Butzel attorney Darius W. Dynkowski was a featured presenter during an Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA) professional development program on Thursday, January 13. The virtual program featured a discussion on "F.P. Development v. Canton-Uprooting Local Ordinances."
Dynkowski concentrates his practice in the areas of condemnation and eminent domain, inverse condemnation and defacto takings, regulatory takings, property tax appeals, real estate valuation litigation, general real estate litigation including easements, leases, property line disputes, and all other aspects of real property dispute resolution in both state and federal courts. He is fully licensed in Michigan and Ohio and has handled matters nationally.
Dynkowski has devoted his career to protecting private property rights and specializes in all aspects of real estate and business valuation. He has guided his career on the basic premise that no one should be forced to face the involuntary loss of their property by a governmental agency without representation.
In addition, Butzel attorneys Javon R. David and Mitchell Zajac have been elected shareholders. Previously, David and Zajac were associate attorneys.
David and Zajac are members of Butzel's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, one of the firm's largest practices areas.
David concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, media and entertainment law, and products liability. She has litigation experience, successfully handling matters from the onset of suit through trial.
In 2021, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel Association (MDTC). She accepted this appointment after serving as co-chair of the Trial Practice Section of the MDTC.
David occupies several leadership positions in the legal field. She serves on the Business Court and Counsel Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA). She also serves as deputy general counsel for the Michigan Press Association (MPA), and on the litigation, insurance, and advertising/commercial speech committees for the Media Law Resource Center (MLRC). In addition, David serves on the Board of Governors for the Young Leaders Council, Original Equipment Suppliers Association Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (OESA-MEMA).
She earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, with concentrations in History, Political Science, and Psychology.
David has been named to the list of Michigan Rising Stars in Super Lawyers magazine for 2017-2021. She also was named among Michigan's Top Women Lawyers from 2017-2021. David was named as Ones to Watch in commercial litigation by Best Lawyers in America in 2020 and 2021.
David is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, and the United States District Court, Western District of Michigan. She also is a certified mediator through the American Bar Association.
Zajac's practice also includes a focus on automotive, intellectual property, regulatory and emissions compliance, and sports and entertainment law. He is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Before joining Butzel as a summer associate in May 2017, while attending law school full time, Zajac was an engineer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). He was responsible for multiple ground-breaking development projects, led the international engineering team producing the Ram ProMaster City, and had a leading role in FCA's corporate audit group with responsibilities in safety/regulatory compliance, quality and purchasing.
Zajac has practiced in six federal courts, the U.S. Patent Office, and the U.S. International Trade Commission. Zajac has helped several clients manage and craft IP portfolios in other unique industries, like medicine, light-weighting, and industrial manufacturing. He also has experience in complex patent, trade secret and commercial litigation cases.
His clients include automotive and transportation companies developing IP portfolios, multiple start-up companies with $4M+ capitalization developing strategic national partners, and multi-million-dollar global automotive clients navigating international trade issues.
Between trials and hearings in Detroit and Washington, D.C. on behalf of Detroit auto suppliers, sitting first-chair and taking depositions across the U.S. and around the world (including London, Singapore, and Taiwan), Zajac also spends time presenting across the country in remanufacturing, automotive IP, and automotive contracting and supply agreements.
Zajac earned his law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School after graduating from Western Michigan University with Bachelors' degrees in Mechanical Engineering and German (2012) and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering (2013).
Zajac was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's 2020 Class of Up & Coming Lawyers. He received the Detroit Bar Association's "One to Watch" Award in 2019. Zajac has been named to Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2022 and DBusiness magazine's Top Lawyers of Metro Detroit, Intellectual Property and Patent Law, 2021 and 2022.
Active in the community, Zajac was elected to the Livingston County Board of Commissioners. He was also appointed to serve a four-year term on the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Board of Directors.
At the same time, Zajac is an advocate for continuous education and public service. He's the Association for Child Development (ACD) president, a non-profit organization facilitating ~$30M/annum through the USDA CACF Program providing healthy meals to children across the Midwest. He has helped achieve financial stability, organizational structure, and leads strategic expansion of ACD programs to more children and to provide education to more families.
Zajac also dedicates hundreds of hours each year coaching high school football in Howell.
Butzel continues to grow to meet client needs with the addition of associate attorney Everardo Tapia to the firm's International Business Practice Group.
