Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently made the following appointments:
—Military Appeals Tribunal
Robert Gardella is an attorney at law at Robert C. Gardella PLLC. He is a former member of State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners and the former chairperson of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Michigan State University and a law degree from Cooley Law School.
Garella is reappointed as a civilian licensed to practice law in this state for a term commencing October 10, 2024, and expiring April 16, 2027.
The Military Appeals Tribunal has appellate jurisdiction, upon petition of an accused, to hear and review the record in all decisions of a court-martial after the review provided in the Michigan code of military justice.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Statewide Housing Partnership
Brad Ward is currently the vice president of public policy and legal affairs for the Michigan Realtors Association. He previously held a position at the Michigan House of Representatives as a legislative aid to Representative Nancy Cassis. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors Government Affairs Director Advisory Board, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Tax Policy Committee, and the John Drypen Foundation. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political theory and constitutional democracy from Michigan State University and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
Ward is reappointed to represent development associations or organizations, which might include organizations representing realtors, builders, and planners, for a term commencing October 10, 2024, and expiring September 30, 2027.
The Statewide Housing Partnership serves as an advisory body within the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Members include leaders from state, local, and tribal governments, advocates from nonprofit and community organizations, and representatives from the business advocacy world and finance industry.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Wildlife Council
Daniel Cooke is the founder and chief executive officer of Expedition Detroit LLC and the principal attorney of Daniel Cooke Law PLLC. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Michigan State University and received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
Cooke is appointed as an individual with a media or marketing background, who is not an employee of the department, for a term commencing October 10, 2024, and expiring March 31, 2026. He succeeds Thomas Elliot Shafer, who has resigned.
The Michigan Wildlife Council was created to educate about the importance of wildlife conservation and the role of hunters and anglers in preserving Michigan’s great outdoor heritage for future generations.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Kotz Sangster Wysocki PC has announced that attorney Douglas Eyre has joined the firm in its Detroit office. Eyre brings more than 20 years of experience in construction law and commercial litigation to the firm. He plans to continue practicing in these two areas at Kotz Sangster, strengthening the firm’s business law practice.
“I’ve spent my career expanding and refining my legal specialties to where they are today, and I’m eager to bring that expertise to my new role with Kotz Sangster,” Eyre said. “I’m excited to take the next steps of my career as part of this talented team.”
Eyre brings experience both in-house and in private practice emphasizing construction law, real estate law, and commercial litigation, most recently as a partner at a boutique construction law firm. He currently serves as a chair on the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s in-house litigation subcommittee.
Eyre earned his B.A. in Political Science from Western Michigan University and his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. He was also recognized by DBusiness Magazine as a Top Lawyer in Construction Law.
• • •
Foley, Baron, Metzger, & Juip PLLC (FBMJ) is pleased to announce that Silvia Alexandria Mansoor has been elevated to chair of the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section.
As the chair, Mansoor also maintains her seat with the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) Board of Commissioners.
“I’m excited to serve in this role and represent the Young Lawyers Section. I look forward to a great year ahead working on behalf of my peers,” Mansoor said after assuming her new position during the Section’s annual meeting.
Founded in 1940, the Young Lawyers Section is the oldest and one of the largest sections of the State Bar of Michigan. It is comprised of three districts that represent the entirety of the state’s young lawyers. The section regularly carries out legal and public-facing events and provides a great environment to develop leadership within the Michigan legal community. Mansoor has been an active member of the section since 2017.
As a senior associate attorney with the firm, Mansoor defends health care professionals and organizations in complex medical malpractice claims and business dispute claims.
• • •
Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC welcomes litigator Lino A. Taormina to the firm’s Southfield office. Having practiced in Southeast Michigan for more than five years, Taormina primarily represents insurance carriers in first-party no-fault suits, third-party auto negligence suits, and insurance coverage disputes.
His litigation experience also includes Construction defect suits, Premises liability suits, and large loss pre-suit investigations, along with a variety of tort and contract litigation.
Taormina received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2019. While attending law school, he served as law clerk to 38th Circuit Court Judge Daniel S. White. Prior to that, he received his B.S. degree in Accounting from Adrian College.
• • •
Bush Seyferth PLLC is proud to announce the promotion of two new partners: Lena Gonzalez and Ryan Vanderford.
Gonzalez has been with the firm since 2018. She litigates complex commercial and insurance coverage cases in both federal and state courts, representing clients ranging from global manufacturing companies to private individuals. She handles disputes involving commercial contracts, including complex breach of contract and breach of warranty cases, as well as tort defense.
