LEGAL PEOPLE

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter has appointed Pete Menna as the county’s first chief attorney for indigent defense, a new position under the county executive. Menna will oversee the implementation of the county’s criminal defense appointment system for individuals who have been accused of a crime in Oakland County Circuit Court or 52nd District Court but cannot afford an attorney.

“Indigent defense is a vital piece of criminal justice reform and I have full confidence in Pete to help Oakland County meet the standards set by the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission,” Coulter said. “Pete has compassion for people and a depth of legal experience which make him a great choice to fill this role.”

One of the reforms by the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission is for the criminal defense appointment system be independent of the judiciary. At the end of September, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners (BOC) will consider a nearly $5.8 million State of Michigan grant that will help the county carry out indigent defense reform for Fiscal Year 2022. If the BOC approves the grant, the county will also contribute over $1.8 million in local funds. The resolution before the BOC includes creating a new division under the county executive called the Indigent Defense Services Office which Menna will manage.

Among Menna’s other responsibilities will be overseeing the appointment and monitoring the performance of all contract attorneys engaged in indigent criminal defense services in Oakland County Circuit Court and 52nd District Court, handling the case management information systems and ensure timely reporting of activities, and advising staff on rulings and legislation affecting procedures related to the indigent defense system.

Menna served as Oakland County’s acting corporation counsel since February. He joined the Oakland County Corporation Counsel as a litigator in April of 2018 and quickly rose to the number two position of deputy corporation counsel in October 2019.

Prior, he was an assistant prosecutor for Oakland County beginning in March of 2009. His last assignment in the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office was in the Special Victims Section. From 2012 – 2018, he was assigned to the Special Victims Section.

In 2017, the Oakland County Coordinating Counsel Against Domestic Violence awarded its HERO Award to Menna for his actions in recognizing that one of the defendants on his docket had been wrongly charged with domestic violence after her abuser made a false report against her to the police. Menna worked quickly to ensure that all the criminal charges against this survivor were dismissed.

While attending law school, Menna was a clerk for Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Steven N. Andrews from July 2006 to March 2009.

Menna, earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in history from Kalamazoo College. He is a member of the Oakland County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and is admitted to practice law in the State Bar of Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
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Solon Phillips, Oakland County Executive David Coulter’s selection for corporation counsel, recently received unanimous approval from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.

Phillips brings 20 years of municipal legal experience to the job, including leadership positions in county, schools and courts in southeast Michigan.

The job also brings Phillips full circle. He was born and raised in Pontiac and his first job was a cashier at Waterford Oaks County Park during his teenage years.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that AnnMarie Sanford has joined the firm’s Troy office as a member.

Sanford applies her experience in environmental law to achieving favorable outcomes for manufacturers facing remediation and regulatory issues, and to counseling them regarding potential liabilities. She advises clients on environmental issues ranging from routine to complex, including environmental remediation, regulatory issues and counseling clients regarding compliance with federal and state chemical regulations. She is one of the few attorneys who passed the Green Building Certification Institute’s exam to qualify as a LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional.

Sanford is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Environmental Law Section, American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and a member of the Board of Directors of Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
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Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC has welcomed new attorney Christopher Richards to its team of experienced legal professionals. Richards joins the firm’s environmental practice group as an associate. Jaffe CEO Jeffrey M. Weiss made the announcement.

Richards has experience as a real estate development legal counselor and leasing manager, most recently with engineering, testing and development, prototyping and manufacturing services provider, Roush Industries. He has successfully managed all phases of complex transactional real estate matters in several industry subsets including automotive, industrial product development, entertainment, defense and aerospace. Richards led a profitable sublease and subtenant service department for automotive subtenants and oversaw transactional and environmental matters on over 3,000,000 square feet of owned and leased real estate.

Related to environmental law, Richards has counseled and advised corporate environmental health, safety, and security departments and worked on regulatory matters with MiOSHA/OSHA, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC).

