Plunkett Cooney
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
• 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).
In addition, attorney Aleanna B. Siacon recently joined Plunkett Cooney as a member of its Torts & Litigation Practice Group.
Siacon maintains a litigation practice that includes the defense of premises liability, personal injury, product liability and municipal liability claims, as well as general negligence matters.
In addition, Siacon has public-sector experience that includes the direct representation of municipalities in the metro Detroit area and in northern Michigan. She handles real property disputes, civil rights matters, ordinance reviews, First Amendment issues, and education law cases.
Prior to graduating from Wayne State University Law School in 2022, Siacon worked as a summer associate at Plunkett Cooney and as a civil division intern for the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Michigan. In addition, she served as a judicial intern for U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith, Eastern District of Michigan.
Before attending law school, Siacon pursued a career in journalism. Her work has been published in USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press, the Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit magazine Inc. magazine, and other media outlets.
Attorney Brooke A. Nosanchuk also recently joined the Commercial Litigation Practice Group of Plunkett Cooney.
A member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Nosanchuk focuses her practice on real property, contract disputes, business torts and banking conflicts.
Nosanchuk represents financial institutions, including commercial lenders and banks, in lending actions involving collections and real estate litigation. She also represents other commercial entities in various contract-based commercial disputes.
Nosanchuk received her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2022. While in law school, she worked as a summer associate at Plunkett Cooney.
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Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC
Management side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC (formerly Nemeth Law PC) is pleased to announce that Deborah Brouwer, Terry Bonnette, and Patricia Nemeth have been recognized as DBusiness Top Lawyers for 2023. All three attorneys were named in the labor and employment law category.
Managing Partner Deborah Brouwer’s labor and employment practice includes the defense of lawsuits against employers involving claims of race, age, religion, national origin, gender and disability discrimination, and harassment and retaliation, as well as FLSA, FMLA and non-competition suits. She also provides employer training and conducts discrimination and harassment investigations on behalf of employers. Brouwer has experience appearing before administrative agencies, including the EEOC, MDCR, MIOSHA, OSHA and the NLRB, and frequently appears before the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Partner Terry Bonnette’s practice encompasses traditional labor law and employment law counseling, training, and litigation. In the counseling realm, Bonnette covers a wide range of contract compliance and regulatory issues, including FMLA, Wage and Hour, and the ADA. He is also an experienced litigator, representing clients before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitrators, on issues including employment discrimination, harassment, disability, and retaliation. Bonnette also created the firm’s “Raising the Bar” educational series focused on increasing employer awareness of trending issues in employment law.
Founder Patricia Nemeth, Of Counsel, has found career success as a litigator, investigator, consultant, and certified mediator, and now focuses her practice on counseling, investigations and mediation, serving as an employment and commercial arbitrator. Nemeth’s areas of expertise include religious, ethnic, and gender discrimination, sex, race, and ethnic harassment, wrongful discharge, union organizing activities and multi-party lawsuits. Industries served include healthcare, nursing homes, retail, manufacturing, gaming, insurance, and government entities.
The DBusiness honor comes on the heels of other legal awards for the three this year including Leading Lawyers and Michigan Super Lawyers.
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Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Michigan Lawyers Weekly named Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Assistant Dean Erika Breitfeld as Lawyer of the Year. In October, Breitfeld and WMU-Cooley graduate Paul J. Millenbach of Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith in Southfield, were two of 30 lawyers named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2022. The annual presentation honoring the Leaders in the Law Class and Lawyer of the Year was held on December 2 at the Detroit Marriott Troy.
Breitfeld was selected as Lawyer of the Year by members of the Leaders in the Law Class of 2022.
“I am humbled by the company I keep in this room,” said Breitfeld during her acceptance remarks. “I am so honored that I get to use the law to help people. Thank you for this high honor; I share it with each of you.”
