Legal People

U.S. News & World Report has named 103 Miller Canfield attorneys in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio in “Best Lawyers 2020.” Recognized for excellence in 58 practice specialties, lawyers earning Best Lawyers distinction are rated by their peers as standouts in their profession.

Additionally, 15 Miller Canfield attorneys were recognized with Lawyer of the Year Awards:

James L. Allen - Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Thomas G. Appleman - Securities / Capital Markets Law

Brad B. Arbuckle - Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Marjory G. Basile - Litigation - Patent

Ronald W. Bloomberg - Natural Resources Law

William J. Danhof - Banking and Finance Law

Gerald J. Gleeson II - Criminal Defense: General Practice

Kurt P. McCamman - Litigation - Labor and Employment

Jeffrey M. McHugh - Public Finance Law

Megan P. Norris - Employment Law - Management

Gregory A. Nowak - Tax Law

Thomas C. O’Brien - Criminal Defense: General Practice

Stephen J. Ott - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

A. Michael Palizzi - Litigation - Intellectual Property

Trent J. Taylor - Banking and Finance Law

•            •            •

Dykema announced that 119 of its attorneys, in multiple practice areas and markets, have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020 guide. Additionally, 18 of the firm’s practitioners have been named Best Lawyers 2020 “Lawyer of the Year.”

The local Dykema attorneys named Best Lawyers 2020 “Lawyers of the Year,” the practice area(s) for which they are being recognized and office location are:

J. Michael Bernard - Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Detroit

Bowden V. Brown - Public Finance Law, Bloomfield Hills

James P. Feeney - Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Bloomfield Hills

Todd Grant Gattoni - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Detroit

Alan M. Greene - Litigation - Real Estate, Bloomfield Hills

Dennis M. Haffey - Litigation - Banking and Finance, Bloomfield Hills

Kathryn J. Humphrey - Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Detroit

Howard B. Iwrey - Litigation – Antitrust, Bloomfield Hills

Peter M. Kellett - Litigation – Securities, Detroit

D. Richard McDonald - Securities Regulation, Bloomfield Hills

Cameron H. Piggott - Real Estate Law, Detroit

The local Dykema attorneys listed in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America guide, identified by office location and the practice areas for which they have been recognized, are:

Bloomfield Hills

Brian R. Balow – Corporate Law

Michael Blalock – Commercial Litigation

Brendan J. Cahill – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Amy M. Christen – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Michael G. Cumming – Trusts and Estates

Stephen R. Estey – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation - Real Estate; Real Estate Law

James P. Feeney – Arbitration; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Adam M. Fishkind – Real Estate Law

Fred J. Fresard – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Alan M. Greene – Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation - Land Use and Zoning; Litigation - Real Estate

Clay Guise – Commercial Litigation

Dennis M. Haffey – Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Banking and Finance; Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation - Securities; Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Kyle R. Hauberg – Project Finance Law; Real Estate Law

Joseph H. Hickey – Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Banking and Finance

Margaret Adams Hunter – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Howard B. Iwrey – Antitrust Law; Litigation - Antitrust

Gerald T. Lievois – Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law

Bonnie Mayfield – Litigation - Labor and Employment

Richard McDonald – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law; Securities Regulation

Brian M. Moore – Commercial Litigation

Paul Nystrom – Commercial Litigation; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

James D. Obermanns – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

John W. Rees – Patent Law

Kenneth J. Sachs – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Brian Smith – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Sheryl L. Toby – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation - Bankruptcy

Detroit

J. Michael Bernard – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Robert A. Boonin – Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment

Lisa A. Brown – Commercial Litigation

James R. Case – Construction Law

Michael P. Cooney – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Sherrie L. Farrell – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Litigation

Todd G. Gattoni – Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Grant P. Gilezan – Environmental Law; Litigation - Environmental

James F. Hermon – Litigation - Labor and Employment

Kathryn J. Humphrey – Aviation Law; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Mark D. Jacobs – Environmental Law

Peter M. Kellett – Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Antitrust; Litigation - Securities; Mediation; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Joel D. Kellman – Litigation - Real Estate; Real Estate Law

Jin-Kyu Koh – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law

Rochelle Lento – Real Estate Law

Cameron H. Piggott – Litigation - Real Estate; Real Estate Law

Harold D. Pope – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Carl Rashid Jr. – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation - Real Estate; Litigation and Controversy – Tax; Real Estate Law; Tax Law

