Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Elliot Vilders has joined the firm's Troy office as a member.
Vilders is an experienced and detail-oriented transactional attorney, focusing his practice on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, and general corporate matters. He represents clients ranging from start-ups to publicly traded companies across a number of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, industrial technology, and cannabis.
Vilders received his B.G.S. from the University of Michigan; his M.I.B. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University; and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced new hires and promotions in the executive office's legal division.
Office of Legal Counsel
Patti Tremblay, deputy legal counsel
Tremblay is moving from Legislative Affairs and will serve as the Office of Legal Counsel's point person on legislation and the budget. She previously served as Legal Counsel for the Michigan House of Representatives Democratic Caucus and is a graduate of Michigan State University Law School.
Alexis Blane, special counsel to the governor
Blane most recently served as Principal Deputy Counsel and Acting Counsel to the mayor's office in New York City. In the Office of Legal Counsel, she will advise on legal issues arising in connection with the environment, health, and other matters. Blane previously worked in the non-profit space and at the U.S. Department of State. She attended New York University Law School.
Erin Gianopoulos, associate general counsel for ethics and integrity
Gianopoulos was previously a tax attorney at the Internal Revenue Service and is a recent graduate of Wayne State University Law School. She will work closely with the chief compliance counsel on matters pertaining to compliance and ethics. Before attending law school, Gianopoulos served for twenty years as a logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserves.
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Collins Einhorn Farrell PC is pleased to announce that attorney Adel Nucho has joined the firm's Appellate Group. His practice will draw upon his advocacy skills and his knowledge of federal, state, and administrative proceedings. Nucho learned first-hand how to successfully make a case to the bench when he was a judicial intern for U. S. District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland, Eastern District of Michigan.
Nucho graduated from Oakland University with B.S. in General Management. He earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Nucho is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association.
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Jaffe attorneys Justin Hanna and Lee Kellert have received recognition by ACG Detroit as part of the organization's 7th Annual M&A All Star Awards. Hanna was named the Rising Star and Kellert was named All Star Advisor of the Year. Jaffe CEO Jeffrey M. Weiss made the announcement.
Winners will be celebrated during a ceremony at The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham on May 3. Other honorees will be recognized in categories including All Star Deal of the Year Over $50 million, All Star Deal of the Year Under $50 million, All Star Investment Banker of the Year, All Star Dealmaker of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.
In a busy year for the M&A group and the industry at large, Hanna helped close 20 deals, eight of which he was lead attorney (an increase from the five transactions led in 2020). Of the 20, all but one was a buy-side deal, and eight involved representation and warranty insurance (RWI), necessitating a significantly elevated degree of due diligence and oversight. All told, those 20 deals represented over $550 million in aggregate consideration.
Throughout 2021, Kellert led nearly 30 transactions totaling well over $1 billion for both the buy-side and sell-side clients. A number of these transactions were on very accelerated time frames, shortening the time from start to finish in 30 days or less. Of those deals, five were new platform deals for independent sponsors, each of which included an acquisition, senior and mezzanine debt financing and an equity raise.
ACG Detroit is a 350-member nonprofit business organization of private equity firms, corporations and lenders that invest in middle-market companies. The organization has a network of 59 chapters worldwide. For additional information about this year's M&A All Star Awards event, visit www.acgdetroit.org.
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Congratulations go to Jesse Reiter, president and founder of ABC Law Centers (Reiter & Walsh PC), on receiving recognition in Michigan Lawyer's Weekly "Hall of Fame and Up & Coming Lawyers of 2022."
