Howard & Howard is pleased to recognize its 2021 class of shareholders. "We are delighted to welcome this group of exceptionally talented young attorneys to our partnership and the next level of their careers," said Mark A. Davis, president and CEO. "Our new partners practice in a wide range of areas and share our firm's commitment to helping our clients succeed."
The 2021 class of local shareholders include:
Matthew P. Breuer concentrates his practice on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance transactions, real estate transactions, and general corporate matters. He regularly counsels clients through all aspects of a wide variety of commercial transactions, including stock purchase acquisitions, asset purchases, formation and organization of business entities, joint ventures, investment/governance agreements, financing transactions, and real property leasing and purchase transactions.
Erick W. Hosner regularly counsels businesses and business owners on the design and implementation of tax-efficient strategies that help achieve a variety of goals, including strategies for forming and structuring the business and its operations; implementing key employee incentives to attract, retain, and reward top talent; and planning for exiting the business.
Ian W. Larkin concentrates his practice in business and corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions; divestitures; joint venture transactions; the formation, organization, and funding of startup businesses; real estate; bank finance; corporate governance; and general business counseling.
Timothy D. Lee concentrates his practice on representing corporate entities in a variety of complex commercial transactions, including domestic and cross-border M&A transactions and syndicated credit facilities. In addition, he regularly assists foreign and domestic corporations and limited liability companies in all phases of formation, dissolution, operations, compliance, and management and on all forms and stages of contractual matters.
Megan J. Parpart focuses her practice on business and corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, asset purchases, stock/membership interest purchases, business formation and dissolution, employment agreements and general contractual matters. She also counsels clients on both individual and business taxation, focusing on tax incentives for businesses and business owners.
Mark C. Vanneste concentrates his practice in commercial litigation, with a focus on supplier-focused automotive litigation, contract disputes, construction, products liability claims, and other business torts.
Elliot R. Vilders focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, domestic real estate transactions, and general corporate matters. He advises clients through all stages of the business cycle, from formation through growth, and concluding with the sale of the business.
Breuer, Hosner, Larkin, Lee, Parpart, Vanneste, and Vilders will continue their respective practices out of the firm's Royal Oak office.
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The shareholders of Fraser Trebilcock have re-elected Michael H. Perry as president of the firm. This is Perry's fourth consecutive year as president.
"I am honored to once again serve as president of Fraser Trebilcock. As we begin to welcome a new year, I am confident that we will continue our mission of providing excellent legal services to our clients," said Perry.
Shareholder Mark E. Kellogg was re-elected to the Board of Directors, where he will serve as vice president & treasurer. Shareholder Brian T. Gallagher was elected to the Board of Directors, where he will serve as secretary.
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U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Roberts, Eastern District of Michigan, last week notified President Joe Biden that she will take senior status on February 24.
In her letter to the president and federal officials, Roberts stated, "I intend to continue to provide judicial and administrative services as a Senior Judge under 28 U.S.C. § 371(e)(1) and the Rules of the Sixth Circuit for Certification of Senior Judges. It has been my honor to serve."
Roberts was commissioned by President William Jefferson Clinton on June 29, l998 to serve as a U.S. District judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, with the unanimous advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. Prior to that, Roberts was in private practice and served as the managing partner of the Detroit law firm of Goodman, Eden, Millender, & Bedrosian. She also served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Roberts was the 62nd president of the State Bar of Michigan and has been the only black female to hold that position. An author, teacher and lecturer, Roberts has served as a faculty member for numerous legal education seminars, both in the United States and abroad. From January 2008 until May 2014 Roberts was an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor where she taught "Federal Sentencing: Evolution and Dynamics."
In August 2013, Roberts was appointed by Chief Bankruptcy Court Judge Steven Rhodes to serve as a mediator in the City of Detroit Bankruptcy case, which was completely mediated and resulted in Rhodes confirming the Plan of Adjustment on November 7, 2014. Roberts was primarily responsible for negotiating collective bargaining agreements between the city, its public safety unions and AFSCME, the largest union representing City employees. Roberts also mediated collective bargaining issues in 2015 on behalf of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department as the City of Detroit continued to bring closure to bankruptcy related issues.
She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the two highest conferred by the State Bar of Michigan: The Roberts P. Hudson Award and the Champion of Justice Award. In May, 2004, Roberts received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Northeastern University. She was named Michigan Lawyers Weekly "Woman of the Year" in 2013 and received the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation Dennis W. Archer Public Service Award in 2012. In 1997 she was named one of the Lawyers of the Year by the Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Roberts received her law degree in 1976 from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. Her undergraduate degree, in journalism and sociology, is from the University of Michigan.
Prior to her appointment, Roberts provided legal services on a pro bono basis to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization, and served on its Board of Directors. She is also a past chair of the Board of Directors of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit. Currently, she serves on the court's Pro Bono, Jury, Information Technology, and Magistrate Judges Committees, and is a board member of the State Bar of Michigan Foundation.
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The Dragich Law Firm is pleased to announce that attorney Amanda Vintevoghel has been elevated to the role of partner at the firm.
Vintevoghel is involved in the firm's active corporate restructuring practice, representing businesses in restructurings and wind-downs both inside and outside of court. She is also a commercial litigator who represents clients across a number of industries in state and federal courts, as well as in alternative dispute resolution forums, and advises clients in various business transactions, including the negotiation and drafting of commercial contracts, corporate formation, and the sale or acquisition of assets and businesses.
Vinteghol is an active member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), where she serves as a member of the TMA Board of Directors. She is also the past president of the TMA Detroit Chapter.
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Varnum recently welcomed Jailah D. Emerson as a new associate in its Detroit office. She previously served as a summer associate at Varnum.
Emerson graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University.
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Matthew Schneider, who since January 2018 has served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan overseeing numerous high-profile cases, will join Honigman in February as a partner and co-leader of Honigman's White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice as well as a member of the Government Relations and Regulatory Practice.
As the chief federal law enforcement officer for 34 counties, Schneider supervised and directed all federal litigation within the Eastern District. During his tenure, he oversaw prosecutions involving international terrorism, violent crime, public corruption, environmental crime, financial fraud, drug trafficking, civil rights and numerous other criminal and civil matters, including cases related to the United Autoworkers Union, major healthcare systems, and state contractors.
Prior to being appointed as United States attorney, Schneider served as Michigan's chief deputy attorney general, overseeing the office's 40,000 ongoing criminal and civil cases. Additionally, he was the chief legal counsel for the Michigan Office of Attorney General, where he was the lead counsel representing the governor and the State of Michigan in the City of Detroit federal bankruptcy case.
Earlier in his career he served as the Michigan Supreme Court's chief of staff and general counsel, providing overall direction for the administration of Michigan's judicial branch of government and served as chief legal counsel to the chief justice and the justices. Previously, he was a federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice in Detroit where he held the U.S. government's highest security clearance and received numerous awards from federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the DEA, and the ATF.
Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Schneider served on the legal staff of President George W. Bush as senior advisor and assistant general counsel in the White House Budget Office, where he helped to develop the president's major policy, budget, and legal initiatives.
Schneider earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Michigan State University's James Madison College and studied International Affairs at Cambridge University. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
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