LEGAL PEOPLE

Nemeth Law PC

Detroit-based management side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Law PC is pleased to announce that it has been named one of Metropolitan Detroit's 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For®. This is the eighteenth time Nemeth Law has received the award. All award winners will be honored at an event on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at The Henry in Dearborn.

Patricia Nemeth, founder of Nemeth Law PC, says the 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For® recognition reinforces the firm's longstanding commitment to its employees.

"The 101 Best and Brightest award continues to be a favorite. As attorneys working with employers on human resource matters, it is important that we put best practices in place in our own firm first and always aim to be an employer of choice," Nemeth said.

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Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has added Matthew D. Epstein to its Troy office and will practice out of the intellectual property department. Epstein joins Dinsmore from LeClairRyan, where he worked as a patent attorney preparing and prosecuting both domestic and foreign patent applications in electro-mechanical and optical technical areas.

Epstein is a member of the Intellectual Property Owner's Association as well as Michigan's Pro Bono Patent Project. He received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.

In addition, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is pleased to announce John D. Mackewich has been named to the 2020 Leadership Detroit class. The class showcases 70 leaders across Southeast Michigan who aim to create awareness and bring positive change to their communities.

At Dinsmore, Mackewich represents domestic and international companies and individuals in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, debt and equity financing, franchising, business structures and relationships, securities and venture capital. He has experience with public company securities compliance, including SEC periodic reporting, proxy materials, registration issues, public disclosure issues and corporate governance.

Mackewich earned his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. He has been a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star for the past three years.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC

Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Andrew MacLeod has been named president of the Association for Corporate Growth - Detroit Chapter.

MacLeod is a member in the firm's Detroit office. He focuses his practice on private equity, mergers & acquisitions, corporate law and taxation. He is counsel to private equity firms in the acquisition, divestiture and financing of portfolio companies and also serves as outside general counsel to portfolio companies in relation to their ongoing legal affairs and "add-on" acquisitions. He also serves as counsel to various publicly and privately owned companies in numerous merger and acquisition transactions, including LBO's, MBO's, recapitalization and divestiture transactions.

MacLeod is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Metropolitan Detroit Bar Association. Before being named president, he served as co-chair of the Programming Committee for ACG Detroit. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and The Legal 500.

MacLeod received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degrees Wayne State University Law School.

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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC

Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce that 14 of its attorneys have been selected to the 2019 Michigan Super Lawyers® list.

The following is a list of the Maddin Hauser attorneys named to the 2019 Michigan Super Lawyers® (name, title, practice area and years selected):

Earle I. Erman, shareholder; Bankruptcy: Business (2006-2019)

David E. Hart, shareholder, Executive Committee member and co-chair of Financial Services and Real Property Litigation Group; Business Litigation (2007-2019)

Mark R. Hauser, firm co-founder, CFO and Executive Committee member; Real Estate (2007-2019)

Harvey R. Heller, shareholder, Executive Committee member and chairman of Defense and Insurance Coverage Practice Group; Professional Liability: Defense (2006-2019)

Kathleen H. Klaus, shareholder; Professional Liability: Defense (2013-2019)

Charles M. Lax, shareholder; Employee Benefits (2006-2019)

Richard F. Roth, shareholder; Business and Corporate (2007-2013, 2015-2019)

Steven D. Sallen, president, CEO, Executive Committee member, and co-chairman of Real Estate Practice Group; Real Estate (2010-2013, 2019)

Julie Beth Teicher, shareholder; Bankruptcy: Business (2010-2019)

Stewart C.W. Weiner, shareholder; Family Law (2017-2019)

Steven M. Wolock, shareholder; Professional Liability: Defense (2007-2019)

Additionally, three attorneys were named to the 2019 Michigan Rising Stars List:

Kaitlin A. Brown, shareholder; Employment and Labor (2014-2019)

R.J. Cronkhite, shareholder; Business Litigation (2014-2019)

James M. Reid IV, shareholder, Executive Committee member, and co-chairman of Corporate/Employment Practice Group; Employment and Labor (2015-2019)

In addition, Maddin Hauser and two of its attorneys have been recognized in Chambers USA in the area of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation.