Richards earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Michigan University in 2011 and a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2015. Prior to and throughout his schooling, Richards served in the United States Marine Corps stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. He is a current director and board member for Hostel Detroit, providing legal and professional counsel on the organization’s development and growth plans.
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Butzel immigration law attorney Reginald A. Pacis was a featured speaker during the 2021 Association for Legal Professionals (NALS) 70th Annual Conference on Saturday, September 18. He provided an overview and updates on U.S. Immigration issues.

Pacis focuses his practice in immigration law and has handled a variety of immigration matters including H-1B specialty occupation cases, L-1 Intracompany transfers, Labor Certification matters, Immigrant Visa Petitions/Adjustment of Status applications and interviews, TN Free trade cases, H-1B Department of Labor Investigations, I-9 employer verification compliance, and U.S. Port of Entry airport and land port interviews.

Earlier this year, he was appointed a trustee to the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC), which helps address the needs and concerns of the Asian Pacific American (APA) communities in Michigan. Previously, he was a commissioner to the MAPAAC.

Pacis was named Immigration Lawyer of the Year 2013 in the field of Immigration Law by The Best Lawyers in America and has been listed in Best Lawyers for several years.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and the Samahang Pilipino Ng Oakland Filipino organization. He served two consecutive one-year terms from 2003 to 2005 as chairperson of the Michigan Chapter of AILA and was a member of the AILA National Board of Governors for those terms.

Pacis also served as vice chair (2008 to 2009) and later chair (2009-2010) of U.S. Customs and Border Protection AILA liaison committee; vice chair (2013 to 2014) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Field Operations AILA liaison committee; member (2014 to 2015) of the  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services National Benefits Center AILA liaison committee; and has served as a member (2015) and later chair (2016) of the AILA Election committee. He has presented in a number of AILA Annual Conferences Nationally and Internationally from 2004 to 2019.

Pacis is a vice president and board member of the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit. He also is a speaker in demand on immigration law matters.
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Varnum is pleased to announce that Jacob Whately has joined the firm’s corporate practice. He is based in the Birmingham office.

Whately represents clients on mergers and acquisitions and a variety of general business matters. In addition to his law degree, Whately earned an advanced degree in taxation. He provides transaction counsel with a focus on tax planning, tax structuring, tax modeling, tax due diligence, treatments of transaction costs and other deal-related tax services.

He joins the firm from the Detroit office of KPMG International.

Whately received his law degrees from the University of Toledo College of Law and New York University School of Law. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Toledo.
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Plunkett Cooney is seeking to become a Mansfield Rule Certified law firm for diversity and inclusion.

Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities – at least 30 percent of the candidate pool – for recruitment, governance roles, equity partner promotions, and inclusion in formal pitches to clients.

“We are extremely proud to be selected for inclusion in the 2021 class of law firms seeking to obtain this prestigious certification,” said Plunkett Cooney President & CEO Thomas P. Vincent. “Under the leadership of our director of Diversity & Inclusion, Laurel McGiffert, we are embracing the challenging process of becoming Mansfield Certified, which is consistent with our longtime commitment to improving our firm’s diversity and creating an even more inclusive environment for our employees.”

Sponsored by Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas, the goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these roles and opportunities. This 18-month process, which officially began for Plunkett Cooney September 15, has allowed a number of firms nationally to significantly increase opportunities for attorneys from traditionally under-represented backgrounds and to build the institutional framework necessary to ensure each firm’s continued forward progress with regard to increased diversification.

According to data supplied by Diversity Lab, Mansfield Rule participating law firms have achieved the following results after three years in the program:

  • 66% of firms reported a higher percentage of diverse attorneys participating in formal pitches.
  • 55% of firms reported a higher percentage of diverse attorneys elected or appointed to their management/executive committee.
  • 53% of firms increased the percentage of underrepresented lawyers in office head positions.
  • 50% of firms promoted a higher percentage of diverse lawyers into equity partnership.

