Attorney Michael P. Donnelly has joined Butzel as a
shareholder in the firm’s Troy office. During his career, Donnelly has
represented clients before all state and federal courts in Michigan
including the Michigan Supreme Court. He has handled a range of matters
including complex real estate dealings, insurance fraud, industrial
leasing, and gaming related matters.
Donnelly has been recognized throughout his career in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Business Litigation by regional and national legal publications. He has authored and contributed to publications on the topics of Antitrust, Consumer Protection, and Landlord-Tenant Law.
His honors include The Best Lawyers in America® – Commercial Litigation, 2025, Leading Lawyers – Commercial Litigation, 2018, 2025, Michigan Super Lawyers – Business Litigation, 2014-2024, Michigan Lawyers Weekly – Leaders in the Law, 2015, DBusiness – Top Lawyers – Commercial Litigation, 2013, Martindale Hubbell® – AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated, and BTI Client Service All-Star, 2011.
He is a member of several bar associations and has served in numerous leadership positions. Donnelly currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association and is a former Chair of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He also has served in leadership positions with several professional organizations.
Donnelly earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a B.A. from Michigan State University.
• • •
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has welcomed Robert J. Cambridge as senior counsel.
Cambridge represents business clients with a practice focused on general corporate and business counseling, mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and corporate governance. He also has experience advising investment companies, investment advisors and broker-dealers on regulatory compliance, fund formation and venture capital financing. Cambridge joined Warner’s Corporate Practice Group and is based in the firm’s Detroit office.
Cambridge joined Warner after spending nine years with Bodman PLC. Earlier in his career, he was an associate attorney with a midsize business law firm in Akron, Ohio, and with a boutique business law firm in Cleveland. He also served as a law clerk to the U.S. Department of Justice for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a judicial intern for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the late Judge Randolph Baxter, both in Cleveland.
Cambridge received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from Cleveland State University College of Law. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers® for his work in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions and selected as a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star. He has also been named to DBusiness Top Lawyers in each of the past three years. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan.
• • •
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that five attorneys in Michigan have been ranked in the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000. The firm also received a Silver ranking for its Patent practice in Michigan.
Below are Dickinson Wright’s rankings for the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000:
Michigan
John S. Artz – Litigation: Gold
James Cleland – Litigation: Silver
William H. Honaker – Litigation: Silver and Prosecution: Highly Recommended
Richard Jones – Transaction: Recommended
Michael N. Spink – Prosecution: Recommended
Dickinson Wright is also pleased to announce that Chambers & Partners has ranked ten of the firm’s practices in Michigan and several of the firm’s Michigan attorneys in the 2025 Chambers USA Guide.
Below is a list of Dickinson Wright practices that are listed in Chambers USA 2025:
—Michigan
Banking & Finance (Band 1)
Bankruptcy & Restructuring (Band 1)
Corporate/M&A
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Band 1)
Immigration
Intellectual Property
Labor & Employment
Litigation: General Commercial (Band 1)
Public Finance (Band 1)
Real Estate (Band 1)
Below is a list of local Dickinson Wright attorneys who are listed in Chambers USA 2025:
—Banking and Finance
Craig W. Hammond, Troy
William P. Shield Jr., Detroit (Star Individual)
Rachel Wolock, Detroit
—Bankruptcy & Restructuring
Steven G. Howell, Detroit (Senior Statesperson)
James A. Plemmons, Detroit (Band 1)
Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Detroit (Band 1)
—Cannabis: Eastern US – Nationwide
Benjamin M. Sobczak, Troy
—Corporate/M&A
Andrew W. MacLeod, Detroit
—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Deborah L. Grace, Troy
Roberta P. Granadier, Troy
Eric W. Gregory, Troy
Cynthia A. Moore, Troy
—Intellectual Property
William H. Honaker, Troy
—Labor & Employment
Angelina Delmastro, Detroit
Timothy H. Howlett, Detroit (Band 1)
—Litigation: General Commercial
James A. Martone, Troy
Daniel D. Quick, Troy (Band 1)
—Public Finance
Laura M. Bassett, Troy
Craig W. Hammond, Troy (Band 1)
—Real Estate Law
Monica J. Labe, Troy (Band 1)
Michael J. Lusardi, Troy
Dawn Faxon Singer, Troy
Katheryne L. Zelenock, Troy
• • •
Bloom Sluggett PC is pleased to announce that Michael J. Watza has joined the firm, bringing more than three decades of legal experience focused on complex litigation, legislative strategy, and regulatory solutions for public and private sector clients across Michigan and beyond.
Recognized as a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ attorney, a Super Lawyer since 2007, and a Detroit Business Top Lawyer in Energy, Government, and Product Liability, Watza has built a career at the intersection of law, government, technology, and infrastructure.