In her insurance coverage practice, Gonzalez represents national insurers in life and auto-insurance no-fault matters. She has served as lead counsel for a national insurance company in defense of false representation claims and for a national manufacturer in breach of contract, breach of warranty, and specific performance cases.
In addition to her practice, Gonzalez serves as BSP Law’s Professional Development & Diversity director. She received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2016.
Vanderford joined the firm in 2021. He focuses his practice representing manufacturers in high-stakes product liability litigation all across the country and also has experience in class action defense, corporate policy holder insurance recovery, mass tort litigation, and white-collar defense.
Vanderford has obtained multiple favorable settlements and dismissals for major automotive manufacturers in high-exposure product liability actions, including cases involving fatalities, traumatic brain injury, and other significant bodily injuries.
In addition to his practice, Vanderford serves as a member of BSP Law’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and participates in the firm’s recruiting efforts. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2015, and his B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2012.
• • •
Honigman is proud to announce that the firm has achieved Mansfield Certification for 2023-2024. Honigman is among more than 360 leading law firms that participated in this year’s Mansfield Certification process.
“We are thrilled to achieve Mansfield Certification for 2023-2024, a milestone that reflects our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within our firm,” said David Foltyn, chair and CEO of Honigman. “This certification not only recognizes our efforts but also motivates us to continue building a workplace that values diverse perspectives and experiences, ultimately better serving our clients and communities.”
• • •
Dykema recently announced the addition of Alison Furtaw as a senior counsel in its Government Investigations and Corporate Compliance Practice in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. Furtaw joins Dykema after serving as assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan for three years. Prior to that, she spent more than a decade serving as assistant attorney general for the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
As a former assistant U.S. attorney and state assistant attorney general, Furtaw has experience handling matters at the federal, state, and local levels. During her tenure as an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan, she investigated and prosecuted several complex federal criminal violations. Furtaw has experience serving the Healthcare Fraud Unit in Detroit. She also has regulatory experience from her 12 years of experience working with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. During her time with the Michigan AG, she prosecuted hundreds of white collar criminal cases and created a position as a cybercrime specialist—prosecuting complicated computer crimes, including a national computer-based Ponzi scheme.
Furtaw’s practice focuses on complex criminal, regulatory, and civil matters, including representing healthcare professionals with licensing issues, issues with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, or billing issues related to Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) investigations.
Before her government service, Furtaw spent seven years in private practice running her own criminal defense practice law firm.
Furtaw earned a law degree from the Detroit College of Law and a B.A. in Communications from Oakland University.
• • •
Taft’s Paytech and Payment Systems chair Nicole Meisner will speak on three separate panels at the upcoming Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) Payments Compliance Conference. The conference will take place in Pentagon City, Virginia, from Oct. 29 to 30.
This two-day conference will provide vital insight and programming from industry visionaries and regulatory leaders to help navigate the complex regulatory landscape.
Meisner, of Taft’s Detroit-Southfield office, counsels a range of companies in the payments and financial services industries, including acquiring banks, payment processors, independent sales organizations (ISOs), payment facilitators, marketplaces, mobile payment providers, financial technology (FinTech) companies, ACH providers, money transmitters, prepaid access providers, and digital currency companies.
A large segment of Meisner’s client base includes software platforms and other SaaS providers that have embedded or integrated payment processing solutions into their core offering.
• • •
Brooks Kushman attorneys Hope Shovein and Erica Klazmer hosted and International Trademark Association (INTA) Roundtable, “Enforcement: AI and Fair Use,” on October 21. This lunch-and-learn session discussed the important questions surrounding IP ownership in AI.
With more than 20 years of IP experience, Shovein manages trademark portfolios and develops IP strategies, including clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and everything in between, for both domestic and multinational companies. She also counsels on brand protection programs utilizing investigations, demand letters, online and social media platform takedowns, domain name complaints, as well as Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings. She specializes in helping clients enforce their rights in any medium, including the unauthorized use of trademarks and copyright-protected material on the internet.
Shovein is a past chair of both the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) Intellectual Property Law Section and also the Young Lawyers Section. She served as a commissioner on the SBM Board of Commissioners. She has been named to World Trademark Review’s “WTR 1000” since 2018.
Klazmer focuses her practice on trademark clearance, prosecution, enforcement, counseling, and portfolio management. She has experience counseling clients in a wide variety of industries, including technology, finance, food and beverage, fashion, consumer products, entertainment, and gaming.
In addition to managing and growing trademark portfolios both domestically and internationally, Klazmer litigates trademark oppositions and cancellations before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and counsels clients on copyright matters. Her transactional intellectual property (IP) experience includes trademark coexistence and consent agreements, as well as trademark and copyright assignment and licensing agreements.
