Butzel attorney and shareholder Mitchell (“Mitch”) Zajac has been named to the Crain’s Detroit Business 2025 Class of “40 Under 40.”
Zajac’s legal practice includes a focus on automotive, intellectual property, regulatory, and emissions compliance. He has experience in commercial litigation, transactional matters, counseling, and negotiating successful resolutions in a variety of sectors, for large corporations and entities of all sizes.
His experience is comprised of commercial automotive advising, including supply chain disputes for light-duty, commercial vehicle, after-market, and remanufacturing suppliers; non-disclosure, joint-development, and public-private-partnership agreements in a variety of industries, including automotive, defense, and construction; product warranty and cost-recovery; product safety and compliance; emissions certification and compliance; international trade and customs, including United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) matters, Section 301 China tariffs, and Section 232 steel and aluminum, and IEEPA tariffs; and e-discovery.
Zajac is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He counsels and represents clients in intellectual property (IP) matters such as complex trade secret, copyright, and patent litigation. His experience encompasses IP administrative proceedings, including patent inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, patent prosecution in the USPTO, and advising on patent portfolio development and management.
Before joining Butzel, Zajac was an engineer at a Detroit Three automaker. In this role, he was an advocate for progress and change in a variety of functions, including powertrain and engine systems design and development; design and development engineering, including customer sourcing, quality, and design; international program, supply chain, and manufacturing management, including responsibility for vehicle chief engineering, product planning and branding, two global manufacturing facilities, supply chain management and customs. He worked directly with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and US Department of Justice (DOJ) with a focus on emissions.
Zajac is chair of Cooley Law School’s Board of Directors. He joined Cooley’s Board of Directors in 2020 and was elected vice-chair in 2022. He also is a member of the WMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and a member of the Western Michigan University Lee Honors College Dean’s Advisory Board. Additionally, Zajac is a member of the Michigan Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the Detroit Bar Association.
His honor’s include The Best Lawyers in America® – Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2023, 2024; 2025 Michigan Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, Intellectual Property; 2024 Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Stars – Intellectual Property; 760 WJR/Detroit Economic Club – Rising Stars, 2023; DBusiness – Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Intellectual Property and Patent Law, 2021, 2023; Litigation – Patents, 2023; DBusiness – 30 in Their Thirties, 2022; Michigan Lawyers Weekly – Up & Coming Lawyers, 2020 and, Detroit Bar Association – One to Watch, 2019.
• • •
Management-side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC is pleased to announce the firm has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a Best Women-Led Law Firm for the second consecutive year.
Majority owner and managing partner Deborah Brouwer, along with co-owner Terry Bonnette, has carried on the vision of firm founder Patricia Nemeth (now Of Counsel to the firm), who launched Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer 33 years ago when management-side labor and employment law was dominated by men. That ongoing vision has always put the interests of the clients first; embraced a culture where the attorneys are collaborative—not competitive; allowed for flexibility in work hours; and accepted a workplace norm where women (and men) can reach their full potential and help others do the same.
Brouwer defied early career advice that women couldn’t be attorneys – or if they did, could only practice divorce and family law. Ignoring naysayers helped her reach multiple milestones for herself and the firm—and she became the majority shareholder in 2020. In addition to firm leadership responsibilities, Brouwer has a busy management-side labor and employment law practice, working with employers to establish productive and harmonious workplace environments. She provides counseling, training, and litigation services to a range of public and private sector and nonprofit clients and has experience with claims of race, age, disability, gender, and religious discrimination and harassment, as well as claims brought under the FMLA and FLSA. She has appeared before state and federal administrative agencies and courts in multiple states and is also a workplace investigator.
“We are honored by the recognition of Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer’s legacy as a changemaker firm in the management side labor and employment law field,” Brouwer said. “We join in celebration with our peer firms in all practice areas across Michigan who also earned a spot on the Best Women-Led Law Firms’ list.”
Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer has been long-active in NAMWOLF (National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms) and is a certified woman-owned business by WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) and NWBOC (National Women Business Owners Corporation). The firm has also mentored women attorneys both within and outside of the firm and created and supported alternative career tracks to support its staff’s personal commitments beyond work. Firm attorneys serve on multiple boards that have a special emphasis on protecting/promoting women, families, and vulnerable populations.
• • •
Foley, Baron, Metzger, & Juip (FBMJ) is proud to be recognized in the 2026 Best Law Firms rankings as a Tier 1 Law Firm in Detroit.
The recognized practice areas are:
– Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
– Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
– Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
– Commercial Litigation
• • •
Kemp Klein congratulates Shareholder Alan A. May on being recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2025 Leader in the Law.