“Obtaining Mansfield Certification won’t be easy, but this effort aligns with our core values” said McGiffert. “We have the full backing of Plunkett Cooney’s partners and Board of Directors to achieve this goal. We have also assembled an outstanding internal team of attorneys and staff to spearhead our efforts and measure our progress over the next 18 months. We’re excited to get started!”
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Brooks Kushman CEO Sangeeta Shah participated in an Equity and Leadership Panel on September 15 for the Women’s Law Caucus at Michigan State University College of Law to discuss how to continue to foster equity and inclusion across the legal field. 

Achieving and sustaining equity and inclusion can look differently and be accomplished in many different ways especially within the various sectors of the legal system, from the legislature, judiciary, academia and private practice.  This panel discussed the many perspectives on the topic as they celebrate women who have achieved leadership positions within the field. Included in the panel was Michigan State House of Representative Sarah Anthony, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement, and Michigan State University College of Law Dean Linda Greene.

Shah is responsible for leading the Brooks Kushman’s Executive Committee. In addition to serving as the CEO, Shah maintains an active docket as an IP practitioner with over 20 years of experience in managing patent portfolios, PTAB matters, patent litigation, and opinions. As an early leader in inter partes review proceedings, she remains at the forefront of post-grant practice. She has experience successfully implementing enforcement programs that leverage the interplay of IPRs, reexaminations/reissues, strategic prosecution, and patent litigation—resulting in seminal PTAB, district and federal circuit decisions.

Shah works closely with several Fortune 500 clients for whom she provides strategic counseling and guidance on global intellectual property portfolios. Her patent expertise has resulted in national and international recognition from Managing IP, Best Lawyers, IAM, AIPLA, and the PTAB Bar Association.  She was recently named as a World’s Leading IP Strategist in the 2021 “IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists” guide.

Prior to becoming CEO, Shah served as the firm’s chief diversity officer. In that position, she developed and implemented a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within and outside of the firm through outreach programs and partnerships.  Under her leadership, the firm was recognized in 2018 and 2019 by ChIPs and Diversity Lab as a national Honor Roll Firm for its dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion. Shah also hosts the Breaking Mindsets Podcast where she interviews leaders who defy expectations and have accomplished great change in their field.
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that attorney Emily A. Cross has joined the firm as an associate in the Troy office.

Cross is a member of Bodman’s Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She practiced previously in the New York office of an AmLaw 50 global law firm.

She represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Her experience also encompasses securities litigation, contract disputes, constitutional litigation, and administrative law matters, among others.

Cross has prepared pleadings and motions in federal and state court litigation, worked with experts to draft expert reports, interviewed and prepared deposition witnesses, drafted discovery requests and responses, managed e-discovery and document production processes, and assisted with oral argument preparations.

She has also been active in pro bono matters including representing clients in immigration appeals to the Ninth Circuit, representing asylum and u-visa applicants in immigration applications and proceedings, and conducting legal and policy research on racial justice issues.

Cross is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.  She earned her undergraduate degree from Rice University.
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Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith will be one of 70-plus law firms participating in the Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification program.

This program was established by the Diversity Lab (an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in the law) with the goal to boost the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these positions.

The Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles,  equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions.

The Midsize certification process, which is modeled after the version designed for full-size firms, is modified to boost diversity in leadership for firms with a smaller number of attorneys, single office locations and leaner firm leadership structures.

The certification period for the firms participating in the Midsize program will last 18 months from September 2021 to March 2023 to provide adequate time for the firms to take action on hiring, promotion and leadership activities.

Firms that complete the Midsize Mansfield Rule criteria will be designated as “Mansfield Certified” which will give them the opportunity to send their underrepresented partners to the Mansfield Rule Client Forums in 2023 to build relationships and learn from the Diversity Lab’s in-house counsel collaborators.

Foster Swift believes that a diverse and comprehensive staff enables them to better serve their communities. In 1993, the firm formed an active diversity committee that has been meeting and providing guidance for the firm’s internal diversity training programming, policy consideration and community support ever since.

By electing Anne Seurynck in 2020, Foster Swift became one of the first of Michigan’s large law firms to designate a woman attorney as firm president. In addition, 25 percent of the firm’s attorneys are women and many serve in management roles including two of the six members of the firm’s executive committee and three firm practice group leaders.
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