Legal People ...

Butzel is growing with the addition of labor and employment attorney Blaine Veldhuis. He is a senior attorney based in the firm’s Troy office and a member of Butzel’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.

Veldhuis focuses his practice on defending wage and hour claims, discrimination claims, sexual harassment claims, whistleblower claims, commercial litigation, and general employment litigation. He regularly counsels employers in employee relations and discipline and discharge matters, and also assists employers in drafting employment policies and in complying with the federal and state employment laws. Veldhuis also focuses on the defense of complex ERISA litigation and single plaintiff ERISA cases.

Veldhuis has experience representing defendants and respondents in administrative and governmental investigations, including Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor audits, and investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Veldhuis is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Central Connecticut State University in 2011.

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Varnum received 64 metropolitan rankings spanning practice areas and markets in the latest edition of “Best Law Firms,” published by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®. The 2023 report was released November 3.

Varnum’s local U.S. News – Best Law Firms rankings for 2023 include the following:

DETROIT

Tier 2: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 2: Litigation – Labor & Employment
Tier 2: Litigation – Tax

TROY

Tier 1: Trusts and Estates Law
Tier 2: Litigation – Trusts & Estates
Tier 2: Real Estate Law

• • •

Robert Riley, along with 27 other Michigan attorneys, was welcomed as a new Fellow by the Michigan State Bar Foundation.

Riley is a partner in Honigman’s Litigation Department and represents international manufacturers, private equity firms, and closely held businesses in complex commercial and shareholder disputes.

He is also the co-chair of the firm’s Appellate Advocacy Practice Group and has argued multiple cases before the Michigan Supreme Court and represented parties to disputes before appellate courts throughout the country.

Riley also serves as the firm’s chief value partner, where he leads Honigman’s strategic efforts to consistently deliver value to clients, including through the implementation of the firm’s client service standards, legal project management, process improvement, knowledge management, and the use of alternative fee arrangements and value pricing.

Established in 1984, the Michigan State Bar Foundation’s Fellows Program recognizes distinguished Michigan lawyers for their professional excellence and service to the community. The Fellows Program supports the Foundation in providing leadership and grants for improvements in the administration of justice and the delivery of civil legal aid to low-income individuals and families. For additional information, visit www.msbf.org.

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Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that the firm has been named a 2022 Tipping the Scales honoree by the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. The award recognizes law firms with 50% or more women in their new partner class.

“The Tipping the Scales honor is a testament to Dickinson Wright’s dedication to advancing women into our partnership and leadership ranks and providing them opportunities to reach their highest potential,” says Kathy Zelenock, co-chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and chair of the firm’s Women’s Network. Dickinson Wright also has twice received the Alliance’s “Flex for Success” award, which recognizes firms that support partner-level attorneys who excel in their field while working on a flexible or part-time schedule.

Honorees were recognized during the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s Annual Conference on November 3. The 2022 New Partner Report is a yearly compilation and examination of publicly released data from the Alliance’s members and the nation’s largest and top-grossing law firms. It specifically examines the gender breakdown of attorneys promoted to partnership in their U.S. offices.

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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that U.S. News & World Report, in association with The Best Lawyers in America, has named the firm to its 2023 “Best Law Firms” list both nationally and in multiple Michigan markets.

Bodman has been ranked in the 2023 “Best Law Firms” list nationally in two practice areas and at the highest possible “Tier 1” level locally in 30 practice specialties across 4 metropolitan markets.
U.S. News ranked Bodman as a leader in the following national and local areas:

—Nationally

Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

—Detroit Market Tier 1:

Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Litigation-Banking & Finance
Litigation-Bankruptcy
Litigation-Environmental
Litigation-Trusts & Estates
Nonprofit / Charities law
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law

—Troy Market Tier 1:

Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Labor Law-Management
Litigation-Trusts & Estates
Real Estate Law
Trademark Law
Trusts & Estates Law

• • •

Dykema recently announced that Sherrie L. Farrell has been appointed as its chief diversity officer. Farrell will officially step into the role on January 1, 2023.

Farrell, who joined Dykema as a summer associate in 1996, has held several key leadership positions with the firm. She has served as chair of Dykema’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee for more than a decade and is managing member of the firm’s Detroit office. She also co-chairs Dykema’s Mansfield Task Force, which helped guide the firm to achieve Mansfield 5.0 Certification Plus status in its first time participating in the process. Dykema currently is participating in the 2022-23 Mansfield 6.0 Certification process.

The Mansfield Rule is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first female lawyer in the U.S., and was inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule which requires every NFL team to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach vacancies. To achieve Mansfield Rule Certification, law firms are required to demonstrate year-long progress in increasing diversity in senior recruitment and leadership decisions, and consider a minimum of 30 percent diverse candidates for these roles.

A trusted business adviser with 25 years of experience providing counseling and litigation advice to a wide array of businesses and organizations, Farrell is focused on providing business and legal advice aligned with clients’ goals.

