Secrest Wardle is proud to announce that five of the firm's attorneys have been named to the "2020 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit" list by DBusiness magazine. All five attorneys recognized practice out of Secrest Wardle's headquarters in Troy.
Derk W. Beckerleg is an executive partner and managing partner of Secrest Wardle's Municipal Law Practice Group. Beckerleg is a member of the Governmental Litigation and Real Estate Practice Groups, of which he also serves as chair. Beckerleg has been listed in the Municipal Law category.
Nathan J. Edmonds is a senior partner and co-managing partner of Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm's Amusement and Leisure, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. Edmonds has been listed in the Litigation Insurance category.
Daniel P. Makarski is a senior partner and member of Secrest Wardle's Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Makarski serves as chair of the group. He has been listed in the Arbitration and Mediation categories.
Mark E. Morley is a senior partner and serves a chair of the firm's Insurance Coverage and Malpractice/Professional Liability Practice Groups. He is also a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Product Liability, and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. Morley has been listed in the Insurance Law category.
Bruce A. Truex is a senior partner, co-managing partner, and president of Secrest Wardle. He is chair of the firm's Commercial and Business Law, Employment, Environmental and Toxic Tort, and Intellectual Property/Advertising Injury Practice Groups. He is also a chair of the Product Liability Practice Group and a member of the Construction Practice Group. Truex has been listed in the Environmental Law category.
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Michigan Governer Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed Melissa Lopez Pope to the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board
Pope is a member of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and chief judge of the tribal court. She is also the chief justice of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Court of Appeals. She previously served as director of victim services for the Triangle Foundation and staff attorney for the Women's Survival Center of Oakland County.
Pope is appointed to represent individuals who have experience in an area related to the problems of domestic violence and/or sexual violence, for a term commencing December 5, 2019 and expiring December 4, 2022. She succeeds James Fink whose term expires December 4, 2019.
The appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
The Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board coordinates and monitors programs and services for the prevention of domestic and sexual violence and the treatment of victims of domestic and sexual violence. The board administers grants awarded under the Violence Against Women Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and other governmental and non-governmental grants.
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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce the promotion of David M. Eisenberg to shareholder. The announcement was made by the firm's president and CEO, Steven D. Sallen.
Eisenberg is a member of the firm's Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Debtor-Creditor Rights Practice Group as well as the Financial Services and Real Property Litigation Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on business-related insolvency, commercial litigation and collection matters in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, U.S. District Court, and in state court proceedings, as well as out-of-court loan modifications and workouts.
Eisenberg's clients include debtors, creditors, and receivers in state and federal courts. A substantial portion of his practice involves representation of creditors, including financial institutions, in all matters involving consumer debt cases filed under Chapters 7 and 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, including lift of bankruptcy stay actions, defense of preference and avoidance actions, and objections to the discharge of debt.
As part of Eisenberg's experience, he has represented suppliers, contractors, union fringe benefit funds in the construction industry, and receivers appointed in matters instituted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He engages in pro bono representation of bankruptcy debtors in non-dischargeability proceedings.
Eisenberg has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyers® Rising Star from 2013-2015 in the practice area of business bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights. He has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the practice area of bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law.
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Butzel Long attorneys Jennifer Dukarski and Claudia Rast were featured speakers during the GENIVI® Technical Summit November 12-13 in Troy.
Their topic focused on automotive cybersecurity. Specifically, they will "deconstruct" the vehicle of the near future device by device discussing with the audience those known, proposed and potential regulations and standards that promise to impose security and privacy strictures on the industry.
Dukarski focuses her practice at the intersection of technology and communications with an emphasis on emerging and disruptive issues: digital media, cybersecurity, infotainment, vehicle safety and connected and autonomous cars.
In her practice, she has negotiated contracts for autonomous vehicle components, reviewed contracts involving wireless updates to in-vehicle technology, assisted companies in achieving successful Petitions for Inconsequential Noncompliance with NHTSA and has addressed multiple vehicle component recalls. Dukarski has become a national leader in legal issues facing emerging automotive technology and is the leader of Butzel Long's connected car working group. She also has spearheaded the reporting efforts for two national data breaches and focuses on the threat vectors facing automotive component design.
A self-titled "recovering engineer," Dukarski serves as counsel to the OESA's Product Development Council and has spoken on First Amendment issues ranging from newsgathering in the digital age to the impact of the FBI iPhone strategy. She has been a panelist at the North American International Auto Show for the last two years, covering a broad variety of legal concerns focused on the autonomous and connected car.
Prior to joining Butzel, she gained automotive manufacturing and design experience as a result of high-level quality management and engineering positions. She has worked extensively on successful automotive product launches, managing vendors and Tier One manufacturing facilities. A Six Sigma Master Black Belt, she applies her experience to create innovative approaches to the protection of IP assets and disruptive technology.
Dukarski has experience with field recalls and was a representative to the University of Michigan's CIREN (Crash Injury Research & Engineering Network) and UMPIRE (University of Michigan Program for Injury Research and Education). Working as a design engineer, she received multiple Record of Invention Awards for contributions to patents and trade secrets.
Dukarski has attained the distinction of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) senior member status, the highest grade for which IEEE members can apply.
Rast, who chairs Butzel Long's Intellectual Property, Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology Group, blends her expertise in law, business, and science to assist companies in their strategic use of technology, counseling clients in the areas of privacy, cybersecurity, data theft, intellectual property licensing and registration, and the forensic preservation and analysis of electronically stored information.
With the rise of cyber events in recent years, her background in forensics, IT environments and security has proved invaluable in working with clients to both defend against and respond to pervasive cyber attacks and to conduct cybersecurity awareness and response training sessions.