—Military Appeals Tribunal
Robert Gardella is an attorney at law at Robert C. Gardella PLLC. He is a former member of State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners and the former chairperson of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Michigan State University and a law degree from Cooley Law School.
Garella is reappointed as a civilian licensed to practice law in this state for a term commencing October 10, 2024, and expiring April 16, 2027.
The Military Appeals Tribunal has appellate jurisdiction, upon petition of an accused, to hear and review the record in all decisions of a court-martial after the review provided in the Michigan code of military justice.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Statewide Housing Partnership
Brad Ward is currently the vice president of public policy and legal affairs for the Michigan Realtors Association. He previously held a position at the Michigan House of Representatives as a legislative aid to Representative Nancy Cassis. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors Government Affairs Director Advisory Board, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Tax Policy Committee, and the John Drypen Foundation. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political theory and constitutional democracy from Michigan State University and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
Ward is reappointed to represent development associations or organizations, which might include organizations representing realtors, builders, and planners, for a term commencing October 10, 2024, and expiring September 30, 2027.
The Statewide Housing Partnership serves as an advisory body within the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Members include leaders from state, local, and tribal governments, advocates from nonprofit and community organizations, and representatives from the business advocacy world and finance industry.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Wildlife Council
Daniel Cooke is the founder and chief executive officer of Expedition Detroit LLC and the principal attorney of Daniel Cooke Law PLLC. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Michigan State University and received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
Cooke is appointed as an individual with a media or marketing background, who is not an employee of the department, for a term commencing October 10, 2024, and expiring March 31, 2026. He succeeds Thomas Elliot Shafer, who has resigned.
The Michigan Wildlife Council was created to educate about the importance of wildlife conservation and the role of hunters and anglers in preserving Michigan’s great outdoor heritage for future generations.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Kotz Sangster Wysocki PC has announced that attorney Douglas Eyre has joined the firm in its Detroit office. Eyre brings more than 20 years of experience in construction law and commercial litigation to the firm. He plans to continue practicing in these two areas at Kotz Sangster, strengthening the firm’s business law practice.
“I’ve spent my career expanding and refining my legal specialties to where they are today, and I’m eager to bring that expertise to my new role with Kotz Sangster,” Eyre said. “I’m excited to take the next steps of my career as part of this talented team.”
Eyre brings experience both in-house and in private practice emphasizing construction law, real estate law, and commercial litigation, most recently as a partner at a boutique construction law firm. He currently serves as a chair on the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s in-house litigation subcommittee.
Eyre earned his B.A. in Political Science from Western Michigan University and his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. He was also recognized by DBusiness Magazine as a Top Lawyer in Construction Law.
• • •
Foley, Baron, Metzger, & Juip PLLC (FBMJ) is pleased to announce that Silvia Alexandria Mansoor has been elevated to chair of the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section.
As the chair, Mansoor also maintains her seat with the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) Board of Commissioners.
“I’m excited to serve in this role and represent the Young Lawyers Section. I look forward to a great year ahead working on behalf of my peers,” Mansoor said after assuming her new position during the Section’s annual meeting.
Founded in 1940, the Young Lawyers Section is the oldest and one of the largest sections of the State Bar of Michigan. It is comprised of three districts that represent the entirety of the state’s young lawyers. The section regularly carries out legal and public-facing events and provides a great environment to develop leadership within the Michigan legal community. Mansoor has been an active member of the section since 2017.
As a senior associate attorney with the firm, Mansoor defends health care professionals and organizations in complex medical malpractice claims and business dispute claims.
• • •
Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC welcomes litigator Lino A. Taormina to the firm’s Southfield office. Having practiced in Southeast Michigan for more than five years, Taormina primarily represents insurance carriers in first-party no-fault suits, third-party auto negligence suits, and insurance coverage disputes.
His litigation experience also includes Construction defect suits, Premises liability suits, and large loss pre-suit investigations, along with a variety of tort and contract litigation.
Taormina received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2019. While attending law school, he served as law clerk to 38th Circuit Court Judge Daniel S. White. Prior to that, he received his B.S. degree in Accounting from Adrian College.
• • •
Bush Seyferth PLLC is proud to announce the promotion of two new partners: Lena Gonzalez and Ryan Vanderford.
Gonzalez has been with the firm since 2018. She litigates complex commercial and insurance coverage cases in both federal and state courts, representing clients ranging from global manufacturing companies to private individuals. She handles disputes involving commercial contracts, including complex breach of contract and breach of warranty cases, as well as tort defense.
