Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kurtis T. Wilder has rejoined Butzel Long, where he practiced earlier in his career. He rejoins as Of Counsel.
Wilder served on the Michigan Supreme Court following his appointment by Governor Rick Snyder on May 9, 2017. Prior that time, Wilder served as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from December 1998 to May 2017 and a judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court from March 1992 to December 1998.
Wilder, the 112th justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. degree in Political Science in 1981, and from the University of Michigan Law School with a law degree in 1984.
He has memberships in the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation; the Federalist Society, Board of Advisors, Lawyers Division-Michigan Chapter; and the Wolverine Bar Association. Wilder has served as a member of the Model Criminal Jury Instruction Committee, the Family Division Joint Rules Committee, and the Family Court Implementation Task Force. He is a past president of the Michigan Judges Association, and past chairman of the State Bar Judicial Conference. Wilder also served as the Supreme Court's liaison for courthouse security.
Wilder has also been active in numerous civic and philanthropic endeavors throughout his career. He is a former chair of the State of Michigan Community Corrections Advisory Board; former board chair of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan and Nonprofit Enterprise at Work; former board member of The Sphinx Organization; Rotary Club of Ann Arbor; Ann Arbor Symphony; and, American Red Cross, Washtenaw County Chapter.
Wilder currently serves on the Boards of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation; and Interlochen Center for the Arts. He is an elder and chancel choir member at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth.
- - -
Jason P. Tejani has joined the law firm of Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP as a new attorney in the Technology & Intellectual Property Practice Group.
Tejani concentrates his practice in intellectual property and patent matters with an emphasis on chemical, biotech, material and mechanical technologies. He will practice in the firm's Southfield office.
Prior to joining Warner, Tejani worked with Lorenz & Kopf LLP in Troy, where he managed global patent portfolios and acted as in-house counsel for a global supplier of specialty chemicals. He previously practiced on the IP team at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC. Earlier in his career, Tejani worked in the automotive supply chain for AkzoNobel, the Dutch multinational producer of paint and specialty coatings.
Tejani earned bachelor degrees in biochemistry and microbiology from Michigan State University before moving to Oakland University for his master's degree in chemistry. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Tejani is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is registered with the U.S. Patents & Trademark Office.
- - -
Plunkett Cooney recently named several attorneys as its newest shareholders. Local attorneys Chase M. Kubica, Mitchell McIntyre, and Kimberly K. Seibert were unanimously approved by the firm's Board of Directors as the firm's newest shareholders. The promotion from associate attorney is based on the recommendations of the firm's Shareholder Evaluation Committee and is effective January 1, 2019.
Kubica is a member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office who focuses his litigation practice in the areas of motor vehicle liability, no fault law and premises liability. He represents national insurers, corporations and individuals in first- and third-party automobile negligence claims, as well as uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits. Kubica also has experience handling cases that involve alleged fraud and suspicious insured and medical provider claims related to motor vehicle accidents.
Admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Kubica has been named as a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2013. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a 2006 graduate of Michigan State University.
McIntyre is a member of the firm's Transportation Law Practice Group. He has experience with insurance coverage, no-fault and high exposure transportation litigation and also specializes in transportation network claims and ride-sharing. McIntyre represents some of the largest carriers and rental car corporations in the country and acts as Michigan panel counsel for one of the premier network transportation companies.
A member of the firm's Detroit office, McIntyre graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 2012. He received his undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University in 2008.
Seibert serves as co-leader of Plunkett Cooney's Transportation Law Practice Group. She focuses her practice in the areas of motor vehicle negligence and no-fault law, routinely defending insurers, rental car companies, trucking companies, and corporations in no-fault coverage disputes and negligence suits.
A member of the firm's Detroit office, Seibert has been named for the past two years as a Michigan Rising Star in Civil Litigation Defense by Michigan Super Lawyers. She received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2011 and her undergraduate degree from University of Michigan in 2008.
- - -
Timothy O'Connell has been named partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC. Jaffe CEO Jeffrey Weiss made the announcement.
O'Connell joined Jaffe as an associate in the firm's Litigation and Aviation Practice Groups in November 2015. He specializes in all aspects of complex civil litigation and insurance defense, including the defense of airlines, airports, governmental entities and product manufacturers.
O'Connell earned his law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He earned a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. and a bachelor's degree in English from DePaul University in Chicago.
He has been admitted to the Michigan, Illinois and Ohio state bars, and the United States District Courts of the Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Illinois and Southern District of Illinois.
- - -
Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Katheryne Zelenock has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Eversight, an international non-profit based in Southeast Michigan that works to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research.
"It's a very exciting time to serve on the Board of Directors for Eversight," says Zelenock. "Eversight is a wonderful organization that is impacting the health and well-being of individuals who suffer from vision loss. While Eversight's mission originated with the establishment of the fourth eye bank in the United States, Eversight now encompasses a much wider and expanding array of services, including recovery and evaluation of eye tissue for transplantation, support of research into causes and cures of blinding conditions, and providing humanitarian aid in the form of sight-restoring therapies, both domestically and in other areas of the world, and that mission continues to evolve. I am pleased to bring my professional creativity and life experience to this organization as it embraces these changes."
Zelenock is a member and chair of the firm's Real Estate Finance practice. In her practice, she leads a team that closes commercial and multifamily mortgage loans across the country on behalf of leading national lenders as well as smaller regional and local banks, including multifamily and manufactured housing community loans originated for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. She is also experienced in matters related to troubled properties and owners, and the modification, restructuring and workout of financing arrangements, including related litigation and due diligence.
Zelenock is a member of the American Bar Association, the Mortgage Bankers' Association of America, Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Oakland County Bar Association. She is a Fellow and elected member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, and is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA: Leading Lawyers for Business, Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness magazine. Zelenock received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
- - -
Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce that James M. Reid IV has been elected to the Executive Council of the Michigan Society for Human Resource Management (MISHRM).
Beginning in 2019, Reid will serve as the MISHRM director-elect for two years, followed by two years as the Council's Director, then as immediate past director for an additional two-year term.
Throughout his six-year term, Reid will assist in establishing policies, strategies and objectives consistent with SHRM policies and provide guidance to MISHRM council members and other volunteers to assist in supporting the organization's objectives of providing service, leadership and development opportunities to human resource professionals in Michigan.
The announcement was made by the firm's president and CEO, Steven D. Sallen.
A shareholder, Reid serves on Maddin Hauser's Executive Committee, as co-chairman of its Corporate and Employment Practice Group, and as a member of its Franchise and Distribution Practice Group. He works mainly with employers on a spectrum of employment issues including counseling and advising human resource professionals and business owners.
Reid is a frequent local and national presenter on a wide range of employment topics. Along with providing regular advice and counsel to clients, he conducts tailored trainings for staff, management, and executive teams to guide them through the landmines and best practices for hiring, managing, and separating employees. He has also written several articles on topics including strategies for updating employee handbooks and successfully challenging claims for unemployment benefits.
Elected Labor and Employment Law Section Council for the State Bar of Michigan, Reid is a member of its Labor and Employment Law Section e-News Committee. He serves as MISHRM's director of resource partners and was previously chair of the Oakland County Bar Association's Employment Law Committee.
Reid has been named as a Michigan Super Lawyers® Rising Star, listed as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine and received the Oakland County Bar Association's 2014 Distinguished Service Award for exceptional voluntary services benefiting the organization.
Published: Mon, Jan 21, 2019