Similarly, over the past several years, she has worked within both the IT entrepreneur community and the automotive supplier network to negotiate contracts covering innovative technologies associated with autonomous and connected vehicles, to address security, privacy, IP ownership, and new and potential regulations.
Recently, Rast was reappointed to serve on the American Bar Association (ABA) Cybersecurity Legal Task Force. To date, she has served six one-year terms since this Task Force was created in 2012. A frequent author and national speaker on matters of cybersecurity, she is also a co-author on a Cybersecurity Incident Response Handbook, due to be published by the ABA early next year.
In addition, Butzel Long announces that attorney Kurtis T. Wilder was recently honored by The Federalist Society as the 2019 Joseph D. Grano Award recipient, given to the most distinguished servant to the rules of the law. The award was presented during the Chapter's Annual Dinner on October 30 in Plymouth.
A former Michigan Supreme Court justice, Wilder is Of Counsel to Butzel Long. 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.
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Howard & Howard is pleased to welcome Mary V. Pickard to the firm. She joins the Business and Corporate Group and will practice out of the Royal Oak office.
Pickard focuses her practice on business and corporate law. Specifically, she assists with mergers, acquisitions, and general corporate transactions. She has experience reviewing and drafting corporate agreements and governance documents as well as broad legal research and writing experience.
Prior to joining Howard & Howard, Pickard was a judicial clerk for the Michigan Supreme Court. She received her law degree from William & Mary Law School in 2018 and her B.A. from Spelman College in 2015. She is licensed to practice in the state of Michigan and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC is pleased to announce that attorney Kristin E. Crowley has joined the firm's General & Automotive Liability practice group. Crowley has been with the firm since 2018 as a law clerk and was recently sworn in as an attorney with the State Bar of Michigan.
In 2015, Crowley graduated with a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Michigan Dearborn. She then went on to obtain her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Crowley is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the Detroit Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association Oakland County region of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that the firm's litigation practice in Michigan and its attorneys are recognized in the Benchmark Litigation United States 2020 Edition.
Benchmark Litigation recognized the following Dickinson Wright litigation practices:
Michigan Highly Recommended
Benchmark Litigation recognized the following local Dickinson Wright attorneys:
Thomas McNeill - Local Litigation Star
Edward Pappas - Local Litigation Star
Benchmark Litigation also recognized the following Dickinson Wright labor & employment practices:
Michigan Recommended
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Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC, a Bloomfield Hills-based law firm, announced that Kathryn Kaleth has joined its growing team of attorneys. She will serve as an associate at Dawda Mann, focusing her practice primarily in the areas of real estate, business transactions and environmental law.
Kaleth received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2019 and her B.A. from Michigan State University in 2016, majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability with a minor in Conservation, Recreation, and Environmental Law Enforcement.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed Alyia Marie Hakim to the Macomb County 39th District Court of the Cities of Roseville and Fraser.
Hakim is a partner attorney with Hakim & Hakim PLLC and Of Counsel for Aloia & Associates PC. Her practice specializes in criminal defense, estate planning, juvenile law, and family law. Prior to earning her law degree and forming her private practice, she worked for the Macomb County Clerk's Office and served as a law clerk for the Warren City Attorney's Office. Hakim is a member of the boards for the Macomb Community Drug Courts and the Sobriety Today Our Purpose (S.T.O.P.) organization. She also serves as the board president of the MyCare Health Center and as a member of the ACCESS Planned Giving Advisory Council and Community Advisory Board.
Hakim serves as a volunteer Ask-a-Lawyer at the Roseville-Eastpoint Senior Center and as the director of the Roseville Optimist Club. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Western Michigan University and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
"I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Roseville and Fraser." Hakim said. "I will work to expand specialty treatment courts and advance technological resources within the 39th District Court. It is important to me that all parties are treated fairly, with respect, and have equal access to justice."
This appointment was made to fill a partial term, which expires at noon on January 1, 2021, after the late Judge Catherine B. Steenland stepped down effective July 19, 2019. If Hakim wishes to serve the remainder of Steenland's term, expiring at twelve o'clock noon on January 1, 2023, she would be required to run for reelection in November 2020.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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David Robinson, who recently retired as deputy chief of the Dearborn Police Department, was appointed by the board of directors in September to serve as interim executive director of Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center (WCDRC) upon departure of the nonprofit organization's former director.
Robinson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Michigan State University, and Master of Science degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Eastern Michigan University, where he also attended the school of police staff and command executive leadership program.
As an active participant in charitable events and community organizations, Robinson became known for his ability to bring stakeholders together in order to collectively identify and address issues through inclusion and building relationships of trust.
Robinson said, "Having served on the WCDRC board of directors, I understand that we are perfectly positioned with regard to the need for dispute resolution, an increased public recognition about the value of mediation, and a growing need for these services in communities throughout Wayne County."
He added that WCDRC offers a vast array of services in the areas of general/civil cases, domestic and family issues, and within schools for restorative practices and special education.
"We're at a time when dispute resolution services are being recognized as an affordable and successful alternative to litigation," said Robinson, who looks forward to expanding programs through mediation and other services that prevent escalation of issues to a point of crisis, including the areas of mental health intervention.
WCDRC is one of the largest of 18 community-based nonprofit mediation centers in Michigan that provided dispute resolution services. It recently celebrated the opening of its new office that includes space for training volunteer mediators and private rooms to conduct mediations. Centrally located to serve communities throughout Wayne County, WCDRC is in the Dearborn Atrium at 835 Mason, Suite C-300 in Dearborn.
To learn more about WCDRC visit www.wcdrc.org or call 313-561-3500.
