LEGAL PEOPLE

Trott & Trott PC, a Farmington Hills-based real estate law firm, has been named a recipient of USFN's 2013 Diamond Award of Excellence. The USFN Award of Excellence program was initiated in 1993 to recognize and encourage member firms to develop and maintain high standards of excellence in service to industry clients and their communities. The Award of Excellence is given annually to USFN member firms who meet rigorous standards that evaluate professional activities, industry volunteerism, and community and charity involvement by the firm. "It is an incredible honor to be recognized with this notable award for the 16th consecutive year," said Jeffrey Raff, managing partner of Trott. "This is a testament to the team we have in place that works tirelessly, abiding by our firm's vision of professionalism and integrity, to continue to position Trott as a leader in our industry." Recipients of this award are celebrated each year at USFN's Annual Member Education Retreat, held in the fall. Founded in 1988, USFN is a 50-state trade association serving the mortgage banking industry. * * * Clinton Mikel, of Southfield-based The Health Law Partners (HLP), was named an Up & Coming Lawyer by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Founding Shareholder Adrienne Dresevic made the announcement. From telemedicine formation to HIPAA compliance to mergers and acquisitions, Mikel's health law practice has undergone exponential growth, and he has emerged as a national leader in health law. His practice encompasses all areas of health care law, garnering critical attention in state and federal compliance and telehealth/telemedicine matters. A frequent speaker and author in this area of law, Mikel routinely holds educational sessions for clients interested in telemedicine and the legalities surrounding this new and growing area of health care. Mikel joined The HLP in December of 2011, and within seven months was promoted to partner. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in political analysis and management, and is an active member in the American Bar Association, where he currently serves as vice chair of the eHealth, Privacy & Security Group as well as vice chair of the Health Law Section Publications Committee. Mikel is certified to practice in both Michigan and California while remaining an active member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the American Telemedicine Association. * * * Bowman and Brooke LLP is proud to announce that Jenny L. Zavadil of the firm's Detroit office has been made a partner. Zavadil's practice is concentrated on defending automobile manufacturers in product liability and consumer actions. She regularly defends corporate clients in complex discovery matters and serves as national discovery counsel for a major automobile manufacturer in the areas of airbags and rollover curtains, event data recorders, handling and stability, roof, and crashworthiness. Zavadil has experience in all areas of discovery management, including collecting, processing and producing hard copy documents and electronically stored information, as well as handling all aspects of written discovery. She is a 2001 graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. * * * McKeen & Associates PC is pleased to announce Managing Partner and Founder Brian J. McKeen was awarded the Dan Cullan Memorial Award from the American Association of Justice (AAJ) and Executive Board of the AAJ Birth Trauma Litigation Group. The honor recognizes McKeen for his commitment to excellence in advocacy and his devotion and service to the Birth Trauma Litigation Group and the children that it serves. The award also acknowledges McKeen as someone who exemplifies the finest qualities of Dan Cullan, the highly respected doctor and lawyer who spent his career helping children in birth trauma cases and for whom this award is named. McKeen has been practicing law since 1982. In the past year, and throughout the course of his 30-year career, he has resolved numerous birth trauma cases. McKeen currently sits on the executive boards of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). He formerly served as chair of the AAJ Professional Negligence Section, Medical Negligence Exchange Group and Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG). McKeen is a member of The Inner Circle of Advocates, and organization of the top 100 plaintiff attorneys in the country. In 2012, he was named among the Top Attorneys in Michigan as published by The New York Times. McKeen earned his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Lansing. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Michigan. * * * Secrest Wardle is pleased to announce the following individuals have been designated by Super Lawyers magazine in the following categories: Super Lawyers List Civil Litigation Defense: Mark F. Masters, Mark E. Morley, William D. Shailor. General Litigation: Bruce A. Truex. Government/Cities/Municipalities: Derk W. Beckerleg, William P. Hampton. Personal Injury Defense: Thomas J. Azoni. Rising Stars List Appellate: Drew W. Broaddus. Business Litigation: Anthony A. Randazzo. Civil Litigation Defense: Jason R. Church, Kellie C. Joyce. Personal Injury Defense: General: Sante S. Fratarcangeli, Krystal D. Hermiz, Chase M. Kubica, Renee T. Townsend, Javon L. Williams, Bradley G. Wing * * * Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC, a Southfield-based multi-specialty law firm, recently announced three new appointments to the firm's Executive Committee: Martin S. Frenkel, John P. Gonway, and Ronald A. Sollish will join Mark R. Hauser, Steven D. Sallen, Harvey R. Heller, David E. Hart, and Michael W. Maddin for 2014. The announcement was made by firm President and CEO Steven D. Sallen. Frenkel is an experienced business litigator, shareholder and co-chairman of the firm's Consumer Finance Regulatory Compliance and Real Property