Watza’s practice centers on delivering strategic legal solutions in telecommunications (including cable, wireless, and broadband), municipal governance, energy, insurance, and gaming. He currently serves as Counsel to PROTEC, a consortium representing more than 100 Michigan municipalities, and to Merit Network, a nonprofit governed by Michigan’s public universities that has helped shape the nation’s digital infrastructure since 1966.
In addition to his legal practice, Watza has served on several boards and commissions. He chairs the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s Telecommunications Committee, the Novi Economic Development Corporation, and Panel #9 of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. He also serves on the Michigan State Bar Government Law Section Council. Watza was appointed twice to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, serving for eight years under governors Granholm and Snyder.
His work in advancing municipal broadband access includes legal leadership on Michigan’s first Municipal Fiber-to-the-Premises Broadband Project and he continues as counsel on broadband development projects across the state. Watza has also been a registered Michigan lobbyist and has provided legislative testimony on a range of public policy issues.
Watza has taught at Michigan State University College of Law and the MSU Institute for Public Utilities, sharing his knowledge in communications law, public utility policy, and legal ethics.
He is admitted to practice in Michigan, multiple federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. With Watza’s addition, the firm has opened a new office located at 400 Rensissance Center, in the heart of Detroit.
• • •
Senior attorney Simone R. Fabiilli recently joined the Torts & Litigation and Commercial Litigation practice groups of Plunkett Cooney.
Fabiilli is an experienced litigator who defends insurance-related matters involving premises liability, general negligence, real estate professional liability, employment liability, and first- and third-party auto accident claims. She also has experience handling contractual and other business disputes.
Admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan, Fabiilli is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as the executive board vice president of the Italian American Bar Association of Michigan. Fabiilli is a 2016 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 2013.
• • •
McDonald Hopkins is pleased to announce local attorneys and practice areas that have been recognized by Chambers USA in its 2025 guide:
Stephen Gross - Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Dominic Paluzzi - Ranked nationally for Privacy & Data Security: Cybersecurity
Antoinette Pilzner - Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• • •
Honigman LLP was honored with rankings from Chambers USA 2025 across Illinois and Michigan for excellence in 11 practice areas as well as rankings for 29 of its lawyers. Honigman achieved “Band 1” rankings across six practice areas. Of its ranked attorneys, nearly half attained a “Band 1” rating.
Chambers awarded the highest “Band 1” ranking on the following Honigman practices regionally in Michigan:
• Bankruptcy/Restructuring
• Corporate/M&A
• Insurance
• Intellectual Property
• Litigation: General Commercial
• Real Estate
Also in Michigan, Honigman earned rankings for its Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation* and Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations* practices (both newly ranked this year) as well as for its Immigration and Labor & Employment practices.
The following Honigman lawyers were ranked in this year’s guide:
—Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Michigan)**
Barbara Kaye
E. Todd Sable**
Glenn Walter
—Corporate/M&A (Michigan)**
Barbara Kaye
David Foltyn (Eminent Practitioners)
Donald Kunz (Senior Statespeople)
Joshua Opperer*
Michael D. DuBay
Philip D. Torrence
Tracy T. Larsen**
—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Michigan)*
Samantha Kopacz
—Immigration (Michigan)
Carol Friend**
Meghan Covino**
Sarah Iyer* (Up and Coming)
—Insurance (Michigan)**
Sara J. Brundage**
—Intellectual Property (Michigan)**
Anessa Kramer**
Deborah Swedlow*
Heidi Berven*
J. Michael Huget**
Jonathan O’Brien**
—Labor & Employment (Michigan)
Sean Crotty
—Litigation: General Commercial (Michigan)**
I.W. Winsten**
Jeffrey Lamb*
Joseph Aviv
—Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Michigan)*
Mark Pendery
Matthew Schneider**
—Real Estate (Michigan)**
J. Adam Rothstein
Karen R. Pifer
Lowell D. Salesin**
*Indicates a new ranking
** Indicates a Band 1 ranking
• • •
The D. Augustus Straker Bar Association is proud to recognize Arnold E. Reed on June 19 at the 31st Annual Trailblazers Award & Scholarship Ceremony for his advocacy, legal excellence, and commitment to justice at both the local and national levels.
A trial attorney, Reed began his legal career as a law clerk on the Michigan Supreme Court, serving both Justice Dennis Archer and Chief Justice Conrad Mallett. His litigation record spans decades of high-profile work, including representing the late Congressman John Conyers Jr. and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in landmark cases.
Reed has been named Lawyer of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, a Leader in the Law (2018), and a Michigan Super Lawyer (2021). His work has been featured on “60 Minutes,” “Dateline NBC,” “Meet the Press,” and Amazon Prime, and profiled in Bloomberg Markets Magazine and Crain’s Detroit Business as one of Michigan’s top business leaders under 40.
