Warner Norcross + Judd LLP and local partner Brian D. Wassom have been recognized in the 2024 WTR 1000 by World Trademark Review.
Wassom litigates disputes and counsels clients in trademarks, as well as matters of commercial branding, publicity rights, creative expression and privacy. His practice serves businesses in many industries, winning significant litigation victories for his clients in federal and state trial and appeals courts across the country. He was instrumental in launching Michigan’s first “business court.”
• • •
The partners of Plunkett Cooney have elected four colleagues to its board of directors and re-elected one other.
At the firm’s recent annual meeting, longtime member and secretary/treasurer of the board, Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. was re-elected to a new three-year term. He will be joined by first-time board members Emily M. Coyle, Marc P. Jerabek, and Elaine M. Pohl who also won three-year terms. Robert A. Marzano was elected to complete a partial term previously held by Jeffrey C. Gerish, who became the firm’s president & CEO, effective Jan. 1.
Ashcraft, who is a member of the Bloomfield Hills office, has been a member of the board of directors for 13 years and has served as secretary/treasurer since his election in 2012. He also serves as co-leader of Plunkett Cooney’s Professional Liability Practice Group. Ashcraft is one of Michigan’s most accomplished professional liability attorneys having routinely and favorably resolved numerous high-exposure and high-profile cases involving attorneys, judges, accountants and other professionals throughout Michigan.
Coyle has the distinction of being the firm’s first openly queer partner to win election to the board of directors. She has expertise in a variety of practice areas, including transportation law, No-Fault auto liability and collections. A member of the firm’s Detroit office, her practice also includes expertise with respect to investigating fraudulent or suspicious claims stemming from motor vehicle accidents. Coyle is a member of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and she is active in the LGBTQA Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
Also a member of the firm’s DEI Committee, Jerabek is the first Hispanic member of the firm’s board of directors. He focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions, mortgage servicers, large and small businesses, and individuals, helping them navigate legal issues and achieve the best result when facing litigation. A member of the Bloomfield Hills office, Jerabek also has experience in financial services litigation, commercial loan workouts, defense of consumer claims (including RESPA, TILA, FDCPA, FCRA, student loan disputes), and real estate litigation (landlord-tenant disputes, quiet title, boundary disputes, among others).
A member of the Bloomfield Hills office, Pohl is one of Plunkett Cooney’s most experienced insurance coverage attorneys. She maintains a national practice, counseling insurers in complex property and casualty disputes, including litigated and non-litigated matters. Her expertise extends to analyzing coverage for claims involving professional liability, construction defects, bodily injuries, product liability, environmental contamination, personal and advertising injury issues, first-party property claims as well as allegations of bad faith.
Marzano, who is a co-leader of the firm’s Torts & Litigation Practice, maintains a diverse practice that includes premises liability law, foodservice and hospitality law, security guard liability, pet liability, real estate law and landlord/tenant disputes. A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, Marzano is also an experienced municipal attorney. He represents one of southeast Michigan’s largest and fastest growing cities.
• • •
World Trademark Review (WTR) recently featured The Dobrusin Law Firm attorneys Erin Klug and Rebecca Wilson as part of its WTR 1000 for 2024. WTR has also listed The Dobrusin Law Firm as a Recommended Firm. Those recognized in the WTR 1000 can receive one of three designations: gold, silver, or bronze, depending on the qualifications and experience of the individual. Klug and Wilson each were awarded the gold designation.
Klug is an intellectual property lawyer whose clientele includes businesses from industries as diverse as the cannabis industry, automotive industry, and real estate industry. She has been featured in the WTR 1000 since 2022.
Klug is one of just 29 individuals throughout Michigan recognized in this year’s WTR 1000. Her recognition as a gold member of the WTR 1000 makes her one of only seven individuals in Michigan with this designation.
Wilson represents a wide range of clients, including clothing designers, small breweries, and medical device companies — with a keen focus on trademarks and copyrights.
Wilson has been featured in the WTR 1000 three years in a row, and she joins Klug as one of the 29 individuals from Michigan who made the WTR 1000 this year. Wilson was designated gold in the WTR 1000 this year, making her one of seven people in Michigan to receive this honor.
Beyond the recognition given to Klug and Wilson, The Dobrusin Law Firm itself also received recognition. Only seven firms throughout Michigan were recognized as recommended members of the WTR 1000 — and The Dobrusin Law Firm was one of them.
• • •
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that the firm’s Trademark practice in Michigan, along with member John Artz, have been ranked in the 2024 edition of the WTR 1000. Artz received a silver designation.
