Legal People ...


Butzel attorney and former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kurtis T. Wilder was recognized at a portrait dedication that took place during a special session of the Michigan Supreme Court on November 29. The event was hosted by the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society. The portrait was created by Charleston, SC based artist Rob Maniscalco.

Wilder is a shareholder with Butzel. He concentrates his practice in litigation, appeals, and mediation and facilitation. He serves as a Neutral Mediator/Arbitrator with New Era ADR, a digital advanced dispute resolution platform. He has been a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Regent University School of Law and has appeared as a commentator on Dan Abrams Live.

At the same time, Wilder is serving a one-year term as chair of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Last year, he was named to the Executive Committee. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is Michigan’s leading statewide business advocacy organization with more than 5,000 members.

He served on the Michigan Supreme Court following his appointment by Governor Rick Snyder on May 9, 2017 through December 31, 2018. Prior to that time, Wilder served as a judge for 25 years on both the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Washtenaw County Trial Court.

Wilder, the 112th justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. degree in Political Science in 1981, and from the University of Michigan Law School with a law degree in 1984.

He was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame Class of 2021. He also is included in The Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice, 2021-2023 and DBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Appellate Law, 2020-2024; Arbitration, 2020-2022.

In 2021, Wilder was elected chair of the Interlochen Center for the Arts Board of Trustees. Previously, he served as first vice-chair and chair-elect. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.

Wilder has memberships in the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation; the Association of Black Judges of Michigan; the Federalist Society, Board of Advisors, Lawyers Division-Michigan Chapter; Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Gamma Rho Boule; and the Wolverine Bar Association.

Wilder served as president of the Michigan Judges Association, chairman of the State Bar Judicial Conference, and president of the Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. He was an active member of numerous State Bar of Michigan committees and Michigan Supreme Court taskforces. While on the Supreme Court, he was the court’s liaison to the Judicial Tenure Commission and for issues related to courthouse security.

He has been active in many civic and philanthropic endeavors during his career. He is a former board chair of the State of Michigan Community Corrections Advisory Board, National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, and Nonprofit Enterprise at Work.

Wilder also is an elder and Chancel Choir member at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth.

Butzel is pleased to announce that Paul Mersino, president and CEO, has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2023. He is one of 28 attorneys who will be recognized at a luncheon and awards celebration on December 5 at Petruzzello’s Banquet and Conference Center in Troy.

Mersino was elected president and CEO of Butzel at the firm’s annual meeting earlier this year. He is responsible for the operations and management of the 150+ attorney firm, including budgeting, setting strategic goals, and more. He was elected to the firm’s Board of Directors in 2020.

Mersino was recently named to DBusiness magazine’s Detroit 500 – 2023 list of the Most Powerful Business Leaders in Metro Detroit. Healso was named to Crain’s Detroit Business magazine’s 2021 Class of “40 Under 40” list. In 2020, he 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.

In his practice, 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 has seen a number of successes in trials and cases across the country, having obtained jury verdicts, summary judgment rulings, dismissal of cases against his clients, and settlements favorable to his clients in state and federal courts throughout the nation.

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 handles appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and in federal courts across the country.

Mersino formerly served as Butzel’s Litigation Practice Department chair. He was responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s Commercial Litigation attorneys who reported to him as well as their strategic goals, budgeting, forecasting, and proposed direction for the practice group. Mersino also has served as trustee of the Butzel Charitable Trust.

He 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).

In addition, 25 Butzel attorneys have been named Top Lawyers in metro Detroit 2024 by DBusiness magazine. The list appears in the November/December 2023 edition.

The local attorneys and their practice areas are listed below:

DETROIT OFFICE

Linda J. Armstrong, Immigration Law
James C. Bruno, International Trade Law
Eric J. Flessland, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
Bernard J. Fuhs, Franchise Law
Justin G. Klimko, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Mark R. Lezotte, Health Care Law
Clara DeMatteis Mager, Immigration Law
Reginald A. Pacis, Immigration Law
Angela Emmerling Shapiro, Information Management & Discovery Law
Kurtis T. Wilder, Appellate Law
James E. Wynne, Product Liability

TROY OFFICE

Jennifer E. Consiglio, Corporate Law
Carey A. DeWitt, Labor and Employment Law
George B. Donnini, White-Collar Criminal Defense
Damien DuMouchel, White-Collar Criminal Defense
Debra A. Geroux, Health Care Law
Beth S. Gotthelf, Environmental Law
Robert A. Hudson, International Trade Law
Laura E. Johnson, Corporate Law
Susan L. Johnson, Environmental Law
Sheldon H. Klein, Antitrust Law
R. Peter Prokop, Tax Law

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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has welcomed Nicholas A. Binder as an associate.