Daniel J. Schairbaum – Real Estate Law

Thomas M. Schehr – Commercial Litigation

Thomas S. Vaughn – Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law

•            •            •

Kemp Klein is pleased to announce that 16 lawyers have been included in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Kemp Klein would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to 2020 The Best Lawyers in America list:

William B. Acker - Real Estate Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates, Litigation and Controversy - Tax

C. Leslie Banas - Real Estate Law, Corporate Law

Richard D. Bisio - Commercial Litigation

Cynthia E. Brazzil - Corporate Law

Joseph P. Buttiglieri - Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Ralph A. Castelli Jr. - Real Estate Law, Corporate Law

Mark R. Filipp - Litigation - Labor and Employment

George W. Gregory - Trusts and Estates

Brian R. Jenney - Trusts and Estates, Elder Law

Christopher R. Martella - Real Estate Law

Alan A. May - Trusts and Estates, Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Norman D. Orr - Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Thomas C. Rauch - Real Estate Law

Amy A. Stawski - Family Law

Thomas V. Trainer - Trusts and Estates, Elder Law

Michael D. Umphrey - Trusts and Estates, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)

•            •            •

Patricia Nemeth, founder of Detroit-based management side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Law PC, has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020. Nemeth was
recognized in the practice areas of Employment Law–Management; Labor Law–Management; and Litigation–Labor and Employment. She has been included on the Best Lawyers’ list since 2010.

For 27 years, Nemeth has led the management side labor and employment firm she founded as a solo practitioner in 1992. Nationally recognized, the firm exclusively represents management in the prevention, resolution and litigation of labor and employment disputes.

Nemeth is an arbitrator and a certified mediator for all types of civil litigation, including employment. Her areas of legal expertise include all aspects of traditional labor and employment litigation law, including complex employment investigations and analyses, discrimination/harassment, age, disability, sex, race, whistleblowers, wrongful discharge, union organizing activities and union issues, and multi-party lawsuits.

Nemeth earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and law degrees from Wayne State University Law School.  In April 2016, she received a Distinguished Alumni award from Wayne Law at its annual Treasure of Detroit celebration, honoring those who have made significant contributions to the practice of law, as well as the growth and success of the law school.

In addition to being included on the Best Lawyers list, Nemeth is a multiple Michigan Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers honoree and in 2009 was named a Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is an ABA Foundation Fellow and a member of the Michigan, Illinois, federal and the United States Supreme Court bars.

•            •            •

Jerome P. Pesick, managing shareholder of Steinhardt Pesick & Cohen PC (SPC), a Michigan-based law firm specializing in eminent domain and condemnation, commercial property tax appeals, commercial real estate litigation, and land use, has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 26th edition of the Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of eminent domain and condemnation law and real estate law. Additionally, Pesick was named by Best Lawyers as the 2020 Lawyer of the Year in eminent domain and condemnation law for the Troy region, which for purposes of the honor includes most of the major communities in Oakland and Macomb counties. He has received the Lawyer of the Year honor five times since 2011.

Possessing more than 40 years of experience in eminent domain and condemnation law, Pesick’s achievements include serving as lead counsel on behalf of the property owners in the largest eminent domain verdict in Michigan history, rendering $25 million in a case that involved a 6.3-acre parcel on the Detroit River with an original government offer of $13.7 million.  He has successfully represented clients in nearly every major condemnation project in Detroit and Southeast Michigan, including the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Poletown, Detroit Waterfront Casino and Reclamation Project, Comerica Park and Ford Field, I-696, M-59 (Hall Road), M-5 (Haggerty Connector), Northwestern Connector, Van Dyke Highway, Detroit Metropolitan Airport Expansion, Wayne State University Welcome Center, Wayne County Pinnacle AeroPark, Ypsilanti Water Street Redevelopment, Eastern Michigan University Business School, and the and Orchard Lake Road widening.

Pesick also regularly represents clients in major property tax appeal cases involving all types of properties throughout Michigan.  He has handled issues ranging from the valuation of properties worth millions of dollars to obtaining property tax exemptions for religious and charitable facilities, which requires the application of complicated statutory regulations and considerations.

Pesick is involved with a variety of professional organizations. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section on Litigation–Committee on Condemnation, Zoning, and Land Use. He served as chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section during 2009-10, and also served as chair of the section’s Eminent Domain Committee for seven years. He is the former associate editor of the University of Detroit Mercy’s Journal of Urban Law and has authored numerous articles on eminent domain. He is also a popular speaker, instructor and lecturer at state and national eminent domain conferences. This year, he has been a faculty presenter at the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Academy II and also led a roundtable discussion on ‘Business Damages in Eminent Domain Proceedings’ at the annual ICSC Michigan Continuing Education Program for Real Estate Professionals, presented in cooperation with the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section’s Special Committee on Commercial Leasing.