May’s recognition reflects more than four decades of service to Michigan’s legal community. An authority in probate, trust, guardianship, and conservatorship matters, he has served as a Wayne County public administrator since 1980—protecting vulnerable individuals and ensuring integrity in fiduciary matters. In addition to his litigation experience, May is an author and educator, having published numerous articles and taught courses at Wayne State University and Oakland University.
Throughout his career, May has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell’s Register of Preeminent Lawyers.
• • •
Cummings, McClorey, Davis, & Acho PLC is pleased to announce that Kevin J. Campbell has been elected a partner
Campbell joined the firm in 2022. He focuses his practice on appellate law and insurance defense. He writes briefs for submission to all levels of state and federal courts, argues cases in both the state and federal courts of appeals, and performs research for all areas of law handled by the firm.
Campbell is familiar with the peculiarities of the appellate process and works closely with clients and litigators ensuring that proper legal objections are made and that evidence is correctly presented and preserved in the trial court record. He has handled appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals and United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Campbell graduated from Wayne State University Law School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. He has been practicing law since 2003.
• • •
Chauncey C. Mayfield II, Honigman partner, leader of the firm’s Commercial Transactions Practice Group, and member of the firm’s Executive Committee, was recently recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of its prestigious “40 Under 40” honorees.
Mayfield focuses his practice on representing clients in a variety of matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, financings, commercial contract negotiations, supply chain management, out-of-court restructurings, commercial bankruptcy, and general corporate law.
• • •
Lucia Argento has joined McDonald Hopkins LLC as an associate in the Litigation Department in the Detroit office, adding her experience to the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group. Lucia served as an investigator with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS/OCR), where she supported federal privacy and cybersecurity enforcement efforts.
“I approach client work with a real-world perspective, helping clients navigate urgent situations with calm, practical guidance. I focus on what’s legally required while keeping business impact and clear communication front and center.”
Argento has experience in HIPAA and HITECH compliance. In her role at HHS/OCR, she led complex investigations, collaborated with healthcare organizations and public institutions to enhance their privacy and security compliance programs, and provided technical assistance to covered entities to ensure alignment with federal regulatory standards.
“I choose McDonald Hopkins because of the exceptional talent, deep subject matter expertise, and the unwavering integrity of its attorneys,” Argento noted. “From my very first conversations with the team, it was clear that this is a firm where collaboration, client service, and professional excellence are taken seriously. I was drawn to the firm’s strong reputation in data privacy and cybersecurity, and to the opportunity to work alongside people who are genuinely committed to doing the right thing for clients and each other. I look forward to contributing to a team that delivers practical, innovative legal solutions to help clients confidently navigate complex matters.”
In addition, McDonald Hopkins is pleased to welcome Aimee Diehl to the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group in the Detroit office. As part of the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team, Aimee works with clients on incident response, pre-breach services, privacy litigation, regulatory defense, and wire fraud.
Diehl earned her law degree from Brigham Young University Law School and her Bachelor of Science in Communicaiton Disorders as well as a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from Brigham Young University.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. of the firm’s Troy office has been named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2025 Class of “Leaders in the Law.”
Scavone is the chair of Bodman’s Real Estate Practice Group. He has represented both buyers and sellers in a range of commercial and industrial real estate transactions and has represented banks and other financial institutions in many complex, multi-million-dollar, secured real estate loans and other financial arrangements involving real estate acquisitions and sales.
Scavone is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2026 under Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law, in Chambers USA 2025 under Real Estate, and in Michigan Super Lawyers 2025 under Real Estate. He is listed as a 2025 “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness magazine and is AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Scavone is also a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), and a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA).
• • •
Taft Detroit partner Shirley Kaigler has been nominated and accepted to the Class of 2025 Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellows Program on Sept. 18 at the annual Fellows Reception.
Kaigler is a partner in the Private Client practice group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of probate and trust administration, estate, tax, retirement and business succession planning, elder law, and health care proxy and special needs issues. Kaigler has experience principally in the area of gift, estate, and tax planning for all estate sizes. Her clients are business owners, professionals in solo and group practices, corporate executives, educators, retirees, and individuals with special needs.
In addition, Taft attorney Emily Elmer has been appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee. The committee supports the diversity goals of the SBM Strategic Plan and may also develop and carry out collaborative programs consistent with this jurisdiction.
Elmer is a litigation attorney in the Southfield office practicing real estate and commercial law. She represents both commercial and residential clients in disputes involving breach of contract, property boundaries, zoning regulations, land use and lease agreements. She also helps clients overcome title disputes, including quiet title actions, adverse possession claims and conducts thorough title examinations.
