Legal People

Bodman PLC

Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that attorneys Alexander J. Burridge, Rebecca El Badaoui, Emily P. Jenks, and Alexander L. Krasuski have joined the firm as associates.

All five were members of Bodman’s 2019 class of summer associates.

Burridge, of Bodman’s Detroit office, is a member of the Workplace Law Practice Group. He represents employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters, including advising them on day to day employment issues and maintaining compliance with all applicable employment laws.  He is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law. Burridge also earned an M.B.A. in Finance.

El Badaoui, of Bodman’s Detroit office, is a member of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She represents clients involved in complex commercial litigation matters.  She is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Jenks, of Bodman’s Troy office, is a member of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She represents clients involved in complex commercial litigation matters.  She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law.

Krasuski, of Bodman’s Detroit office, is a member of the Banking Practice Group and the Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Rights Practice Group. He represents financial institutions in a variety of commercial lending matters, including advising on troubled credit situations. He also represents creditors, trustees, and other parties in a variety of commercial bankruptcy matters and debtor-creditor disputes.  He is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School.  Krasuski has an undergraduate business degree with a major in Accounting and has served tax internships with the United States Department of Treasury-Internal Revenue Service and with two Fortune 500 corporations.

In addition, Bodman is pleased to announce that U.S. News & World Report, in association with The Best Lawyers in America, has named the firm to its 2021 “Best Law Firms” list in multiple areas of practice both nationally and in the southeast Michigan market.

Bodman has been ranked in the 2021 “Best Law Firms” list nationally in four practice areas and at the highest possible “Tier 1” level locally in 25 practice specialties across 3 metropolitan markets.

U.S. News ranked Bodman as a leader in the following areas:

Nationally:

• Banking and Finance Law

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

• Corporate Law

• Environmental Law

Detroit Market Tier 1:

• Banking and Finance Law

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

• Bet-the-Company Litigation

• Commercial Litigation

• Corporate Law

• Litigation-Banking & Finance

• Litigation-Bankruptcy

• Litigation-Environmental

• Litigation-Trusts & Estates

• Nonprofit / Charities law

• Real Estate Law

Troy Market Tier 1:

• Banking and Finance Law

• Commercial Litigation

• Labor Law-Management

• Litigation-Trusts & Estates

• Real Estate Law

Ann Arbor Market Tier 1:

• Appellate Practice

• Commercial Litigation

• Copyright Law

• Corporate Law

• Mergers & Acquisitions Law

• Nonprofit/Charities Law

• Tax Law

• Trademark Law

• Trusts & Estates Law

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Dickinson Wright PLLC

Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that 45 of the firm’s attorneys have been included in DBusiness Magazine “2021 Top Lawyers.”

Below is a complete list of Dickinson Wright lawyers included in this year’s list:

 Ann Arbor

Suzanne Sukkar, Immigration Law

Detroit

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

Richard M. Bolton, Mergers & Acquisitions Law

William T. Burgess, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

Aaron V. Burrell, Labor and Employment Law

James N. Candler Jr., Real Estate Law

David R. Deromedi, Labor and Employment Law

Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate Law

K. Scott Hamilton, Appellate Law

Mark R. High, Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Steven G. Howell, Banking & Financial Services Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

Timothy H. Howlett, Labor and Employment Law

W. Anthony Jenkins, Municipal Law

Kenneth J. McIntyre, Litigation Antitrust

Thomas G. McNeill, Litigation Commercial

Sharon R. Newlon, Energy Law, Environmental Law

James A. Plemmons, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

William P. Shield Jr., Banking & Financial Services Law

Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Banking & Financial Services Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