Based in Butzel's Detroit office, Tapia focuses his practice in the firm's Automotive, Business and Commercial Litigation, and Intellectual Property Groups.
His practice has included serving as national discovery counsel for clients in the automotive industry in addition to representing major telecommunications and energy companies in intellectual property litigation.
Tapia earned a B.S. in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Tapia has earned recognition for pro bono work representing underserved members of the community in family and criminal matters. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Missouri.
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Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman has recently announced that Matthew Decker (Detroit Office) has been named a shareholder.
Decker focuses his practice on supply chain procurement, corporate transactions and business organization. He guides health care clients through the business organization process, including choice of entity decisions, drafting organizational documents and navigating corporate practice of medicine issues.
Decker is a member of Hall Render's dental practice group and has experience in representing dental professionals on transactional and operational matters. He graduated from Penn State Law in 2014.
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Clark Hill recently announced the promotion class of thirteen attorneys across nine offices and six practices, effective January 1, 2022. Four were promoted to membership in the firm, and nine were promoted to senior attorney.
The local new members promoted from senior attorney to membership are:
K. J. Edward Fornell (Detroit) is a member of the Litigation practice group. His practice is focused on representing large companies, small businesses, and entrepreneurial individuals in a variety of commercial litigation matters, including business torts, shareholder and member litigation, contract and insurance disputes, product liability, and intellectual property.
Nicholas Papasifakis (Birmingham) is a member of the Tax & Estates practice group. He advises clients on business and estate planning matters, asset protection strategies, and probate and trust administration and litigation.
The firm's local new senior attorney is Vince Sallan (Detroit), Labor & Employment.
Clark Hill also announced a merger with boutique Irish law firm Eames Solicitors. Eames Solicitors is well-known throughout Ireland for its commercial litigation, regulatory advice and inquiries, defamation/reputation litigation, mergers and acquisitions, telecommunications, and private client work. Four solicitors will join Clark Hill's Dublin office as a result of the merger, including Eames Solicitors founder and managing partner Aidan Eames.
"The addition of the Eames Solicitors group to our Dublin office with their deep connections in Ireland is an important strategic step in our overall plan to expand our capabilities in Ireland," said John Hensien, CEO of Clark Hill. "With the fastest growing economy in the EU, and heightened interest in investment in Ireland from multinational companies resulting from Brexit, Ireland offers a value proposition that is attractive to our US and global corporate clients, reinforcing our commitment to developing a significant presence on the ground."
In January 2019, Clark Hill merged with O'Gradys Solicitors, substantially building on the growth of its Dublin office established in 2018. Clark Hill's Dublin office offers a broad range of legal services in areas including M&A, financial services, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, restructuring, and commercial property. It also has capital markets, fintech, data security and cybersecurity capabilities.
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Jennifer M. Hetu has been appointed to the International Trademark Association (INTA) Public Information Committee.
In her role as a committee member, Hetu will help create material for INTA's website that educate the general public about trademarks and brands.
Hetu is a member of Bodman's Intellectual Property Practice Group and is based in the firm's Troy office. Her practice focuses on trademark law and brand protection. 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 also counsels businesses in the rapidly growing cannabis industry on how to navigate trademark protection strategies in the current landscape. She is a former trademark attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
INTA is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. INTA members include nearly 6,500 organizations, representing more than 34,350 individuals (trademark owners, professionals, and academics) from 185 countries, who benefit from the association's global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Santiago, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and a representative in New Delhi. For additional information, visit inta.org.
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Howard & Howard has named Michelle Champane as a new shareholder.
Champane is part of the firm's Litigation Practice and focuses on business, real estate, civil and commercial litigation.
Practicing out of the firm's Royal Oak office, Champane also represents clients in federal and state tax litigation, including tax appeals, property tax valuation matters, and defense of claimed federal and state tax credits.
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Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC attorneys Rachel G. Olney and Tyler J. Olney have been elected as shareholders of the firm entering 2022. The two joined the firm together as associates in 2015.
Rachel Olney is a litigator in the firm's Southfield office where she focuses her practice on a broad range of complex insurance coverage litigation matters including first and third party no-fault, insurance defense, medical malpractice defense, business and commercial litigation, and mass tort defense cases.