In her insurance coverage practice, Gonzalez represents national insurers in life and auto-insurance no-fault matters. She has served as lead counsel for a national insurance company in defense of false representation claims and for a national manufacturer in breach of contract, breach of warranty, and specific performance cases.
In addition to her practice, Gonzalez serves as BSP Law’s Professional Development & Diversity director. She received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2016.
Vanderford joined the firm in 2021. He focuses his practice representing manufacturers in high-stakes product liability litigation all across the country and also has experience in class action defense, corporate policy holder insurance recovery, mass tort litigation, and white-collar defense.
Vanderford has obtained multiple favorable settlements and dismissals for major automotive manufacturers in high-exposure product liability actions, including cases involving fatalities, traumatic brain injury, and other significant bodily injuries.
In addition to his practice, Vanderford serves as a member of BSP Law’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and participates in the firm’s recruiting efforts. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2015, and his B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2012.
• • •
Honigman is proud to announce that the firm has achieved Mansfield Certification for 2023-2024. Honigman is among more than 360 leading law firms that participated in this year’s Mansfield Certification process.
“We are thrilled to achieve Mansfield Certification for 2023-2024, a milestone that reflects our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within our firm,” said David Foltyn, chair and CEO of Honigman. “This certification not only recognizes our efforts but also motivates us to continue building a workplace that values diverse perspectives and experiences, ultimately better serving our clients and communities.”
• • •
Dykema recently announced the addition of Alison Furtaw as a senior counsel in its Government Investigations and Corporate Compliance Practice in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. Furtaw joins Dykema after serving as assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan for three years. Prior to that, she spent more than a decade serving as assistant attorney general for the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
As a former assistant U.S. attorney and state assistant attorney general, Furtaw has experience handling matters at the federal, state, and local levels. During her tenure as an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan, she investigated and prosecuted several complex federal criminal violations. Furtaw has experience serving the Healthcare Fraud Unit in Detroit. She also has regulatory experience from her 12 years of experience working with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. During her time with the Michigan AG, she prosecuted hundreds of white collar criminal cases and created a position as a cybercrime specialist—prosecuting complicated computer crimes, including a national computer-based Ponzi scheme.
Furtaw’s practice focuses on complex criminal, regulatory, and civil matters, including representing healthcare professionals with licensing issues, issues with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, or billing issues related to Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) investigations.
Before her government service, Furtaw spent seven years in private practice running her own criminal defense practice law firm.
Furtaw earned a law degree from the Detroit College of Law and a B.A. in Communications from Oakland University.
• • •
Taft’s Paytech and Payment Systems chair Nicole Meisner will speak on three separate panels at the upcoming Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) Payments Compliance Conference. The conference will take place in Pentagon City, Virginia, from Oct. 29 to 30.
This two-day conference will provide vital insight and programming from industry visionaries and regulatory leaders to help navigate the complex regulatory landscape.
Meisner, of Taft’s Detroit-Southfield office, counsels a range of companies in the payments and financial services industries, including acquiring banks, payment processors, independent sales organizations (ISOs), payment facilitators, marketplaces, mobile payment providers, financial technology (FinTech) companies, ACH providers, money transmitters, prepaid access providers, and digital currency companies.
A large segment of Meisner’s client base includes software platforms and other SaaS providers that have embedded or integrated payment processing solutions into their core offering.
• • •
Brooks Kushman attorneys Hope Shovein and Erica Klazmer hosted and International Trademark Association (INTA) Roundtable, “Enforcement: AI and Fair Use,” on October 21. This lunch-and-learn session discussed the important questions surrounding IP ownership in AI.
With more than 20 years of IP experience, Shovein manages trademark portfolios and develops IP strategies, including clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and everything in between, for both domestic and multinational companies. She also counsels on brand protection programs utilizing investigations, demand letters, online and social media platform takedowns, domain name complaints, as well as Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings. She specializes in helping clients enforce their rights in any medium, including the unauthorized use of trademarks and copyright-protected material on the internet.
Shovein is a past chair of both the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) Intellectual Property Law Section and also the Young Lawyers Section. She served as a commissioner on the SBM Board of Commissioners. She has been named to World Trademark Review’s “WTR 1000” since 2018.
Klazmer focuses her practice on trademark clearance, prosecution, enforcement, counseling, and portfolio management. She has experience counseling clients in a wide variety of industries, including technology, finance, food and beverage, fashion, consumer products, entertainment, and gaming.
In addition to managing and growing trademark portfolios both domestically and internationally, Klazmer litigates trademark oppositions and cancellations before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and counsels clients on copyright matters. Her transactional intellectual property (IP) experience includes trademark coexistence and consent agreements, as well as trademark and copyright assignment and licensing agreements.