Bruce C. Thelen, International Trade Law

Kathryn S. Wood, Labor and Employment Law

L. Pahl Zinn, Antitrust Law, Litigation Antitrust

Troy

Christian S. Allen, Immigration Law

Laura M. Bassett, Public Finance Law

Terence M. Donnelly, Public Finance Law

Deborah L. Grace, Employee Benefits Law

Roberta P. Granadier, Employee Benefits Law

Henry M. Grix, Trusts and Estates

Craig W. Hammond, Public Finance Law

Robert P. Hurlbert, White-Collar Criminal Defense

Monica J. Labe, Real Estate Law

Elise S. Levasseur, Immigration Law

Michael J. Lusardi, Real Estate Law

Anna M. Maiuri, Environmental Law

Cynthia A. Moore, Employee Benefits Law

Gregory W. Moore, Health Care Law

Mahesh K. Nayak, Litigation Commercial

Daniel D. Quick, Litigation Commercial

Michael T. Raymond, Securities Law

Robert L. Schwartz, Securities Law

Lynn Capp Sirich, Family Law

Jared A. Smith, Corporate Law

Rose Willis, Health Care Law

Mark E. Wilson, Environmental Law, Health Care Law

Katheryne L. Zelenock, Real Estate Law

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Butzel Long

Butzel Long attorney George B. Donnini has been named a “Notable Veteran” by Crain’s Detroit Business. He is among a group of local business leaders profiled in the November 9, 2020 edition.

Donnini knew early on that he wanted to become an attorney and serve in the military. He found a way to combine both interests. A 1998 graduate of Duke University School of Law, Donnini wrapped up a clerkship for federal Judge William H. Pauley III (SDNY) in New York City on a Friday before driving to Quantico, Va. to report for active duty and start a six-month officer training course with the United States Marine Corps.

He became a judge advocate serving for much of his active duty time as a criminal defense counsel, an experience similar to being a public defender. He was a judge advocate for four years and was honorably discharged in 2003 after serving as counsel of record in numerous criminal trials. The experience also provided him with an excellent foundation for his career as a lawyer and courtroom advocate.

Donnini joined Butzel Long, where he is now a shareholder (and former board member) and Practice Department chair of the Litigation Group with 17 years under his belt in Detroit as a white-collar criminal defense practitioner. He has handled a variety of cases including, but not limited to, health care fraud, public corruption, antitrust, environmental, tax, and securities fraud cases. In addition, a significant portion of his practice involves the handling of corporate internal investigations for public and private companies.

He serves in leadership roles with the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (currently serving as treasurer/secretary), American Bar Association (ABA), Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime Committee; Midwest regional co-chair (2005-present) and the ABA Criminal Justice Section, Book Board, appointed member (2008-present). Donnini, along with a group of local attorneys, formed the Detroit chapter of the Veteran’s Bar Association, to gather for networking and mentorship.

In addition, seventy-six Butzel Long attorneys have been named Top Lawyers in metro Detroit 2021 by DBusiness magazine. The list appears in the November/December 2020 edition. The attorneys and their practice areas are listed below:

Ann Arbor office

Regan K. Dahle, Labor and Employment Law

Jennifer A. Dukarski, Copyright Law, Information Technology Law, Intellectual Property and Patent Law

Ashley Glime, Copyright Law, Information Technology Law, Intellectual Property and Patent Law

Mark W. Jane, Employee Benefits Law

Nancy Keppelman, Employee Benefits Law

Lynn McGuire, Employee Benefits Law

Mark T. Nelson, Litigation Labor and Employment Benefits

Claudia Rast, Copyright Law, Information Technology Law

Andrew Stumpff, Employee Benefits Law

Bloomfield Hills office

Jennifer E. Consiglio, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Carey A. DeWitt,  Labor and Employment Law, Litigation Labor Employment Benefits

George B. Donnini, White-Collar Criminal Defense, Antitrust Law

W. Patrick Dreisig, Banking & Financial Service Law

Damien DuMouchel, White-Collar Criminal Defense

Theodore R. Eppel, Litigation Antitrust, White-Collar Criminal Defense

Geoffrey L. Gallinger, Land Use & Zoning, Real Estate Law

Debra A. Geroux, Health Care Law

Amy L. Glenn, Trusts and Estates

Beth S. Gotthelf, Energy Law, Environmental Law

David W. Hipp, Banking & Financial Service Law

Robert A. Hudson, International Trade Law, Securities Law

Laura E. Johnson, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Susan L. Johnson, Environmental Law, Energy Law

Thomas A. Kabel, Banking & Financial Service Law, Real Estate Law, Land Use & Zoning

