LEGAL PEOPLE

The Owners' Counsel of America is pleased to announce that Alan T. Ackerman will participate in the Eighth Annual Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference, sponsored by William & Mary Law School, in Beijing, China, Oct. 14-15. Ackerman is managing partner of Ackerman, Ackerman, & Dynkowski PC, a condemnation and eminent domain law firm with offices in Bloomfield Hills and Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the Owners' Counsel of America, a national network of condemnation and property rights attorneys who focus their practice upon the representation of property owners threatened by eminent domain. Ackerman earned both his Bachelor of Arts degree and his Master's degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He is the past chair of the Michigan Real Property Section Condemnation Law Committee and the American Bar Association Real Property Section Condemnation Committee. Ackerman defended against the use of eminent domain for economic development representing one of the property owners in Wayne County v. Hathcock (2004) in which the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the infamous Poletown decision. He has served as an adjunct professor teaching eminent domain law at the University of Detroit Law School since 1983, and now holds the position of adjunct professor at Michigan State University College of Law. * * * Alexander A. Ayar, a commercial litigation attorney at the law firm Foster, Swift, Collins, and Smith PC has been elected to serve as the 2011-2012 president of the Chaldean-American Bar Association. Ayar commented that he is "very honored to have been elected by my peers to serve as president, and I am looking forward to carrying out the responsibilities of the office. " Ayar is an attorney in Foster Swift's Commercial Litigation Group, and is admitted to practice law in all Michigan state courts as well as in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Ayar earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. During his legal studies, he interned for United States District Court Chief Judge Gerald E. Rosen. Ayar's Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Oakland University. * * * The Oakland University Board of Trustees has re-elected Henry Baskin to an additional one-year term as the Board's chair for the 2011-2012 academic year. Baskin, principal of The Baskin Law Firm PC in Birmingham, has served on the Oakland University Board of Trustees since 1996, when he was appointed by Governor John Engler and reappointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm in 2004. He previously served as chair from 2002 to 2004, before being re-elected as chair for the2010-2011 academic year. "This is one of the most important years in Oakland University's history," said Baskin. "With the establishment of a medical school and the Health Science building, which will soon be operational, the university enters a new era that will require focused leadership by our board. The challenges in funding from the State of Michigan remain, and I will continue to advocate for Oakland to receive its fair share, given the university's contribution to our state's economy." In his law practice, Baskin specializes in matrimonial, litigation and personal services. He established the Baskin Family Foundation at Oakland University to support scholarships for children of single parent households attending the university. * * * Miller Canfield lawyer Tamira Cason Chapman, an associate in the Detroit office, was recently honored by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association (DMBA) with the Barrister of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to a member of the Barristers board who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the development and execution of Barristers' programming. At Miller Canfield, Chapman assists clients in securing and safeguarding their intellectual capital in the United States and abroad, including copyrights, trademarks, word marks, service marks, domain names and other related rights. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and her B.A. from Michigan State University. * * * Engle & Associates PC, one of Oakland County's newest law firms, is pleased to announce its new Landlord Tenant Dispute Resolution Program. The basis for the program comes from Engle & Associates PC desire to provide access to justice for people of all education and income levels. "Tenants typically aren't sure of what their legal rights are or where to turn to obtain this information," says Ralph M. Engle, attorney, mediator and owner of Engle & Associates PC. "We hope that the program is educational and will provide assistance to those who previously believed that justice was unattainable." Tenants and landlords alike will benefit from the program, as tenants will gain a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and landlords will benefit from a higher resolution rate than traditional litigation can offer. This is made possible through their in-house team of attorneys and mediators. "Attorneys are able to provide guidance to tenants and landlords, and mediators are on-hand to assist the parties with resolving what's really at the heart of the dispute," explains Danae V. Hanes, mediator. "The best way to resolve these types of cases is for all parties involved to come to an informed, logical agreement that works for them. The traditional process does not allow the parties to custom-build their resolution, which is what, we hope, will set us apart." * * * Freedom House, a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive services to asylum-seekers, has hired a new senior attorney and staff attorney. Senior attorney Rebecca A. Cohen earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to her arrival at Freedom House she served as a law clerk to Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly. Additional experience includes work as a prehearing attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals' research division; as the Michigan fellow for the Refugee Status Appeals Authority in New Zealand; and as a legal clerk for the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe Centre in London, England. