The Executive Committee of Secrest Wardle is pleased to announce that Matthew J. Consolo has been promoted to senior partner effective March 1.
Consolo began his career with Secrest Wardle in 2012, became a partner in 2016, and an executive partner in 2020. He is a member of the Commercial and Business Law, Construction, Environmental and Toxic Tort, Intellectual Property/Advertising Injury, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Trucking/Commercial Litigation Practice Groups.
Consolo has been selected to the Super Lawyers magazine list of Michigan Rising Stars from 2016 to the present and from 2018 through 2022 was selected among America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators. Additionally, Consolo was selected as a barrister for the Oakland County Bar Association's Inns of Court program in 2017 through 2020.
Consolo is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.
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Brooks Kushman is proud to announce that CEO Sangeeta Shah was named in the latest edition of IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders: The World's Leading IP Strategists by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM). This guide showcases the top experts in the IP field.
Shah is responsible for leading the firm's Executive Committee. In addition to serving as the CEO, she maintains an active docket as an IP practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in managing patent portfolios, PTAB matters, patent litigation, and opinions. As an early leader in inter partes review proceedings, Shah remains at the forefront of post-grant practice. Drawing on her multi-faceted expertise, she has experience successfully implementing enforcement programs that leverage the interplay of IPRs, reexaminations/reissues, strategic prosecution, and patent litigation-resulting in seminal PTAB, district and federal circuit decisions on such issues as standing for an appeal to challenge a PTAB final written decision and the use of newly added claims from a reexamination in pending litigation. Shah works closely with several Fortune 500 clients for whom she provides strategic counseling and guidance on global intellectual property portfolios. Her patent expertise has resulted in national recognition from Managing IP, Best Lawyers, IAM, AIPLA, and the PTAB Bar Association.
Prior to becoming CEO, Shah served as the firm's chief diversity officer. In that position, she developed and implemented a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within and outside of the firm through outreach programs and partnerships. Under her leadership, the firm was recognized in 2018 and 2019 by ChIPs and Diversity Lab as a national Honor Roll Firm for its dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion. Shah also hosts the Breaking Mindsets Podcast where she interviews leaders who defy expectations and have accomplished great change in their field.
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Honigman LLP is pleased to announce that Danielle Bass has rejoined its Corporate Department as a partner in the firm's Detroit office. Bass will focus her practice on transactional matters involving information technology, intellectual property, data, media, and entertainment, with an emphasis on commercial transactions.
Bass earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.
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Taft Detroit, formerly Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss, expands with the addition of three partners to the newly merged firm. The team includes Jordan Bolton, Stuart Schwartz, and James Waggoner.
Bolton's practice focuses on helping business leaders, in-house counsel, and individuals remove barriers to success by providing creative business-centric dispute resolution and transactional services, both within and outside state and federal tribunals nationwide. He counsels clients in a variety of industries in high-stakes litigation and serves as lead trial lawyer in dozens of high-profile and high-risk matters. Bolton maintains a robust outside general counsel practice for his clients who have varied legal needs.
Schwartz's practice focuses on commercial disputes and other business concerns across a variety of industries. He represents clients of all sizes in high-risk and complex matters pending in business and other courts across the country. He maintains an active outside general counsel practice for numerous clients who rely on him as a trusted advisor to navigate a myriad of legal and strategic matters.
Waggoner's practice focuses on a broad range of corporate matters. He advises on complex business matters for a diverse client base, which ranges from small privately held companies to large publicly traded companies. Waggoner has transactional experience across a variety of industries, representing both buyers and sellers. He guides his clients through the entire transaction process while assisting in identifying, evaluating, and understanding the many legal implications.
This group adds to Taft's existing Litigation and Business practice groups and helps increase the firm's overall presence in Detroit as it seeks to substantially grow this market with the addition of talented attorneys, who excel in both legal skills and client service.
Detroit is Taft's newest market with approximately 120 lawyers. The majority of this market's attorneys and staff are based in Southfield conveniently located close to the firm's downtown Detroit office.
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Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton is pleased to welcome Christopher Messing to the firm's Troy office where he will practice in the Education Law practice group.
Messing joins the firm with experience litigating matters in both state and federal courts in cases involving general tort liability, premises liability, property damage, first-party auto, and third-party auto.
Messing earned his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.
