Legal People ...

Plunkett Cooney received national recognition by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® as one of the 2023 “Best Law Firms.”

“Plunkett Cooney is listed each year as a Best Law Firm, which I believe validates the tremendous work ethic and expertise of our attorneys and staff, and it highlights their ability to obtain the great results our clients expect,” said the firm’s President & CEO Thomas P. Vincent. “This recognition confirms that Plunkett Cooney is among the best of the best.”

Plunkett Cooney was recognized in the following 12 first- and second-tier metropolitan categories in Michigan and Ohio:

• Appellate Practice
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Employment Law - Management
• Environmental Law
• Health Care Law
• Insurance Law
• Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Litigation – Construction
– More –
• Litigation – Municipal
• Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
• Municipal Law
• Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Real Estate Law

In addition, Plunkett Cooney partner Douglas C. Bernstein, along with 27 other attorneys throughout Michigan, has been named a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation (MSBF).
Established in 1984, the MSBF’s Fellows program recognizes distinguished Michigan attorneys 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 in the delivery of civil legal aid to low-income individuals and families.

A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, Bernstein serves as the firm’s Business Law Department Leader. He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, loan restructuring, commercial loan documentation, bankruptcy, banking-related litigation and appeals. His clients include regional and national banks, credit unions and loan servicers, as well as automotive suppliers and charitable foundations.

Prior to joining Plunkett Cooney, Bernstein worked as an in-house attorney at Michigan National Corporation for more than 20 years. He subsequently joined the Standard Federal Bank Legal Department when the bank merged with Michigan National Corporation in 2001.

Bernstein earned his undergraduate degree in 1978 from Wayne State University and his law degree in 1982 from the Detroit College of Law. He has received several honors for his legal work, including selection as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He has also received an AV Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell, and he has received designations as a Michigan Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine from 2008 to 2022 and as one of the Best Lawyers in America® from 2014 to 2023.

Plunkett Cooney is also pleased to announce that insurance coverage attorney Elaine M. Pohl has been selected to serve as the program vice chair of the annual “Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium” (ICPS) – the flagship conference sponsored by the Insurance Law Committee of the DRI, Lawyers Representing Business™.

The ICPS, which will take place December 7-9 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, will feature national and international faculty members who will address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the insurance industry. Pohl will be joined with Plunkett Cooney partner Patrick E. Winters who is co-presenting a December 7 session titled “Gazing into the Crystal Ball – Autonomous Vehicles, Climate Change, Biometrics, PFAS and Statutory Damages.”

“It is an honor to be selected as program vice chair of such a popular and prestigious national conference,” said Pohl, who is a partner at Plunkett Cooney. “While it has been a tremendous responsibility, the members of the Insurance Law committee leadership have put together a conference we are proud of and excited to present to the industry.”

In her role as vice chair, Pohl shares responsibility for curating the symposium, including selecting and confirming topics and speakers, managing networking opportunities, overseeing marketing and hosting the event.

Pohl is a member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office who maintains a national practice counseling insurers in complex property and casualty disputes, including litigated and non-litigated matters. Her insurance coverage experience extends to claims involving professional liability, construction defects, bodily injuries, product liability, environmental contamination, personal and advertising injury issues, first-party property and allegations of bad faith.

A graduate from the Indiana University School of Law in 1999, Pohl received her undergraduate degree from Villanova University in 1996. She is admitted to practice law in state and federal courts in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. In addition to the DRI, Pohl is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (former chair of the Insurance and Indemnity Law Section).

•            •            •

Intellectual property law firm Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to announce that three firm attorneys have again been named to DBusiness magazine’s annual Top Lawyers list for 2023.
The following attorneys were credited with excellence in the following Top Lawyers categories:

Maxwell Goss: 2023 Top Lawyer in “Intellectual Property & Patent Law” and “Litigation – Intellectual Property”

A litigation and trial lawyer, partner Goss brings advocacy and solutions to intellectual property and business cases in Michigan and around the country. He represents businesses and innovators in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, medical device, media, hospitality, HR, and automotive.

Douglas P. LaLone: 2023 Top Lawyer in “Intellectual Property & Patent Law”

A patent attorney, engineer, and strategic advisor for 31 years, LaLone chairs the firm’s Strategic IP Practice Group, counseling portfolio companies, private equity, and venture capital firms on intellectual property strategies, due diligence and portfolio management, with a passion for helping companies increase their enterprise value by identifying, securing and leveraging their intellectual capital.

