LEGAL PEOPLE

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Charity Dean to the Michigan Women’s Commission.

Dean is the president and CEO of the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance and an adjunct professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and earned her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Dean is reappointed for a term commencing July 28, 2022 and expiring July 15, 2025.  

The Michigan Women’s Commission was created by statute in 1968. The commission’s duties include reviewing the status of women in Michigan, directing attention to critical problems confronting women, recommending ways of overcoming discrimination, enabling women to develop skills, conducting surveys, and recognizing women’s accomplishments and contributions to Michigan.

This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

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Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Aronoff has been elected to serve on the law firm’s Board of Managing Directors.

The newly elected managing director join Scott Eldridge, who was re-elected, and Danielle Mason Anderson, Pawel Chudzicki, and A. Michael Palizzi. The five-member Board of Managing Directors, along with CEO Megan Norris, Chief Diversity Officer and Deputy Executive Officer Michelle Crockett, and Chief Operating Officer David Robson, are responsible for managing the firm and its 242 attorneys.

Aronoff is the deputy leader of the firm’s nationally recognized Public Finance Group, which is best known for large and complex transactions and the financing of transformative capital projects and infrastructure. He serves on the firm’s Summer Associate and Political Action committees.

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At the National Association for Court Management Annual conference last month, NACM presented the Perkins Award to Zenell Brown. The Perkins Award was established in 2013 to honor long-time association manager Linda Perkins who was the first recipient. The award is given to an individual who consistently goes above and beyond to make behind-the-scenes contributions to the field of court administration and their court.

Brown is an attorney, mediation trainer, and certified diversity professional. She has spearheaded and contributed to strategic planning, launched self-help initiatives, amnesty programs, and holistic juvenile justice services. She has trained attorneys, correctional professionals, and court professionals on creating a diverse and inclusive work environment, managing the multi-generational workforce, creating pipelines for diverse talents, and measuring inclusion. During the pandemic she authored, “Coffee and Conversations: Inclusion and Belonging,” sharing personal stories to inspire leaders to make inclusion actionable.

Brown is the court administrator for the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in Detroit. She is on faculty for the Institute for Court Management and the Michigan Judicial Institute. She serves on the Michigan Judicial Council. She is the president of the Detroit Affiliate of the Black Child Development Institute, co-chair of diversity for the Detroit Bar Association and Michigan Women Lawyers Association.

Brown earned her law degree for Wayne State University Law School, graduate certificate in public administration from Central Michigan University, and judicial administration certificate from Michigan State University.

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Following a competitive national search, Wayne State University (WSU) has appointed Mike Poterala as its new vice president and general counsel, effective November 2022. A lawyer and leader in higher education, Poterala will provide legal counsel
and representation to the university, ensure compliance and minimize legal risk while also fostering sound decision-making in operation, instruction, research and administration. In his role, Poterala will work closely with the university’s Board of Governors, senior leadership, faculty and staff.

Poterala joins WSU from the University of Maryland, where he served as vice president for legal affairs and general counsel since 2015, and has chaired the Big Ten Academic Alliance general counsel group since 2018. He replaces Laura Johnston, who has served at Wayne State for 24 years and held the general counsel position on an interim basis.

Prior to his time at the University of Maryland, Poterala held senior legal and administrative positions at North Carolina State University and Michigan State University. At North Carolina State, he helped form an LLC that generated more than $55 million in new revenue to support research and graduate programs. At Michigan State, he broadened his experience by assuming positions as AVP for Research and Graduate Studies and executive director of MSU Technologies.

Poterala began his legal career in private practice in the Detroit area where he worked on a wide range of legal matters representing both institutions and individuals. He also served for a time as the Michigan general counsel for the Motion Picture Association of America. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he obtained his law degree and B.S. in finance.

“I take great pride in supporting the success of students, faculty and staff, and in providing rewarding professional experiences and development opportunities for attorneys and staff,” Poterala said. “I’m a proud Detroiter, and I’m thrilled to return home and help further Wayne State’s critical mission.”

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Zausmer shareholders Jim Wright and Colin MacBeth recently served as panelists at the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel’s Annual Meeting and Conference in Gaylord, Michigan, on June 16-17.