Breitfeld serves as assistant dean of students at WMU-Cooley. She joined the law school’s full-time faculty in 2013, teaching Criminal Law, Advocacy, Research and Writing, and Appellate Advocacy/Moot Court. Before joining the law school, she was an assistant prosecuting attorney for Macomb County and associate attorney for Ward, Anderson, Porritt, & Bryant PC in Bloomfield Hills.
In addition to educating the next generation of legal professionals, Breitfeld remains active in the legal profession. She has served on the State Bar of Michigan’s Access to Justice Committee since 2012. She has also served on the board of directors for the Macomb County Veterans’ Treatment Court from 2015 to 2022. She is a recognized leader as evidenced by her appointment as a Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellow, which celebrates attorneys who show professional excellence and service to the community (September 2020-present).
Breitfeld serves as a hearing panelist for the Attorney Discipline Board. (2015-present) and is a member of the Oakland County Inns of Court. Most recently, Breitfeld has extended her time to criminal justice reforms and student mentorship. In 2021, she was appointed by Prosecutor Karen McDonald to the Oakland County Racial Justice Advisory Board, where she works with community stakeholders to promote equity and social justice reforms for underrepresented minority groups.
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Michigan State Bar Foundation
Jennifer Bentley, executive director of the Michigan State Bar Foundation (MSBF), has been named one of the 2022 “Notable Women in Nonprofits” by Crain’s Detroit Business. Bentley, a longtime Michigan Supreme Court partner on civil justice reforms, currently serves on the Executive Team of the Justice for All Commission (JFAC) that is working toward 100 percent access to the civil justice system. She was nominated for the award by Michigan Supreme Court and State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) leadership. Justice Brian K. Zahra works with Bentley in his role as JFAC chair.
Leading up to the establishment of the JFAC, Bentley participated on the Steering Committee of the Justice for All Task Force to develop the JFAC strategic plan for achieving 100 percent access to the civil justice system. The task force pulled together civil justice system stakeholders and facilitated public town hall meetings across the state, during which residents shared their experiences in trying to handle civil legal matters without the help of an attorney. Her work helped to provide a solid foundation of data that led to the creation of the strategic plan and JFAC.
Bentley has also been instrumental in developing new streams of funding for the JFAC. Her guidance on the JFAC Executive Team helped to secure grant funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Center for State Courts, with MSBF serving as the fiscal agent for these grants. Bentley also has championed efforts to increase funding for civil legal aid organizations throughout Michigan.
Bentley has served as executive director of the MSBF since January 2017. The Foundation provides leadership and funding to advance access to justice for the poor, annual operating grants to civil legal aid organizations throughout Michigan, and project grants to improve the administration of justice. The Foundation also administers the Access to Justice Campaign (in partnership with the State Bar of Michigan) to raise money from the legal community for 15 regional and statewide civil legal aid organizations, administers the Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program in Michigan, and launched a Banking on Justice Campaign in 2019.
In addition to many statewide task forces and committees, Bentley currently serves as immediate past president of the National Association of IOLTA Programs (NAIP) and on the Board of Directors of Management Information Exchange. Before joining the MSBF, she served in various roles within nonprofit civil legal aid programs, including staff attorney, managing attorney and director of development. Bentley obtained her law degree from Indiana University.
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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP
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.
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Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook
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.
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Butzel Long
Butzel is growing, adding a Grand Rapids office that includes three established local attorneys who will join Butzel on January 1, 2023, according to Paul M. Mersino, Butzel’s next president and CEO, effective in March 2023 at the firm’s Annual Meeting.
According to Mersino, the addition of Lee T. Silver, Michael L. Gutierrez, and J. Terrance Dillion, currently with Silver & Van Essen PC, will augment Butzel’s litigation practice, with the intent to grow the new location into a full-service office with the addition of more attorneys.