Beyond the courtroom, Reed has published articles on police discretion and misconduct, served on the Board of Pediatric Medicine and Surgery by gubernatorial appointment, and now teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School.
• • •
Bodman PLC is proud to share that it has once again been rated as one of Michigan’s top business law firms by Chambers USA.
In the recently released 2025 edition, Chambers placed Bodman in “band one” for Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, and Insurance. Bodman has been ranked in “band one” for Banking & Finance continuously for over two decades.
Chambers also ranked Bodman among Michigan’s top law firms for Corporate/M&A, Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial, and Real Estate.
Local Bodman attorneys were recognized as leaders in eight practice areas, including:
—Banking & Finance
David C. Bosman, Kathleen O’Callaghan Hickey, Joseph J. Kochanek, Adam B. Norlander, and Larry R. Shulman
—Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Robert J. Diehl, Jr., Ralph E. McDowell, Brian R. Trumbauer, and Jaimee L. Witten
—Corporate/M&A
Gene P. Bowen, and Mark W. Peters
—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
David B. Walters
—Insurance
Michael G. Costello and Michelle Thurber Czapski
—Labor & Employment
John C. Cashen, Gary S. Fealk, and Aaron D. Graves
—Litigation: General Commercial
Michelle Thurber Czapski, Jeffrey G. Raphelson, and Joseph J. Shannon
—Real Estate
Michael B. Peterman, Nicholas P. Scavone Jr., and Andrew Z. Spilkin
• • •
Miller Canfield is proud to announce that Saul A. Green has been named a 2025 Michigan Chronicle Men of Excellence honoree.
Green has dedicated his life to service to the community and excellence in the practice of law. A lifetime Detroiter, he is a member of Miller Canfield’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group.
Early in his career, Green worked as an assistant U.S. attorney. In 1976 he took the job of chief counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Later, he was hired to serve as Wayne County Corporation Counsel. Then in 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, where Green counted among his biggest accomplishments the relationship-building he did between the justice department and the police, and the work he did in raising law enforcement awareness and sensitivity to racial profiling.
Green joined Miller Canfield in Detroit in 2001 and took the lead in the firm’s minority business group and its white-collar crime practice. He was enjoying the career of a successful litigator when duty called him back to the public sector, and he went to work in 2008 as deputy mayor under the city’s recently elected then-mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. Green was asked to do the job for his ability to work with federal investigators who were looking into city affairs, and for his well-earned reputation for being a man of high ethical standards. He served during the early part of newly elected Mayor Dave Bing’s term and returned to Miller Canfield in 2012.
Green’s work since his return to the firm has included working with police departments, including Cincinnati and Los Angeles, in compliance with settlements following police misconduct claims, leading the charge in reforming police departments to better serve communities, particularly communities that are home to large numbers of people of color.
Green is a past president of the Wolverine Bar Association. He is a recipient of the Damon J. Keith Community Spirit Award, State Bar Champion of Justice Award, Federal Bar Association’s Wade Hampton McCree Jr. and Cook Friedman Civility Awards, and Lawyer of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, which also inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
• • •
Dykema recently announced that it received 35 individual attorney rankings and 18 practice area rankings in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guide. The firm received national rankings in four practice areas and seven individual attorney rankings.
Chambers USA recognized the following local Dykema practices:
—Michigan
Corporate/M&A
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Energy & Natural Resources
Labor & Employment
Litigation: General Commercial
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Public Finance
Real Estate
Chambers USA recognized the following local Dykema attorneys, as identified by jurisdiction and practice area:
—USA - Nationwide
Michael Cooney—Product Liability: Automobile
James P. Feeney—Product Liability: Automobile
Brett M. Gelbord—Psychedelics Law
—Michigan
Jennifer Beidel—Litigation – White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Michael Bernard—Corporate/M&A
Amy M. Christen—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Mark Chutkow—Litigation – White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Michael P. Cooney—Litigation: General Commercial
Adam M. Fishkind—Real Estate
James P. Feeney—Litigation: General Commercial
Kyle R. Hauberg—Real Estate
James F. Hermon—Labor & Employment
• • •
Chambers USA has named several local Clark Hill attorneys “Leaders in their Field” in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Daniel Bretz is ranked as Senior Statespeople for Labor & Employment (Michigan). He represents major private employers in various aspects of labor and employment law.
Edward Hammond is ranked in Band 3 for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Michigan). He assists clients with all aspects of their qualified and non-qualified retirement plans.
Christopher McMican is ranked in Band 2 for Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation (Michigan). He assists employers with retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and compensation packages.
