Legal People

Plunkett Cooney recently added two attorneys, Hussein S. Berri and Ashley S. Dickey, to its Transportation Law Practice Group.

A member of the firm’s Detroit office, Berri focuses his practice in the areas of first-party no-fault and third-party motor vehicle negligence. He has experience handling general liability defense matters, including first- and third-party automobile and premises liability cases and insurance defense litigation. 

Berri is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County, American and Detroit bar associations. He also volunteers at Project Clean Slate, which is a city of Detroit initiative focused on assisting residents with expunging their criminal records in order to obtain better job opportunities.

Berri is a 2019 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Law. While there, he served as a judicial clerk for Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David Allen. Berri received his undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2015.

Dickey is a member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office who focuses her practice primarily on insurance-related claims involving first- and third-party motor vehicle negligence.

In addition to her transportation law practice, Dickey has experience handling claims involving premises liability, insurance coverage, subrogation, worker’s compensation, environmental and toxic tort liability and construction and employment law.

Selected a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers magazine for the past two years, Dickey is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan. She is a member of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, the Oakland County Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan.

Dickey received her law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2014 and her undergraduate degree from Oakland University in 2009.

In addition, Matthew J. Stanczyk, a partner of Plunkett Cooney, recently became chair of ALFA International’s Product Liability & Complex Torts (PL&CT) Practice Group.

A member of the firm’s Board of Directors, Stanczyk assumed the PL&CT chair position at the conclusion of the group’s seminar in Marana, Arizona on Sept. 25-27. His term will expire in the fall of 2021.

“I’m extremely proud that my ALFA colleagues have trusted me with this leadership position,” said Stanczyk, who is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Detroit office. “We have an outstanding group that is focused on educating clients about these complex areas of litigation and to making a difference for the defense bar.”

The members of ALFA’s PL&CT Practice Group focus on the areas of general business counseling, litigation, mediation and arbitration, lobbying and legislation, product recalls and hearings, regulatory and licensing issues, warnings and labels, standards setting, public relations and media management, and trade association relations.

Founded in 1980, ALFA International is the premier network of independent law firms in the world with 150 member firms. ALFA’s 80 U.S. firms maintain offices in 95 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas, and the consortium’s 70 international firms are located throughout Europe, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, Canada, Mexico and South America.

In addition to his involvement in ALFA International, Stanczyk serves as co-leader of Plunkett Cooney’s Tort & Litigation Practice Group, which focuses on a range of litigation issues, including product liability, complex torts, general liability, retail liability and foodservice and hospitality law.

A 1986 graduate of University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a 1983 graduate of the University of Michigan, Stanczyk is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Detroit Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan (Negligence and Consumer Law sections), American Bar Association, DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, among others.

In addition, Stanczyk is the recipient of such professional honors as Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating-AV Preeminent™, the Michigan Super Lawyer designation for product liability and selection by Dbusiness magazine as a Top Lawyer in product liability.

The firm is also proud to announce that Michigan Super Lawyers magazine has awarded 10 lawyers from Plunkett Cooney its “Rising Star” honor.

Below is a list of Plunkett Cooney attorneys who have received the 2019 Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star designation:

BLOOMFIELD HILLS OFFICE
Hilary A. Ballentine – Appellate
Abe Barlaskar – Personal Injury: Defense
Alexander R. Baum – Personal Injury: Defense
Ashley S. Dickey – Personal Injury: Defense
Justin J. Hakala – Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
Chase M. Kubica – Personal Injury: Defense
Patrick C. Lannen – Banking
Scott W. Malott – Civil Litigation: Defense (new to the list)
Courtney L. Nichols – Employment & Labor

DETROIT OFFICE
Kimberly K. Seibert – Civil Litigation: Defense

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Butzel Long attorney and shareholder David F. DuMouchel, who chairs the firm’s Corporate Compliance, Internal Investigation and Criminal Defense practice, has been appointed to serve on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

DuMouchel’s practice is limited to white collar criminal defense, defense of corporations and individuals in criminal and civil antitrust matters, professional licensure and criminal health care, IRS investigations of both taxpayers and professionals, SEC enforcement of corporate executives fraud, public corruption, as well as grand jury investigations, internal corporate investigations and compliance.

DuMouchel serves on the first Board of Directors of the Federal Community Defender of Eastern District of Michigan, which provides oversight in the provision of indigent defense services in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

DuMouchel is a recipient of the Leonard Gilman Award from the Federal Bar Association as the outstanding criminal law practitioner in the Eastern District of Michigan. He has been named by Best Lawyers as the “2010 Detroit Criminal Defense: White-Collar Lawyer of the Year.” He has been listed in each edition of Best Lawyers in America since that publication began more than 30 years ago, including the most recent. For the past three years, he was one of two Michigan attorneys ranked Tier One in White Collar Crime & Investigations by Chambers USA—The Client’s Guide. DuMouchel also has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Lawyers in the state of Michigan by DBusiness magazine and he’s also listed in Michigan Super Lawyers.