Pesick received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. His civic activities include serving on the Executive Committee as treasurer of Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, and as a past board member of the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link and the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

•            •            •

Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that 183 of the firm’s attorneys have been included in Best Lawyers in America 2020 edition.

Local Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this year’s list include:

Detroit

Dennis W. Archer, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

Allison R. Bach, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Richard M. Bolton, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

William T. Burgess, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, International Mergers & Acquisitions, Litigation – Bankruptcy

Lawrence G. Campbell, Commercial Litigation, International Mergers & Acquisitions

James N. Candler Jr., Gaming Law, Real Estate Law

Dawn R. Copley, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Christopher A. Cornwall, Construction Law

David R. Deromedi, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management

Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate Practice

K. Scott Hamilton, Appellate Practice

Mark R. High, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law

Steven G. Howell, Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy

Timothy H. Howlett, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

W. Anthony Jenkins, Corporate Law, Municipal Law

John K. Lawrence, Banking and Finance Law

Andrew W. MacLeod, International Mergers & Acquisitions

Kenneth J. McIntyre, Commercial Litigation

Thomas G. McNeill, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation – Securities

Sharon R. Newlon, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental

Francis R. Ortiz, Commercial Litigation

James B. Perry, Employment Law – Management

James A. Plemmons, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy

Robert F. Rhoades, Litigation and Controversy – Tax

William P. Shield Jr., Banking and Finance Law

James P. Spica, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates

Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Bruce C. Thelen, International Trade and Finance Law

L. Pahl Zinn, Litigation – Antitrust

Troy

Christian S. Allen, Immigration Law

Timothy L. Andersson, Corporate Law

Kevin M. Bernys, Trusts and Estates

Margaret A. Coughlin, Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental

Roger H. Cummings, Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law

Stephen E. Dawson, Real Estate Law

Joseph W. DeLave, Litigation – Construction

J. Benjamin Dolan, Litigation – Real Estate

Terence M. Donnelly, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law

John P. Gonway, Real Estate Law

Deborah L. Grace, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Roberta P. Granadier, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Eric W. Gregory, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Henry M. Grix, Nonprofit/Charities Law, Trusts and Estates

Craig W. Hammond, Banking and Finance Law, Public Finance Law

William H. Honaker, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law

Robert P. Hurlbert, Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Richard A. Jones, Patent Law

Robert B. Joslyn, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates

Monica J. Labe, Real Estate Law

Judith Fertel Layne, Trusts and Estates

Elise S. Levasseur, Immigration Law

Elizabeth L. Luckenbach, Trusts and Estates

Christopher C. Maeso, Corporate Law

Anna M. Maiuri, Environmental Law, Litigation – Regulatory and Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)

Kelly M. Martorano, Environmental Law

Cynthia A. Moore, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

John H. Norris, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law

Edward H. Pappas, Arbitration, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Real Estate, Mediation

Robert V. Peterson, Real Estate Law

Scott A. Petz, Commercial Litigation

Elissa N. Pinto, Immigration Law

Daniel D. Quick, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Intellectual Property

William L. Rosin, Corporate Law

Robert L. Schwartz, Public Finance Law

Lynn Capp Sirich, Family Law

Robert L. Stearns, Litigation – Intellectual Property

Peter H. Webster, Land Use and Zoning Law

Rhonda D. Welburn, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law

J. Bryan Williams, Corporate Law, International Merger & Acquisitions

Mark E. Wilson, Health Care Law

Laurence E. Winokur, Real Estate Law

Kathryn S. Wood, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

Paul M. Wyzgoski, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law

Katheryne L. Zelenock, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Securitization and Structured Finance Law

In addition, Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that 28 of the firm’s lawyers have been identified as the leading practitioner in their practice areas as a Best Lawyers in America 2020 “Lawyer of the Year.”
The following local Dickinson Wright lawyers were selected as Best Lawyers in America 2020 “Lawyer of the Year”:

Detroit

Timothy H. Howlett, Litigation – Labor and Employment

Thomas G. McNeill, Litigation – Banking and Finance

James A. Plemmons, Litigation – Bankruptcy

Troy

Margaret A. Coughlin, Litigation – Environmental

Terence M. Donnelly, Municipal Law

Henry M. Grix, Nonprofit/Charities Law, Trusts and Estates

Craig W. Hammond, Banking and Finance Law

Anna M. Maiuri, Environmental Law

Edward H. Pappas, Arbitration

Laurence E. Winokur, Real Estate Law

•            •            •

Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce that 17 of its attorneys have been included in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

Of the 17, Earle I. Erman, Harvey R. Heller, Robert D. Kaplow, Kathleen H. Klaus, Richard F. Roth, Steven D. Sallen, Julie Beth Teicher, Steven M. Wolock, and Craig E. Zucker were recognized in multiple practice
areas.