Litigation Practice Group. He specializes in real estate and financial services litigation, quasi-litigation, and regulatory compliance matters including mortgage, banking, construction and title-related disputes. Frenkel led the firm, as one of a small, select group of law firms in the United States, in its participation in the largest default servicing audit in U.S. history. He is licensed to practice in Michigan, as well as the federal courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits. Frenkel is a published author in numerous industry-specific publications and a frequent speaker on financial services related topics. Gonway is a shareholder and member of the firm's Real Estate/Transactional, Lending/Finance and Corporate/Business Practice Groups. He specializes in secured lending and financing, real estate, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and commercial transactions. Gonway is licensed to practice in Michigan and is also a member of the Real Property, Business Law and Taxation Sections of the State Bar of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association. His expertise includes the acquisition, financing, construction, development and leasing of numerous types of commercial real estate, as well as all aspects of corporate law. Sollish is a shareholder and chairman of the firm's Corporate/Employment Practice Group. He specializes in employment, real estate, partnership, finance, corporate and business law. Sollish is licensed to practice in Michigan and Illinois and also is a member of the American Bar Association and Oakland County Bar Association. Sollish is a frequent speaker on legal topics and has addressed such groups as the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants and American Society for Industrial Security. He is also the board chairman of Starfish Family Services. * * * Marta J. Hoffman, a former in-house attorney for some of Michigan and Ohio's largest multi-state hospital systems, recently joined the Healthcare Industry Group of Plunkett Cooney. Licensed in both state and federal courts in Michigan and Ohio, Hoffman practices in the areas of healthcare, corporate, and employment law. A senior attorney at the firm, she represents a variety of healthcare clients, including hospitals, physicians, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and foundations. Hoffman, who is a member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, has experience in the areas of corporate healthcare, regulatory matters, physician and physician practice related issues, service line arrangements, physician and mid-level provider employment agreements, recruitment agreements, leases, graduate medical and medical staff issues, contracting and negotiations, capital acquisition and leasing, clinical research and IRBs, managed care and finance issues, compliance, HIPAA/HITECH and privacy related rules, risk management and recipient rights issues. Hoffman has been active in a number of professional industry and community organizations over the years. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, and she recently chaired the leadership council of the Health Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Prior to pursuing her legal career, Hoffman worked for 12 years as a registered nurse, specializing in critical care, emergency nursing and hospital supervision of nursing and other staff. She received her associate degree from Monroe County Community College in 1981. Hoffman graduated from University of Toledo College of Law in 1992 and she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo in 1988. * * * Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett PC announces the addition of Salvatore Barbatano. Barbatano is internationally recognized in the bankruptcy field with more than 30 years of experience representing business clients in commercial disputes and bankruptcy litigation. He has been counsel to creditors' committees in a number of large cases including World Kitchens and Lancer Partners, L.P. (the first hedge fund Chapter 11 in U.S. history). He has also advised domestic and international banks and other financial institutions, pension funds, creditors' committees, trustees in bankruptcy, insurance companies, manufacturing companies, health care providers, and real estate developers regarding the structure of secured, credit-enhanced, and securitized asset-based transactions. Barbatano is a former senior lecturer and adjunct professor at Loyola University Law School in Chicago and served as a member of the Illinois State Bar Association President's Select Committee in Bankruptcy Law Amendments in 1982 and 1983. He was listed in the Best Lawyers in America (1995-6 edition). Barbatano was also selected for inclusion in the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Michigan Super Lawyer® lists for his work in bankruptcy, creditor and debtor rights. In 2012 and 2013, Barbatano was selected as a Leading Illinois Lawyer and a Chicago Magazine Leading Chicago Lawyer. Barbatano is a member of the Board of Visitors of Northern Illinois University College of Law and the Editorial Advisory Board of Thomson Reuters Accelus Business Currents publication. Recently, Barbatano was appointed to an American Bar Association Business Bankruptcy Committee working group which will draft at proposed Model Bankruptcy Code. A 1974 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, Barbatano served as law clerk for the Circuit Court in Portage, Wis., and worked with the U.S. Department of Labor, where he investigated alleged violations of federal laws in the management and investment practices of the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund. Barbatano has represented corporate clients in federal and state investigations. He received a B.A. in history from Oberlin College in 1969. He frequently lectures on bankruptcy law issues and has written or co-authored