He has served as a member of the Rules Advisory Committee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan and was a member of the U.S. District Court Committee on Magistrate Program Evaluation, and chaired the Federal Bar Association Criminal Defense Committee.

He was a member of the Advisory Committee which drafted the Restatement of Law Governing Lawyers of the American Law Institute, and is on the Member’s Consultative Group of the ALI Model Penal Code Sentencing Project.

In addition, he is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was a Director in 1981. He is a Master of Bench emeritus, American Inn of Court Ch. XI. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Michigan State Bar Foundation, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and serves as a member of the Criminal Procedure Committee, and is a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers.

DuMouchel is a Life Member of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference. He served as a member of the U.S. District Court Magistrate Selection Committee in 2014, and was a member of the Judicial Advisory Committee to evaluate applicants for the U.S. Attorney and federal judicial appointments in the Eastern District of Michigan in 2010 and 2012.
DuMouchel is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School (1975) and the University of Detroit (1972).

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Aaron Burrell has been named chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Representative Assembly for 2019-2020.

“I’m honored to serve as chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Representative Assembly,” said Burrell. “I look forward to working with the Assembly along with members of the State Bar of Michigan’s leadership in the coming year.”

The 150-member Representative Assembly is the final policy-making body of the State Bar of Michigan. The Michigan Supreme Court created it in 1971 at the request of the State Bar of Michigan’s Board of Commissioners in order to increase geographical representation and member participation in State Bar policy. Burrell represents the Third Judicial Circuit in the Assembly.

Burrell is a member in Dickinson Wright’s Detroit office where he practices complex commercial litigation, labor and employment law, appellate law, and minority business enterprises. As a member of the firm’s litigation practice, he has prevailed in numerous complex, commercial-litigation cases in a number of state and federal trial courts and courts of appeals. As a member of the firm’s labor and employment practice, he has successfully defended clients in a wide range of discrimination claims in state and federal courts and administrative agencies, and he has counseled clients on all aspects of the employment relationship.

Burrell serves on the board of directors of Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and Oakland County Bar Association, and is a commissioner on the State Bar of Michigan’s Board of Commissioners. He previously served as co-chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Equal Access Initiative, is a past president of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association, and was an affiliate representative of the National Bar Association. He is a fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the Oakland County Bar Foundation. He is recognized as a “40 Under 40” honoree by Crain’s Detroit Business, an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly and is listed as a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers.

In addition, Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that the firm has been named one of the Top 100 Law Firms for Women by Women Inc. Magazine.

“Dickinson Wright is honored to be included in Women Inc.’s Top 100 Law Firms for Women,” said Katheryne Zelenock, member, chair of the Dickinson Wright Women’s Network and co-chair of
Dickinson Wright’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “Dickinson Wright is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and are pleased to have our efforts to support the professional development and success of our women attorneys recognized by Women Inc. Magazine.”

Zelenock noted that the Dickinson Wright Women’s Network not only engages in a variety of internal efforts to help the firm’s women attorneys succeed, but also offers networking and outreach activities in the communities where the firm’s offices are located across the country, including sponsorship of events celebrating the accomplishments of women, support of scholarships and activities for law students and younger students interested in the practice of law, and similar pursuits.

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The Michigan Supreme Court has appointed Michael V. Goetz to the position of grievance administrator for the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission (AGC). Goetz will oversee the prosecutorial and educational functions of the AGC. The appointment is effective September 23, 2019.

Goetz received a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in 1983 and a law degree from Detroit College of Law in 1988. He most recently worked in the Michigan Office of the Attorney General, serving as senior assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division’s Drug Interdiction Unit for six years. In addition to more than 30 years of experience in prosecution at the state and county levels,
Goetz also currently serves his community as an emergency medical technician-firefighter for the Orion Township Fire Department.

The Attorney Grievance Commission is the investigative and prosecutorial arm of the Michigan Supreme Court for allegations of attorney misconduct. The AGC has jurisdiction over all attorneys licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Michigan and attorneys otherwise permitted to practice law in the State of Michigan. The AGC strives to maintain and promote the integrity of the Bar and to protect the public, the courts, and the legal profession.

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The Michigan Bankers Association (MBA) has selected Senator Peter J. Lucido as the 2019 Economic Impact Award winner. The Economic Impact Award (EIA) recognizes public officials for their outstanding leadership on matters of public policy that support and encourage a vibrant Michigan economy.