Barbara L. Mandell: 2023 Top Lawyer in “Litigation – Intellectual Property”

Partner Mandell has more than 35 years of experience in complex litigation. Her practice is focused on litigating, arbitrating and counseling her clients on patent, trademark and licensing matters as well as antitrust law.

In addition to DBusiness Top Lawyers accolades, the three were named 2022 Michigan Super Lawyers and2023 Best Lawyers® earlier this year.

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Wayne State University Law School has announced its inaugural Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Belonging, Associate Professor of Law Nancy Chi Cantalupo, to lead and ensure the achievement of an inclusive and equitable law school community.

In 2020, Wayne State University joined institutions around the world in responding to the clarion call for real change to combat systemic racism. Consistent with Wayne State’s history of meaningful engagement with society and its mission of “positively impacting local and global communities,” University leadership took action to reduce and eliminate implicit and explicit biases and improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the university through the establishment of a Social Justice Action Committee (SJAC). Wayne State University Law School is following this lead.

Cantalupo has more than a decade of experience writing and teaching about civil rights, Title IX, and preventing discriminatory violence such as sexual harassment and gender-based
violence. Her scholarship in these areas seeks to give schools and those seeking to enforce civil rights protections concrete strategies to reach such goals, and several specific proposals she has made have influenced federal law in a pro-civil rights direction.  

Most recently, a 2011 recommendation in Cantalupo’s second law review article helped Senator Gillibrand and Representative Speier pass into law a nationally-standardized and mandatorily-disclosed “climate survey” to be conducted periodically at campuses across the country.

Additionally, Cantalupo’s diversity, equity, and inclusion-oriented pro bono work is extensive. In 2014, she served as a Negotiator on behalf of victims’ rights groups in a Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking, spoke on a U.S. Senate roundtable with Senators Blumenthal, Gillibrand, and McCaskill, and was invited to provide comments and advice to President Barack Obama’s White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

From 2017-19, Cantalupo wrote several drafts of the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence’s Recommendations for Improving Campus Student Conduct Processes for Gender-Based Violence.  As a law faculty member, she has co-chaired the planning committee for the LatCrit Junior Faculty Development Workshop, served on the Board of Directors for the Conference of Asian Pacific American Law Faculty and, most recently, wrote the problem for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s 2022 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition.

Prior to her work as a teacher and a scholar, Cantalupo also served for nearly 15 years in various university administrator positions, during which she built a long record of advancing values of diversity, equity, and belonging.  Beginning with her first job out of college, as Georgetown University’s founding Women’s Center director, she served in such roles on multiple campuses and for a national association of thousands of professionals from thousands of higher education institutions.

In discussing her new role, Cantalupo emphasized her hopes for the future: “I have spent my entire professional career working not only to promote diversity and belonging, but also, recognizing that neither diversity nor inclusion are power-neutral, advancing civil rights and equality in education.  However, that work has almost always been bifurcated — either focusing on research or on the implementation of DEI programs and initiatives. This new opportunity brings both study and action together to advance Wayne Law’s diversity, equity, and belonging work.  I am excited to see what those combined powers can accomplish. I also think this combination fits well into Wayne State’s quite unique place in the academy: simultaneously serving as an access institution and a major research university.”

•            •            •
Butzel Attorney, Shareholder, and Board of Directors member Paul M. Mersino has been appointed to serve as Butzel’s next president and CEO effective in March 2023, when he will begin his term at the firm’s annual meeting.

“This is an exciting time for Butzel,” said Mersino. “We have an excellent foundation based on a rich legacy of nearly 170 years of service as a law firm. We have also added several attorneys this year and we continue to grow and plan for the future. I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to work with so many great attorneys and great people.”

At 39 years old, Mersino is a recognized business leader in metro Detroit.  He was named to Crain’s Detroit Business magazine’s 2021 Class of “40 Under 40” list. In 2020, Mersino was named to DBusiness magazine’s “30 in Their Thirties.” He has been recognized as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness magazine, as a Michigan Super Lawyer, as one of Oakland County’s Elite 40 under 40, and as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Mersino was elected to Butzel’s Board of Directors in March, 2020. Prior to serving on the firm’s Board of Directors, he was the chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Department. As Litigation Practice Department chair, he was responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s Commercial Litigation attorneys who reported to him for the strategic goals, budgeting, forecasting, and direction of the practice group.

Mersino represents public and private companies, in a number of areas including complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, non-compete and trade secret disputes, automotive supplier disputes, construction litigation, and First Amendment litigation.