Additionally, Best Lawyers® has named Charles M. Lax as the 2020 Detroit Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law “Lawyer of the Year.”

Maddin Hauser’s 2020 Best Lawyers® recipients, respective categories, and years honored, include:

Stuart M. Bordman, shareholder and chairman of Franchise and Distribution Practice Group: Franchise Law (2013-2020)

David M. Eisenberg, senior associate: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2020)

Earle I. Erman, shareholder: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Bankruptcy (1995-2020)

David H. Freedman, shareholder: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2012-2020)

Mark R. Hauser, firm co-founder, CFO and Executive Committee member: Real Estate Law (1999-2020); named Best Lawyers® 2018 Detroit Real Estate Law “Lawyer of the Year”

Harvey R. Heller, shareholder, Executive Committee member and chairman of Defense and Insurance Coverage Practice Group: Insurance Law and Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants (2003-2020); named Best
Lawyers® 2015 Detroit Insurance Law “Lawyer of the Year” and 2019 Detroit Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” 

Robert D. Kaplow, shareholder: Tax Law and Trusts and Estates Law (2013-2020)

Kathleen H. Klaus, shareholder: Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants (2013-2020); named Best Lawyers® 2019 Detroit Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
“Lawyer of the Year”

Charles M. Lax, shareholder: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2006-2020); named Best Lawyers® 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2020 Detroit Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law “Lawyer of the Year”

Michael W. Maddin, founder, president emeritus and Executive Committee member: Real Estate Law (2003-2020)

Julie Chenot Mayer, shareholder: Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants (2015-2020)

Richard F. Roth, shareholder: Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates Law (2013-2020)

Steven D. Sallen, president, CEO, Executive Committee member, and co-chairman of Real Estate Practice Group: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) and Real Estate Law (2010-2020)
Ronald A. Sollish, shareholder, Executive Committee member and co-chairman of Corporate/Employment Practice Group: Employment Law - Individuals (2013-2020)

Julie Beth Teicher, shareholder: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Bankruptcy (2010-2020); named Best Lawyers® 2019 Detroit Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year”

Steven M. Wolock, shareholder: Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants (2008-2020)

Craig E. Zucker, shareholder: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy (2010-2020)

•            •            •

When Eric Lark became chair of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan in 2005, he voiced his firm belief that those business attorneys most responsible for the strength and excellence of the Michigan business bar should be recognized by the Section with an award.  That idea led to the Section establishing the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award to honor those business lawyers who, over their careers, have made a tremendous positive impact on Michigan business law, business lawyers and the Section.

Little did Lark know that one day he would receive the Schulman Award.

Lark, a member at Kerr, Russell, & Weber PLC in Detroit, has been named the recipient of the 14th Annual Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award by the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law Section. He will be honored at the Schulman Award Ceremony, held in conjunction with the Section’s Business Law Institute and Annual Meeting, on October 4 at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids.

The Northville resident joined Kerr Russell in 1991 and became involved with the Section in the late 1990s. Lark has more than 25 years of experience in the areas of business/corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, private equity, real estate law and captive insurance law.  He’s licensed to practice in Michigan, Illinois and the District of Columbia.

“When the Schulman Award was conceived, I envisioned that it would honor the long-time, recognized leaders, the gurus if you will, of the Michigan business bar,” Lark said.  “There were so many obvious choices in the beginning.  The honorees were sages of the industry who had been instrumental to Michigan business law for decades, in some cases stretching back to before I was born.

“I hardly consider myself a business law guru and I’m not that old, so I’m not sure how this happened,” Lark added. “Nevertheless, I am deeply humbled and honored to receive the award.”

Lark first became involved with the Business Law Section through the encouragement of fellow Kerr Russell member and former Schulman recipient Jim Cambridge, who served as one of Lark’s mentors early on. In addition to serving as Section chair, Lark has been director of legislative review, director of programs, vice-chair, treasurer and secretary for the Section. Beyond the leadership positions he has held with the Section, Lark has been instrumental in helping to plan programs available through the Business Law Institute and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE).  He is also a frequent speaker on various business law topics. Lark earned his law degree from Wayne State University and his B.B.A. in finance from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Like other lawyers in the field, Lark believes that being involved with the Section has helped him develop skills and form professional and personal relationships that have been invaluable over the years.