“We are focused on growing as a firm and adding a Grand Rapids office is part of that initiative,” said Mersino. “We already have clients who conduct business in west Michigan, and this will allow us to better serve them while also broadening our client base. This an excellent time for Butzel to expand in the region, and we are doing so with some of the most respected and talented lawyers in Michigan. We could not be more excited by this expansion.”
Justin G. Klimko, the firm’s current president and CEO, added, “We are thrilled to welcome Lee, Mike and Terry to Butzel’s ranks. They bring to us an established and highly respected presence in west Michigan. Grand Rapids is an important city and market and presents great opportunities to our firm, especially with such outstanding colleagues.”
“We are extremely excited to begin this next chapter of our practice by joining forces with Butzel,” Silver, co-founder of Silver & Van Essen PC, said. “Becoming the Grand Rapids office of an excellent firm like Butzel will offer immediate benefits to our clients. This move will allow us to continue providing the same quality representation, personal service, and cost-effective solutions that our clients have been accustomed to receiving from us for decades, while also giving us a deeper bench, additional resources, and access to the multi-disciplinary expertise that Butzel provides.”
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Third Circuit Court
The Michigan Supreme Court has appointed Judge Patricia Perez Fresard to serve as the chief judge of the Third Circuit Court starting January 1, 2023.
Fresard has served as a Wayne County Circuit Court judge since 1999. Fresard began her judicial career as a felony trial court judge and initial presiding judge of the Criminal Division’s Drug Court. She presided over hundreds of criminal felony trials including murder, rape, carjacking, drug, and firearm charges.
Fresard was accepted by bid to the Civil Division in 2012 and selected by Chief Judge Colombo as presiding judge of the Civil Division in 2016. In 2019, Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny appointed Fresard as chief judge pro tem and presiding judge of the Civil Division. Fresard has spearheaded efforts to ensure that case backlogs are addressed, supported competitive wages for court personnel, and championed the court’s ongoing collaboration with the legal community.
Fresard will be the second woman and the first Hispanic to serve as chief judge of the Third Circuit Court.
As chief judge, Fresard seeks to continue on the path of delivering quality services to the public and creating a productive, innovative work environment. Her primary goals include the move of the Criminal Division to the new Criminal Court Complex, the establishment of the Family Court as prescribed by statute, and the continued advancement of an inclusive workplace culture. Judges, court management, and staff will be invited to participate in the various 2023 Strategic Plan initiatives and projects.
The chief judge under Michigan Court Rule 8.100 shall select a chief judge pro tempore and a presiding judge of any division of the trial court. Fresard is pleased to introduce her selection for chief judge pro tempore and presiding judges:
• Judge Leslie Kim Smith will serve as the chief judge pro tem and the presiding judge of the Civil Division. Smith has served on the Third Circuit Court since April 2003. She has been in the Civil Division since September 2013. From April 2003 to August 2013, Smith served on the Family Division-Juvenile Section, and she was the presiding judge in that division from January 2009 to December 2012. As presiding judge, she led the restructuring of legal representation for children involved in child welfare and juvenile justice matters. She currently serves on the court’s Executive Bench Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. Smith also served as a judge for the 30th District Court in Highland Park from January 1987 to April 2003 and was the chief judge from January 1988 to April 2003. Prior to coming to the bench, Smith was an assistant attorney general.
• Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller will serve as the presiding judge of Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court Family-Juvenile Division. Miller was appointed to the Third Judicial Circuit Court on July 22, 2019 and is assigned to the Juvenile Division. Miller served on the 36th Judicial District Court from April 10, 2006 through August 18, 2019. Miller was the founding and presiding judge over Street Outreach Court Detroit which assists Detroit’s homeless population with clearing their driver’s licenses and returning to self-sufficiency. Miller is an adjunct professor at Baker College of Allen Park and Baker College of Jackson. She has worked in the Criminal Justice Department since 2012 and in the Humanities Department since 2016. Miller received her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 1996. Miller was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1996 and to the State Bar of Arkansas in 1997.
