Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Jeremy Orr to the Environmental Rules Review Committee.
Orr, of Detroit, is a staff attorney and senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He earned a law degree, Master of Jurisprudence, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University.
Orr is reappointed to represent Democrats and a statewide environmental organization for a term commencing October 30, 2020 and expiring October 4, 2024.
The Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC) was created to oversee all rulemaking for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Detroit-based business publication DBusiness Magazine has included 76 of the firm's attorneys on its 2021 "Top Lawyers" list.
Bodman attorneys were recognized in 30 different areas of practice.
Local Bodman attorneys included in DBusiness Top Lawyers 2020, with the practice areas for which they were nominated, are listed below by office.
Detroit office
• Marc M. Bakst (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
• Kelly M. Burnell (Trusts and Estates)
• Andrew H. Curoe (Trusts and Estates)
• Sarah L. Cylkowski (Litigation-Insurance)
• Brandon M. Dalziel (Health Care Law)
• Laurence B. Deitch (Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
• Robert J. Diehl Jr. (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law; Litigation-Banking & Finance)
• Forrest O. Dillon (Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
• Fredrick J. Dindoffer (Environmental Law)
• Christopher J. Dine (Nonprofit/Charities Law)
• Nathan D. Dupes (Environmental Law)
• Aaron D. Graves (Labor and Employment Law)
• Scott P. Gyorke (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Kathleen O'Callaghan Hickey (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Frederick H. Hoops III (Nonprofit/Charities Law)
• Thomas J. Howlett (Municipal Law)
• Michael J. Jameson (Trusts & Estates)
• Joseph J. Kochanek (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• David P. Larsen (Trusts and Estates)
• Dennis J. Levasseur (Litigation-Commercial; Litigation-Intellectual Property)
• Melissa A. Lewis (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Kelly M. Lockman (Real Estate Law)
• Ralph E. McDowell (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
• Nicholas P. McElhinny (Health Care Law)
• Adam B. Norlander (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Joseph G. Nuyen Jr. (Health Care Law)
• Rebecca D'Arcy O'Reilly (Employee Benefits Law; Litigation-Labor Employment Benefits)
• Michael B. Peterman (Real Estate Law)
• Jeffrey G. Raphelson (Litigation-Commercial; Intellectual Property & Patent Law)
• Thomas J. Rheaume Jr. (Appellate Law; Litigation-Insurance)
• Damali A. Sahu (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. (Banking & Financial Services Law; Real Estate Law)
• Joseph J. Shannon (Litigation-Banking and Finance; Litigation-Commercial)
• Erica J. Shell (Environmental Law)
• E. William S. Shipman (Health Care Law)
• Larry R. Shulman (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Brian R. Trumbauer (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
• Jaimee L. Witten (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
Troy office
• Courtland W. Anderson (Franchise Law; Intellectual Property & Patent Law)
• Celeste E. Arduino (Nonprofit/Charities Law)
• Donovan S. Asmar (Appellate Law)
• J. Adam Behrendt (Litigation-Banking and Finance; Litigation-Real Estate)
• John T. Below (Labor and Employment Law)
• Jonathan S. Berg (Commercial Law)
• David C. Bosman (Banking & Financial Services Law)
• Gene P. Bowen (Commercial Law)
• Barbara A. Bowman (Public Finance Law)
• Jonathan P. Burleigh (Commercial Law)
• Robert J. Cambridge (Corporate Law; Securities Law)
• John C. Cashen (Labor and Employment Law)
• Steve R. Cole (Corporate Law; Tax Law)
• Michael G. Costello (Insurance Law)
• Anthony P. Cracchiolo (Tax Law)
• Katherine F. Cser (Labor and Employment Law)
• Michelle Thurber Czapski (Insurance Law; Litigation-Insurance)
• Andrea M. DeFrain (Trusts and Estates)
• Gary S. Fealk (Labor and Employment Law)
• Amanda J. Frank (Appellate Law)
• Gregory J. Gamalski (Real Estate Law)
• Marguerite Munson Lentz (Trusts and Estates)
• Mark W. Peters (Securities Law)
• Katherine Razdolsky Rothstein (Information Technology Law)
• Andrew Z. Spilkin (Real Estate Law)
• Thomas J. Tallerico (Litigation-Antitrust)
• Thomas Van Dusen (Litigation-Commercial; Litigation-Insurance)
• David B. Walters (Employee Benefits Law; Litigation-Labor Employment Benefits)
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Attorney Corey J. McPherson recently joined the Transportation Law Practice Group of Plunkett Cooney.