Wright was a part of the panel presentation titled, “Keys to Limiting Exposure When Defending Bodily Injury Claims.” The discussion explored different aspects of bodily injury claims and how to limit exposure at trial effectively.
MacBeth was part of a separate panel discussion on fraud titled, “New Age of Fraud – Post-Reform Medical Provider Schemes Every Attorney Should Be Aware Of.” The discussion focused on the impact that medical care fraud can have on insurance claims and the tools that can be used to combat those claims.

The Michigan Defense Trial Counsel hosts this annual meeting and conference as a way for defense attorneys to stay up to date and learn how to adapt to an ever-changing legal landscape.

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Kemp Klein has welcomed attorneys  Neal Nusholtz and William E. Haines II to the firm.

Nusholtz specializes in all areas of Taxation, including Income Tax, Estate and Gift Taxation, Estate Planning, Business Transactions and Planning, Probate, Trust Administration, Audits, IRS Administrative Appeals, and Tax Litigation in Federal District Courts, the Michigan Tax Tribunal, the U.S. Tax Court, and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He serves on several committees of the State Bar of Michigan, is a frequent lecturer for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and he was selected by Corp Magazine as one of the Top Ten Business Attorneys in Southeastern Michigan.

Haines specializes in Estate and Trust Administration, Medicaid Asset Protection Planning, and Probate Litigation. He is currently a member of the Probate and Estate Planning and Elder Law and Disability Rights sections of the State Bar of Michigan.

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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Nathan D. Dupes and Thomas J. Rheaume Jr., both members of the firm’s Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group, have been named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2022 “40 & Under Hot List.”

Dupes, of Bodman’s Detroit office, represents clients in complex commercial and environmental litigation and counsels clients on a variety of environmental matters, including permitting, regulatory compliance, and environmental risk in real estate transactions. He is a former assistant city attorney for the City of Grosse Pointe Park. Dupes serves as an executive board member of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter and as vice president and treasurer of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. He is the co-chair of Bodman’s Environmental Practice Group.

Rheaume, of Bodman’s Detroit office, practices complex commercial and insurance litigation. He represents clients in all stages of litigation and focuses on antitrust cases, class actions, and constitutional litigation.  He also is a leader in the firm’s appellate practice.  He serves as local counsel for national and international law firms. He is president of the Michigan Chapter of the Federalist Society and is a member of the Detroit Economic Club’s Young Leader Board. He is the co-chair of Bodman’s Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group.

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Two attorneys and a judge are the recipients of this year’s Monsignor Charles J. Malloy Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the Catholic Lawyers Society of Metropolitan Detroit.

Auburn Hills attorney Paul J. Palgut, a past president of the Catholic Lawyers Society of Metropolitan Detroit, was recognized at the organization’s annual meeting, outdoor Mass, and picnic on August 7.

The late Marisa Claudia Petrella, also a past president of CLSMD, and the late Judge Paul S. Teranes, a longtime member and director of the society, were honored posthumously.

The Msgr. Malloy Award, presented annually by CLSMD, recognizes Catholic judges and lawyers whose service and character embody the highest values of both the Catholic faith and the legal profession. The award is named for Monsignor Charles J. Malloy, a canonical lawyer for the Archdiocese of Detroit and CLSMD’s first spiritual director.  

CLSMD President Robert S. Gazall said the honorees were chosen because “They exemplify the best of our faith and our profession. Paul Palgut served CLSMD tirelessly in leadership positions, despite having a busy worker’s compensation practice. Marisa Petrella was not only an exceptional litigator, but also a dedicated volunteer for Catholic organizations and causes. And Judge Teranes had a distinguished career as a prosecutor and jurist despite losing his eyesight as a child.”

Palgut, who grew up in Detroit’s Corktown, attended Sacred Heart Major Seminary and earned a Master’s degree in theology from the University of Detroit before receiving a law degree from Detroit College of Law and being admitted to the practice of law in 1978.  He worked for Michigan Mutual in Detroit before being hired in 1979 by Travelers Insurance, where he handled worker’s compensation litigation until his retirement in December 2007. He is presently Of Counsel to Esper and Associates,  Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC, and Aiello Law Group, handling worker’s compensation litigation.  He served as president of CLSMD from 2004-2006 and is considered the society’s unofficial historian. He and his wife Jan are members of St. Irenaeus in Rochester Hills.

