Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that John S. Artz has been ranked in the 2021 Edition of the IAM Patent 1000. The firm also received a Bronze ranking for its Patent practice in Michigan.
The IAM Patent 1000 is a resource for those seeking to identify world-class, private practice patent expertise and leading expert witnesses.
Below are Dickinson Wright's rankings for the 2021 edition of the IAM Patent 1000:
Michigan
John S. Artz - Litigation: Recommended
- - -
Regina M. Gilmour has joined Warner Norcross + Judd LLP as an associate.
Gilmour is a litigator with experience in employment, securities, environmental and tribal litigation in both state and federal courts. She will be based in the firm's Macomb County office.
Prior to joining Warner, Gilmour was an associate at Mika Meyers PLC in Grand Rapids. She also served as a legal intern at Berry Moorman PC and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in its Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit. She is licensed to practice in Michigan and Florida.
Gilmour earned both a bachelor's degree in English and history and a master's degree in management from the University of Notre Dame. She earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
- - -
The law firm of Couzens Lansky, located in Farmington Hills, is pleased to announce that Chiara Mattieson has joined the firm as Of Counsel.
Mattieson is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Michigan, and U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan. She has also been admitted pro hac vice to the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana.
Mattieson received a B.A. from Wayne State University and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School. She was admitted to practice in the State of Michigan in 2003.
Her experience in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate and trust litigation, business litigation and equine law provides her with in-depth understanding of the law and serves her well in counseling individuals and families in various probate, estate planning, business and other matters.
Mattieson is also affiliated with Mattieson Law PLC with an office in Northville.
- - -
Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett is proud to announce that Kim Shierk has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's debut list of "Go To Lawyers" practicing in real estate and condominium law.
An accomplished and respected real property and development lawyers in Michigan, Shierk has blazed a trail and broken new ground for herself and other women lawyers in a world mainly comprised of men. From small- to large-scale residential and commercial projects, wireless communication structures, and a host of other real property matters and initiatives, Shierk's fingerprints-and footprints-are all over Michigan.
Shierk is also well versed and experienced in mixed-use properties. She capably navigates initial government approvals, streamlines permit processes, and fosters consensus and agreement between the different retail, commercial, residential, and governmental interests involved. Additionally, Shierk has counseled clients in some of the state's finest condominium developments of all sizes and complexities, including two-unit projects; attached and detached condos; residential projects with hundreds of units; industrial, retail, and mixed-use projects; lakefront developments; and other types of projects with shared elements such as marinas and campgrounds.
- - -
Twenty-four Kitch attorneys have been recognized as Leading Lawyers. Those recognized for their high caliber of work, dedication, and leadership include:
• Karen B. Berkery - Employment Law: Management
• Gregory G. Drutchas - Commercial Litigation
• Patrick M. Fishman - Class Action/Mass Tort, Defense Law
• M. Sean Fosmire - Commercial Litigation
• Christina A. Ginter - Civil Appellate Law
• Jenna Wright Greenman - Medical Malpractice, Defense Law
• Andrew M. Harris - Commercial Litigation
• John Paul Hessburg - Health Law
• Richard A. Kitch - Health Law
• Shannon M. Kos - Products Liability, Defense Law
• Donald B. Lenderman - Medical Malpractice, Defense Law
• Susan Douglas MacGregor - Employment Law: Management
• Meghan Kennedy Riordan - Immigration Law: Employment
• Harry J. Sherbrook - Medical Malpractice, Defense Law
• Daniel R. Shirey - Health Law
• John M. Sier - ADR Law:? Commercial Litigation
• Mary Catherine Storen - Medical Malpractice, Defense Law
• Richard J. Suhrheinrich - Commercial Litigation
• Marcy A. Tayler - Insurance, Insurance Coverage, & Reinsurance Law
• Ralph F. Valitutti Jr. - Medical Malpractice, Defense Law
• Ronald E. Wagner - Medical Malpractice, Defense Law
• Michael Thomas Walsh - Health Law
• Michael J. Watza - Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Law
• Mark A. Wisniewski - Class Action/Mass Tort, Defense Law
- - -
Reising Ethington is proud to announce the addition of Yao Yao as a senior attorney at the firm. Yao is admitted to practice law in the United States as well as in China. She received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Shanghai University, and law degrees from Fordham Law School, and Shanghai University. Yao's background, language ability, global legal skills, and Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge enable her to provide invaluable assistance to clients.