A member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, McPherson focuses his practice on first- and third-party automobile liability. He routinely represents insurance carriers, corporations and individuals in No-Fault matters involving claims of bodily injury and coverage of uninsured and underinsured motorists. He also represents insurers in fraud disputes with medical providers.
McPherson is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan. He is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the American Bar Association.
McPherson received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2015. He received his undergraduate degreefrom Oakland University in 2012.
Plunkett Cooney is also pleased to announce that DBusiness magazine recently named three of the firm's attorneys to its 2021 list of "Top Lawyers."
Robert G. Kamenec and Mark S. Kopson of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office and Stanley A. Prokop of the Detroit office received this year's Top Lawyer honors. Kamenec was included on the list as one of the region's leading appellate attorneys, and his partner Kopson was honored as a standout in the area of health care law. Prokop, who has been practicing since 1968, was name to the list for his expertise in the area of insurance coverage.
A co-leader of Plunkett Cooney's Appellate Law Practice Group, Kamenec is recognized throughout the Midwest as a leading appellate advocate. He focuses his practice primarily in the areas of appellate law, insurance coverage and medical liability with a concentration on high-verdict and high-exposure matters. Kamenec is a fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and is personally responsible for numerous published decisions in state and federal appellate courts.
Kopson represents a range of health facilities, health plans, professional practices, integrated delivery systems and managed care organizations in Michigan and throughout the United States. He has extensive experience and expertise in the areas of commercial and governmental managed care contracting, revenue cycle, regulation and dispute resolution, hospital sales, mergers and acquisitions, ASCs and much more. He is a Fellow of the State Bar of Michigan Health Care Law Section and a member of the board of directors of the American Health Law Association.
Prokop, who has earned the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, focuses his practice exclusively on insurance law litigation and coverage issues, including property damage cases, declaratory judgment actions, subrogation matters, fidelity claims and errors and omissions matters. He has represented some of the world's largest insurance providers and has successfully resolved cutting-edge and often high-stakes coverage litigation.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Henry M. Grix (member, Troy) will be honored alongside Howard Israel with The Edmund T. Ahee Jewel Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser during the Association of Fundraising Professionals for Greater Detroit's National Philanthropy Day celebration on November 22.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals for Greater Detroit (AFP Detroit) is partnering with Detroit Public TV and Hour Media to bring the awards to life on television and in print. Each of this year's honorees will be featured in "talk show" segments recognizing their role in philanthropic efforts during the show. The TV broadcast is scheduled for Nov. 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Detroit Public TV.
"Howard and I are honored to be receiving this award alongside other very deserving fundraisers who are doing great work throughout Metro Detroit," says Grix.
The Edmund T. Ahee Jewel Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, in memory of Edmund T. Ahee, is presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in volunteer fundraising, and in coordinating and motivating groups of volunteers for major fundraising projects for more than one non-profit organization.
ACLU of Michigan nominated Grix and Israel for their support and advocacy for LGBT rights, both in their own giving and in encouraging others to support key LGBT nonprofit organizations. From racial equity and transformative justice initiatives, to supporting asylum seekers and refugees, Grix and Israel have had a significant and positive impact on organizations locally and nationwide. Some of the nonprofits they have had a significant impact on include ACLU of Michigan, LGBT Detroit, Ruth Ellis Center, the HOPE Fund, Outlaws, and the Gill Fund.
In addition, Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce it received 21 national rankings and 70 rankings in Southeast Michigan in the "2021 Best Law Firms" report by U.S. News and Best Lawyers. The firm received 104 first-tier rankings overall.
Besides the national and Southeast Michigan rankings, the firm was recognized for legal excellence for practices in its Grand Rapids and Lansing, Mich.; Austin and El Paso, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; and Washington, D.C. offices.