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. Staff attorney Kelly N. Steffens earned her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Her prior experience includes work with Naturalization Outreach in Pontiac; the Michigan Department of Civil Rights in Detroit; the Family Law Assistance Project in Auburn Hills; and the Refugee Development Center in Lansing. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. Her article, "Immigrants and Health Care: A Voice for Coverage," was published in ABA Health Law in December 2010. * * * Wayne State University Law School is pleased to announce that Rita Gordon has joined the staff as director of the Law School's Business Affairs Office. Her responsibilities include financial and budgetary management, development of strategic plans and general administration. Gordon brings to the Law School more than two decades of experience in business administration and finance. She most recently served as director of auxiliary services at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) where she was responsible for providing vision, profit and expense oversight, policy development and creative marketing direction for a wide variety of distinct retail and support business units. Previous to her appointment at UNCW, Gordon served as business director of auxiliary services at Northern Michigan University. Gordon earned an M.B.A. and a bachelor's in business administration-marketing from Lake Superior State University, and she is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan University. She is also a graduate of Lake Superior Leadership Academy. * * * Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP partner Ronald E. Whitney was a moderator and partner Joseph R. Sgroi was a panelist at a recent presentation titled "Overview of Common Commercial Agreements," which was the final in a series of nine sessions called "Business Law & Order" sponsored by Ann Arbor SPARK. The event was held at SPARK Central in Ann Arbor. The "Business Law & Order" sessions were created to provide entrepreneurs insight into some important legal issues that they need to consider. Whitney, a partner in Honigman's Corporate and Securities Department, focuses his practice on business law and business transactions, primarily in the manufacturing and financial services sectors. He has handled domestic and international business transactions, company formation and restructuring, capital raising, and regulatory and compliance matters. Whitney earned his law degrees from Columbia University and New York University School of Law. He earned an M.B.A. in Finance and Information Systems from George Washington University and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska. Sgroi, a partner in Honigman's Commercial Law, Bankruptcy and Reorganization Department, represents clients in connection with their supply chain management and related disputes. He also represents debtors, creditors' committees, customers, suppliers and lenders in matters such as commercial bankruptcies, reorganization proceedings, financial restructurings, liquidations and out-of-court workouts throughout the United States. Sgroi earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. Additionally, Stuart H. Teger, a partner in Honigman's Litigation Department, recently contributed to a webinar and podcast sponsored by Grant Thornton LLP, a global audit, tax and advisory organization. In the session titled "Ethics and Compliance When the Customer Uses Some (or All) Federal Funding," Teger discussed the Federal False Claims Act and other federal statutes, and identifying conduct prohibited and penalties imposed by the Acts. Teger, who is located in Honigman's Detroit office, has a range of trial and appellate experience in federal and state courts throughout the nation. He focuses his practice on construction litigation, real estate litigation, employment litigation and commercial litigation. Teger has experience in construction litigation on behalf of owners, general contractors and trade contractors, involving bonds, liens, Miller Act and "Little Miller Act" claims, delay and acceleration claims and claims relating to defective work. He was recognized in "Best Lawyers in America" for Construction Law from 2009-2011, "Michigan Super Lawyers" in 2010 and named to DBusiness Top Lawyers in 2010 and 2011. Teger earned his law degree from University of Michigan Law School, a Ph.D. and M.A.P.Sc. in Political Science from University of Rochester and a B.A. in Political Science from Temple University. To view the webcast visit www.grantthornton.com, Grant Thornton Thinking, Podcasts. * * * Clark Hill attorney Mark W. McInerney has been appointed chair of the United