Legal People

Nemeth Burwell P.C.
Anne Widlak, a partner at Detroit-based employment law firm Nemeth Burwell P.C., has been named a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Labor & Employment by American Lawyer Media, a provider of news and information to the legal industry, and Martindale-Hubbell™, a legal peer review organization. American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell joined forces on this rating effort to highlight the “Top Rated Lawyers” in the February issue of The National Law Journal. Widlak is included in the listing as a result of achieving the AV Preeminent® peer review rating, the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards.
As a litigator and counselor, Widlak defends cases in state and federal courts involving a comprehensive array of claims, including workplace harassment; discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, national origin and other protected categories; retaliation; violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act; wrongful discharge; and intentional interference with an at-will employment relationship.
Active in the legal community, Widlak has been a volunteer hearing panel member of the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board (ADB) since 1998 and was appointed a panel chairperson in 2006, a position she continues to hold. The ADB is the adjudicative arm of the Michigan Supreme Court for discharge of its exclusive authority to supervise and discipline Michigan attorneys. The hearing panels conduct trial-level hearings to review evidence in connection with a complaint of ethical misconduct filed against an attorney with the Attorney Grievance Commission.
Additionally, Widlak was the first female chair of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Michigan, serving from 2002 to 2003. She is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), a trial lawyer honorary society comprised of less than one-half of one percent of lawyers in the United States.
Widlak is the fourth generation of lawyers in her family to have been members of the legal community in the City of Detroit and is the first female in her family to have practiced law in the city as part of that long tradition. She was named one of Michigan’s 25 Leaders in the Law in 2012, Michigan Lawyers Weekly and has also been named a Michigan Super Lawyer each year since 2008.
She serves as a volunteer attorney at a Detroit warming center for the homeless as part of Project H.E.L.P. (Homeless Experience Legal Protection), which partners with local homeless service programs to offer clinics that provide free legal advice and assistance to homeless individuals.
Widlak earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English from Georgetown University. She earned her law degree from the Wayne State University Law School.

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Butzel Long

Butzel Long has a long tradition of giving back to the community in a variety of ways. On Jan. 17, Butzel Long sponsored a Focus: HOPE group of 10 students giving them the opportunity to attend a Detroit Economic Club meeting. The program featured Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.
The students had a special half-hour discussion and Q&A with “The Big Four” prior to the luncheon which also included a photo opportunity.
“The students were extremely articulate and asked some hard-hitting questions on what is being done to match the available workforce with jobs, particularly in technology,” said Geoffrey Gallinger, attorney and shareholder, Butzel Long.
“The discussion also focused on what ‘The Big Four’ are doing to retain younger employees in our region. They referenced the success of the Detroit Works Project along with the amount of development and employment in Detroit enhanced by true regional collaboration between the City and Tri-County area. My colleague, Geaneen Arends and I enjoyed interacting with the students and are planning further follow-up with Focus: HOPE. The students were enthusiastic and energized and we hope they will carry that message back to their fellow students. It was an outstanding experience for everyone.”

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Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton, P.C.
Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC is pleased to announce that David G. Gorcyca has joined the firm to practice in the areas of criminal defense and civil litigation.
Gorcyca was elected in 1996 as Oakland County prosecutor, and was re-elected to that position in 2000 and 2004 before retiring in 2008 to enter private practice. While he was prosecutor, Gorcyca led an office of more than 100 assistant prosecuting attorneys and oversaw the prosecution of some of the most highly publicized criminal cases in the United States.
Gorcyca is a graduate of Michigan State University and Detroit College of Law. His professional affiliations include State Bar of Michigan, Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan – past president, Oakland County Bar Association, Salute to Justice Committee, Oakland County Association of Chiefs of Police, National District Attorneys Association, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, National Criminal Justice Association, National Judicial College, and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
Gorcyca has an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest ranking by peers for general ethical standards and legal ability. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers in America, and also as a “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness.

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Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton, P.C.
Charles E. Dunn, environmental attorney at Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton P.C., has received an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Dunn has also been recognized by Super Lawyers in America, and named as a “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness. He practices in the areas of real estate, environmental law, and administrative law involving private and public sector clients. Dunn has experience in air, water, wetlands and soil erosion permitting and enforcement, hazardous substance land clean-up matters, Brownfield re- development, and environmental real estate transactions.
Over the course of his legal career, Dunn has represented of Fortune 500 companies, including automotive suppliers and manufacturers, cement producers, chemical manufacturers and distributors, utilities and electricity generators, financial institutions, petroleum suppliers, metal coating and finishing companies, various municipal road and drain authorities and real estate developers.
Prior to his legal career, Dunn held several environmental related positions in the private sector and developed particular expertise with respect to the design and installation of pollution control systems. He also has the distinctions of serving as a legal assistant for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and as a law clerk for the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Natural Resources Division.
Dunn is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He earned his law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was admitted to practice in Michigan in 1996. He is a member of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, and U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan.

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Miller Canfield
Miller Canfield announces that it ranks first in the Mideast region and Michigan and 16th in the U.S. among bond counsel law firms in the 2012 Municipal Markets Review by Thomson Reuters.
The annual report recognizes Miller Canfield for 128 long term new bond issues totaling $5.7623 billion, making the firm #1 in the Mideast region and #16 overall nationally. In Michigan, Miller Canfield ranks #1 with 113 long term new bond issues totaling $5.6876 billion. The firm has been the top ranked firm in Michigan each year in the ranking’s 30+ year history.
“In 2012 we saw a terrific year for clients who refinanced debt at historically low rates. As the economy improves and interest rates remain at or near those historic lows, we expect communities to continue refinancing their outstanding debt and to begin new capital investment in 2013,” said Amanda Van Dusen, leader of the firm’s Public Law Group.
Included in the 2012 figures is The Bond Buyer’s “Deal of the Year.” Miller Canfield served as co-bond counsel for the Michigan Finance Authority’s (MFA’s) successful refinancing of Michigan’s entire federal unemployment insurance loan. The MFA closed on its largest fixed rate bond deal ever, enabling the state to repay a $3.2 billion Unemployment Trust Fund loan – and creating significant savings for Michigan employers.
According to the U.S. publication covering the municipal bond industry, the MFA transaction represents the best the U.S. municipal market has to offer in terms of innovative thinking.
This is the second year in a row that Miller Canfield was involved in a Bond Buyer “Deal of the Year.” The firm served as bond counsel to the small issuer Deal of the Year in 2011, serving as bond counsel for the city of Ecorse’s issuance of judgment bonds.

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Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
Holli Targan, an attorney and partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss, has been elected to a one-year term as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Transactions Association (ETA). Her term began on Jan. 1. Jaffe CEO Bill Sider made the announcement.
Targan served as president of the ETA in 2010 and as a member of its Board of Directors for more than 10 years. She concentrates her law practice on card processing, mobile payments, and electronic payments law. She is a frequent lecturer and has published dozens of articles on industry-related topics.

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Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that Daljit Doogal, managing partner in the firm’s Detroit office, has been elected to serve on the Detroit Chapter board of directors for the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).
In this role, he will be responsible for helping to guide the strategic direction of the approximately 300-member ACG Detroit Chapter.

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