23rd District Court
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Victoria I. Shackelford to the 23rd District Court of the City of Taylor.
Shackelford currently serves as an assistant prosecutor for Wayne County. As an assistant prosecutor, she is the lead of the office's arson unit and previously worked in the community prosecution and homicide units. Shackelford previously worked as an attorney with Goldin and Associates, PLLC and Freedman, Krochmal, and Goldin PLLC where she practiced criminal law and worked as a public defender. She also worked as a member of the 33rd District Court's Sobriety Court program.
Shackelford earned her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law and Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Eastern Michigan University. She is the director of legal education for FAIR Michigan and the treasurer of Downriver Families Against Narcotics.
"I am humbled and grateful to Governor Whitmer for her decision to appoint me judge of the 23rd District Court," said Shackelford. "I have devoted my life to public service, both as a prosecutor and a defense attorney for indigent defendants. My background and experience will enable me to treat all individuals who come before the court with fairness, compassion, and dignity."
This appointment was made to fill a partial term, which expires at twelve o'clock noon on January 1, 2023, after Judge Geno Salomone steps down effective November 1, 2021. If Shackelford wishes to serve the remainder of Judge Salomone's term, expiring January 1, 2025, she would be required to run for reelection in November of 2022.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Suzanne Sukkar (member) has been named chair of the State of Michigan's Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Sukkar was first appointed to the Commission in 2015.
The Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs was created by Executive Order 2015-6. The 15-member council advises the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity on issues relating to the Arab and Chaldean communities in Michigan and promote awareness of their culture and history.
"I'm honored to be named chair of the Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs and look forward to working with my colleagues to advance the Arab and Chaldean communities in Michigan," Sukkar said.
Sukkar is an immigration attorney who focuses her practice on global workforce mobility, employment-based sponsorship and visa matters, immigration audit and compliance for corporate and individual clients across a vast array of industries. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is past president of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness Top Lawyers recognize her as a leader in her field.
In addition, Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that the firm's litigation practice and its attorneys are recognized in the Benchmark Litigation United States 2022 Edition.
Benchmark Litigation recognized the following Dickinson Wright litigation practices and attorneys:
Michigan Highly Recommended
Brandon Hubbard Local Litigation Star
Thomas McNeill Local Litigation Star
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Plunkett Cooney
The State Bar of Michigan's Appellate Practice Section recently announced that it has selected Plunkett Cooney partner Mary Massaron as the recipient of its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award will be presented to Massaron during the 2022 Appellate Bench Bar Conference next May. Anne Argiroff, who chairs the Appellate Practice Section, said Massaron was selected because of her tireless efforts to support the section and to improve appellate advocacy in Michigan.
Massaron, one of Plunkett Cooney's most accomplished appellate attorneys, will add the SBM Appellate Section Lifetime Achievement Award to a long list of other honors. She is a former president of DRI The Voice of the Defense Bar and the first woman president of Lawyers for Civil Justice. A member of the prestigious American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and American Law Institute, Massaron is also a past chair of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, a five-member committee that oversees preparation of ABA briefs for filing in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The list of Massaron's appellate victories is long and distinguished, including an award-winning brief in Nexteer Automotive Group v. Mando America Corp in 2018. Cooley Law Review presented Massaron with its Distinguished Brief Award for her efforts in this case. She has also received distinguished service awards from the Michigan Municipal League in 2003 and Marygrove College in 2004, as well as the Leaders in the Law Award from Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2009. Additionally, Massaron received the 2020 Al Cortese Award for outstanding contributions to the cause of civil justice, which was presented to her by Lawyers for Civil Justice.
With more than 100 appeals as lead attorney before the U.S. Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit, Massaron's list of published cases in state appellate courts is equally as long and distinguished. She is admitted to almost every federal circuit court of appeals and has handled matters before the Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth circuits. She has also handled cases in Alabama, California, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Ohio courts, as well as in the Tribal Court of Appeals.
Massaron, who has exclusively practiced in the area of appellate law for over 30 years, is perennially recognized by Best Lawyers in America for appellate law and has been repeatedly acknowledged as one of the top 100 lawyers, top 50 business lawyers, top 25 women business lawyers, top 50 female lawyers, and top appellate law practitioners by Michigan Super Lawyers. She was recognized as the Best Lawyers 2017 and 2021 Appellate Practice "Lawyer of the Year" for attorneys practicing in Bloomfield Hills. DBusiness magazine has named Massaron its top appellate lawyer for the past five years.
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Schneiderman & Sherman PC
Michigan-based sister companies Schneiderman & Sherman PC (SSPC) and Best Homes Title Agency (BHT) announced the promotion of Rachel Rutherford to the role of executive project manager. Prior to accepting the position, Rutherford served as executive assistant to Neil Sherman, Schneiderman & Sherman and Best Homes Title's president, a role that she will continue in addition to her new position. In her new role, Rutherford will be responsible for the oversight of various operations and corporate projects within both companies.