The announcement was made by firm President and CEO Steven D. Sallen.

Chambers USA stated that Maddin Hauser is known for retaining "a strong reputation in the market for handling matters relating to various types of medical plans, qualified retirement plans and executive compensation arrangements," for routinely counseling "on related tax implications, corporate transactions and estate planning matters," and specializing "in assisting clients with the design, installation and termination of qualified retirement plans."

Shareholders Charles M. Lax, first ranked in 2009, and Marc S. Wise, first ranked in 2013, were recognized by Chambers USA in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice area for the following:

-Lax has been noted by Chambers USA as being "considered a leading light in the state's employee benefits legal market" and being "particularly well-versed in retirement plan issues, while also advising on related tax and corporate law matters."

-Wise has been noted by Chambers USA as being "a respected employee benefits lawyer who offers notable expertise in health and welfare benefit plans" and for acting "for a broad spectrum of major corporates and emerging businesses."

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Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission

The Michigan Supreme Court has appointed Michael V. Goetz to the position of grievance administrator for the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission (AGC). Goetz will oversee the prosecutorial and educational functions of the AGC. The appointment is effective September 23.

Goetz received a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 1983 and a law degree from Detroit College of Law in 1988. He most recently worked in the Michigan Office of the Attorney General, serving as senior assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division's Drug Interdiction Unit for six years. In addition to more than 30 years of experience in prosecution at the state and county levels, Goetz also currently serves his community as an emergency medical technician-firefighter for the Orion Township Fire Department.

The Attorney Grievance Commission is the investigative and prosecutorial arm of the Michigan Supreme Court for allegations of attorney misconduct. The AGC has jurisdiction over all attorneys licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Michigan and attorneys otherwise permitted to practice law in the state of Michigan. The AGC strives to maintain and promote the integrity of the Bar and to protect the public, the courts, and the legal profession.

Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, & Rivers

Jennifer Lord, a Royal Oak civil and employment rights attorney, will be a featured speaker at the AI Now 2019 Symposium scheduled for October 2 at NYU Skirball Center in New York City.

Themed as "The Growing Pushback Against Harmful AI," the symposium will feature leading attorneys, organizers, scholars and tech workers who've engaged creative strategies to combat exploitative AI systems. The speakers will discuss their experiences with faulty, discriminatory and biased AI systems in a wide range of human contexts and settings, including automated allocation of social services, policing and border control and worker surveillance and exploitation.

Lord's presentation will examine the harm inflicted on the more than 40,000 Michigan residents who were falsely accused of benefits fraud by a flawed, AI-based administrative program. The highly automated system, which was installed to reduce headcount and increase accuracy and efficiency, rendered serious accusations and assessed huge fines and penalties without human input or oversight.

Lord, a partner with Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, & Rivers in Royal Oak, has served as lead counsel for the thousands of falsely accused claimants in a class action lawsuit filed against the State of Michigan.

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Michigan Supreme Court

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth T. Clement has received the 2019 "Harold V. Froehlich Award for Judicial Courage" from the American Judges Association (AJA). The award honors a judge or justice who makes impartial judgments based on the rule of law. Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget M. McCormack, who nominated Justice Clement back in March, also presented the award to her during the AJA Annual Conference.

In her nomination letter, McCormack cited Clement's "unparalleled courage" while serving on the Michigan Supreme Court. She also noted that Clement has exemplified what it means to have an "independent judiciary that is free from political pressure" and that her achievements have "set the bar high" for judges in Michigan and across the nation.

"Justice Clement has been courageous in her independence and fearless in making decisions that follow the law and our state constitution," said McCormack. "In the face of intense pressure, Justice Clement consistently stood her ground and did not waver. This award will memorialize her bravery and make her example one for colleagues nationwide to follow."

