Legal People in the News

Bitely joins Lansing office of Truscott Rossman

Andrea Bitely, former director of communications and government affairs for the Michigan Department of Attorney General, has joined Truscott Rossman’s Lansing office as its newest senior account executive.

 With the addition of Bitely, Truscott Rossman is the only communications firm in the country that can boast a former AP Washington Bureau chief, two former gubernatorial press secretaries, a former congressional press secretary, a former state Attorney General communications director, and a major market broadcast news director on its roster.

At the Attorney General’s office, Bitely managed day-to-day communications as well as several high-profile communications issues. Previously, she was the first person named director of social media for POLITICO, a Washington D.C.-based news outlet.

Bitely cut her teeth in Washington at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – first with the Institute for Legal Reform and then with the Chamber Foundation.

An Eaton Rapids native, Bitely majored in political science at Western Michigan University, with an emphasis on public policy. She has guest lectured on social media and political campaigns at the University of Michigan and has guest hosted podcasts and radio programs.

Rios joins Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis & Gotting

Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis & Gotting P.C. is pleased to announce that Dominic R. Rios has been elected as a shareholder of the firm.

Rios specializes in real estate law with a focus on affordable housing, tax law, and business and corporate law.

A member of the State Bar of Michigan, American Bar Association, and Ingham County Bar Association, Rios graduated cum laude from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Foster Swift attorney offers free e-book on estate planning

Just like you should never run a race without a good race plan, you should not go through life without a good estate plan.

To answer questions about estate planning and in honor of National Running Day on June 5, Foster Swift attorney Jonathan J. David releases his book, “Estate Planning: You Have to Start in Order to Finish.”

While it’s never an easy subject to discuss with loved ones, David explains the value of a comprehensive estate plan and why creating a “do it yourself estate plan” using online forms is like buying poorly fitting running shoes.

Readers will find definitions to common estate planning terms along with guidance for often-asked estate planning questions such as:

Does having a will help me avoid probate?

How do I protect my spouse and my children if something happens to me?

What documents make up a typical estate plan?

What happens if I die without a will?

This free e-book is available for download on David’s bio under ‘Attorney Directory’ at fosterswift.com as well as the firm’s Elder Law blog page at mielderlawblog.com.

David practices in the firm’s Grand Rapids office and has extensive experience preparing a wide variety of lifetime and estate planning documents such as wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney for both financial and health care matters and living wills.