States Courts Committee of the State Bar of Michigan for a one year term for the 2011-2012 bar year. McInerney is a member of Clark Hill's Detroit office, where he practices in the firm's Education and Municipal Law, Labor and Employment Law and Litigation Practice Groups. McInerney's practice consists of representing school and municipal clients, as well as labor and employment clients, in a number of areas, including litigation. He has litigated extensively in the trial and appellate courts in the federal and Michigan systems. * * * Attorneys with Nemeth Burwell PC, a Detroit law firm exclusively serving employers in the areas of labor and employment law, have been active recently in leading discussions on a variety of employment law topics. In July, Linda Burwell and Patricia Nemeth addressed social networking issues affecting employers in a presentation titled, "Emerging Issues of Liability Arising from the Use of Social Networking in the Workplace." The presentation was held in Connecticut before a large industry group. Nemeth Burwell's "Raising the Bar," an educational series raising employer awareness of current issues in employment and labor law, offered "Strategies for Dealing with the Problem Employee" at its May 11th seminar. Presenters were Terry Bonnette and Deborah Brouwer. Cliff Hammond presented "Hiring and Firing within the Law" to two different audiences in April for the American Society of Employers (ASE). * * * Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC President and CEO Steve Sallen was recently among the featured panelists at the International Council of Shopping Center (ISCS) 2011 Michigan Idea Exchange at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. He participated in a discussion on "My Loan Went to the Special Servicer. Now What?" Special Servicers are companies that have specialized processes in place to deal with troubled "securitized loans." The panel focused on the role of Special Servicers and their interactions with troubled borrowers. Sallen concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate law, environmental law and corporate law. His clients include some of Michigan's most successful manufacturing firms, real estate developers, general contractors and commercial real estate brokers. As a result of the continuing economic downturn, Sallen has defended enforcement actions and negotiated financing solution scenarios for all types of borrowers having varying loan types and structures. * * * Benjamin C. Stasa, a patent attorney at Brooks Kushman , has been named a Top Patent Prosecutor by Patent Buddy and the Patent Research Review. Stasa joins the top two percent of the approximately 30,000 registered patent attorneys that have been honored with this designation. As an associate at Brooks Kushman's Southfield office, Stasa prepares, prosecutes and advises on patents in the areas of software, computer organization, networks, solid state electronics, electronic circuits and communications. He currently represents three Fortune 100 companies and recently attracted one of the firm's first energy storage clients. Stasa earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He also obtained a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Michigan, a M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Oakland University in Rochester, as well as a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit. Additionally, he has pursued postgraduate studies in computer and information science at the University of Michigan. A registered patent attorney and member of the State Bar of Michigan and Federal District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, Stasa is also a member of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association. * * * Michigan Auto Law (Gursten, Koltonow, Gursten, Christensen, & Raitt PC) would like to announce that attorney Joshua R. Terebelo has joined its Farmington Hills office. Terebelo will work in the law firm's litigation division, where he will focus on No-Fault insurance lawsuits. Terebelo graduated from Wayne State University Law School. He is licensed to practice in Eastern and Western District Federal Court. He is also active in the Oakland County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Michigan Association for Justice. Terebelo is a "Michigan Super Lawyer - Rising Star." Prior to joining Michigan Auto Law, Terebelo worked for a Michigan personal injury law firm, where he also focused his practice on helping auto accident victims. * * * A partner from the law firm of Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP has authored a chapter of the newly released "Michigan Family Law" guide. Nazli G. Sater, who concentrates her practice on family law, wrote the chapter on "Child Custody and Parenting Time" for the seventh edition of the book, which is published by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Sater practices in the firm's Southfield office. She was one of four Warner Norcross attorneys who contributed to the book. "The new edition of 'Michigan Family Law' features expanded sections areas that have changed substantively over the years, including electronic discovery and tax consequences of divorce," Sater explained. "The guide is incredibly comprehensive, featuring up-to-date information on virtually every aspect of family law. Warner Norcross is pleased to have been so actively involved in writing and editing this updated version." Published: Mon, Aug 8, 2011