. He has experience in the software, computer, electrical, and mechanical arts, including the areas of automotive telematics and infotainment systems, communications, wireless signal processing, autonomous vehicles, and revenue and inventory management. Cantor advises clients and drafts written opinions relating to patentability, non-infringement and invalidity, and represents clients in post grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also counsels clients in trademark matters and procures trademark registrations on their behalf.
Cantor received his law degree from the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University, Bloomington in 2013. He earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2010 and his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Michigan State University in 2008.
Cantor is licensed to practice in the states of Michigan and Ohio, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.
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Foley & Mansfield PLLP
The national defense firm of Foley & Mansfield recently announced the election of nine partners to its Equity Partnership and 15 attorneys to its Partnership, effective January 1.
Among those named to the Equity Partnership are attorneys Scott S. Holmes and Gregory M. Meihn, both of the firm's Detroit office.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that The Bond Buyer, a national publication covering municipal finance, selected the Michigan Finance Authority's issuance of bonds ($288.6 million) to finance the acquisition, construction and equipping of the Wayne County Jail and Justice Center Complex as the "Midwest Region Deal of the Year for 2018." Dickinson Wright attorneys Kester K. So and Peter Kulick and legal assistant Andrea Golladay served as bond counsel to the Michigan Finance Authority on the bond issue.
The 2018 Awards Ceremony was held on December 6 in New York and considered deals that closed between October 2, 2017 and September 28, 2018. It drew nominations throughout the nation for transactions ranging in size from a few million to billions of dollars. One finalist was selected from each of the five regions covered by The Bond Buyer. The entries were evaluated by The Bond Buyer's editors and bureau chiefs. They looked for deals that involved innovation, the ability to pull complex transactions together under challenging conditions, deals that could or did serve as a model for other financings, and the public purpose for which a transaction's proceeds were used.
The proceeds of the bonds funded a portion of Wayne County's contribution to the new criminal justice center. The security for the bonds utilized a new and innovative financing structure including a limited tax general obligation pledge of the County and an intercept of state aid payments to the County-one of the first county intercepts used in Michigan. The structure enabled Wayne County to access the public markets successfully for the first time since 2010.
Dickinson Wright's municipal law and finance practice consists of a team of lawyers with a national reputation as one of Michigan's top bond counsels. Our lawyers have served as bond counsel in virtually every type of public financing transaction. Additionally, the team acts as underwriter's counsel, trustee's counsel, counsel to credit enhancement providers, counsel to purchasers of municipal bonds and borrower's counsel in connection with all types of tax exempt and tax credit bond financings. Our lawyers have been recognized by both Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers in the areas of municipal law and finance.
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Dalton & Tomich PLC
Award-winning scholar, author and professor Christopher C. Lund has joined the Detroit office of the law firm Dalton & Tomich PLC. Lund will focus his practice on helping churches and other religious entities navigate property disputes resulting from denominational departures and defending religious freedoms in land use and zoning cases, particularly those involving violations of the Religious Land Use & Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
Lund is a co-author of the casebook, "Religion and the Constitution," which is a core text studied at leading law schools across the country. His academic work has been published in student-edited law reviews, peer-reviewed legal journals and peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journals.
In 2017, the Law and Religion Section of the American Association of Law Schools recognized Lund with its Berman Prize for Excellence in Scholarship for his piece, Religion is Special Enough. Lund's work has been cited in various articles, books and judicial opinions, and he is regularly called upon to share insight with media outlets, civil rights organizations and religious groups.
A professor of law at Wayne State University Law School, Lund has been voted Professor of the Year six times. He is a past chair of the Law and Religion Section of the Association of American Law Schools, as well as past chair of the Section on New Law Professors. He sits on the lawyers' committee of the ACLU of Michigan.
Lund earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and his bachelor of arts from Rice University with majors in mathematics and psychology.
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Miller Canfield
Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that employee benefits attorney Samantha A. Kopacz has joined the firm's Corporate and Transactions Group in its Troy office.
Kopacz has more than 12 years of experience representing employers, group health plans, insurance companies and third-party administrators in regulatory and compliance issues related to employee benefits. She advises clients on various laws and regulations that intersect with employee benefits, such as ERISA, IRC, HIPAA, PPACA, FMLA, and COBRA. She has experience drafting plan documentation and communications, negotiating benefits-related contracts, conducting legal compliance audits, and coordinating government filings on behalf of clients. Kopacz is a frequent author and public speaker on topics related to employee benefits such as wellness programs and healthcare reform.
In addition to her work in the area of employee benefits, Kopacz also has experience representing health plans, medical providers and business associates on HIPAA compliance issues. She also has experience representing businesses and individuals in entity formation, governance, reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, and other corporate matters.
Kopacz is a lifelong Michigan resident and a graduate of Wayne State University Law School.
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Bodman PLC
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Maria M. Martinez, a senior associate in the firm's Detroit office, has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's 2018 class of "Up & Coming Lawyers."
Lawyers Weekly honored Martinez and the other members of the 2018 class at a luncheon ceremony on December 13 at the Detroit Marriott in Troy.
A member of Bodman's Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution and Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Groups, Martinez primarily represents business clients in complex litigation matters. She is experienced in a wide-range of commercial and business disputes, representing banks, insurance and financial service companies, OEMs, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, and telecommunications companies. She has also served as assistant city attorney for the City of Grosse Pointe Park, prosecuting criminal misdemeanors and enforcing the city code.
Outside of the office, Martinez is involved in many community and professional organizations. She is a member of the board of advisors and 2019 campaign chair for the Boll Family YMCA, co-chair of the Inforum Downtown Detroit Affinity Group, and a member of ICLE's Litigation Advisory Board. She is a frequent volunteer with VIP Mentoring and Matrix Human Services in Detroit.
Published: Mon, Dec 17, 2018