Zajac’s legal practice includes a focus on automotive, intellectual property, regulatory, and emissions compliance. He has experience in commercial litigation, transactional matters, counseling, and negotiating successful resolutions in a variety of sectors, for large corporations and entities of all sizes.
His experience is comprised of commercial automotive advising, including supply chain disputes for light-duty, commercial vehicle, after-market, and remanufacturing suppliers; non-disclosure, joint-development, and public-private-partnership agreements in a variety of industries, including automotive, defense, and construction; product warranty and cost-recovery; product safety and compliance; emissions certification and compliance; international trade and customs, including United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) matters, Section 301 China tariffs, and Section 232 steel and aluminum, and IEEPA tariffs; and e-discovery.
Zajac is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He counsels and represents clients in intellectual property (IP) matters such as complex trade secret, copyright, and patent litigation. His experience encompasses IP administrative proceedings, including patent inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, patent prosecution in the USPTO, and advising on patent portfolio development and management.
Before joining Butzel, Zajac was an engineer at a Detroit Three automaker. In this role, he was an advocate for progress and change in a variety of functions, including powertrain and engine systems design and development; design and development engineering, including customer sourcing, quality, and design; international program, supply chain, and manufacturing management, including responsibility for vehicle chief engineering, product planning and branding, two global manufacturing facilities, supply chain management and customs. He worked directly with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and US Department of Justice (DOJ) with a focus on emissions.
Zajac is chair of Cooley Law School’s Board of Directors. He joined Cooley’s Board of Directors in 2020 and was elected vice-chair in 2022. He also is a member of the WMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and a member of the Western Michigan University Lee Honors College Dean’s Advisory Board. Additionally, Zajac is a member of the Michigan Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the Detroit Bar Association.
His honor’s include The Best Lawyers in America® – Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2023, 2024; 2025 Michigan Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, Intellectual Property; 2024 Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Stars – Intellectual Property; 760 WJR/Detroit Economic Club – Rising Stars, 2023; DBusiness – Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Intellectual Property and Patent Law, 2021, 2023; Litigation – Patents, 2023; DBusiness – 30 in Their Thirties, 2022; Michigan Lawyers Weekly – Up & Coming Lawyers, 2020 and, Detroit Bar Association – One to Watch, 2019.
• • •
Management-side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC is pleased to announce the firm has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a Best Women-Led Law Firm for the second consecutive year.
Majority owner and managing partner Deborah Brouwer, along with co-owner Terry Bonnette, has carried on the vision of firm founder Patricia Nemeth (now Of Counsel to the firm), who launched Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer 33 years ago when management-side labor and employment law was dominated by men. That ongoing vision has always put the interests of the clients first; embraced a culture where the attorneys are collaborative—not competitive; allowed for flexibility in work hours; and accepted a workplace norm where women (and men) can reach their full potential and help others do the same.
Brouwer defied early career advice that women couldn’t be attorneys – or if they did, could only practice divorce and family law. Ignoring naysayers helped her reach multiple milestones for herself and the firm—and she became the majority shareholder in 2020. In addition to firm leadership responsibilities, Brouwer has a busy management-side labor and employment law practice, working with employers to establish productive and harmonious workplace environments. She provides counseling, training, and litigation services to a range of public and private sector and nonprofit clients and has experience with claims of race, age, disability, gender, and religious discrimination and harassment, as well as claims brought under the FMLA and FLSA. She has appeared before state and federal administrative agencies and courts in multiple states and is also a workplace investigator.
“We are honored by the recognition of Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer’s legacy as a changemaker firm in the management side labor and employment law field,” Brouwer said. “We join in celebration with our peer firms in all practice areas across Michigan who also earned a spot on the Best Women-Led Law Firms’ list.”
Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer has been long-active in NAMWOLF (National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms) and is a certified woman-owned business by WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) and NWBOC (National Women Business Owners Corporation). The firm has also mentored women attorneys both within and outside of the firm and created and supported alternative career tracks to support its staff’s personal commitments beyond work. Firm attorneys serve on multiple boards that have a special emphasis on protecting/promoting women, families, and vulnerable populations.
• • •
Foley, Baron, Metzger, & Juip (FBMJ) is proud to be recognized in the 2026 Best Law Firms rankings as a Tier 1 Law Firm in Detroit.
The recognized practice areas are:
– Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
– Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
– Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
– Commercial Litigation
• • •
Kemp Klein congratulates Shareholder Alan A. May on being recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2025 Leader in the Law.