• Judge Donald Knapp will serve as the presiding judge of Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court Criminal Division. Knapp was appointed to the Third Circuit Court in April of 2018. Prior to that appointment, he served for nine years as the Livonia city attorney during which time he advised the mayor, City Council, department heads, and commissions, handled criminal prosecutions, litigated civil litigation filed against the City of Livonia, and managed the Law Department’s other attorneys and staff. He also specialized in commercial and civil litigation, probate and estate planning, and municipal law at Fausone Bohn LLP in Northville for fourteen years. Knapp’s career began as a research attorney for Third Circuit Court Judge Timothy M. Kenny. He also worked as a legislative aide for then State Senator Thaddeus McCotter and as an associate attorney for a small medical malpractice defense firm, respectively. He is a graduate of the Detroit College of Law (now known as Michigan State University College of Law), University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Detroit Catholic Central. Knapp was elected to the Livonia City Council in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. He was active in the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Federalist Society, Livonia Bar Association, and Detroit Bar Association.
• Judge Melissa Cox will serve as the presiding judge of Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court Family Domestic Relations Division. Cox was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit Court in November 2016. Cox graduated from the University of Michigan and received her law degree from Ave Maria School of Law. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the law firm Fausone Bohn LLP in Northville. She continued to work for the firm as an associate attorney, focusing her practice in family law. She handled a high-volume caseload of divorce, custody, and adoption matters. Additionally, throughout her career, she served as assistant city attorney for several municipalities and, in that capacity, prosecuted criminal misdemeanors and civil infractions and defended civil litigation lawsuits. She has been afforded recognition as a Super Lawyer Rising Star for the past six years and has been named by Hour Magazine as a Top Female Attorney. She is a member of the Wayne County Family Bar Association, the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, and the past vice president of the Livonia Bar Association.
The administrative team will be led by Zenell B. Brown, who has served as the executive court administrator since 2014, and Richard M. Lynch, who has served as the general counsel since 2014.
To learn more about the court, visit its website at www.3rdcc.org, follow the court at Twitter@3rdccorg, and like the court on Facebook @3rdccorg.
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Transitions Legal
Kacie Pohlman recently joined the Transitions Legal family law firm as associate attorney.
A graduate of University of Findlay (Ohio) with a dual-major in art and psychology, and a law degree from University of Toledo, Pohlman chose the profession of law because “it allows you to assist people in their lives. It’s not an easy field to navigate on your own, so I liked having that knowledge in order to assist more in-depth in people’s lives.”
During her college studies, Pohlman studied romantic relationships and group therapy, adding knowledge that informs her legal career and inspiring her to choose family law as her area of specialty. She also learned conflict resolution and attachment styles to better understand how people react and manage conflict, which informs her work with the Our Family in Two Homes resource that Transitions Legal offers to clients.
“Divorce is often uprooting the lives people have established,” says Pohlman. “I enjoy being able to help people create a new beginning that they’re comfortable with and walk away as happy as they can.”
Before Pohlman joined Transitions Legal in 2022, she worked in family law and personal injury/no-fault law at a firm where she was tasked with creating a family law division.
Pohlman completed law school during the pandemic and started her career with Zoom court.
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Varnum LLP
Varnum is pleased to announce that Chelsea Everson has joined the firm’s Intellectual Property Team. She is based in Varnum’s Novi office.
Everson has a range of IP experience in patent prosecution, trademark and copyright protection, trade secret law and preparation and review of IP agreements. She has prepared and prosecuted numerous domestic and foreign patent applications within the biological, chemical and mechanical arts. She regularly prepares prior art searches, freedom-to-operate analyses and infringement and invalidity opinions. She is also experienced in IP litigation involving patent and trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition.