A licensed patent attorney and patent agent in China, Yao has been practicing IP law in China for nearly 10 years. She has experience in IP litigation, enforcement, and prosecution in China. Her experience includes patent applications related to chemical and mechanical technologies. While working as an IP attorney in Shanghai, Yao served as the lead attorney in cases involving patent litigation, patent invalidation, patent administration litigation, trademark litigation, unfair competition, and customs seizure.
Yao's practice integrates multiple disciplines of IP law, including the analysis, enforcement, and prosecution of patents and trademarks. She develops and manages global IP portfolios for corporate clients and universities and has overseen and instructed foreign counsel as they prosecute patent applications and enforce IP in China. Yao is a Chinese national fluent in both Mandarin and Shanghainese.
- - -
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that intellectual property attorney Jennifer M. Hetu has joined the firm as a member in the Troy office.
Hetu is a member of Bodman's Intellectual Property Practice Group. She advises businesses of all sizes on a wide range of trademark matters in the U.S. and international markets, collaborates with foreign law firms on worldwide trademark protection, and provides counseling regarding U.S. use and registration.
She is a former trademark attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Prior to joining Bodman, she was a partner in the intellectual property practice group of another large Michigan-based business law firm.
Hetu is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2019-2021 as a leading practitioner for Trademark Law. She is a member of the International Trademark Association, the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, the Michigan Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, and the State Bar of Michigan Intellectual Property Section.
Hetu earned a law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She also earned her undergraduate degree cum laude from Western Michigan University.
- - -
Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA) elected Jaye Quadrozzi as chair of its board of commissioners, effective June 10, becoming the second woman to lead the HCMA in the park system's 81-year history.
An attorney at Young & Associates, Quadrozzi has served as the Oakland County representative to the HCMA since 2013. The HCMA is a regional park system created in 1940 by the citizens of Southeast Michigan and provides recreational and educational opportunities while serving as stewards of the Metroparks' natural resources.
Inclusiveness, access and strong stewardship will continue to be key areas of focus for the Metroparks system under Quadrozzi's leadership. Providing equal access to job opportunities and career advancement go hand-in-hand with making sure people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those having physical or mental disabilities, can access and fully enjoy the multitude of Metroparks offerings, according to Quadrozzi, a veteran of more than 15 marathons.
Quadrozzi also believes sound decision making and stewardship come from listening to ideas from community members, partners and those who manage the Metroparks' operations on a day-to-day basis as well as from having an engaged and representative board.
"I think it is incredibly important that women be given opportunities to serve on boards of directors," said Quadrozzi. "If you are not on the board-you will never have opportunity to lead the board. It has been nearly 40 years since the HCMA Board has had a woman as its chair, and that is a direct result of the lack of women appointed. I commend Oakland County's Board of Commissioners for having the foresight to appoint me and look forward to this leadership role."
The daughter of Roseville Public Schools administrators, Quadrozzi was born and raised in Mt. Clemens. Her first job was at the Metro Beach roller rink at the age of 16. At 17, she qualified to be a Metroparks lifeguard and spent several summers working at Metro Beach. Quadrozzi has had a lifelong passion for the Metroparks and continues to enjoy paddle boarding at Stony Creek Metropark and runs, bikes or swims weekly at either Kensington Metropark or Stony Creek.
Quadrozzi's steadfast support of the Metroparks and her commitment to making the Metroparks a place where people of all genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds feel comfortable is evidenced by her engagement in the new and inclusive Maple Beach playground project at Kensington Metropark, as well as the Shelden Trail connection at Stony Creek Metropark.