Daniel Minkus is ranked in Band 2 for Corporate/M&A (Michigan). Minkus advises commercial clients with mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, as well as business planning, joint ventures, governance, supply chain agreements, and various other contracts.
Michael Nowlan is ranked in Band 1 for Immigration (Michigan) and Band 2 for Immigration (Nationwide). Nowlan assists corporate clients in securing and extending U.S. work status, typically on a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa, for existing or proposed foreign national employees.
Christopher Trebilcock is ranked in Band 4 for Labor & Employment (Michigan). He litigates labor and employment disputes in federal and state courts and administrative agencies across the country on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, and medium and small employers, including governmental agencies.
Anne-Marie Vercruysse Welch is ranked in Band 2 for Labor & Employment (Michigan). She defends employers in lawsuits and administrative proceedings against wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and related statutory and tort claims.
In addition, Clark Hill has achieved the following local department rankings by Chambers:
Corporate/M&A (Michigan) – Band 4
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Michigan) – Band 3
Immigration (Michigan) – Band 2
Labor & Employment (Michigan) – Band 2
• • •
Taft’s Intellectual Property practice and attorneys have been recognized in 2025 IP Stars by Managing Intellectual Property magazine. Thomas Bejin was named a “Patent Star” for Michigan and Jeremy D. Bisdorf was selected as “Notable Practitioner.”
In addition, Taft has been recognized in the Chambers USA 2025 Guide with 108 attorneys and 45 practices ranked.
In Michigan, Taft was named a leading firm in the practice areas of Corporate/M&A*, Litigation: General Commercial*, and Real Estate.
The following local Taft attorneys were named leaders in their field:
Jordan S. Bolton*—Litigation: General Commercial
Mark P. Krysinski—Real Estate
Mark D. Rubenfire—Real Estate
Jeffrey Weiss*—Corporate/ M&A
Richard A. Zussman—Real Estate
* indicates a new practice area or honoree.
• • •
On May 14, Kitch Attorneys & Counselors’ Jenna Wright Greenman, Lindsay Rose, and Laura Sherbrook presented to second-year OB/GYN residents at the annual Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education (“SEMCME”) session titled, “Medical and Legal Considerations in OB/GYN” at Corewell Health William Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak. Wright-Greenman, Rose, and Sherbrook presented on topics including fetal heart tracing interpretation, GYN surgical complications, defending a lawsuit, and shoulder dystocia deliveries.
Greenman is an experienced litigator and trial attorney, and a principal in the firm’s Detroit office, sharing a leadership role and serving as the Detroit office’s contact in birth trauma and medical malpractice defense practice. As an attorney practicing for more than 25 years, she has experience representing hospitals, physicians and other healthcare professionals in perinatal injury, complex catastrophic brain damage cases, neurology, neurosurgery, and all types of malpractice claims.
Rose is a principal in the firm’s Detroit office. As a member of the firm’s birth injury and medical malpractice defense practices, she specializes in the defense of local hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare professionals in complex, catastrophic medical malpractice litigation.
Sherbrook is a principal in the firm’s Detroit office and focuses her practice on birth trauma and medical malpractice defense litigation. She specializes in the defense of local hospitals, physicians and other healthcare professionals. Sherbrook was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Kitch also extends its congratulations to Ron Wagner on his 50 years in the legal profession and his golden anniversary with the firm. Wagner has been a member of Kitch since June 16, 1975, serving as the managing principal and chairperson from 1999 to 2014. Additionally, his legal practice is primarily focused on medical malpractice defense litigation and product liability litigation. His experience includes serving as the national lead attorney for Owens Corning in nationwide asbestos litigation.
Throughout his tenure at the firm, Wagner has played a role in its expansion, contributing to the growth of the firm to over one hundred attorneys and the establishment of several offices in the Midwest. Kitch is proud of Wagner’s leadership and the numerous accomplishments that have garnered recognition from his peers, clients, and so many others over the years and thank him for his dedication to 50 years in law and with the firm.
The State Bar of Michigan held its annual 50-Year Golden Celebration luncheon last month at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth to honor attorneys who have been State Bar members since 1975.
• • •
Brooks Kushman is proud to announce that the firm has been awarded the Gold standard in the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.
In addition to the firm’s Gold ranking, several Brooks Kushman attorneys were individually recognized for their outstanding work:
Sangeeta Shah – Silver in Litigation; Highly Recommended in Prosecution
Matthew Jakubowski – Recommended in Prosecution
Michael Brodbine – Highly Recommended in Prosecution
John LeRoy – Silver in Litigation
Tiffany Fidler – Recommended in Prosecution
Marc Lorelli – Gold in Litigation
Frank Angileri – Gold in Litigation
Benjamin Stasa – Recommended in Prosecution
Rachel Smith – Recommended in Prosecution
Martin Sultana – Recommended in Prosecution
Charles Bieneman – Recommended in Prosecution
Donnelly has been recognized throughout his career in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Business Litigation by regional and national legal publications. He has authored and contributed to publications on the topics of Antitrust, Consumer Protection, and Landlord-Tenant Law.