numerous articles. Barbatano is admitted to practice in Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, and Illinois federal and state courts, the Seventh and Ninth Circuit Courts of appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. * * * Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Angela Emmerling Boufford received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (MDTC) recently during the Past President's Dinner in Novi. Boufford serves on the MDTC Board of Directors and received the award in recognition of her contributions to the development of MDTC's online presence, including through the use of social media. Boufford specializes in complex business and commercial litigation and also is a member of Butzel Long's Technology & eDiscovery practice. She was recognized by DBusiness magazine as a 2014 "Top Lawyer" in the area of information management and eDiscovery law. In addition to traditional litigation, Boufford has extensive arbitration experience and also served as an adjunct securities regulations professor at Ave Maria School of Law. Boufford is a graduate of Michigan State University (1994) and the Michigan State University College of Law (1998). She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association and is admitted to practice in Michigan and in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. * * * A national survey has again recognized the law firm Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP as a leader in client service among law firms. BTI Consulting Group recognized Warner Norcross as a member of the Client Service A-Team for 2014. BTI polled corporate counsel at large and Fortune 1000 companies to discover how they define outstanding client service, which law firms deliver it and what specifically makes a law firm stand out from the pack. This is the sixth time that Warner Norcross has been included on the list. Warner Norcross is a corporate law firm with 220 attorneys practicing in seven offices throughout Michigan: Grand Rapids, Holland, Lansing, Macomb County, Midland, Muskegon, and Southfield. * * * Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce the election of seven new member attorneys to the firm's Detroit and Troy offices effective January 1, 2014. Amy Sabbota Gottlieb is a Member in the firm's Troy office. She handles a variety of commercial litigation and business disputes before state and federal trial and appellate courts. Her experience includes matters related to banking and financial services, mortgage companies, real estate law, contract law, lien priority disputes, and title insurance. She regularly represents some of the nation's largest financial institutions including banks, mortgage lenders and servicers, as well as title insurance underwriters. Gottlieb is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Women's Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of Illinois, and the State Bar of New York. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Thomas D. Isaacs is an attorney in the firm's Detroit office. He focuses his practice on litigation including commercial & business litigation, automotive litigation, and product liability and personal injury. He has experience representing a diverse lineup of corporations in a variety of commercial litigation cases, including contractual, antitrust, collections and business tort matters. He is routinely responsible for all phases of litigation in commercial cases, including discovery, motion practice, expert witness retention and preparation, and overall case management. Isaacs was recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers as a "Rising Star" in Business Litigation and was recently appointed as an Oakland County Public Administrator by Attorney General Bill Schuette. Isaacs received his B.A. from Oakland University and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. Michael J. Lusardi is a Member in Dickinson Wright's Troy office. He provides counsel to corporations, companies, partnerships and individuals in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, construction and financing of office, retail, industrial, mixed-use and residential projects throughout the United States. He focuses much of his practice specifically on helping clients purchase and sell various types of real estate. He is a member of the state bars of Michigan and Illinois, the American Bar Association, and the Oakland County Bar Association. He was named a "Rising Star" by Michigan Super Lawyers. Lusardi received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Jennifer L. Newby is a Member in the firm's Detroit office. She focuses her practice in the areas of commercial & business litigation, class action, and employment litigation. She clerked for the U.S. District Court Judges Victoria A. Roberts and Sean F. Cox. Newby is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. She received her B.A. from Wayne State University and her law degree from the Wayne State University Law School. Scott A. Petz is a Member in Dickinson Wright's Detroit office. Petz focuses his practice in the areas of commercial and business litigation, class and collective actions, labor litigation, consumer protection, and condemnation and land use. Petz was selected as a Michigan Super Lawyers "Rising Star" in 2013 and also received the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Barristers Section's 2013 "One to Watch" award. He has presented and published in the eDiscovery area. Petz is a member of the American Bar Association, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He received his B.A. from Kalamazoo College and his law degree from The John Marshall Law School. Rosanna J. Willis is an attorney in Dickinson Wright's Troy office. Her practice focuses on transactional and regulatory matters for physicians, group practices, hospitals and other healthcare suppliers and providers. Her