• • •
Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that several attorneys have been promoted to principalship. The announcement was made by CEO Megan Norris at the firm’s annual meeting in Detroit.
The firm’s new local principal attorneys are:
Lawrence Garcia, a member of the Employment and Labor Group in Detroit
Erika Giroux, a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group in Detroit
Anita Marinelli, a member of the Intellectual Property practice in Detroit
Grant Williams, a member of the Real Estate Group in Troy
The firm’s principal attorneys also elected Thomas Cranmer, who co-leads the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, to serve as one of five managing directors and re-elected Jeffrey
Aronoff, who is the deputy leader of the Public Finance Group.
• • •
For the tenth consecutive year, Brooks Kushman has been recognized as a WTR 1000 firm by the World Trademark Review.
In addition to recognition of the firm, WTR also distinguished shareholders Robyn Lederman, Rebecca Cantor, Elizabeth Janda, Chanille Carswell, Molly Crandall, Erica Klein, and Hope Shovein as top trademark leaders in Michigan.
Brooks Kushman is also pleased to announce that attorney Abha Fadipe has been chosen to represent the firm as a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) 2024 Class of Fellows. This program focuses on the development of the industry’s next generation of professional leaders.
Brooks Kushman associates Marla Spain and Francesca Cusumano have also been appointed to represent the firm in LCLD’s 2024 Pathfinder Program. This program is designed to provide attorneys with the practical tools necessary to expand their internal professional networks through relationship-building skills, foundational leadership skills, and career development strategies.
Fadipe focuses her practice on domestic and foreign patent preparation and patent prosecution in electrical and computer technologies. She is experienced in a variety of technology areas including thermal systems, 5G-antenna systems, electric drive systems, electric power systems, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and advanced manufacturing technologies. She has in-depth experience in consulting with international counsel, especially in Japan, China, Germany, and across Europe, on how to respond to actions by foreign patent offices to provide a comprehensive international portfolio.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Fadipe was a product engineer for over three years at a tier-1 automotive supplier. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School, as well as a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from WSU.
Spain focuses her practice on patent prosecution support in the life sciences practices. Her technical expertise includes molecular biology, genetics, human physiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, physics, and biology. Prior to joining the firm, Spain was a research associate at Wayne State University School of Medicine Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics where she was working to understand the molecular mechanisms of retinal degeneration and regeneration.
Spain earned her law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law and her Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Oakland University.
Cusumano focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, with experience in patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and trademark infringement cases. She also has experience in patent preparation and prosecution involving industrial chemicals, materials sciences, and automotive systems subject matter and is a registered patent attorney.
Cusumano earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Prior to that, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, where her volunteer research focused on excited sate dynamics of photoactive chemicals.
• • •
Harness IP is pleased to announce that the firm and several of its attorneys have been included in the WTR 1000 – World Trademark Review’s annual listing of the top trademark firms and attorneys.
The firm’s Detroit Metro office was cited as “an indisputably reliable choice for companies looking to enhance their patents, trademarks and copyrights.” Attorneys Lisa DuRoss, Beth Coakley, and George Moustakas (recently retired from the firm) were included as recommended attorneys.
• • •
Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that shareholders Julie B. Teicher and Craig E. Zucker have been named co-chairs of the Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Debtor-Creditor Rights practice group.
Focusing on business-related insolvency and bankruptcy matters, Teicher has experience representing debtors, creditors, receivers, purchasers, landlords and other parties in interest in cases in U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. District Courts, and state courts on a local and national basis, across a broad range of industries. This includes representing debtors and creditors in business/commercial cases filed under Chapter 11 and representing parties in interest in Chapter 13 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases. Additionally, She is a certified Bankruptcy Court mediator.
In 2019, Teicher was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, an honorary professional and educational association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. In 2022, she was awarded the Barbara J. Rom Award for Bankruptcy Excellence by the Detroit area Federal Bar Association, and was selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly for its “Influential Women of Law” class.
A veteran legal advisor, Zucker focuses his practice on bankruptcy, complex insolvency-related matters, and general business concerns. His clients and cases are in major economic centers in Michigan and across the U.S., including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. He represents debtors and creditors in federal, bankruptcy, and state court proceedings, out-of-court workouts, and mediation. He also represents business owners within numerous industries and professions to assist with their broad business concerns.
As an Executive Committee member, Zucker takes an active role in firm development, including firm management, recruiting, training, and mentoring attorneys. He has earned many honors throughout his distinguished career and was recognized in Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Hall of Fame” in 2023.