May’s recognition reflects more than four decades of service to Michigan’s legal community. An authority in probate, trust, guardianship, and conservatorship matters, he has served as a Wayne County public administrator since 1980—protecting vulnerable individuals and ensuring integrity in fiduciary matters. In addition to his litigation experience, May is an author and educator, having published numerous articles and taught courses at Wayne State University and Oakland University.
Throughout his career, May has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell’s Register of Preeminent Lawyers.
• • •
Cummings, McClorey, Davis, & Acho PLC is pleased to announce that Kevin J. Campbell has been elected a partner
Campbell joined the firm in 2022. He focuses his practice on appellate law and insurance defense. He writes briefs for submission to all levels of state and federal courts, argues cases in both the state and federal courts of appeals, and performs research for all areas of law handled by the firm.
Campbell is familiar with the peculiarities of the appellate process and works closely with clients and litigators ensuring that proper legal objections are made and that evidence is correctly presented and preserved in the trial court record. He has handled appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals and United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Campbell graduated from Wayne State University Law School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. He has been practicing law since 2003.
• • •
Chauncey C. Mayfield II, Honigman partner, leader of the firm’s Commercial Transactions Practice Group, and member of the firm’s Executive Committee, was recently recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of its prestigious “40 Under 40” honorees.
Mayfield focuses his practice on representing clients in a variety of matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, financings, commercial contract negotiations, supply chain management, out-of-court restructurings, commercial bankruptcy, and general corporate law.
• • •
Lucia Argento has joined McDonald Hopkins LLC as an associate in the Litigation Department in the Detroit office, adding her experience to the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group. Lucia served as an investigator with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS/OCR), where she supported federal privacy and cybersecurity enforcement efforts.
“I approach client work with a real-world perspective, helping clients navigate urgent situations with calm, practical guidance. I focus on what’s legally required while keeping business impact and clear communication front and center.”
Argento has experience in HIPAA and HITECH compliance. In her role at HHS/OCR, she led complex investigations, collaborated with healthcare organizations and public institutions to enhance their privacy and security compliance programs, and provided technical assistance to covered entities to ensure alignment with federal regulatory standards.
“I choose McDonald Hopkins because of the exceptional talent, deep subject matter expertise, and the unwavering integrity of its attorneys,” Argento noted. “From my very first conversations with the team, it was clear that this is a firm where collaboration, client service, and professional excellence are taken seriously. I was drawn to the firm’s strong reputation in data privacy and cybersecurity, and to the opportunity to work alongside people who are genuinely committed to doing the right thing for clients and each other. I look forward to contributing to a team that delivers practical, innovative legal solutions to help clients confidently navigate complex matters.”
In addition, McDonald Hopkins is pleased to welcome Aimee Diehl to the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group in the Detroit office. As part of the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team, Aimee works with clients on incident response, pre-breach services, privacy litigation, regulatory defense, and wire fraud.
Diehl earned her law degree from Brigham Young University Law School and her Bachelor of Science in Communicaiton Disorders as well as a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from Brigham Young University.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. of the firm’s Troy office has been named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2025 Class of “Leaders in the Law.”
Scavone is the chair of Bodman’s Real Estate Practice Group. He has represented both buyers and sellers in a range of commercial and industrial real estate transactions and has represented banks and other financial institutions in many complex, multi-million-dollar, secured real estate loans and other financial arrangements involving real estate acquisitions and sales.
Scavone is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2026 under Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law, in Chambers USA 2025 under Real Estate, and in Michigan Super Lawyers 2025 under Real Estate. He is listed as a 2025 “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness magazine and is AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Scavone is also a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), and a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA).
• • •
Taft Detroit partner Shirley Kaigler has been nominated and accepted to the Class of 2025 Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellows Program on Sept. 18 at the annual Fellows Reception.
Kaigler is a partner in the Private Client practice group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of probate and trust administration, estate, tax, retirement and business succession planning, elder law, and health care proxy and special needs issues. Kaigler has experience principally in the area of gift, estate, and tax planning for all estate sizes. Her clients are business owners, professionals in solo and group practices, corporate executives, educators, retirees, and individuals with special needs.
In addition, Taft attorney Emily Elmer has been appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee. The committee supports the diversity goals of the SBM Strategic Plan and may also develop and carry out collaborative programs consistent with this jurisdiction.
Elmer is a litigation attorney in the Southfield office practicing real estate and commercial law. She represents both commercial and residential clients in disputes involving breach of contract, property boundaries, zoning regulations, land use and lease agreements. She also helps clients overcome title disputes, including quiet title actions, adverse possession claims and conducts thorough title examinations.