Rutherford is currently assisting firm leadership in preparation for the lifting of default moratorium. She is also managing multiple Best Homes Title Agency projects associated with the company's growth strategies.
Rutherford is also a published fiction writer and costume designer.
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Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC
Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC is pleased to announce that attorney Jamileh M. Naboulsi has joined the firm.
Naboulsi is a member of the firm's General and Automotive Liability practice group. Her practice focuses on the defense of first-party no-fault claims, including those arising out of catastrophic injuries.
Naboulsi graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 2020. During law school, she worked for the Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy. Naboulsi is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association.
Prior to law school, Naboulsi graduated from Tiffin University majoring in Paralegal Studies. She enjoys volunteering at charities such as the Ronald McDonald House and Haven House.
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Michigan Auto Law
Michigan Auto Law has announced that ten of its attorneys have recently been honored with the legal profession's top awards, including 2021 Michigan Super Lawyers; 2021 Rising Stars; The Best Lawyers in America 2022 and 2022 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. Michigan Auto Law attorneys earned 15 awards altogether.
The Michigan Auto Law attorneys and the awards they received are as follows:
Steven M. Gursten has been recognized on the Best Lawyers in America list annually for the past 15 years, named to the list of Michigan Super Lawyers for 14 years straight as well as included in Super Lawyers' lists of the Top 50 and Top 100 lawyers in Michigan for the 11th straight year.
Lawrence E. Gursten has been listed on The Best Lawyers in America list annually for the past 15 years and recognized on the list of Michigan Super Lawyers for 15 years straight.
Kevin H. Seiferheld was recognized for the second time on the Best Lawyers in America list. He has also been selected as a Michigan Super Lawyer and Rising Star for multiple years since 2011.
Thomas W. James was recognized for the first time this year on the Best Lawyers in America list. He has been selected as a Michigan Super Lawyer for multiple years since 2010.
Brandon M. Hewitt has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyer annually since 2013.
Joshua R. Terebelo has been recognized on the list of Michigan Rising Stars for multiple years since 2010.
Jordan M. Jones was recognized for the second time on the Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch list for 2022 and has also been selected to the Michigan Super Lawyers' Rising Stars list annually since 2015.
Jordan A.W. Barkey was recognized for the first time this year on the Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch list for 2022.
Alexander P. Kemp has been selected to the Michigan Super Lawyers' Rising Stars list annually since 2018.
Rick J. Houghton has been recognized on the Michigan Super Lawyers' Rising Stars list annually since 2014.
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Kitch
Kitch is proud to announce several of the firm's attorneys' accomplishments.
Jenna Wright Greenman was recently admitted to the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). Wright Greenman is an experienced litigator and trial attorney, and a principal of Kitch, sharing a leadership role and serving as the Detroit office's contact in birth trauma and medical malpractice defense practice. She has successfully defended and tried to verdict, as lead counsel, professional liability claims against hospitals and medical care providers against claims of professional negligence, often involving catastrophic brain damage cases, neurology, neurosurgery, and all types of malpractice claims.
In addition to her legal practice, Wright Greenman is engaged by numerous insurance carriers and institutions as an educator, including the Detroit Medical Center and other organizations, developing plans for better patient care and safety and medical legal issues.
Genevieve Delonis authored "Does a Parent's Past Really Predict a Child's Financial Future?" in the State Bar of Michigan's Summer 2021 Litigation Journal. In the article, Delonis details how economic and intergenerational factors can contribute in lost earning capacity figures and damages in a personal injury lawsuit.
Delonis is a principal who focuses her practice on birth trauma litigation. Delonis is AV® Peer Review Rated by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell.
Beth Wittmann has been appointed to the State Bar Civil Procedure and Courts Committee for the State Bar of Michigan for the 2021-2022 bar year. Members of the committee support the public policy program of the State Bar of Michigan by reviewing and making recommendations on court rules, operation of Michigan state courts, and coordinating with other State Bar committees to provide feedback on proposed changes to civil practice in the courts.
Wittmann is a principal with Kitch. She has been with the firm since 2002, and focuses her practice on appellate law. Wittmann has been recognized by several publications and organizations for her outstanding legal ability and is AV® Peer Review Rated by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell.
Brian Boehne has been appointed to the State Bar Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee for the State Bar of Michigan for the 2021-2022 bar year. Members of the committee support the diversity goals of the State Bar of Michigan Strategic Plan by identifying strategies to promote a diverse and inclusive voice in all State Bar of Michigan work and communications; by recommending practices, tools and strategies to advance diversity and inclusion at the SBM staff level, section and committee levels, and throughout the justice system; and by encouraging examination of the status of diversity and inclusion efforts of Michigan law firms, courts, and law schools.
Boehne focuses his practice on civil litigation defense matters involving first-party automobile disputes, and has experience in third-party automotive claims, premises liability claims, and general negligence, representing various national clients and several major insurance carriers throughout the State of Michigan. Boehne also has no-fault and bodily injury trial experience in each of the tri-county circuit courts.