Since joining Dykema, Farrell has worked on issues related to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, from being appointed to the firm’s first diversity committee in 1999, to writing the firm’s first strategic plan for diversity and inclusion. She is recognized both locally and nationally as a thought leader in diversifying the legal profession. Over the years, she has participated in numerous national panels focused on diversity and inclusion issues. She also has been a member of various committees devoted to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Farrell is heavily involved in several bar associations and legal professional societies, including serving as president of both the Women’s Lawyers Association of Michigan and the Wolverine Bar Association, a former member of the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid and Defender Association, and as a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. She also is involved in the African American Partners’ Collaborative and the African-American Managing Partners and General Counsel Network.

Outside of her practice and leadership responsibilities with Dykema, Farrell’s community involvement includes being a board member for the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, Gift of Life-Michigan, Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, and the Citizens Research Council. She is also a mentor for the Just the Beginnings Foundation and the Street Law Program.

Throughout her career, Farrell has received numerous professional accolades. Earlier this year, she was named to Savoy magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers list. She’s also received the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association Trailblazer Award, was named to Lawyers of Color’s “Nation’s Best List,” earned the Wolverine Bar Association President’s Award for the promotion of diversity in the legal profession, was awarded the Robert Millender Visionary Award from the Black Law Students’ Association at Michigan State College of Law, was named as one of Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence, and named Managing Partner of the Year by the African-American Managing Partners and General Counsel Network.

Farrell earned a law degree from the former Detroit College of Law and a B.A. from Wayne State University.

Dykema is also proud to announce that Tom Moga was recently elected to serve as a board member of the Association Internationale pour le Développement de la Propriété Intellectuelle (ADALPI), a not-for-profit organization founded in 2010 bringing together experienced professionals who share an interest in promoting the value of creativity and innovation.

Moga has more than 30 years of experience in domestic and international IP portfolio development and enforcement. His experience includes the development of domestic and foreign patent portfolios primarily through the drafting and prosecution of patent applications for filing in the United States and abroad. It also includes the acquisition of registrations for trademarks and copyrights, licensing, and IP policy development both at home and abroad. He is an experienced patent prosecutor in the mechanical, chemical, biochemical, and pharmaceutical arts and testifies as an expert witness in patent disputes.

Moga is a pioneer in protecting and enforcing IP rights in China and has represented foreign companies there since the 1980s. He oversees a team that specializes in receiving and filing patent applications with the USPTO on behalf of foreign applicants. In addition, he manages a team responsible for patent enforcement and anti-counterfeiting, primarily in Asia, through the identification, monitoring, and halting of counterfeiting activity.

Moga earned his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law, an M.A. from the University of Michigan, a B.S. from Madonna University, and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

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Clark Hill PLC received national and regional rankings in the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” Clark Hill was recognized nationally and locally:

—National Tier 1 Rankings

• Appellate Practice
• Banking and Finance Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Employment Law – Management
• Immigration Law
• Labor Law – Management
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Real Estate Law
• Trusts & Estates Law

—National Tier 2 Rankings

• Admiralty & Maritime Law
• Corporate Law

—National Tier 3 Rankings

• Energy Law
• Insurance Law
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Patent Law
• Securitization and Structured Finance Law

—Metropolitan Tier 1 Rankings

DETROIT

• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Employment Law – Management
• Government Relations Practice
• Immigration Law
• Labor Law – Management
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – ERISA
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Litigation – Municipal
• Nonprofit / Charities Law
• Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Trusts & Estates Law

TROY

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Education Law
• Employment Law – Management
• Family Law
• Family Law Mediation
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Litigation – Trusts & Estates
• Real Estate Law
• Trusts & Estates Law

—Metropolitan Tier 2 Rankings

DETROIT

• Arbitration
• Banking and Finance Law
• Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Litigation – Trusts & Estates
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Real Estate Law

TROY

• Corporate Law
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Labor Law – Management
• Litigation – Banking & Finance

—Metropolitan Tier 3 Rankings

DETROIT

• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Mediation

TROY

• Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)

• • •

Kaitlyn Elias has been named Professional Service Member of the Year by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Metro Detroit. An award ceremony will be held on December 2nd at Sound Board at the Motor City Casino.

Elias is an associate principal in Kitch’s Detroit office. She focuses her practice on real estate, landlord tenant, and commercial litigation, as well as telecommunications, cell towers, broadband infrastructure, marijuana and industrial hemp. She is licensed to practice law in Michigan and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Elias is an active member of the Building Owners Management Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Detroit Bar Association, and the State Bar of Michigan Cannabis Law Section.
She also serves as a volunteer mediator with the Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center/Wayne Mediation Center.

• • •

Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” has recognized the firm for its work across several practice areas in its 2023 edition:

—Metropolitan Tier 1 – Detroit

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
• Commercial Litigation
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Employment Law – Individuals
• Franchise Law
• Insurance Law
• Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
• Real Estate Law
• Trusts & Estates Law

—Metropolitan Tier 3 – Detroit

• Corporate Law
• Tax Law