During law school, Everson served an externship with the USPTO’s Patent Experience Extern Program and Patent Training Academy at the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She worked alongside patent examiners in a unit that oversees various biotech, chemical and pharmaceutical technologies to review patent applications for grant consideration and conduct prior art searches. Everson also delivered presentations on patent and trademark matters to small business owners and aspiring inventors at USPTO informational events.
Everson is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in honors psychology with a minor in biological sciences and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.
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Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC
Dawda Mann is pleased to announce its recognition by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” with 12 of its practice areas receiving high regional rankings.
“We are pleased to be recognized for the expertise that our firm demonstrates every day to our clients,” said Edward C. Dawda, one of the firm’s founders. “Dawda Mann’s entire team continues to meet the local and global needs of our clients to ensure their business and personal legal issues are anticipated, addressed and solved.”
Dawda Mann received the following regional recognition in the 2023 “Best Law Firms” rankings:
Tier 1
• Closely Held Companies & Family Businesses Law
• Corporate Law
• Energy Law
• Environmental Law
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Real Estate Law
• Trusts & Estate Law
Tier 2
• Banking & Finance Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Environmental
• Tax Law
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Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that 40 of the firm’s attorneys have been included in DBusiness 2023 Top Lawyers.
Below is a list of local Dickinson Wright lawyers included in this year’s list:
—Detroit
Allison R. Bach, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Richard M. Bolton, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Aaron V. Burrell, Labor and Employment Law
Christopher A. Cornwall, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction
David R. Deromedi, Labor and Employment Law
Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate Law
J. Benjamin Dolan, Litigation – Real Estate
K. Scott Hamilton, Appellate Law
Mark R. High, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Steven G. Howell, Banking & Financial Services Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law
Thomas G. McNeill, Litigation – Banking & Financial Services, Litigation – Commercial
Sharon R. Newlon, Environmental Law
James A. Plemmons, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law
William P. Shield Jr., Banking & Financial Services Law
Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Banking & Financial Services Law
Kathryn S. Wood, Labor and Employment Law
L. Pahl Zinn, Antitrust Law, Litigation – Antitrust
—Troy
Laura M. Bassett, Public Finance Law
Joseph W. DeLave, Construction Law
Roberta P. Granadier, Employee Benefits Law
Craig W. Hammond, Banking & Financial Services Law, Public Finance Law
Monica J. Labe, Real Estate Law
Elise S. Levasseur, Immigration Law
Elizabeth L. Luckenbach, Trusts & Estates
Michael J. Lusardi, Real Estate Law
Cynthia A. Moore, Employee Benefits Law
Gregory W. Moore, Health Care Law
Zan M. Nicolli, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Michael T. Raymond, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Kristyn P. Recchia, Family Law
William L. Rosin, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Lynn Capp Sirich, Family Law
Jared A. Smith, Corporate Law
Dana L. Ulrich, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Peter H. Webster, Land Use & Zoning Law
Mark E. Wilson, Health Care Law
Katheryne L. Zelenock, Real Estate Law
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Bodman PLC
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that DBusiness Magazine has included 68 of the firm’s attorneys on its 2023 Top Lawyers list.