He also represents and advises a number of startup companies, assisting them with their legal needs and matching them with potential venture capital funding. He also handles appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and in federal courts across the country.

Mersino has served on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association and as an advisor to the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Litigation Advisory Board.

Mersino is a 2008 graduate of Ave Maria School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Northwood University (B.A., 2005).

•            •            •

Miller Johnson is pleased to announce that litigation attorney Todd Holleman has joined the firm in its Detroit office. Holleman brings more than twenty-two years of commercial litigation experience and a strong track record of success in representing clients while at Miller Canfield for most of his career to date. He will continue to be available to represent client’s litigation needs in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin being admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in each jurisdiction.

“My background in Corporate and Securities Litigation, M&A work, and Intellectual Property matters fits in with Miller Johnson’s growth strategy,” said Holleman. “The ability to continue representing companies and taking a lead role in this office was critical to my move and my clients immediately gain the experience of this 120+ attorney firm.”

Holleman has experience in securities and financial services individual and class action cases, automotive supplier disputes, collection actions and general business contract matters. He is a member of the Securities Industry Financial Markets Association and is also known nationally as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation Membership & Marketing Committee.

Holleman is active in the community, serving as the vice-chairman of the Board of Deacons of Brightmoor Christian Church, on the Novi Christian Academy School Board, and on the Home Owners Association Board for the Camden Court Community.

Holleman was earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1999. He earned a B.B.A. in Marketing from Grand Valley State University.

•            •            •

Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC has welcomed five new associates to its Southfield office. Yohana Iyob will join the firm’s litigation and employment practice groups, Andrew Keating will join the litigation practice group, Killian Kosik will join the real estate practice group, and Will Friedman and Aaron Miller will join the corporate practice group. Jaffe CEO Mark Cooper made the announcement.

Iyob has held various legal positions since 2017 including judicial intern at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, legal assistant at Fiat Chrysler Automotive, and paralegal at Hudson Law Group. Throughout her career, she has worked in various areas of practice, including property, family and immigration, employment and benefits, and environmental law. She earned her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Kalamazoo College.

Before joining Jaffe, Keating worked at Fink Bressack as a law clerk drafting briefs for state and federal litigation cases and conducting litigation-related research. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from the University of Michigan. During his time at Wayne Law, he served as a judicial intern for U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds, Eastern District of Michigan, and as a research assistant to professor Stephen Calkins.

Kosik previously worked as a legal intern for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. His responsibilities included researching legal cases, drafting legal documents, reviewing Suspicious Activity Reports and more. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. In addition, he graduated from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business with a Bachelor of Business and Administration.

In his most recent position, Friedman worked at the United States Agency for Global Media as a legal intern for the office of the general counsel. In this role, he conducted legal research in various areas of administrative law, drafted various legal documents and aided discovery motions. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and hospitality and tourism from the College of Charleston.

Miller began his legal career as a student attorney at Michigan Legal Services. Most recently, he held the role of legal extern at the National Labor Relations Board—performing legal research, evaluating case submissions and drafting various legal documents. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a focus on business management and finance from the Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business.

•            •            •

Lauren Rhoads has joined Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip as associate attorney.  Prior to passing the Michigan Bar exam, Rhoads was working as a full-time paralegal with the firm since October of 2021 in the medical-malpractice practice area.

Rhoads is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law with a concentration in health law and received her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a concentration in global health and environment policy from the University of Michigan.

Prior to joining FBMJ, Rhoads worked for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) as a policy and planning administration intern, was a law clerk at a Lansing law firm, and was a lead litigation paralegal at a Warren law firm managing the workload for multiple medical malpractice litigation teams, including that of the managing partner of the firm.

•            •            •

Hewson & VanHellemont PC is proud to announce four new attorneys who were sworn in on November 21. Hana Kamel, Trevor Katona, Chris Mene, and Ami Shukla were sworn in at the Wayne County Circuit Court by Judge Brian Sullivan.

Kamel is a 2017 graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Sciene in Anthropology.  She received her law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law in May 2022.  She joined the firm in October 2022 as a law clerk.

Katona received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University in 2019 and received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in May 2022.  He joined the firm as a summer law intern in 2021, then rejoined us as a law clerk in August 2022.

Mene graduated from Oakland University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with honors.  He received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in May 2022 and joined the firm in November 2022.