She sees future opportunities to potentially expand the new Swim in the D swimming education program to other counties and possibly adding an adult component to that program. She also supports efforts aimed at enhancing public transit options for those wanting to enjoy what the Metroparks has to offer.
Quadrozzi is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a major in philosophy, and of the U-M Law School. She is a member of the Michigan, Illinois, and California state bars, and has been admitted to numerous federal courts including the Eastern District of Michigan, the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern and Southern Districts of California, and the Southern District of New York. She has also served as Oakland County's representative to the Great Lakes Water Authority's Board of Directors since 2019.
The Metroparks offers a host of job experiences and career opportunities and recently increased its seasonal work incentive. To learn more about the Board of Commissioners of the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority or to find a list of job opportunities with the Metroparks, visit Metroparks.com.
One of America's premier metropolitan park systems, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks have served the people of Southeast Michigan since 1940. Managed by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, the Metroparks are made up of 13 properties in Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. Available activities include fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, nature study, biking, golf, winter sports, and more. The Metroparks also provide educational resources on science, nature, history and the environment.
- - -
Honigman LLP is pleased to announce that Brandon Booth, Megan Parpart, and Tim Lee have joined its Corporate Department as partners in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office. Booth, Parpart, and Lee join Honigman from Howard & Howard.
Booth focuses his practice on domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, as well as advising clients on general corporate governance and compliance. He routinely serves as lead counsel on M&A transactions in the U.S. and abroad. Additionally, he counsels clients on a wide variety of organization, finance, governance, and operation matters.
Prior to practicing law, Booth worked as a project engineer for Barton Malow Company, a national general contractor. Booth earned his law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and his B.S. from Michigan State University.
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.
Parpart's experience also includes her work as a consultant at a Big 4 public accounting firm where she focused her practice on corporate and pass-through entity taxation as well as large, multinational mergers and acquisitions. Parpart earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and her B.S. from Southeast Missouri State University.
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.
Lee earned his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and his B.A. from The College of Wooster.
- - -
For the third consecutive year, Beth Coakley, trademark attorney and principal in Harness Dickey's Metro Detroit office, has been named by Managing Intellectual Property to their global list of the "Top 250 Women in IP 2021."
Coakley is currently the longest serving woman partner at Harness Dickey and has more than 40 years of experience as an attorney. She devotes her practice to safeguarding her clients' brands and maximizing their value in the global market. Coakley's clients include industry leaders, start-ups, and universities for whom she obtains international trademarks, opposes marks before the USPTO, and executes global anti-counterfeiting efforts.
As the chair of the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the past several years, Coakley has been a champion for furthering the firm's overall diversity goals. She recently spearheaded the launch of a new Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship, which offers a paid scholarship to diverse law students who complete the firm's clerkship program. One of the main goals of the program is to encourage more diverse law students to pursue patent and trademark law as a personally and financially rewarding career path.
In addition to making the "Top 250 Women in IP" list, Coakley has also been named a "Trademark Star" for 2021.
- - -
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointments of Lester A. Owczarski and Julie A. Petrik to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission.
Owczarski currently serves as a commissioner with the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission. Prior to his appointment in 2019, Owczarski served as a commissioner with the former Michigan Compensation Appellate Commission. He earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Owczarski is reappointed for a term commencing August 1, 2021 and expiring July 31, 2025.
Petrik is a current commissioner and chair of the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission. Prior to her appointment in 2019, Petrik was an attorney with the Lyngklip and Associates Consumer Law Center. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of St. Benedict and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Petrik is reappointed for a term commencing August 1, 2021 and expiring July 31, 2025. The governor has designated Petrik to serve as the chair of the Commission.
The Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission serves Michigan's employees, employers, and insurers by addressing and impartially resolving appeals of decisions and orders involving workers' compensation and unemployment insurance benefits. The Commission created in Executive Order No. 2019-13 has full authority to handle, process, and decide appeals filed under Michigan Employment Security Act Section 33(2).
These appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