“The biggest rewards for me have been the relationships developed, and the sharing of knowledge and ideas with my peers in the business law arena,” Lark said. “It’s both surprising and wonderful that most of my closest relationships from the Section are also my direct competitors.”

When Lark set about creating the award in 2005, his long-time friend, colleague and fellow Schulman Award recipient Daniel Minkus from Clark Hill suggested naming it after Stephen Schulman.  Lark offered little debate.  As a law student at Wayne State, Lark took Professor Schulman’s corporations class and Schulman’s (and Professor Alan Schenk’s) Business Planning class, easily the “best course I have ever taken, despite the grueling 48-hour take-home final exams,” he said with a laugh. Lark also interned with Schulman and later worked with him in other professional capacities.

“Beyond being an outstanding professor, Stephen Schulman was well known for his work on behalf of the Section, for writing legislation, books and articles, working as an expert witness and more,” Lark said. “He had an amazing impact on our field. It was a no-brainer for us to name the award in his honor.”

Long before the award was named after him, Schulman received the Donald H. Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching and was chosen by the Wayne State law student body as the school’s Professor of the Year several times. Schulman was also instrumental in the drafting of much of Michigan’s corporate law that is still in place today.

Lark has been recognized by Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, ranks among The Best Lawyers in America®, and is rated a “Michigan Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters. Lark holds the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating, reflecting preeminence in legal ability and overall professional integrity. He is also recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” in Detroit and a Top Attorney in Detroit by DBusiness magazine and Crain’s Detroit Business. Lark was recently named the 2019 Best Lawyers in America® “Lawyer of the Year” for Detroit in corporate law.

In addition to his professional accomplishments and his work on behalf of the Section, Lark has served on many boards, committees and in other leadership capacities, including with Kerr Russell. He is also deeply involved in his community, including serving on the Northville Township Planning Commission since 2013 (chair from 2016-18), the Northville Township Zoning Board of Appeals since 2016, and his subdivision’s homeowners association where he has been president and board chair since 2002.

Lark credits his wife Mandy, his two children, and Kerr Russell for supporting his pursuit of Section responsibilities and other professional interests over the years.  He also credits his parents, Mary and Jim Lark (a 1955 Georgetown Law graduate better known for his legendary restaurant, The Lark), for their abiding support and encouragement.

Thinking back on his many years of involvement with the Business Law Section, Lark is further humbled by what he has gained from the Section personally and professionally. “I can promise you that I’ve received much more from the Section than I could ever hope to give,” he said.

The Business Law Section established the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award in 2006, to be presented annually. The prestigious award honors Michigan business lawyers who consistently exemplify the characteristics the Business Law Section seeks to foster and facilitate: the highest quality of professionalism, the highest quality of practice, and an unwavering dedication to service, ethical conduct, and collegiality within the practice of law.

•            •            •

Royal Oak-based law firm Howard & Howard is pleased to welcome Joseph L. Kallie. He joins Howard & Howard’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

“I am passionate about acquiring and protecting intellectual property rights for my clients,” Kallie said.

Kallie focuses his practice in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in a variety of arts including mechanical, electromechanical, and composite material technologies, including powered medical devices, structural reinforcements, composite building materials, medical biotechnology, and consumer products. He draws on his technical background and love of technology to advise his clients.

Before joining Howard & Howard, Kallie worked at a boutique intellectual property firm counseling a number of clients from solo inventors to multinational corporations with patent procurement in the United States and abroad.

A member of the State Bar of Michigan, Kallie is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and an active participant in the Michigan Intellectual Property Inn of Court.

•            •            •

Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Professor Florise Neville-Ewell was recognized as an “Outstanding Woman Lawyer Hidden Figure/Impact” nominee by the National Bar Association – Women Lawyers Division (NBA-WLD). She, and six other women lawyers and jurists from across the country, were honored at the WLD Annual Achievement Awards on July 23, during the NBA Annual Convention in New York City.
The annual event celebrates the achievements of outstanding female lawyers.

“It was an absolute honor to be part of this distinguished group of highly-esteemed and accomplished female colleagues within the legal profession,” Neville-Ewell said. “I am humbled to have been nominated for the NBA-WLD Outstanding Women Lawyer Hidden Figure/Impact award and help set the stage for women lawyers nationwide.”