Wassom litigates disputes and counsels clients in trademarks, as well as matters of commercial branding, publicity rights, creative expression and privacy. His practice serves businesses in many industries, winning significant litigation victories for his clients in federal and state trial and appeals courts across the country. He was instrumental in launching Michigan’s first “business court.”
• • •
The partners of Plunkett Cooney have elected four colleagues to its board of directors and re-elected one other.
At the firm’s recent annual meeting, longtime member and secretary/treasurer of the board, Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. was re-elected to a new three-year term. He will be joined by first-time board members Emily M. Coyle, Marc P. Jerabek, and Elaine M. Pohl who also won three-year terms. Robert A. Marzano was elected to complete a partial term previously held by Jeffrey C. Gerish, who became the firm’s president & CEO, effective Jan. 1.
Ashcraft, who is a member of the Bloomfield Hills office, has been a member of the board of directors for 13 years and has served as secretary/treasurer since his election in 2012. He also serves as co-leader of Plunkett Cooney’s Professional Liability Practice Group. Ashcraft is one of Michigan’s most accomplished professional liability attorneys having routinely and favorably resolved numerous high-exposure and high-profile cases involving attorneys, judges, accountants and other professionals throughout Michigan.
Coyle has the distinction of being the firm’s first openly queer partner to win election to the board of directors. She has expertise in a variety of practice areas, including transportation law, No-Fault auto liability and collections. A member of the firm’s Detroit office, her practice also includes expertise with respect to investigating fraudulent or suspicious claims stemming from motor vehicle accidents. Coyle is a member of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and she is active in the LGBTQA Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
Also a member of the firm’s DEI Committee, Jerabek is the first Hispanic member of the firm’s board of directors. He focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions, mortgage servicers, large and small businesses, and individuals, helping them navigate legal issues and achieve the best result when facing litigation. A member of the Bloomfield Hills office, Jerabek also has experience in financial services litigation, commercial loan workouts, defense of consumer claims (including RESPA, TILA, FDCPA, FCRA, student loan disputes), and real estate litigation (landlord-tenant disputes, quiet title, boundary disputes, among others).
A member of the Bloomfield Hills office, Pohl is one of Plunkett Cooney’s most experienced insurance coverage attorneys. She maintains a national practice, counseling insurers in complex property and casualty disputes, including litigated and non-litigated matters. Her expertise extends to analyzing coverage for claims involving professional liability, construction defects, bodily injuries, product liability, environmental contamination, personal and advertising injury issues, first-party property claims as well as allegations of bad faith.
Marzano, who is a co-leader of the firm’s Torts & Litigation Practice, maintains a diverse practice that includes premises liability law, foodservice and hospitality law, security guard liability, pet liability, real estate law and landlord/tenant disputes. A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, Marzano is also an experienced municipal attorney. He represents one of southeast Michigan’s largest and fastest growing cities.
• • •
World Trademark Review (WTR) recently featured The Dobrusin Law Firm attorneys Erin Klug and Rebecca Wilson as part of its WTR 1000 for 2024. WTR has also listed The Dobrusin Law Firm as a Recommended Firm. Those recognized in the WTR 1000 can receive one of three designations: gold, silver, or bronze, depending on the qualifications and experience of the individual. Klug and Wilson each were awarded the gold designation.
Klug is an intellectual property lawyer whose clientele includes businesses from industries as diverse as the cannabis industry, automotive industry, and real estate industry. She has been featured in the WTR 1000 since 2022.
Klug is one of just 29 individuals throughout Michigan recognized in this year’s WTR 1000. Her recognition as a gold member of the WTR 1000 makes her one of only seven individuals in Michigan with this designation.
Wilson represents a wide range of clients, including clothing designers, small breweries, and medical device companies — with a keen focus on trademarks and copyrights.
Wilson has been featured in the WTR 1000 three years in a row, and she joins Klug as one of the 29 individuals from Michigan who made the WTR 1000 this year. Wilson was designated gold in the WTR 1000 this year, making her one of seven people in Michigan to receive this honor.
Beyond the recognition given to Klug and Wilson, The Dobrusin Law Firm itself also received recognition. Only seven firms throughout Michigan were recognized as recommended members of the WTR 1000 — and The Dobrusin Law Firm was one of them.
• • •
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that the firm’s Trademark practice in Michigan, along with member John Artz, have been ranked in the 2024 edition of the WTR 1000. Artz received a silver designation.