Kaveh Kashef, Litigation Real Estate, Litigation Commercial

Sheldon H. Klein, Antitrust Law, Litigation Antitrust

William J. Kliffel, Product Liability

Bushra A. Malik, Immigration Law

Suzanne M. Miller, Tax Law

Max J. Newman, Bankruptcy and Creditor /Debtor Rights Law

Neil Patel, Franchise Law

Robert P. Perry, Trusts and Estates

R. Peter Prokop, Tax Law

Thomas B. Radom, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

Joseph E. Richotte, Appellate Law, Antitrust Law, White-Collar Criminal Defense

Craig S. Schwartz, Labor and Employment Law

Robert H. Schwartz, Health Care Law

Thomas L. Shaevsky, Employee Benefits Law

Thomas C. Simpson, Litigation Real Estate

Daniel B. Tukel, Labor and Employment Law, Litigation Labor Employment Benefits

Roxana Zaha, Real Estate Law

Detroit office

Geaneen M. Arends, Real Estate Law

Linda J. Armstrong, Immigration Law

Frederick A. Berg Jr., Insurance Law, Commercial Law

James C. Bruno, Arbitration, Commercial Law, Corporate Law

Joshua J. Chinsky, White-Collar Criminal Defense

Maura Corrigan, Appellate Law

Rebecca S. Davies, Labor and Employment Law

Michael C. Decker, Construction Law, Litigation Construction

David J. DeVine, Insurance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

Arthur Dudley II, Corporate Law, Securities Law

David F. DuMouchel, White-Collar Criminal Defense

Eric J. Flessland, Construction Law, Litigation Construction

Bernard J. Fuhs, Franchise Law, Trade Secrets

Cynthia J. Haffey, Litigation Commercial

Justin G. Klimko, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Phillip C. Korovesis, Trade Secrets, Litigation Commercial

Mark R. Lezotte, Health Care Law, Nonprofit/Charities Law

Clara DeMatteis Mager, Immigration Law

Paul M. Mersino, Construction Law, Trade Secrets

Brett J. Miller, Franchise Law, Labor and Employment Law

Donald B. Miller, Product Liability

Donald V. Orlandoni, Franchise Law

Reginald A. Pacis, Immigration Law

James S. Rosenfeld, Labor and Employment Law, Litigation Labor Employment Benefits

Daniel R.W. Rustmann, Litigation Commercial

Bruce L. Sendek, Litigation Antitrust, Litigation Commercial

Angela Emmerling Shapiro, Information Management & Discovery Law

Ivonne M. Soler, Family Law

Nicholas J. Stasevich, International Trade Law

Hannah E. Treppa, Labor and Employment Law

John C. Valenti, Product Liability

Kurtis T. Wilder, Appellate Law, Arbitration

James E. Wynne, Product Liability

Mitchell Zajac, Intellectual Property and Patent Law

Lansing office

James J. Urban, Litigation Construction

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Clark Hill PLC

Clark Hill PLC has announced the addition of Kari Shay as a member in its Education and Municipal Practice Group, resident in the firm’s Birmingham office.  Shay has more than twenty years experience representing Michigan public school districts, community colleges and other municipalities in the area of finance, election, school business, business contract negotiations and general school law, and brings private sector experience as a consulting specialist in tax and accounting matters. 

With her experience advising clients on a wide range of school business matters, including the negotiation of business and construction agreements, as well as all aspects of school finance and elections, Shay has a comprehensive and unique expertise in all aspects of capital projects.  She has more than 16 years’ experience serving as bond and note counsel, and has represented school districts and underwriters in the issuance of municipal borrowings that include voted and non-voted bonds, tax credit bonds, refunding bonds and energy bonds. Additionally, her experience includes assisting clients with installment and lease purchase agreements and has served as note counsel on all forms of cash flow borrowings such as state aid notes, tax anticipation notes and lines of credit.

Shay has a proficiency and long history in advising clients on booster clubs and other parent support groups as well as the formation of educational foundations and other tax-exempt entities. This expertise includes advising clients on the use of district funds, donations and grant proceeds on student and building activities in compliance with recent changes in the law.  Shay is currently the only attorney to serve on the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Referent Group or advisory board for Bulletin 1022 (Michigan Public School Accounting Manual).  

Additionally, Shay has experience in election matters, including the preparation of bond, operating millage and sinking fund proposals, and advises districts on more complex millage issues related to the Headlee Amendment.  Her work in school elections includes advising clients on all matters related to Campaign Finance Act compliance.

