Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Bernard (Bernie) J. Fuhs has been elected to serve on the firm's Board of Directors.
Fuhs is a nationally recognized expert on non-compete and trade secret matters, having litigated and/or counseled clients on such matters in all 50 states and has presented to many national and local business and/or legal organizations regarding the same.
Fuhs also has experience in franchise litigation, minority shareholder oppression disputes, financial services industry disputes (including proceedings with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), real estate, sales representative matters and cannabis law (licensing and appeals). He advises start-up and closely held businesses, as well as sports and fitness industry members.
Fuhs has been selected as a Business Litigation, Trade Secret and Franchise Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine. He has been named as a Michigan Super Lawyer (an award recognized no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Michigan) every year since 2013.
He was named to Crain's Detroit Business' "40 under 40" class. Fuhs was named to Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson's Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2013.
Fuhs serves as co-chair of Butzel Long's Diversity & Recruiting Committee and chair of the firm's Franchise Specialty Team. He also is a member of the firm's Non-Compete and Trade Secret Specialty Team.
Fuhs is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (2006) and the University of Detroit Mercy (2003). He interned for Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Maura Corrigan.
Fuhs is a member of the State Bar of Michigan; American Bar Association Employment Rights and Responsibilities Section Member and Non-Compete/Trade Secret Subcommittee Member; and, American Bar Association (Forum on Franchising).
Fuhs is a graduate of Leadership Oakland Class XXIII. He also is a member of the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law Alumni Board of Directors and Sheriff Oakland County PAL Program Board of Directors.
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Western Michigan University Cooley Law School's Board of Directors recently announced that James McGrath, professor of law and associate dean for academic support and bar services at Texas A&M University School of Law, will serve as the law school's next president and dean.
McGrath becomes only the third president and sixth dean since the law school's founding in 1972. He replaces Don LeDuc, who retired after 16 years serving as WMU-Cooley's president and dean.
McGrath's selection is the result of a national search in collaboration with the law school's faculty, staff, students, alumni and WMU representatives.
"The selection of James McGrath as president and dean comes as WMU-Cooley is in a strong position to enhance its standing in legal education," said Scott Dienes, WMU-Cooley board member who chaired the President and Dean Search Committee. "The search committee, and the law school's faculty and staff, found that his personal character and expertise in the areas of innovative legal education and performance outcomes align with WMU-Cooley Law's School's mission for training the next generation of attorneys."
McGrath joined Texas A&M University School of Law as a visiting associate professor of law in 2005 and has taught various courses since that time. He was promoted to professor of law in 2013, and became associate dean of academic support and bar services in 2015.
Throughout his career, McGrath has spoken at law schools around the country about teaching techniques and continues to focus his advocacy on serious issues facing education, healthcare and LGBTQ rights. He has had multiple works published on the topic of education and learning techniques, including: "Transparency in the Classroom: An ASPish Doctrinal Professor's Perspective," "Planning Your Class to Maximize Your Students' Use of Highly Effective Learning Techniques," and "Overcharging the Uninsured in Hospitals: Shifting a Greater Share of Uncompensated Medical Care Costs to the Federal Government."
McGrath earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from San Jose State University and a law degree from Howard University School of Law. He attended Harvard School of Public Health where he earned a Master of Public Health and earned a Master of Laws in graduate legal education at Temple University's Beasley School of Law. In 2011, McGrath served as a Fulbright Scholar earning a teaching fellowship at Beijing University of Chemical Technology in Beijing, China.
"I am excited for this opportunity to work with faculty and staff who are dedicated to Western Michigan University Cooley Law School's mission of access to the legal profession and modern program of instruction," said McGrath. "We will all work together to make our law school a model for the future of legal education."
McGrath will officially take over the office on July 1 from Interim President Jeffrey Martlew who has held the post since Sept. 2018. He will be moving to Michigan along with his husband Anthony and daughter Kinsey.