Since its inception in 2013, the Froehlich Award annually recognizes the highest level of judicial courage in the service of justice. The award was named for former Wisconsin state legislator and congressman, Harold Froehlich, who later served as circuit court judge in Wisconsin until his retirement in 2011.

The American Judges Association's aim is to promote and improve the effective administration of justice; to maintain the status and independence of the judiciary; to provide a forum for the continuing education of its members and the general public; and for the exchange of new ideas among all judges.

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Howard and Howard Attorneys PLLC

Twenty-two Howard & Howard attorneys were recently named to Michigan Super Lawyers® and Michigan Rising Stars 2019.

The Howard & Howard attorneys and the practice areas under which they are listed in Michigan Super Lawyers 2019 are as follows:

Mark A. Davis president & CEO, Real Estate

Joseph J. DeVito, Mergers & Acquisitions

Lisa S. Gretchko, Creditor/Debtor Rights (Recognized among the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Michigan)

Andrew (Jake) Grove, Intellectual Property Litigation

Sam Haidle, Intellectual Property

David M. LaPrairie, Intellectual Property

Miles T. Macik, Business Litigation

Patrick M. McCarthy, Business Litigation

Gerald E. McGlynn III, Intellectual Property

Richard M. Miettinen, Mergers & Acquisitions

Mark W. Peyser, Business Litigation

Jeffrey A. Sadowski, Intellectual Property Litigation

Thomas H. Walters, Business Litigation

Timothy M. Wittebort, Business/Corporate

The Howard & Howard attorneys and the practice areas under which they are listed in Michigan Rising Stars 2019 are as follows:

Aaron J. Beresh, Health Care

Brandon J. Booth, Business/Corporate

Stephen P. Dunn, Business Litigation

Michael O. Fawaz, Business Litigation

Jeffrey A. Hoover, Mergers & Acquisitions

Mark C. Vanneste, Business Litigation

Brandon J. Wilson, Business Litigation

Jacob P. Woolbright, Intellectual Property

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Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP

Three Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP team members have been selected to participate in leadership programs in Southeast Michigan.

The team members are:

Thomas Komjathy, director of operations for Warner in Southeast Michigan, will participate in Leadership Detroit

Nina Lucido, an associate who focuses her practice on estate settlement, trust administration, family business and succession planning, will participate in Leadership Macomb.

Wyatt Istvan-Mitchell, senior counsel with the firm who specializes in complex patent preparation, prosecution and opinion work in the chemical and mechanical arts, will participate in Leadership Oakland.

Select business professionals and community and government leaders are chosen each year to take part in the nine-month Leadership Macomb, Detroit and Oakland programs. The programs give emerging leaders opportunities to learn about and explore key issues that impact Macomb, Detroit, and Oakland counties in Southeast Michigan.

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Butzel Long

Butzel Long attorneys Bernard (Bernie) J. Fuhs and Ziyad Hermiz co-authored an article that appears in the September 16, 2019 Law 360 newsletter and Expert Analysis section. The article is titled, "Mich. Bill Adds to States' Trend of Limiting Noncompetes."

Fuhs, vice president and a member of the firm's Board of Directors, is a nationally recognized expert on non-compete and trade secret matters, having litigated and/or counseled clients on such matters in all 50 states and has presented to many national and local business and/or legal organizations regarding the same.

Fuhs serves as co-chair of Butzel Long's Diversity & Recruiting Committee and chair of the firm's Franchise Specialty Team. He also is a member of the firm's Non-Compete and Trade Secret Specialty Team.

Fuhs is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Hermiz concentrates his practice in the area of business litigation and has significant experience in non-compete and trade secret matters, civil RICO claims, and franchisor/franchisee disputes. He was named as a 2020 Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Franchise Law and a Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in the area of Business Litigation from 2012-2019.

Hermiz is currently a member of Butzel Long's Diversity & Recruiting Committee. He is also a member of Butzel Long's Non-Compete and Trade Secret Specialty Team. He also previously served as vice president of the Chaldean American Bar Association.

Hermiz is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Published: Mon, Sep 23, 2019