“It is an exciting and challenging time to be practicing Education and Municipal law, and I’m delighted to be joining this outstanding team of lawyers at Clark Hill,” noted Shay.  “The firm’s reputation among clients and the community across Michigan was a major draw for me as well as the significant resources that would be available to assist me in meeting client needs.”

Shay was recently nominated to and serves as a board member of Michigan Women in Finance.  She is also a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), Michigan Council of School Attorneys (COSA), Bond Club of Detroit, and the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA).

Shay is actively involved in the community and recently completed a term as a board member for the South Lyon Community Schools Educational Foundation.

Shay earned her law degree from Wayne State University and her B.A. from Michigan State University.  She is currently enrolled in the Harvard Business School online program for certification in Financial Accounting with an anticipated certificate completion date of January 2021.

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Sinas Dramis

For the 17th consecutive year, Sinas Dramis Managing Partner George T. Sinas co-moderated and presented at Michigan’s premier auto no-fault legal symposium—the MAJ No-Fault Institute.

This annual event, sponsored by the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ), is an intensive two-day seminar that focuses on the representation of injury victims and their medical providers regarding claims arising out of motor vehicle accidents. This year, the focus of the Institute was an in-depth analysis of Michigan’s new auto insurance laws enacted in 2019.

Sinas, who co-founded the event in 2004, shared moderator duties with professional colleague, Wayne J. Miller of Miller & Tischler PC. A record crowd of over 300 persons attended this year’s Institute, which was conducted virtually over four one-half day sessions in late October. 

In addition to moderating the Institute, Sinas also presented a legal analysis of recent court decisions impacting the rights of victims to pursue auto injury liability claims. Three other attorneys from the Sinas Dramis Law Firm also gave timely and insightful presentations about various issues affecting the legal rights of injured patients and medical providers in motor vehicle injury cases. These attorneys were Stephen H. Sinas, Thomas G. Sinas, and Catherine E. Tucker.

At the conclusion of the Institute, George Sinas expressed his satisfaction with the event, stating “This year’s No-Fault Institute was a great success! I was pleasantly surprised by how well the virtual format worked for this event. Our speakers did a wonderful job with their presentations and attendees received over 1,000 pages of course materials despite the distance.”

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McKeen & Associates PC

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers recently named McKeen & Associates PC to its Best Law Firms rankings. McKeen & Associates attorneys Brian McKeen, Jody Aaron, and Norman Rosen were all named as 2021 Best Lawyers. 

McKeen & Associates was named as a Best Law Firm in the categories of Medical Malpractice, plaintiff and Personal Injury, plaintiff.

McKeen & Associates represents individuals injured by the negligence of others particularly in or by hospitals and physicians. In addition, McKeen & Associates has successfully represented clients injured in a variety of other circumstances. Based in Detroit, McKeen & Associates represents clients in both federal and state courts brought throughout Michigan and the United States.

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Plunkett Cooney PC

Attorneys Danielle Chidiac and Kaitlyn M. Cox have a lot in common.

Not only did they graduate from Wayne State University Law School together, they were both members of Plunkett Cooney’s 2019 Summer Associate Program, and they recently passed the bar exam together before joining Plunkett Cooney PC.

Chidiac and Cox are also the newest members, respectively, of the Insurance Coverage and Labor and Employment Law practice groups of Plunkett Cooney.

An associate in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Chidiac represents leading property and casualty insurance companies in coverage litigation. Her coverage work primarily includes handling research and coverage opinions regarding general liability policy issues involving environmental, property damage and construction defect claims.

While at Wayne Law, Chidiac worked as an intern for U.S. District Court Judge Bernard A. Friedman, Eastern District of Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree from Oakland University in 2017.

Also an associate in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Cox focuses her practice in the area of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation and civil rights claims brought under state and federal statutes. She also provides counsel to employers regarding employment issues prior to litigation, including compliance with the Americans with Disabilities, Family and Medical Leave and Fair Labor Standards acts.

Before graduating from Wayne Law, Cox received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 2016.

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University of Michigan Law

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity Inc. (CLEO) is pleased to announce that Barbara L. McQuade is the recipient of the CLEO EDGE (Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality) Award for Diversity.  She, along with other honorees, were recognized during the CLEO EDGE Virtual Honors Reception on November 12.

McQuade is a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School. A former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, McQuade is also as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.