specialty practice area includes advice regarding compliance with HIPAA and other patient privacy laws, and Federal and state fraud and abuse laws such as the Federal Stark Law and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. In addition, she assists with forming and maintaining effective compliance programs, group practice corporate matters (including governing documents and buy-in/buy-out strategies), and structuring physician/hospital relationships. Willis is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Saginaw County Bar Association, the American Health Lawyers Association, and the Health Care Compliance Association. She is a Certified Healthcare Compliance Officer. She has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Michigan Super Lawyers. She received her B.B.A. from Saginaw Valley State University and her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. Rachel L. Wolock is a Member in the firm's Detroit office. She focuses her practice in the areas of banking and financial services, and bankruptcy and restructuring, serving as counsel to lenders in a range of loan transactions and workout matters. Wolock is a member of the Michigan Network of the International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation and the Turnaround Management Association. She has been recognized in 2012 and 2013 as a "Rising Star" by Michigan Super Lawyers. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. In addition, Dykema announced that Robert Boonin has joined the Labor & Employment Group in the firm's Detroit office. He previously served as a senior member of the Labor and Employment Law and Higher Education Law Practice Groups at Butzel Long. Boonin has more than 25 years of experience representing private and public sector employers in virtually all aspects of labor and employment law. He has counseled clients on key matters such as the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the various state and federal civil rights acts. Boonin also has experience representing state universities, community colleges and school districts on issues such as employment law, student rights, constitutional law, tenure matters, policy drafting, statutory compliance and transactions. In addition to handling collective bargaining maters for clients, he has also litigated employment matters before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitrators across the nation. Boonin has written and spoken on labor and employment matters throughout his career and is consistently recognized by Best Lawyers, Michigan Super Lawyers and Chambers USA. He is the current chair of the nationally renowned Wage and Hour Defense Institute, and he is also the current chair of the State Bar of Michigan's Labor and Employment Section. In addition, he is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Law Lawyers and a Fellow former president of the Litigation Counsel of America. He is also active in the American Bar Association's Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee and co-edits chapters on major treatises on the Fair Labor Standards Act and employment discrimination law. Boonin received his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, master's in Labor and Industrial Relations from the School of Labor and Industrial Relations of Michigan State University, and law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. * * * The shareholders of Fraser Trebilcock have elected Michael P. Donnelly as president of the firm. Previously, Donnelly served as vice president of the Board of Directors, and as managing shareholder of the firm's Detroit office. * * * Robert Labe, a shareholder with Williams, Williams, Ratner, & Plunkett in Birmingham, recently delivered a presentation at a national teleconference on Irrevocable Trusts sponsored by the National Business Institute. Participants learned about marital trusts, credit shelter trusts, and irrevocable life insurance trusts. Labe is a frequent lecturer and author on topics pertaining to his areas of practice including "What's New in Estate and Gift Tax Law," State Bar of Michigan (April 2011); Prenuptials, Post Nuptials, and Spousal Rights, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (September 2008); "Estate Planning for the Terminally Ill or Disabled Client," 30th Annual Practitioners Conference Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (August 2007); and "Buy-Sell Agreements for the Closely Held Business," 2nd Annual Closely Held Business Institute, ICLE (November 2006). Labe is a co-presenter of the Tax Update for the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit. He practices in the areas of business law, business succession planning, estate planning, trusts and estates, and tax. A member of the ICLE Business Law Advisory Board, Labe has served as chair of the Oakland County Bar Association Probate, Estate and Trust Committee. He is included in Michigan Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, and Martindale Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, receiving its highest proficiency rating since 1993. * * * Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Andre O. Perrotta has joined the firm. He will practice out of the firm's Royal Oak office. Perrotta concentrates his practice in Healthcare Regulatory Compliance and Fraud and Abuse Laws. He represents healthcare providers and suppliers in all aspects of regulatory compliance, fraud and abuse laws, and HIPAA/HITECH. Perrotta counsels clients on regulatory compliance matters ranging from adherence to state and federal laws and regulations, commercial payor requirements, Medicare, Medicaid, and Recovery Audit Contractor ("RAC") appeals and refunds, and drafting and assisting client implementation of Compliance Programs in accordance with the OIG's compliance program guidelines. Perrotta also counsels clients regarding strict adherence to HIPAA