Tyler Olney focuses his practice in general litigation and workers' compensation defense from the firm's Southfield office. He has experience representing employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators in workers' compensation matters throughout the state. He is experienced in counseling employers on labor and employment issues and the intersection between employment and workers' compensation laws.
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Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that A. Michael Palizzi has achieved senior fellow status in the Litigation Counsel of America.
Palizzi is one of Miller Canfield's five managing directors. He is a principal attorney and the co-leader of the firm's nationally recognized Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. For nearly 30 years, he has focused his practice on complex commercial and intellectual property litigation, arbitration and counseling.
The Litigation Counsel of America is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is by invitation only. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.
Palizzi has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Benchmark Litigation, Michigan Super Lawyers, DBusiness Top Lawyers, Leading Lawyers and Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars.
He serves as the co-chair of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, and is a member of the American Bar Association Intellectual Property Litigation Committee, the State Bar of Michigan, the Detroit Bar Association, and is a fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation.
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Collins Einhorn Farrell is pleased to announce that attorneys Sam S. Mate Jr., Christopher T. Lang, Brian A. Catrinar, Mary C. Aretha, and John S. McPhee have been elected partners in the firm.
Mate is a partner in the firm's General and Automotive Liability practice group. He primarily focuses on the defense of first- and third-party automobile litigation cases. Mate has experience defending insurance companies and their insureds, handling insurance coverage disputes, and defending general negligence claims.
Lang is a partner in the firm's Commercial Litigation and General and Automotive Liability practice groups. He has experience in first and third-party automotive liability matters, issues related to insurance coverage, general negligence claims, and premises liability. Lang has also previously represented both small and multi-national corporations in breach of contract and fraud claims, corporate formations, e-discovery, security compliance, and commercial transaction matters.
Catrinar is a partner in the firm's General and Automotive Liability practice group. He represents clients in both state and federal courts on a wide variety of matters, including coverage disputes, contract enforcement, product and premises liability, fraud claims, actions involving the uniform commercial code, and civil rights litigation.
Aretha is a partner in the firm's Professional Liability and Employment Practices Liability practice groups. She has experience defending professional liability claims from the pre-suit phase through trial preparation. She has defended a variety of professionals, including attorneys, insurance agents, architects, engineers, and accountants. Aretha also has successfully defended employers against discrimination claims in the EEOC/Michigan Department of Civil Rights and in litigation in state and federal court.
McPhee is a partner in the firm's General and Automotive Liability practice group. With more than 19 years of experience, he focuses his practice primarily on Michigan No-Fault Insurance defense. He represents insurers and individuals in all aspects of Michigan No-Fault Law. McPhee also represents insurers in resolving administrative complaints filed with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
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Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC has named Chris Haboian, Daniel Ungar, and Michelle Younger as the three newest partners at the firm, effective January 1. Jaffe CEO Jeffrey M. Weiss made the announcement.
Haboian is an attorney in the firm's real estate practice group where he represents developers, REITs and individuals in commercial real estate transactions, including buying and selling, developing, redeveloping properties, financing, and leasing both retail and office space. Prior to joining Jaffe in 2017, he was in-house counsel for an international real estate developer based in the Baltimore, Md. area.
Haboian earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and management from Wake Forest University and a law degree from University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. He is also on the board of directors for Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.
Ungar is an attorney in Jaffe's electronic payments practice group and works closely with the data privacy & cybersecurity and intellectual property & information technology teams. Ungar's expertise is primarily in FinTech, data privacy and security, digital payments and technology licensing. He routinely drafts and negotiates commercial agreements related to software and IP licensing, supply and procurement contracts, payment processing agreements, NDAs and website terms and privacy policies.
Ungar earned a bachelor's degree in talmudic law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College, a master's degree in computer science from The Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He has served as a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office in the field of cryptography.
Younger is an attorney in the firm's family law, appellate and litigation & dispute resolution practice groups. Her practice focuses on routine and complex divorce matters, prenuptial agreements, custody, child support, paternity, property division and post-judgement matters for individuals and families of all estate sizes.
Before joining the firm, Younger served as a staff attorney at the New York City Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice, representing children in cases involving child abuse, neglect, termination of parental rights and other complex matters. Younger is a member of the Hartman Detroit Community Leadership Cohort and serves on the board of NEXTGen Detroit.
Younger earned a bachelor's degree in economics and American politics from Barnard College and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law.