Below are Dickinson Wright's "2021 Best Law Firms" rankings:
National Rankings
Tier 1
Appellate Practice
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Litigation Real Estate
Real Estate Law
Tax Law
Tier 2
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Corporate Law
Employment Law - Management
Land Use & Zoning Law
Litigation - Bankruptcy
Litigation - Labor & Employment
Litigation - Securities
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Tier 3
Labor Law - Management
Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Litigation - Construction
Litigation - Intellectual Property
Securities/Capital Markets Law
Trusts & Estates Law
State/Metropolitan Rankings
Tier 1
Ann Arbor
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Commercial LitigationConstruction Law
Immigration Law
Labor Law - Management
Litigation - Bankruptcy
Litigation - Construction
Litigation - Patent
Trademark Law
Detroit
Appellate Practice
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Corporate Governance Law
Corporate Law
Employment Law - Management
International Mergers & Acquisitions
Labor Law - Management
Litigation - Banking & Finance
Litigation - Bankruptcy
Litigation - Labor & Employment
Litigation - Securities
Municipal Law
Troy
Arbitration
Banking and Finance Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Energy Law
Environmental Law
Health Care Law
Immigration Law
Land Use & Zoning Law
Litigation - Banking & Finance
Litigation - Construction
Litigation - Environmental
Litigation - Intellectual Property
Litigation - Real Estate
Mediation
Municipal Law
Real Estate Law
Tax Law
Trusts & Estates Law
Tier 2
Ann Arbor
Copyright Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law Management
Litigation Intellectual Property
Patent Law
Detroit
Environmental Law
International Trade and Finance Law
Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Litigation - Antitrust
Litigation - Environmental
Litigation - Mergers & Acquisitions
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Real Estate Law
Troy
Family Law
Litigation - Patent
Litigation - Trusts & Estates
Nonprofit/Charities Law
Patent Law
Securitization and Structured Finance Law
Trademark Law
Tier 3
Ann Arbor
Tax Law
Detroit
Litigation Tax
Troy
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
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A. Vince Colella, a personal injury and civil rights attorney and co-founder of Southfield-based Moss & Colella PC, has been named to the 2021 DBusiness Top Lawyers List. Colella was honored in the personal injury category.
Colella's trial experience includes automobile negligence, police brutality and misconduct, premises liability, trucking accidents, insurance disputes, sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, and wrongful death. In recent years, Colella has gained a reputation in particular for his litigation efforts in government liability, recreational accidents, and civil rights cases.
Colella has served as a member of the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice (formerly known as the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association) and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He is certified as a mediator and regularly serves as a case evaluator for the Oakland County and Wayne County Circuit Court Case Management Office.
Colella adds the DBusiness honor to other legal awards. He was named to the Leaders in the Law class of 2019 by the trade publication Michigan Lawyers Weekly and is a ten-year recipient of the Michigan Super Lawyer designation.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Michigan State University and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he established in 2020 the A. Vince Colella Scholarship to support law students considering a career in civil rights.
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Butzel Long has received national recognition in the 2021 "Best Law Firms," rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®.
Butzel Long is ranked in multiple legal specialties in the Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, Lansing, and Washington, D.C. offices.
Below is a full list of Butzel Long's 2021 Best Law Firm rankings:
National Rankings
National Tier 2
• Corporate Law
• Securities Regulation
National Tier 3
• Commercial Litigation
• Employment Law Management
• Environmental Law
• Litigation Securities
• Metropolitan Rankings
Metropolitan Tier 1
Ann Arbor
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Employment Law Management
• Litigation Labor & Employment
Bloomfield Hills
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Employment Law Management
• Environmental Law
• Health Care Law
• Immigration Law
• Labor Law Management
• Litigation Antitrust
• Litigation Environmental
• Litigation ERISA
• Litigation Labor & Employment
• Litigation Real Estate
• Real Estate Law
• Trusts & Estates Law
Detroit
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Corporate Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Employment Law Management
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
• Immigration Law
• International Trade and Finance Law
• Labor Law Management
• Litigation Labor & Employment
• Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions Defendants
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Product Liability Litigation Defendants
• Securities Regulation
Lansing
• Construction Law
• Litigation Construction
Metropolitan Tier 2
Ann Arbor
• Corporate Law
• Environmental Law
• Labor Law Management
• Litigation ERISA
• Litigation Intellectual Property
Bloomfield Hills
• Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
• Corporate Governance Law
• Family Law
• Litigation Construction
• Litigation Trusts & Estates
• Tax Law
Detroit
• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Compliance Law
• Corporate Governance Law
• Securities/ Capital Markets Law
Washington, D.C.
• Environmental Law
Metropolitan Tier 3
Detroit
• Health Care Law
• Litigation Construction
• Litigation Trusts & Estates
• Personal Injury Litigation Defendants
Washington, D.C.
• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Litigation Securities
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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has been ranked one of the 2021 "Best Law Firms" by Best Lawyers and U.S. News & World Report. Six of the firm's offices received top-tier ratings in multiple practice areas.