and the HITECH Act in order to ensure the privacy and security of patient Protected Health Information ("PHI"). He provides comprehensive compliance training specifically tailored to the needs, and associated risk areas, of each healthcare organization client. In addition to regulatory compliance matters, Perrotta also counsels clients in the area of healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the False Claims Act. Specifically, he provides the necessary Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute analyses for healthcare providers and suppliers, beginning with client formation (e.g. forming a solo or group practice, IDTF, joint venture) and continuing throughout the client's routine business practices, in order to ensure compliance with these major fraud and abuse laws. Prior to joining Howard & Howard, Perrotta served a chief compliance officer of ADVOCATE Radiology Billing, the nation's largest radiology-specific medical billing company. There, he designed, implemented, and oversaw the ADVOCATE Compliance Program and reviewed and evaluated compliance issues within the organization regarding all aspects of the medical billing and reimbursement process. He ensured compliance with the various reimbursement laws and regulations both internally within ADVOCATE and externally on an individual client level. Perrotta received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2009 and his B.S. from the University of Cincinnati, McMicken College of Arts & Sciences in 2004. He is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan. * * * Brooks Kushman PC recently promoted five attorneys, Maria F. Angileri, Chanille Carswell, Michael D. Cushion, Linda D. Mettes, and Kristin L. Murphy, to shareholders. Angileri focuses her practice on domestic and foreign trademark protection. Angileri specializes in global branding strategy, trademark and domain name counseling, clearance, protection and enforcement for Fortune 500 companies and start-ups. She earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a bachelor of arts from Michigan State University. Carswell concentrates her practice on intellectual property litigation. Carswell has represented clients in a variety of intellectual property disputes including patents, trademarks, trade dress, copyrights and unfair competition. She represents clients in a variety of industries such as automotive, banking, construction machinery, consumer products, retail, e-commerce and insurance. Carswell assisted in successfully defending Double L Inc. (Double L) in a declaratory judgment action regarding Double L's Lucky's and Lucky's Steakhouse and design trademarks. LexisNexis named the trademark dispute one of the Top 10 Trademark Cases for the Month of January 2012. Carswell has practiced in federal courts across the country, including California, Illinois and Michigan. She received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a bachelor of arts from MSU. Cushion focuses his practice on patent prosecution for electrical, mechanical and electromechanical matters, as well as business methods. Cushion also provides clients with counseling and legal opinions on matters of patentability, non-infringement and invalidity. In addition to his prosecution and opinion practice, Cushion also works with the firm's Post-Grant Proceedings practice group helping clients challenge or defend patents via the new administrative trial procedures created under the America Invents Act (AIA). Cushion earned a law degree from Wayne Law and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from GMI Engineering & Management Institute (now Kettering University) in Flint. Mettes focuses her practice on patent litigation but also is an experienced trademark, copyright and trade secret litigator. Mettes represents clients in variety of technologies in the automotive, pharmaceutical, medical device and equipment, consumer electronics, and computer software industries. She has tried patent, trademark and copyright cases in federal courts nationwide, including Delaware, California, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Utah, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, the federal Circuit and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mettes received her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and a bachelor of science in general engineering from the University of Illinois. She is a registered patent attorney and is authorized to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Murphy joined Brooks Kushman in October as a shareholder of the firm. Murphy concentrates her practice on patent prosecution and intellectual property litigation. Murphy adds a significant amount of depth and leadership to Brooks Kushman's growing medical device practice. Throughout her legal career, she has counseled clients from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups in a wide range of industries. In addition to Murphy's patent prosecution practice, she also has experience with patent, trademark and unfair competition litigation. She's served as litigation counsel in federal courts across the country, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals. She currently teaches patent litigation at Michigan State University College of Law. Murphy received her law degree from University of New Hampshire and her bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Western New England University in Springfield, Mass. She is a registered patent attorney and is authorized to practice in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She is the immediate president of the Women's Bar Association--Women Lawyer Association of Michigan, Oakland County Region--and the president of the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association. Murphy was also recently elected to the Board of Trustees at Western New England University. Published: Mon, Jan 13, 2014