His honors include The Best Lawyers in America® – Commercial Litigation, 2025, Leading Lawyers – Commercial Litigation, 2018, 2025, Michigan Super Lawyers – Business Litigation, 2014-2024, Michigan Lawyers Weekly – Leaders in the Law, 2015, DBusiness – Top Lawyers – Commercial Litigation, 2013, Martindale Hubbell® – AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated, and BTI Client Service All-Star, 2011.
He is a member of several bar associations and has served in numerous leadership positions. Donnelly currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association and is a former Chair of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He also has served in leadership positions with several professional organizations.
Donnelly earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a B.A. from Michigan State University.
• • •
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has welcomed Robert J. Cambridge as senior counsel.
Cambridge represents business clients with a practice focused on general corporate and business counseling, mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and corporate governance. He also has experience advising investment companies, investment advisors and broker-dealers on regulatory compliance, fund formation and venture capital financing. Cambridge joined Warner’s Corporate Practice Group and is based in the firm’s Detroit office.
Cambridge joined Warner after spending nine years with Bodman PLC. Earlier in his career, he was an associate attorney with a midsize business law firm in Akron, Ohio, and with a boutique business law firm in Cleveland. He also served as a law clerk to the U.S. Department of Justice for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a judicial intern for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the late Judge Randolph Baxter, both in Cleveland.
Cambridge received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from Cleveland State University College of Law. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers® for his work in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions and selected as a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star. He has also been named to DBusiness Top Lawyers in each of the past three years. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan.
• • •
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that five attorneys in Michigan have been ranked in the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000. The firm also received a Silver ranking for its Patent practice in Michigan.
Below are Dickinson Wright’s rankings for the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000:
Michigan
John S. Artz – Litigation: Gold
James Cleland – Litigation: Silver
William H. Honaker – Litigation: Silver and Prosecution: Highly Recommended
Richard Jones – Transaction: Recommended
Michael N. Spink – Prosecution: Recommended
Dickinson Wright is also pleased to announce that Chambers & Partners has ranked ten of the firm’s practices in Michigan and several of the firm’s Michigan attorneys in the 2025 Chambers USA Guide.
Below is a list of Dickinson Wright practices that are listed in Chambers USA 2025:
—Michigan
Banking & Finance (Band 1)
Bankruptcy & Restructuring (Band 1)
Corporate/M&A
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Band 1)
Immigration
Intellectual Property
Labor & Employment
Litigation: General Commercial (Band 1)
Public Finance (Band 1)
Real Estate (Band 1)
Below is a list of local Dickinson Wright attorneys who are listed in Chambers USA 2025:
—Banking and Finance
Craig W. Hammond, Troy
William P. Shield Jr., Detroit (Star Individual)
Rachel Wolock, Detroit
—Bankruptcy & Restructuring
Steven G. Howell, Detroit (Senior Statesperson)
James A. Plemmons, Detroit (Band 1)
Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Detroit (Band 1)
—Cannabis: Eastern US – Nationwide
Benjamin M. Sobczak, Troy
—Corporate/M&A
Andrew W. MacLeod, Detroit
—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Deborah L. Grace, Troy
Roberta P. Granadier, Troy
Eric W. Gregory, Troy
Cynthia A. Moore, Troy
—Intellectual Property
William H. Honaker, Troy
—Labor & Employment
Angelina Delmastro, Detroit
Timothy H. Howlett, Detroit (Band 1)
—Litigation: General Commercial
James A. Martone, Troy
Daniel D. Quick, Troy (Band 1)
—Public Finance
Laura M. Bassett, Troy
Craig W. Hammond, Troy (Band 1)
—Real Estate Law
Monica J. Labe, Troy (Band 1)
Michael J. Lusardi, Troy
Dawn Faxon Singer, Troy
Katheryne L. Zelenock, Troy
• • •
Bloom Sluggett PC is pleased to announce that Michael J. Watza has joined the firm, bringing more than three decades of legal experience focused on complex litigation, legislative strategy, and regulatory solutions for public and private sector clients across Michigan and beyond.
Recognized as a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ attorney, a Super Lawyer since 2007, and a Detroit Business Top Lawyer in Energy, Government, and Product Liability, Watza has built a career at the intersection of law, government, technology, and infrastructure.