Warner was recognized in the top tier of law firms in Grand Rapids for the following areas of the law:
• Appellate practice
• Banking and finance
• Bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization
• Bet-the-company litigation
• Business organizations, including LLCs and partnerships
• Closely held companies and family businesses
• Commercial
• Copyright
• Corporate
• Employee benefits
• Employment management
• Energy regulatory
• Environmental
• Family law
• Family mediation
• Financial services regulation
• Health care
• International trade and finance
• Labor management
• Litigation in the areas of management, bankruptcy, construction, environmental, intellectual property, labor and employment, patent, real estate, trusts and estates, personal injury and product liability
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Natural resources
• Nonprofit/charities
• Patent
• Real estate
• Securities/capital markets
• Tax
• Trademark
• Trusts and estates
• Water
Additionally, the firm's Southfield, Macomb County, Midland, Kalamazoo, and Lansing offices were recognized as top-tier law firms. Southfield and Macomb County were recognized for closely held companies and family businesses, real estate, corporate, employee benefits, environmental, family, health care, trust and estates, real estate, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization, tax law and regulatory enforcement, and commercial and bankruptcy litigation.
Midland was recognized for bankruptcy litigation and trusts and estates, corporate, real estate and bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law. Kalamazoo was recognized for commercial, antitrust, general and white-collar litigation, arbitration, employment- management and mediation.
Lansing was recognized for its government relations practice, eminent domain, condemnation and real estate law and commercial, environmental and construction litigation.
Warner also had 102 attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021. Attorneys from each of the firm's eight offices were featured in the Best Lawyers listings released earlier this year.
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Detroit-based land use, business, and denominational trust law firm Dalton & Tomich is pleased to announce that Daniel P. Dalton, a founding partner of the firm, has been named to the 2021 DBusiness Top Lawyers List. Dalton was honored in the Land Use and Zoning category, an area where he has a national reputation as a tenacious and strategic litigator.
In addition to general commercial land use and zoning, Dalton has a special focus on religious denominational splits and property disputes, representing religious institutions of all faiths throughout the country in cases related to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), as well as local churches seeking to separate from their mainline denominations while retaining their property using denominational trust clauses.
An accomplished speaker and legal writer, Dalton is the author of "Litigating Religious Land Use Cases." Originally published by the American Bar Association in 2014 and updated for a second edition in 2016, the book is a guide for religious entities and the attorneys that represent them. He is an active member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Federal Bar Association and is a lifetime member of the American Bar Foundation. Upon graduation from law school, he was a clerk for the Michigan Supreme Court.
Dalton adds the DBusiness honor, which he has received several times, to other legal awards. He has been named to the Michigan Super Lawyer list multiple times since 2009 in the category of zoning and land use, and in 2010 was named a Leader in the Law by trade publication, Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Dalton earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he is a member of the Dean's Advisory Board, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University.
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The law firm Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC is included in the 2021 U.S. News Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list. The firm is rated a Tier 1 law firm in 25 practice areas with the Lansing office receiving 19 Tier 1 ranked practice areas, with five more Tier 1 rankings for their Grand Rapids office and one more for their Southeast Michigan offices.
To be considered for inclusion on the list, law firms must have at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers in that particular practice area and metro. Foster Swift had 44 lawyers included in the 2021 edition of Best Lawyers.
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Kemp Klein has been ranked in the 2021 U.S. News-Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list regionally in 12 practice areas.
Kemp Klein received the following rankings in the 2021 U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms"-
Regional Tier 1 Troy
Corporate Law
Elder Law
Litigation - Trusts & Estates
Real Estate Law
Tax Law
Trusts & Estates Law
Regional Tier 2 Troy
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Litigation - Tax
Regional Tier 3 Troy
Commercial Litigation
Family Law
Litigation - Labor & Employment
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Secrest Wardle has proudly received multiple rankings on the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® 2021 "Best Law Firms" list in the following categories:
Metropolitan Tier 1 - Troy
Insurance Law
Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
Litigation - Insurance
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Metropolitan Tier 2 - Troy
Litigation Municipal
Metropolitan Tier 3 - Troy
Arbitration
Land Use & Zoning Law
Litigation - Land Use & Zoning
Municipal Law
Secrest Wardle is a law firm specializing in defense litigation and counsel for insurance, municipal, and commercial clients headquartered in Troy with additional offices in Grand Rapids and Lansing.
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Howard & Howard has been named to the 2021 U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list in the following areas:
Metropolitan Tier 1
Ann Arbor
• Litigation-Intellectual Property
Las Vegas
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Franchise Law
• Trademark Law
Troy
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation-Intellectual Property
• Litigation-Patent
• Patent Law
• Trademark Law
Metropolitan Tier 2
Las Vegas
• Arbitration
• Corporate Law
• Employment Law-Management
• Labor Law-Management
• Litigation-Construction
• Patent Law
Troy
• Energy Law
• Real Estate Law
• Trusts & Estates Law
Metropolitan Tier 3
Ann Arbor
• Commercial Litigation
Las Vegas
• Gaming Law
• Litigation-Banking & Finance
• Litigation-Labor & Employment
• Real Estate Law
Troy
• Corporate Law
