Timothy R. Damschroder, a longtime shareholder with Bodman PLC has been named the recipient of the 11th Annual Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award by the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section.
Damschroder is the chairperson of the Business Law Practice Group at Bodman, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, general business, corporate governance, securities offerings, and tax. He has served in leadership roles both for the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section and for other professional associations and organizations, including several years on the council of the Section and as chairman (2002-03). He has specialized in securities law, with specific emphasis on securities litigation and investor arbitration, for over 25 years.
In 2013, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Damschroder to the newly created Michigan Health Endowment Fund Board. The Fund, which was created under Public Act 4 of 2013, will benefit the health and wellness of Michigan residents through programs focusing on children and seniors. Damschroder serves as Treasurer of the Fund, which is expected to receive up to $1.56 billion in contributions over 18 years.
“I am very honored for this recognition because if you look at Prof. Schulman’s impact in our field, and the list of the past recipients of this award, it’s a list of professionals I have always admired and wanted to emulate,” Damschroder said.
Damschroder has been named the Best Lawyers® 2016 Corporate Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Ann Arbor. He is listed as one of four top-tier ranked lawyers in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2016 under Corporate/M&A – Michigan, being called, “an excellent choice of counsel for private equity and venture capital firms.”
His work on the Michigan Health Endowment Fund has been particularly rewarding, he says. As of July 2016, the fund has been responsible for funding $120 million to benefit statewide programs. “It was truly created from scratch through state legislation. When we first met we had no money and no governing documents. My focus has been on finance and treasury activities for the fund. It has been great to provide grants and invest a portion into an endowment for local communities around Michigan.”
Over the years Damschroder has negotiated and closed dozens of corporate finance transactions totaling more than $1 billion.
“I’ve been blessed in my career to have been afforded incredible opportunities,” Damschroder said “Being a part of the Business Law Section throughout my entire career certainly has contributed to these opportunities and the networking and dialogue with colleagues in this profession as part of the Section has been invaluable.”
Damschroder will be introduced at the Schulman Award Ceremony, which immediately precedes the Section’s Annual Meeting on October 7 in Grand Rapids, by Dan Minkus, the 2013 recipient of the Schulman Award. Minkus is managing member of the Birmingham office of Clark Hill PLC.
“This award is well deserved. Tim has been a very meaningful contributor to the Section for many years,” Minkus said. “Tim has been very active in developing other leaders for the Section and during that time has been a great mentor to many younger lawyers. Perhaps most importantly Tim is a great ambassador for our Section. He practices law with integrity. He’s well-respected and respectful of others.”
Damschroder serves on the Board of Directors of the Washtenaw County United Way and on various committees of Zion Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor. He is a past president of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, a past president of Board of Directors of Peace Neighborhood Center, a past vice chair of the Board of Directors of Nonprofit Enterprise At Work (NEW Center), and a past member of the St. Joseph Mercy Health System’s Development Council.
The Outstanding Business Lawyer Award was named after Schulman, who taught several business law courses during a lengthy tenure at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. Schulman received the Donald H. Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching and was chosen by the student body as the school’s Professor of the Year several times. Schulman was also instrumental in the drafting of much of Michigan’s corporate law that is still in place today.
The Business Law Section established the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award in 2006, to be presented annually. The prestigious award honors Michigan business lawyers who consistently exemplify the characteristics the Business Law Section seeks to foster and facilitate: the highest quality of professionalism, the highest quality of practice, and an unwavering dedication to service, ethical conduct, and collegiality within the practice of law.
Past recipients of the Schulman Award include Cy Moscow, the late Mart Oetting, Hugh Makens and Jim Bruno in 2006; Charlie McCallum and Verne Hampton in 2007; Ann Baker in 2008; Justin Klimko in 2009; Alex DeYonker in 2010; Jim Cambridge in 2011; Jeff Ammon in 2012; Dan Minkus in 2013; Diane Akers in 2014, and Larry Schultz in 2015.
About the Business Law Section:
The Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan provides education, information and analysis about issues of concern through meetings, seminars, its website, public service programs, legislation and publication of a professional journal. Visit www.michbar.org for more information.
About Prof. Stephen H. Schulman:
Schulman had a significant impact on the lives and careers of thousands of future attorneys during his tenure at Wayne State University Law School. There he taught courses in corporations, business planning, administrative law and more. In addition to receiving the Donald H. Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching, his students selected him multiple times as the school’s Professor of the Year. Schulman served as faculty advisor and regular contributor to The Wayne Law Review for several decades and was co-reporter for the Business Law Section’s Subcommittee on the Revision of the Michigan Business Corporation Act (MCBA). Schulman passed away in 2000.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
