Legal People

Dalton & Tomich PLC recently announced that attorney Alexander Reuter has joined the firm. Reuter is a passionate and accomplished litigator, specializing in all aspects of business, real estate and commercial litigation. A focal point of his work for the Detroit-based firm will be support for churches and other religious organizations nationwide in the highly specialized area of religious land use and zoning law, particularly cases under the Religious Land Use & Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).

Reuter also will co-lead Dalton & Tomich’s Michigan land use and zoning practice area. He will represent property owners in all facets of real estate matters, from boundary disputes to enforcing easements and associated water rights (riparian rights). Reuter has successfully represented both individuals and developers, appearing before municipalities and agency boards, and on appeal to circuit courts. He joins a team that recently created the free resource “Easements, Access and Riparian Rights: A Guide to the Laws Governing Access to Michigan’s Lakes, Streams and Waterways.”
Reuter was named a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers in 2019 in the area of Business Litigation. He graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the University of Concordia, Ann Arbor.

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Dennis J. Clark, a local attorney who has helped many people and community organizations through his professional and pro bono efforts, has been named the 2019 winner of the Monsignor Charles J. Malloy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Malloy Award, presented annually by the Catholic Lawyers Society of Detroit, recognizes Catholic judges and lawyers whose service and character exemplify and advance the highest values of both the Catholic faith and the legal profession. The award is named for Monsignor Charles J. Malloy, a longtime canonical lawyer for the Archdiocese of Detroit and CLS’ first spiritual director. Past winners include U.S. District Court Judge Terrence G. Berg and former Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo.

Clark’s involvement with Connect Detroit, which Clark serves as chair of the board of directors, was an important factor in the award decision, said CLS President Robert S. Gazall.

“Dennis has a long and rich history of giving of his time to charities and other local and national organizations,” said Gazall. “Dennis’s work with Connect Detroit is an excellent example. Inspired by his Catholic faith, Dennis brings legal skills to bear on issues affecting Detroit families. He’s a reminder that our Catholic faith, fully lived, embraces service to others.”

Founded in 2001, Connect Detroit pursues partnerships between local government agencies and community groups on issues affecting Detroit residents, such as summer jobs programs and safe after-school and recreational activities for children. To date, Connect Detroit has organized, managed, and led more than four-dozen community initiatives and mobilized more than $140 million to support that work.

Clark, who is principal of Detroit-based Clark Law Firm PLLC, was previously vice-president of compliance and ethics for the Auto Club Group (AAA). Before that, he was a partner at Plunkett Cooney, where he specialized in compliance, civil rights, personal injury, and criminal law. Since 2011, he has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Clark is a past national president of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association and past chair of the Foundation Fellows. He is also a trustee and treasurer of the Federal Bar Foundation of Detroit and a past president of the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Clark is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

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Howard & Howard has donated to three Michigan nonprofit groups as part of its 150th anniversary “12 Months of Giving” initiative. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, the organizations receiving the contribution are Michigan Autism Partnership, Judson Center, and Ted Lindsay Foundation.

The Howard & Howard law firm and several of its attorneys are long-time supporters of the recipient organizations, which provide services, education, support, and advocacy for individuals with autism and their families.

• Michigan Autism Partnership (http://www.mapautism.org/) – Michigan Autism Partnership’s (MAP) mission is to create a state-wide network of parents and professionals that supports and promotes intensive developmental interventions for young children with ASD.

• Judson Center (judsoncenter.org) – The Center’s Autism Connections is focused on providing an evidence-based continuum of care, including applied behavioral analysis services, counseling, parent training, sibshops, and events and workshops for family members.

• Ted Lindsay Foundation (tedlindsay.org) – The Foundation’s mission is to support research and educational programs, focusing on the cause and management of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The donation is part of the Howard & Howard’s “12 Months of Giving” initiative, a year-long charitable campaign involving all of the firm’s offices and their respective communities. As part of its 150th anniversary, the firm will be working with various community and charitable groups in Michigan, Illinois, and Nevada, volunteering and donating more than $150,000 throughout 2019.