Legal People ...

Michigan Auto Law has announced that U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers has named it to its list of 2021 Best Law Firms.

Michigan Auto Law is ranked at the “Tier 1” designation in the specialty of Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiff. According to U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, Michigan Auto Law received the recognition due to “consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers.”

To be eligible for the list, firms must have at least one attorney recognized as a Best Lawyer for 2021. Five Michigan Auto Law attorneys were named to the Best Lawyers list for 2021:

• Steven M. Gursten has been recognized on the Best Lawyers in America list annually for the last 12 years.
• Lawrence E. Gursten has been listed on The Best Lawyers in America list annually for the last 12 years.
• Leonard M. Koltonow has been recognized on The Best Lawyers in America list annually for the last seven years.
• Robert M. Raitt (Bobby) has been recognized on the Best Lawyers in America list annually for the last eight years.
• Kevin H. Seiferheld was recognized for the first time this year on the Best Lawyers in America list.

“Honors and awards like this are always a nice recognition, but as I always stress, they are meaningful because they reflect our attorneys’ hard work for the people we are entrusted to help,” says Steven Gursten, Michigan Auto Law president and attorney. “Our lawyers and professional staff work tremendous hours and have a strong commitment to our clients that is reflected in our communication and caring, in our auto accident settlements and verdicts, and ultimately, in these best lawyer and best law firm in Michigan awards that we receive.”
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that corporate attorney Kenneth R. Powell has joined the firm as a senior associate.

Powell is a member of Bodman’s Business Practice Group.  He represents business clients involved in a variety of general corporate matters including business entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance transactions. Powell also advises public and privately-held companies in connection with reporting and other requirements under state and federal securities laws. He has served as a member of deal teams handling the negotiation and documentation of M&A and corporate finance transactions involving businesses in the automotive, general manufacturing, software, data management, retail, and other sectors.

Powell began his legal career as a Bodman summer associate and associate attorney. He rejoined the firm in December 2020 after spending more than a year as in-house counsel for a publicly-traded semiconductor capital equipment company, working on securities compliance, M&A, corporate governance and other general corporate matters.

He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and earned his undergraduate degree from Albion College. Before beginning law school, he worked as a research analyst tracking legal, business, and financial trends in the health care and automotive industries.

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Rhonda R. Stowers, a senior attorney with Plunkett Cooney, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys (MAMA) and to the Board of the Michigan Municipal League Legal Defense Fund (LDF).

“I’m honored to be a member of the MAMA and LDF boards,” said Stowers, who has nearly 20 years of experience representing Michigan municipalities. “It’s a privilege to work alongside colleagues on these boards, and I look forward to helping advance the initiatives of both organizations.”

Established in 1935 and now affiliated with the Michigan Municipal League (MML), MAMA is a specialized organization that provides a variety of services for municipal attorneys practicing in Michigan. MAMA provides educational programs and information sharing that is designed for attorneys in public and private practice who counsel Michigan’s local communities.

The Legal Defense Fund (the LDF) was established in 1983 to provide support to communities in Michigan involved in significant litigation or other forms of controversy that could affect the organization, operation, powers, duties or financing of Michigan municipalities. The fund is designed to assist, and not replace the municipal attorney, and it offers assistance at the discretion of its board of directors.

As a MAMA board member, Stowers will work with her colleagues to advance the organization’s goals, which include strengthening the quality of legal representation of municipal corporations through continuing education, serving as a research organization for corporate counsel representing MML cities and villages, creating a forum for consultation among members, and honoring individuals who have made significant contributions in the area of municipal law.

A 2001 University of Michigan Law School graduate, Stowers focuses her practice in the areas of governmental law, general litigation and title insurance law. She advises municipalities on a range of issues, including the Freedom of Information Act, the Open Meetings Act, federal and state constitutions, civil rights, zoning, charter amendments, ordinance drafting, and employment-related issues.

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Jesse M. Reiter, president and founder of the birth injury law firm Reiter & Walsh PC, presented at ACI’s 19th annual advanced forum on Obstetric Malpractice Claims on November 10. His presentation, “Exploring Obstetrical Catastrophes: Placental Abruption, Uterine Rupture and Breech Presentations,” highlights the focus of Reiter’s practice.

In addition, Rebecca S. Walsh, of Reiter & Walsh, has been selected as 2021 chair of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG)! She has been a dedicated member since 2011, and continues to fulfill her passion for obtaining justice on behalf of children with birth injuries.

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Howard & Howard attorney Jeffrey A. Hoover has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s inaugural class of “Michigan’s Go To Business Lawyers.” The newly launched program recognizes the top 20 lawyers across the state in a given practice area as nominated by their peers.

Hoover, who practices out of the firm’s Royal Oak office, concentrates his practice in the areas of business transactions and corporate matters, including mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations of business entities, corporate finance, commercial lending, and real estate. He also has experience with structuring and negotiating the sales of businesses, assisting entrepreneurs in organizing and structuring new business ventures, documenting complex commercial lending transactions, and negotiating and documenting workout transactions on behalf of commercial lenders.

Hoover has been selected by Michigan Super Lawyers as one of its “Rising Stars” (2011-2019) and was also recognized by Michigan Leading Lawyers (2017-2020) and DBusiness “Top Lawyers” (2013; 2014; 2020). He was a recipient of the M&A Advisor’s Emerging Leaders Awards in 2019.

Hoover received his M.B.A. and B.B.A. from Eastern Michigan University and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School (now known as Western Michigan University Cooley Law School).