Shukla receive her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Psychology from the University of Michigan – Dearborn in 2018.  She joined the firm as a law clerk in September 2021 and continued in that role throughout her 3L year at the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.  She received her law degree in May 2022.

•            •            •

Bodman is pleased to announce that Fatmeh T. Cheaib, Lily A. Indenbaum, Joseph R. Haddad, Matthew R. Fleming, and Katherine A. Smigelski have joined the firm as associate attorneys.
All five are based in Bodman’s Detroit office.

Cheaib is a member of Bodman’s Banking Practice Group. She represents financial institutions in connection with the negotiation and documentation of commercial loan originations.
Chaeib is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She earned her undergraduate degree at Wayne State University.  

Indenbaum is a member of Bodman’s High Net Worth Practice Group.  She represents high net worth individuals in estate planning and estate administration matters and in a wide range of personal business matters.

Indenbaum is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. Before joining Bodman as an associate attorney, Indenbaum participated in the firm’s summer associate program. She also served as an intern to U.S. District Court Judge Linda Parker, Eastern District of Michigan, and as an intern to Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David A. Groner.

Haddad is a member of Bodman’s High Net Worth Practice Group. He represents high net worth individuals in connection with estate planning, trust and estate administration, and other matters related to tax planning and business ventures.

Haddad is a graduate of the University of Detroit School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree in finance from Michigan State University. Before joining Bodman as an associate attorney Haddad worked as a law clerk with the firm’s High Net Worth Group where he participated in the representation of individual clients in connection with estate planning and personal business transactions. He also served as a judicial extern for Michigan Court of Appeals Chief Judge Christopher M. Murray.

Fleming is a member of Bodman’s Real Estate Practice Group. He represents businesses and individual clients as buyers or sellers in connection with complex commercial and significant residential real estate transactions, including land acquisition, financing, land development and leasing, and general real property management.

Fleming is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Before joining Bodman as an associate attorney, he participated in the firm’s summer associate program.  

Smigelski is a member of Bodman’s Banking Practice Group. She represents financial institutions in connection with commercial loan originations.

Smigelski is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. She earned her undergraduate degree at Grand Valley State University. As a law student, Smigelski served as a judicial extern to U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin Drain, Eastern District of Michigan.

•            •            •

Thirteen Clark Hill attorneys have been named 2023 Top Lawyers by DBusiness magazine.

Below are the Clark Hill attorneys recognized by DBusiness:

Dana L. Abrahams – Medical Malpractice Law
Anthony A. Agosta – Product Liability
Jay M. Berger – Commercial Law
Jordan S. Bolton – Litigation – Commercial
Martin E. Crandall – White-Collar Criminal Defense
William B. Dunn – Real Estate Law
Edward C. Hammond – Employee Benefits Law
Randi P. Glanz – Family Law
Michael P. Nowlan – Immigration Law
Steven R. Pacynski – Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Daniel J. Scully – Product Liability
Brian D. Shekell – Labor & Employment
Christopher M. Trebilcock – Labor & Employment

•            •            •

Tim Brady was acknowledged as a Lifetime Fellow with the Detroit Bar Association at their annual dinner on November 16. This award is given to attorneys that have made significant contributions to the Metro-Detroit area legal community.

Brady is a principal in Kitch’s Detroit office who focuses his practice on third-party automobile liability defense and No-Fault litigation with a particular focus on coordinated/excess medical policies, fraud/SIU matters, trucking liability, and complicated/severe medical injuries by the Plaintiffs.

Brady also has experience with complex litigation including construction, premises and product liability, professional liability, toxic torts, and commercial litigation. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Mediation Tribunal Association (Wayne County Case Evaluation) as the representative for the Defense Bar.

The Detroit Bar Association also recently recognized the pro bono work of Kitch attorneys Joslyn Iafrate, Carina Kraatz, and John Sier at their annual gala. Pro bono awardees are Detroit Bar members who contributed 30 hours of pro bono work this year.  Kraatz was also recognized as a Fellow of the Detroit Bar and Foundation.

Kitch is also proud to announce that Kaitlyn Elias has been named Professional Service Member of the Year by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Metro Detroit. Honorees are recognized by their peers based on their contributions to BOMA through their participation, industry accomplishments, and community outreach.

Elias is an associate principal in the firm’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.

•            •            •

Gianmarco, Mullins, & Horton is pleased to welcome David Occhiuto as an associate to the firm’s Troy office where he will practice in the Medical Malpractice Defense group. He focuses his practice on defending healthcare professionals and institutions. Occhiuto has experience handling complex cases involving a variety of medical specialties including Radiology, Cardiology, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Orthopedic Surgery.