Watza’s practice centers on delivering strategic legal solutions in telecommunications (including cable, wireless, and broadband), municipal governance, energy, insurance, and gaming. He currently serves as Counsel to PROTEC, a consortium representing more than 100 Michigan municipalities, and to Merit Network, a nonprofit governed by Michigan’s public universities that has helped shape the nation’s digital infrastructure since 1966.
In addition to his legal practice, Watza has served on several boards and commissions. He chairs the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s Telecommunications Committee, the Novi Economic Development Corporation, and Panel #9 of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. He also serves on the Michigan State Bar Government Law Section Council. Watza was appointed twice to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, serving for eight years under governors Granholm and Snyder.
His work in advancing municipal broadband access includes legal leadership on Michigan’s first Municipal Fiber-to-the-Premises Broadband Project and he continues as counsel on broadband development projects across the state. Watza has also been a registered Michigan lobbyist and has provided legislative testimony on a range of public policy issues.
Watza has taught at Michigan State University College of Law and the MSU Institute for Public Utilities, sharing his knowledge in communications law, public utility policy, and legal ethics.
He is admitted to practice in Michigan, multiple federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. With Watza’s addition, the firm has opened a new office located at 400 Rensissance Center, in the heart of Detroit.
• • •
Senior attorney Simone R. Fabiilli recently joined the Torts & Litigation and Commercial Litigation practice groups of Plunkett Cooney.
Fabiilli is an experienced litigator who defends insurance-related matters involving premises liability, general negligence, real estate professional liability, employment liability, and first- and third-party auto accident claims. She also has experience handling contractual and other business disputes.
Admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan, Fabiilli is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as the executive board vice president of the Italian American Bar Association of Michigan. Fabiilli is a 2016 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 2013.
• • •
McDonald Hopkins is pleased to announce local attorneys and practice areas that have been recognized by Chambers USA in its 2025 guide:
Stephen Gross - Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Dominic Paluzzi - Ranked nationally for Privacy & Data Security: Cybersecurity
Antoinette Pilzner - Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• • •
Honigman LLP was honored with rankings from Chambers USA 2025 across Illinois and Michigan for excellence in 11 practice areas as well as rankings for 29 of its lawyers. Honigman achieved “Band 1” rankings across six practice areas. Of its ranked attorneys, nearly half attained a “Band 1” rating.
Chambers awarded the highest “Band 1” ranking on the following Honigman practices regionally in Michigan:
• Bankruptcy/Restructuring
• Corporate/M&A
• Insurance
• Intellectual Property
• Litigation: General Commercial
• Real Estate
Also in Michigan, Honigman earned rankings for its Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation* and Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations* practices (both newly ranked this year) as well as for its Immigration and Labor & Employment practices.
The following Honigman lawyers were ranked in this year’s guide:
—Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Michigan)**
Barbara Kaye
E. Todd Sable**
Glenn Walter
—Corporate/M&A (Michigan)**
Barbara Kaye
David Foltyn (Eminent Practitioners)
Donald Kunz (Senior Statespeople)
Joshua Opperer*
Michael D. DuBay
Philip D. Torrence
Tracy T. Larsen**
—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Michigan)*
Samantha Kopacz
—Immigration (Michigan)
Carol Friend**
Meghan Covino**
Sarah Iyer* (Up and Coming)
—Insurance (Michigan)**
Sara J. Brundage**
—Intellectual Property (Michigan)**
Anessa Kramer**
Deborah Swedlow*
Heidi Berven*
J. Michael Huget**
Jonathan O’Brien**
—Labor & Employment (Michigan)
Sean Crotty
—Litigation: General Commercial (Michigan)**
I.W. Winsten**
Jeffrey Lamb*
Joseph Aviv
—Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Michigan)*
Mark Pendery
Matthew Schneider**
—Real Estate (Michigan)**
J. Adam Rothstein
Karen R. Pifer
Lowell D. Salesin**
*Indicates a new ranking
** Indicates a Band 1 ranking
• • •
The D. Augustus Straker Bar Association is proud to recognize Arnold E. Reed on June 19 at the 31st Annual Trailblazers Award & Scholarship Ceremony for his advocacy, legal excellence, and commitment to justice at both the local and national levels.
A trial attorney, Reed began his legal career as a law clerk on the Michigan Supreme Court, serving both Justice Dennis Archer and Chief Justice Conrad Mallett. His litigation record spans decades of high-profile work, including representing the late Congressman John Conyers Jr. and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in landmark cases.
Reed has been named Lawyer of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, a Leader in the Law (2018), and a Michigan Super Lawyer (2021). His work has been featured on “60 Minutes,” “Dateline NBC,” “Meet the Press,” and Amazon Prime, and profiled in Bloomberg Markets Magazine and Crain’s Detroit Business as one of Michigan’s top business leaders under 40.