Petrella, who earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Detroit, was the founding partner of the law firm of Petrella Brown PLC in Southfield, concentrating her practice on estate and immigration law. She was admitted to practice before many state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. In 2020, she was named “Cavaliere del l’Ordine della Stella d’Italia” (Knight of the Order of the Italian Star), Italy’s highest honor for a non-Italian citizen, for her exceptional legal work on behalf of the Italian Consulate in Detroit. She was a volunteer and board member for the Catholic Foundation of Michigan, St. Regis Catholic Church, Mercy High School, Mother and Unborn Baby Care, and Orchestra Sono. She served as president of CLSMD from 1996-97.

Teranes, despite completely losing his sight to congenital glaucoma, graduated with honors from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1961. After 10 years as an assistant Wayne County prosecutor, he was appointed to the Wayne County Circuit Court by Gov. William Milliken in 1982 and was elected to three six-year terms. Michigan Lawyers Weekly chose him as one of Michigan’s most respected judges. In addition to his longtime service on the CLSMD board of directors, he served on the boards of Leader Dogs for the Blind and SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transit) and on the Michigan Law Association Committee on the Americans with Disabilities Act.  He and his wife Barbara were active parishioners for many years at St. Philomena Catholic Church in Detroit.

Past Msgr. Malloy award winners include U.S. District Court Judge Terrence G. Berg, Bloomfield Hills attorney Gerard Andree, Detroit attorney Dennis J. Clark, former Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo, and appellate lawyer John P. Jacobs.

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Bradley Knickerbocker, a partner at business law firm Howard & Howard, was recently selected as one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Go To Lawyer” for Real Estate and Condo Law for 2022.

For the last 35 years, Knickerbocker has cultivated a successful career built on a diverse book of work, dedication to his clients, and service and counsel on all his representative matters in a variety of industries. Knickerbocker represents clients in numerous practice areas, including real estate (with an emphasis on real estate acquisitions/dispositions); commercial leasing, construction and development; zoning, property tax appeals, real estate and business litigation; environmental; mergers and acquisitions; franchising (having served as interim general counsel for Big Boy International); and commercial insurance coverage/issues.

In addition to serving as partner with the firm, Knickerbocker has served as outside counsel to public and private companies, in which he addressed all matters of corporate and commercial issues. Some responsibilities he held included advising, directing, and handling all legal aspects of corporate governance, construction projects, commercial leasing, employment, insurance, property acquisition and dispositions, franchising, and trademarks.

Knickerbocker has been professionally recognized by Michigan Leading Lawyers (2017-2021), DBusiness, “Top Lawyers” (2017-2020); and Michigan Super Lawyers (2011-202).

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Intellectual property law firm Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to announce that Barbara L. Mandell, a partner in the firm, has been included in the Influential Women of Law Class of 2022 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The honorees will be recognized at a September 23 luncheon event at the Detroit Marriott-Troy.

Mandell’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, copyright and trademark law and intellectual property law. She litigates, arbitrates and counsels her clients on patent, trademark and licensing matters, theft of trade secrets, breach of license and franchise agreements, trade dress and copyright infringement claims, and counterfeiting, unfair competition and false advertising claims. Additionally, she is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and has presided over almost 60 arbitrations, both as a solo and on a panel.

Mandell has been influencing the legal profession since she first came to Michigan from Washington, D.C., in 1984, where she had been an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Competition, litigating antitrust cases of national significance. When she arrived in Detroit, she joined the Honigman law firm as its first female litigator.

Mandell mentors up and coming women attorneys in intellectual property law and is a member of FAIR, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing civil rights and liberties for all Americans and promoting a common culture based on fairness, understanding and humanity. She earned a law degree from Boston University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from Binghamton University (S.U.N.Y.).

In addition to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Influential Women of Law honor, Mandell has received several other legal honors in her career, including multiple years as a Michigan Super Lawyer, Best Lawyer, Leading Lawyer, and DBusiness Top Lawyer.