“From the moment I began considering a run for public office, I have been focused on putting families first. As a legislator, a large component of that for me is doing the heavy lifting to create a strong and growing economy across the state of Michigan. Having started and run several businesses, I know how important it is to have a strong relationship with a bank,” said Lucido, R-Shelby Township. “Small businesses depend on our banks for help with loans, cashflow, and so much more. I am honored and privileged to receive the EIA from the MBA and will display it with pride.”

Lucido serves the people of Michigan’s 8th Senate District and is the Senate majority whip.  He serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety, Advice and Consent, and JCAR committees, and is a member of the Senate Elections and Oversight committees. Lucido is also one of four legislators who serve on the state’s Elder Abuse Task Force. He also serves on the Criminal Justice Policy Commission, Michigan Law Revision Commission, Michigan Commission on Uniform State Laws, and the national Uniform Law Commission.

Prior to his election to the state Senate in Nov. 2018, Lucido served two terms in the state House of Representatives from 2015-2018. Lucido is a licensed attorney, insurance agent, realtor, and former security register representative. He founded a Macomb County-based law firm and Macomb Now Magazine. The senator has also been active in the community and has served as a member of several organizations and boards.

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Barris, Sott, Denn, & Driker PLLC is pleased to announce that its member Dennis M. Barnes has been sworn in as the 85th president of the State Bar of Michigan.  Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack presided at the ceremony, which took place on September 26 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. 

Barnes concentrates his practice on business litigation.  He has experience in the litigation and trial of matters involving intellectual property disputes, insurance law (including coverage disputes and the statutory obligations of insurers), professional liability claims, antitrust claims, and a wide variety of business torts.

Barnes is a past president of the Federal Bar Association’s Eastern District of Michigan chapter, a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, and a member of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, and the Shamrock Bar Association.  Barnes has been recognized for his litigation acumen by Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, DBusiness, and others. 

Barnes has been involved in State Bar work for over a decade and has served on many of its committees and groups.  He has served on the SBM Board of Commissioners since 2010 and has served as treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president-elect. He has also served on the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly.

A frequent speaker and published author, his bar admissions include the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, and the United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and the District of Colorado.

Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

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The Michigan Supreme Court has announced the reappointments of Grand Blanc attorney Michael B. Rizik Jr. and Karen D. O’Donoghue (layperson member) to the Attorney Discipline Board for three-year terms ending on October 1, 2022. The court also announced the appointment of Midland attorney Jonathan E. Lauderbach as chairperson of the Board, and Michael B. Rizik Jr. as vice chairperson, both for a one-year term commencing October 1, 2019.

The Supreme Court also appointed attorney Michael S. Hohauser, of Troy, to a three-year term on the Board, replacing retiring member Rev. Michael Murray of Okemos. Murray completed his second and final three-year term on the Board, and served as chairperson for a one-year term ending September 30, 2019.

The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board is the adjudicative arm of the Michigan Supreme Court for discharge of its exclusive constitutional responsibility to supervise and discipline Michigan attorneys.

Lauderbach is a partner in the Midland office of Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP. Lauderbach was elected to the Midland County Circuit Court in 2006, and served in that capacity until March 2013 when he decided to return to private practice. He was appointed to the Board for a three-year term commencing in 2015 and a second three-year term in 2018, and served for the past year as vice chairperson.

Rizik practices law at Rizik & Rizik Attorneys at Law in Grand Blanc, where he focuses his practice on commercial transactions and litigation, family law, serious personal injury cases, and wrongful death litigation. Rizik was appointed to the Board for a three-year term in 2016, and a second three-year term in 2019.

O’Donoghue is one of three layperson members of the Attorney Discipline Board. O’Donoghue is a partner in Taktix Solutions LLC, an independent advisory firm formed in 2002 to evaluate, structure and implement real estate development projects from concept through completion. She was first appointed to the Board for a three-year term in 2016, and a second three-year term in 2019.

The newest attorney member of the Board, Hohauser, is a principal at the law firm of Hohauser Kuchon in Troy. Hohauser has more than 40 years of experience representing injury victims over a broad range of cases, from automobile negligence through medical malpractice. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1969, and obtained his law degree from Detroit College of Law in 1974. He is an active member of the Oakland County Bar Association, where he has served on the elected board of directors, in addition to serving as secretary, treasurer, president elect and president.

Hohauser is also an active member of the State Bar of Michigan, where he served as a commissioner for nine years. Hohauser regularly contributes to legal publications and has received numerous awards honoring his contributions to the legal profession. He was appointed as a member of the Attorney Discipline Board for a three-year term commencing on October 1, 2019.