Beyond the courtroom, Reed has published articles on police discretion and misconduct, served on the Board of Pediatric Medicine and Surgery by gubernatorial appointment, and now teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School.
• • •
Bodman PLC is proud to share that it has once again been rated as one of Michigan’s top business law firms by Chambers USA.
In the recently released 2025 edition, Chambers placed Bodman in “band one” for Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, and Insurance. Bodman has been ranked in “band one” for Banking & Finance continuously for over two decades.
Chambers also ranked Bodman among Michigan’s top law firms for Corporate/M&A, Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial, and Real Estate.
Local Bodman attorneys were recognized as leaders in eight practice areas, including:
—Banking & Finance
David C. Bosman, Kathleen O’Callaghan Hickey, Joseph J. Kochanek, Adam B. Norlander, and Larry R. Shulman
—Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Robert J. Diehl, Jr., Ralph E. McDowell, Brian R. Trumbauer, and Jaimee L. Witten
—Corporate/M&A
Gene P. Bowen, and Mark W. Peters
—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
David B. Walters
—Insurance
Michael G. Costello and Michelle Thurber Czapski
—Labor & Employment
John C. Cashen, Gary S. Fealk, and Aaron D. Graves
—Litigation: General Commercial
Michelle Thurber Czapski, Jeffrey G. Raphelson, and Joseph J. Shannon
—Real Estate
Michael B. Peterman, Nicholas P. Scavone Jr., and Andrew Z. Spilkin
• • •
Miller Canfield is proud to announce that Saul A. Green has been named a 2025 Michigan Chronicle Men of Excellence honoree.
Green has dedicated his life to service to the community and excellence in the practice of law. A lifetime Detroiter, he is a member of Miller Canfield’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group.
Early in his career, Green worked as an assistant U.S. attorney. In 1976 he took the job of chief counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Later, he was hired to serve as Wayne County Corporation Counsel. Then in 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, where Green counted among his biggest accomplishments the relationship-building he did between the justice department and the police, and the work he did in raising law enforcement awareness and sensitivity to racial profiling.
Green joined Miller Canfield in Detroit in 2001 and took the lead in the firm’s minority business group and its white-collar crime practice. He was enjoying the career of a successful litigator when duty called him back to the public sector, and he went to work in 2008 as deputy mayor under the city’s recently elected then-mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. Green was asked to do the job for his ability to work with federal investigators who were looking into city affairs, and for his well-earned reputation for being a man of high ethical standards. He served during the early part of newly elected Mayor Dave Bing’s term and returned to Miller Canfield in 2012.
Green’s work since his return to the firm has included working with police departments, including Cincinnati and Los Angeles, in compliance with settlements following police misconduct claims, leading the charge in reforming police departments to better serve communities, particularly communities that are home to large numbers of people of color.
Green is a past president of the Wolverine Bar Association. He is a recipient of the Damon J. Keith Community Spirit Award, State Bar Champion of Justice Award, Federal Bar Association’s Wade Hampton McCree Jr. and Cook Friedman Civility Awards, and Lawyer of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, which also inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
• • •
Dykema recently announced that it received 35 individual attorney rankings and 18 practice area rankings in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guide. The firm received national rankings in four practice areas and seven individual attorney rankings.
Chambers USA recognized the following local Dykema practices:
—Michigan
Corporate/M&A
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Energy & Natural Resources
Labor & Employment
Litigation: General Commercial
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Public Finance
Real Estate
Chambers USA recognized the following local Dykema attorneys, as identified by jurisdiction and practice area:
—USA - Nationwide
Michael Cooney—Product Liability: Automobile
James P. Feeney—Product Liability: Automobile
Brett M. Gelbord—Psychedelics Law
—Michigan
Jennifer Beidel—Litigation – White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Michael Bernard—Corporate/M&A
Amy M. Christen—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Mark Chutkow—Litigation – White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Michael P. Cooney—Litigation: General Commercial
Adam M. Fishkind—Real Estate
James P. Feeney—Litigation: General Commercial
Kyle R. Hauberg—Real Estate
James F. Hermon—Labor & Employment
• • •
Chambers USA has named several local Clark Hill attorneys “Leaders in their Field” in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Daniel Bretz is ranked as Senior Statespeople for Labor & Employment (Michigan). He represents major private employers in various aspects of labor and employment law.
Edward Hammond is ranked in Band 3 for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Michigan). He assists clients with all aspects of their qualified and non-qualified retirement plans.
Christopher McMican is ranked in Band 2 for Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation (Michigan). He assists employers with retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and compensation packages.
Daniel Minkus is ranked in Band 2 for Corporate/M&A (Michigan). Minkus advises commercial clients with mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, as well as business planning, joint ventures, governance, supply chain agreements, and various other contracts.