Bodman attorneys were recognized in 31 different areas of practice. Local Bodman attorneys included in DBusiness Top Lawyers 2023, with the practice areas for which they were nominated, are listed below by office:
—Detroit Office
Marc M. Bakst (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
Kelly M. Burnell (Trusts and Estates)
Andrew H. Curoe (Trusts and Estates)
Sarah L. Cylkowski (Insurance Law; Litigation-Insurance)
Brandon M. Dalziel (Health Care Law)
Laurence B. Deitch (Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
Robert J. Diehl Jr. (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
Forrest O. Dillon (Antitrust Law; Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
Fredrick J. Dindoffer (Environmental Law)
Christopher J. Dine (Nonprofit/Charities Law; Tax Law)
Nathan D. Dupes (Environmental Law)
Aaron D. Graves (Labor and Employment Law)
Scott P. Gyorke (Banking & Financial Services Law)
Kathleen O’Callaghan Hickey (Banking & Financial Services Law)
David P. Larsen (Trusts and Estates)
Dennis J. Levasseur (Litigation-Banking and Finance; Litigation-Intellectual Property)
Melissa A. Lewis (Banking & Financial Services Law)
Kelly M. Lockman (Real Estate Law)
Jay B. Long (Tax Law)
Julia C. Massaro (Trusts and Estates)
Ralph E. McDowell (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
Nicholas P. McElhinny (Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
Adam B. Norlander (Banking & Financial Services Law)
Joseph G. Nuyen Jr. (Health Care Law)
Rebecca D’Arcy O’Reilly (Employee Benefits Law)
Jeffrey G. Raphelson (Litigation-Commercial)
Thomas J. Rheaume Jr. (Appellate Law; Litigation-Insurance)
Damali A. Sahu (Banking & Financial Services Law)
Joseph J. Shannon (Litigation-Commercial; Litigation-Banking and Finance)
Erica J. Shell (Environmental Law)
Larry R. Shulman (Banking & Financial Services Law)
Brian R. Trumbauer (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
Jaimee L. Witten (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law)
—Troy Office
Courtland W. Anderson (Franchise Law)
Celeste E. Arduino (Nonprofit/Charities Law)
Donovan S. Asmar (Appellate Law)
Adam Behrendt (Litigation-Banking and Finance; Litigation-Real Estate)
John T. Below (Labor and Employment Law)
Jonathan S. Berg (Commercial Law)
David C. Bosman (Banking & Financial Services Law)
Gene P. Bowen (Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
Barbara A. Bowman (Public Finance Law)
Robert J. Cambridge (Corporate Law; Securities Law)
John C. Cashen (Labor and Employment Law)
Steven R. Cole (Tax Law)
Michael G. Costello (Insurance Law)
Anthony P. Cracchiolo (Trusts and Estates)
Michelle Thurber Czapski (Insurance Law; Litigation-Insurance)
Gary S. Fealk (Labor and Employment Law)
Gregory J. Gamalski (Real Estate Law)
Mark W. Peters (Securities Law)
Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. (Real Estate Law)
Andrew Z. Spilkin (Construction Law; Real Estate Law)
Thomas J. Tallerico (Litigation-Antitrust)
Thomas Van Dusen (Litigation-Commercial)
David B. Walters (Employee Benefits Law)
Rebecca Seguin-Skrabucha (Labor and Employment Law)
Glen M. Zatz (Real Estate Law)
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Secrest Wardle
Eric T. Johnson has joined Secrest Wardle’s Troy location as a partner. He is a member of the firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation and Premises Liability Practice Groups.
Johnson earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American History from the University of Michigan, Dearborn.
Johnson gained experience while acting as a sole practitioner for several years where he managed a variety of cases in multiple areas of law. From there, Johnson spent seven years as house counsel for an insurance company where he managed all stages of litigation dealing with both first and third party automobile accident cases.
In addition, Secrest Wardle proudly congratulates its newest associates on recently passing the bar exam. Nicholas Badalamenti, Sean Barry, Ryan Misiak, Dayne Rogers, Sean Serafini, Rita Soka, and Tera Watson have all accepted associate positions with the firm.
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Miller Canfield
Haley Wadel has joined Miller Canfield as an associate attorney in the Corporate and Transactions Group. She will support the firm’s international and export controls and sanctions practices.
Wadel earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and international studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a graduate of the Michigan State University College of Law.
While in law school, Wadel was a legal intern at the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office and was an ethics and compliance legal intern at Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
After law school, Wadel worked as an associate at the Miami-based Diaz Trade Law, where she performed legal research, advised clients on implementing export strategies, and assisted clients in a wide range of customs and international trade issues. She has experience in export licensing, import and export classification, corporate sustainability, and knowledge of international markets and trade compliance and ethics.