"The President and Dean Search Committee brought the board an outstanding candidate in James McGrath," said Lawrence P. Nolan, chair of WMU-Cooley's Board of Directors. "While the face of legal education experiences significant changes, his demonstrated leadership abilities and beliefs in legal education's role in promoting and encouraging diversity, make him exactly the right choice to lead Western Michigan Cooley Law School into the future."
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Chambers & Partners has ranked seven of the firm's practices in Michigan and 27 of the firm's Michigan attorneys in the 2019 Chambers USA Guide.
Below is a list of Dickinson Wright practices that are listed in Chambers USA 2019:
Michigan
Banking & Finance
Corporate/M&A
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Intellectual Property
Labor & Employment
Litigation: General Commercial
Real Estate
Below is a list of local Dickinson Wright attorneys who are listed in Chambers USA 2019:
• Banking and Finance
Craig W. Hammond, Troy
William P. Shield Jr., Detroit
Rachel Wolock, Detroit
• Banking and Finance: Bankruptcy
Steven G. Howell, Detroit
James A. Plemmons, Detroit
Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Detroit
• Corporate/M&A
Richard M. Bolton, Detroit
Mark R. High, Detroit
Andrew W. MacLeod, Detroit
Michael T. Raymond, Troy
• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Roberta P. Granadier, Troy
Cynthia A. Moore, Troy
• General Commercial Litigation
Thomas G. McNeill, Detroit
Edward H. Pappas, Troy
Daniel D. Quick, Troy
• Intellectual Property
John S. Artz, Troy
William H. Honaker, Troy
Richard A. Jones, Troy
• Labor & Employment
Timothy H. Howlett, Detroit
• Real Estate Law
James N. Candler Jr., Detroit
Stephen E. Dawson, Troy
Monica J. Labe, Troy
Katheryne L. Zelenock, Troy
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Chambers USA has again rated Bodman PLC as one of Michigan's top business law firms.
In the newly released 2019 edition, Chambers placed Bodman in "band one" (the highest possible rating) for Banking & Finance. Bodman has been the sole Michigan law firm ranked in band one for Banking & Finance for more than a decade.
Chambers also ranked Bodman among Michigan's top law firms in Corporate/M&A, Commercial Litigation, Real Estate, and Labor & Employment, and recognized the firm for expertise in Employee Benefits and Intellectual Property work.
Local Bodman attorneys were recognized as leaders in each of the seven practice areas that Chambers evaluates in Michigan, including:
• Banking & Finance
Robert J. Diehl Jr. (Detroit), Kathleen O'Callaghan Hickey (Detroit), Joseph J. Kochanek (Detroit), Ralph E. McDowell (Detroit), Larry R. Shulman (Detroit), Brian R. Trumbauer (Detroit), and Wendy L. Zabriskie (Troy)
• Commercial Litigation
Dennis J. Levasseur (Detroit) and Joseph J. Shannon (Detroit)
• Corporate/M&A
Timothy R. Damschroder (Ann Arbor), Laurence B. Deitch (Detroit), and Mark W. Peters (Troy)
• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
David B. Walters (Troy)
• Labor & Employment
John C. Cashen (Troy)
• Real Estate
Nicholas P. Scavone, Jr. (Detroit) and Andrew Z. Spilkin (Troy)
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In recognition of her dedication to her work in corporate and emerging & growth business law, Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC's Sara Kruse was named a Most Valuable Professional by Corp! Magazine. Jaffe CEO Jeffrey Weiss made the announcement.
Kruse, a partner and co-chair of Jaffe's Emerging & Growth Business Practice Group, is a trusted advisor to both private and public companies in all aspects of formation, governance and operations including complex business transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, private debt and equity financings. As a leader in the industry for more than 20 years, she has become a sought-after attorney who has demonstrated how to grow an extensive practice by finding creative solutions and embracing the spirit of an entrepreneur.
Kruse is serving her third consecutive term on Jaffe's Board of Directors, is a member of its Marketing Committee, and an active member and leader in Jaffe's Women's Caucus Group, a collaborative team of more than 55 attorneys and paralegals committed to relationship building, education and advancing female legal professionals.
Kruse earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan.
Published: Mon, Apr 29, 2019