Michael Nowlan is ranked in Band 1 for Immigration (Michigan) and Band 2 for Immigration (Nationwide). Nowlan assists corporate clients in securing and extending U.S. work status, typically on a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa, for existing or proposed foreign national employees.
Christopher Trebilcock is ranked in Band 4 for Labor & Employment (Michigan). He litigates labor and employment disputes in federal and state courts and administrative agencies across the country on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, and medium and small employers, including governmental agencies.
Anne-Marie Vercruysse Welch is ranked in Band 2 for Labor & Employment (Michigan). She defends employers in lawsuits and administrative proceedings against wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and related statutory and tort claims.
In addition, Clark Hill has achieved the following local department rankings by Chambers:
Corporate/M&A (Michigan) – Band 4
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Michigan) – Band 3
Immigration (Michigan) – Band 2
Labor & Employment (Michigan) – Band 2
• • •
Taft’s Intellectual Property practice and attorneys have been recognized in 2025 IP Stars by Managing Intellectual Property magazine. Thomas Bejin was named a “Patent Star” for Michigan and Jeremy D. Bisdorf was selected as “Notable Practitioner.”
In addition, Taft has been recognized in the Chambers USA 2025 Guide with 108 attorneys and 45 practices ranked.
In Michigan, Taft was named a leading firm in the practice areas of Corporate/M&A*, Litigation: General Commercial*, and Real Estate.
The following local Taft attorneys were named leaders in their field:
Jordan S. Bolton*—Litigation: General Commercial
Mark P. Krysinski—Real Estate
Mark D. Rubenfire—Real Estate
Jeffrey Weiss*—Corporate/ M&A
Richard A. Zussman—Real Estate
* indicates a new practice area or honoree.
• • •
On May 14, Kitch Attorneys & Counselors’ Jenna Wright Greenman, Lindsay Rose, and Laura Sherbrook presented to second-year OB/GYN residents at the annual Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education (“SEMCME”) session titled, “Medical and Legal Considerations in OB/GYN” at Corewell Health William Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak. Wright-Greenman, Rose, and Sherbrook presented on topics including fetal heart tracing interpretation, GYN surgical complications, defending a lawsuit, and shoulder dystocia deliveries.
Greenman is an experienced litigator and trial attorney, and a principal in the firm’s Detroit office, sharing a leadership role and serving as the Detroit office’s contact in birth trauma and medical malpractice defense practice. As an attorney practicing for more than 25 years, she has experience representing hospitals, physicians and other healthcare professionals in perinatal injury, complex catastrophic brain damage cases, neurology, neurosurgery, and all types of malpractice claims.
Rose is a principal in the firm’s Detroit office. As a member of the firm’s birth injury and medical malpractice defense practices, she specializes in the defense of local hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare professionals in complex, catastrophic medical malpractice litigation.
Sherbrook is a principal in the firm’s Detroit office and focuses her practice on birth trauma and medical malpractice defense litigation. She specializes in the defense of local hospitals, physicians and other healthcare professionals. Sherbrook was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Kitch also extends its congratulations to Ron Wagner on his 50 years in the legal profession and his golden anniversary with the firm. Wagner has been a member of Kitch since June 16, 1975, serving as the managing principal and chairperson from 1999 to 2014. Additionally, his legal practice is primarily focused on medical malpractice defense litigation and product liability litigation. His experience includes serving as the national lead attorney for Owens Corning in nationwide asbestos litigation.
Throughout his tenure at the firm, Wagner has played a role in its expansion, contributing to the growth of the firm to over one hundred attorneys and the establishment of several offices in the Midwest. Kitch is proud of Wagner’s leadership and the numerous accomplishments that have garnered recognition from his peers, clients, and so many others over the years and thank him for his dedication to 50 years in law and with the firm.
The State Bar of Michigan held its annual 50-Year Golden Celebration luncheon last month at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth to honor attorneys who have been State Bar members since 1975.
• • •
Brooks Kushman is proud to announce that the firm has been awarded the Gold standard in the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.
In addition to the firm’s Gold ranking, several Brooks Kushman attorneys were individually recognized for their outstanding work:
Sangeeta Shah – Silver in Litigation; Highly Recommended in Prosecution
Matthew Jakubowski – Recommended in Prosecution
Michael Brodbine – Highly Recommended in Prosecution
John LeRoy – Silver in Litigation
Tiffany Fidler – Recommended in Prosecution
Marc Lorelli – Gold in Litigation
Frank Angileri – Gold in Litigation
Benjamin Stasa – Recommended in Prosecution
Rachel Smith – Recommended in Prosecution
Martin Sultana – Recommended in Prosecution
Charles Bieneman – Recommended in Prosecution