Occhiuto earned his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. He is a member of the Healthcare Law, Administrative & Regulatory Law, Insurance Law, Negligence Law, and Young Lawyers sections of the State Bar of Michigan.

•            •            •

Brooks Kushman is pleased to welcome associates Emily Binienda, Chloe Conway, Danyal Haider, and Fatima Kassem to the firm’s growing trademark, patent prosecution and litigation practice. 

Binienda’s practice concentrates on intellectual property litigation. She earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law, as well as a B.A. in English Language, Literature and Philosophy from Grand Valley State University.  Binienda has experience working as a legal extern at MSU’s Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Center (A-CAPP Center), as well as clerking at a boutique intellectual property internet law firm where she assisted and handled trademark counterfeiting and copyright litigation matters, as well as matters in internet law.

Conway focuses her practice on trademark and copyright prosecution and enforcement.  She earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. Prior to law school, Conway graduated with a B.S. in Business and a B.S. in Zoology from Miami University.  Throughout law school, she served as an extern at Michigan State’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP Center), a judicial intern for Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Darlene O’Brien, and a clerk for a boutique intellectual property firm.  

Haider focuses his practice on patent prosecution and Intellectual Property litigation matters, leveraging his background in Electrical Engineering. Haider earned his law degree from Emory University.  During law school, he worked as a summer associate and an Intellectual Property law clerk at Brooks Kushman. Prior to law school, Haider graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Kennesaw State University.

Kassem’s practice concentrates on trademark and copyright prosecution and enforcement. He first joined the firm as a summer associate through the Wolverine Bar Association, while also serving as a judicial intern for U.S. Distrcit Court Judge Avern Cohn, Eastern District of Michigan. Kassem earned a dual law degree and MBA from Michigan State University. Prior to law school, He graduated with a B.B.A. in Finance and minor in Political Science from the University of Michigan Dearborn.

•            •            •

Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce that Jordan Small has joined the firm as an associate.  He will work in several practice groups, handling a range of litigation and transactional matters.

Small was recently admitted to the State Bar of Michigan after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Maddin Hauser is also pleased to announce that DBusiness Magazine has included 12 of our shareholders on the 2023 list of “Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit.” The recognized attorneys and their respective practice areas include:

Stuart M. Bordman – Franchise Law
Kaitlin A. Brown – Labor & Employment Law
Earle I. Erman – Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights Law
Harvey R. Heller – Legal Malpractice Law
Robert D. Kaplow – Trusts & Estates
Kathleen H. Klaus – Legal Malpractice Law; Professional Malpractice Law
Charles M. Lax – Employee Benefits Law
Steven D. Sallen – Real Estate Law
Ronald A. Sollish – Labor & Employment Law
Julie B. Teicher – Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights Law
Steve M. Wolock – Legal Malpractice Law
Craig E. Zucker – Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

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Management side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC (formerly Nemeth Law PC) is pleased to announce that legal assistant James Strugs is a recipient of the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Unsung Legal Heroes award for 2022. The award honors law firm staff who consistently go above and beyond the call of duty to keep law firms operating smoothly.

The announcement was made by Managing Partner Deborah Brouwer.

Strugs joined Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer in 2018 as a litigation assistant, bringing with him extensive experience in state and federal trial and appellate court litigation. He has an especial understanding of federal and state court rules and provides back-up to firm attorneys on such issues. Strugs is also adept at communicating with courts and clients, many of whom have gone out of their way to compliment the firm on his telephone skills. When the pandemic arrived in March 2020, Strugs readily adjusted to remote work, including e-filing, mailing, and every other aspect of his position.

•            •            •

Cassandra Tucker, regional office administrator for Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, has been named among Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Unsung Heroes” for 2022.  Tucker is recognized in the firm office manager category.

In her role as regional office administrator, Tucker is responsible for providing on-site administrative and managerial support to ensure seamless operations and maximum productivity across Warner’s three southeast Michigan offices in Detroit, Macomb County, and Bloomfield Hills. She manages staff, oversees relationships with suppliers and facility management and implements and maintains firm policies and initiatives. Tucker works to implement firm standards and philosophy aimed at helping Warner deliver on its promise to build a better partnership. She is part of the firm’s Diversity Equity + Inclusion Leadership subcommittee.

Tucker has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kalamazoo College and a master’s degree in management from University of Phoenix.