An experienced corporate attorney, Binder has worked on business matters for large, global companies with complex legal needs. His experience includes negotiating definitive documentation to restructure balance sheets for multinational corporations in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and advising clients on corporate governance, operational and restructuring issues. He has led due diligence efforts for contingency planning and supported complex transactional structures to ensure efficient reorganization plans. Binder is based in the firm’s Detroit office.

Binder previously worked as an attorney with Kirkland & Ellis in its Chicago office, where he gained experience as a member of the firm’s transactional group. Binder served as a judicial extern for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge David McKeague, Sixth Circuit, and as a research extern for the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Binder received his Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and his MBA from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He earned his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.

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McDonald Hopkins LLC is pleased to announce the addition of Klayvon Hermz to its team in the Detroit office.

Hermz is an associate in McDonald Hopkins’ Litigation Department and a part of the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team. He focuses his practice on incident notification, response, and breach coaching. He works alongside cybersecurity professionals through forensic investigations and remediation, third party and media communications, and data breach notification to individuals and regulators. Hermz also advises clients on state, federal, and international data privacy law compliance.

During his time at law school, Hermz was a legal extern to U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy, Eastern District of Michigan. He previously served as a legal intern for Motorola Solutions in Chicago and Rocket Mortgage in Detroit.

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Varnum is pleased to announce that Louis Ronayne has joined the firm’s Litigation and Trial Practice Team. He is based in the Novi office.

An experienced litigator, Ronayne represents clients in a wide range of business and commercial litigation matters, from high-stakes automotive supplier disputes to suits involving state and local units of government. He has a background in emergency litigation including actions for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. He also represents clients in a variety of contract and real estate disputes. Ronayne has first chair trial and appellate experience, including before the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court.

Following law school, Ronayne served as a research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals, then clerked for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian K. Zahra. He joins the firm from Butzel Long.

Ronayne graduated from Michigan State University College of Law. He is a graduate of Adrian College where he received his undergraduate degree in Political Science.

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Howard & Howard is pleased to welcome several attorneys who have recently joined the firm’s Royal Oak office. In Intellectual Property, the firm welcomes Melissa M. Cecchi and Ethan Hendrickson. Maria Topalovic and Trevor W. Lloyd join the Corporate group, while Stephanie Sitto strengthens the Litigation team.

Cecchi focuses her practice on global patent preparation and prosecution, clearance/freedom-to-operate analyses, and invalidity studies of competitors’ patents. She has worked with clients in the automotive and medical industries, in addition to machine learning. She graduated from Boston University School of Law with her law degree.

As a recent graduate of Howard & Howard’s Intellectual Property Intern Program, Hendrickson officially joins the team as a sworn attorney and counselor. He assists the team with various projects including patent research for client needs, drafting patent applications, and responding to office actions received from the USPTO and foreign patent offices. Hendrickson received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University, and more recently graduated from Wayne State University Law School with his law degree.

Lloyd is a corporate attorney who works primarily in mergers and acquisitions and real estate, while assisting clients through all their business needs. Prior to joining Howard & Howard, he garnered legal experience working as an extern for U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson, Eastern District of Michigan, Lloyd also worked as a legal intern for the firm in its Royal Oak office. He graduated from Wayne State University Law School with his law degree.

As a litigator, Sitto focuses her practice on assisting her clients through various legal disputes. Prior to joining Howard & Howard, Sitto practiced no-fault insurance, auto negligence, personal injury, and workers’ compensation defense.

Topalovic is an employee benefits attorney aimed at helping clients comply with ERISA, the IRC, the ACA, HIPAA, as well as many other laws and regulations. She is well versed in drafting various types of plan documentation and notices, negotiating service provider contracts and HIPAA business associate agreements. She services various types of employee benefit plans, including health and welfare, pension, 401(k), and other ancillary fringe benefit plans, as well as ensuring cybersecurity compliance for such fringe benefit plans.

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After having its main office in Southfield for more than 35 years, Brooks Kushman is moving to a new space in nearby Royal Oak.

Following the pandemic and the greater shift to working remote, the firm has fully embraced a hybrid work model and the corresponding need for more flexible workspace. With the benefit of surveys, usage studies, and focused inputs, the firm determined that it needs a space with a smaller footprint and in an urban environment.

Breaking from the traditional law firm layout, the new suite comprises an open, modern floor plan, the latest technology offerings, and different types of collaborative spaces for small and large group meetings. The firm expects the new space will increase engagement, to ensure that its younger professionals receive sufficient training and mentoring, and that the full team is working collaboratively to best serve its clients and associates.

Brooks Kushman’s new physical address is:

150 W. Second Street
Suite 400N
Royal Oak, MI 48067