• • •
Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that several attorneys have been promoted to principalship. The announcement was made by CEO Megan Norris at the firm’s annual meeting in Detroit.
The firm’s new local principal attorneys are:
Lawrence Garcia, a member of the Employment and Labor Group in Detroit
Erika Giroux, a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group in Detroit
Anita Marinelli, a member of the Intellectual Property practice in Detroit
Grant Williams, a member of the Real Estate Group in Troy
The firm’s principal attorneys also elected Thomas Cranmer, who co-leads the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, to serve as one of five managing directors and re-elected Jeffrey
Aronoff, who is the deputy leader of the Public Finance Group.
• • •
For the tenth consecutive year, Brooks Kushman has been recognized as a WTR 1000 firm by the World Trademark Review.
In addition to recognition of the firm, WTR also distinguished shareholders Robyn Lederman, Rebecca Cantor, Elizabeth Janda, Chanille Carswell, Molly Crandall, Erica Klein, and Hope Shovein as top trademark leaders in Michigan.
Brooks Kushman is also pleased to announce that attorney Abha Fadipe has been chosen to represent the firm as a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) 2024 Class of Fellows. This program focuses on the development of the industry’s next generation of professional leaders.
Brooks Kushman associates Marla Spain and Francesca Cusumano have also been appointed to represent the firm in LCLD’s 2024 Pathfinder Program. This program is designed to provide attorneys with the practical tools necessary to expand their internal professional networks through relationship-building skills, foundational leadership skills, and career development strategies.
Fadipe focuses her practice on domestic and foreign patent preparation and patent prosecution in electrical and computer technologies. She is experienced in a variety of technology areas including thermal systems, 5G-antenna systems, electric drive systems, electric power systems, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and advanced manufacturing technologies. She has in-depth experience in consulting with international counsel, especially in Japan, China, Germany, and across Europe, on how to respond to actions by foreign patent offices to provide a comprehensive international portfolio.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Fadipe was a product engineer for over three years at a tier-1 automotive supplier. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School, as well as a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from WSU.
Spain focuses her practice on patent prosecution support in the life sciences practices. Her technical expertise includes molecular biology, genetics, human physiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, physics, and biology. Prior to joining the firm, Spain was a research associate at Wayne State University School of Medicine Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics where she was working to understand the molecular mechanisms of retinal degeneration and regeneration.
Spain earned her law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law and her Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Oakland University.
Cusumano focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, with experience in patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and trademark infringement cases. She also has experience in patent preparation and prosecution involving industrial chemicals, materials sciences, and automotive systems subject matter and is a registered patent attorney.
Cusumano earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Prior to that, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, where her volunteer research focused on excited sate dynamics of photoactive chemicals.
• • •
Harness IP is pleased to announce that the firm and several of its attorneys have been included in the WTR 1000 – World Trademark Review’s annual listing of the top trademark firms and attorneys.
The firm’s Detroit Metro office was cited as “an indisputably reliable choice for companies looking to enhance their patents, trademarks and copyrights.” Attorneys Lisa DuRoss, Beth Coakley, and George Moustakas (recently retired from the firm) were included as recommended attorneys.
• • •
Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that shareholders Julie B. Teicher and Craig E. Zucker have been named co-chairs of the Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Debtor-Creditor Rights practice group.
Focusing on business-related insolvency and bankruptcy matters, Teicher has experience representing debtors, creditors, receivers, purchasers, landlords and other parties in interest in cases in U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. District Courts, and state courts on a local and national basis, across a broad range of industries. This includes representing debtors and creditors in business/commercial cases filed under Chapter 11 and representing parties in interest in Chapter 13 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases. Additionally, She is a certified Bankruptcy Court mediator.
In 2019, Teicher was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, an honorary professional and educational association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. In 2022, she was awarded the Barbara J. Rom Award for Bankruptcy Excellence by the Detroit area Federal Bar Association, and was selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly for its “Influential Women of Law” class.
A veteran legal advisor, Zucker focuses his practice on bankruptcy, complex insolvency-related matters, and general business concerns. His clients and cases are in major economic centers in Michigan and across the U.S., including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. He represents debtors and creditors in federal, bankruptcy, and state court proceedings, out-of-court workouts, and mediation. He also represents business owners within numerous industries and professions to assist with their broad business concerns.
As an Executive Committee member, Zucker takes an active role in firm development, including firm management, recruiting, training, and mentoring attorneys. He has earned many honors throughout his distinguished career and was recognized in Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Hall of Fame” in 2023.
