Ashley Fernandez Cook, a commercial litigation attorney, recently joined Butzel as an associate in the firm’s Troy office. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation, with a specialty in automotive and intellectual property disputes. Drawing on her background as in-house counsel and a law firm associate, Cook understands the challenges clients face from multiple perspectives and is committed to providing solutions that are both legally sound and business focused.
Prior to joining Butzel, Cook served as vice president of Corporate Development and Legal Counsel for an automotive engineering firm. In that role, she managed complex design-and-build projects from inception to completion, overseeing contracts, account operations, and client relationships while ensuring efficient execution and client satisfaction.
Before her in-house role, Cook practiced at a large Michigan-based law firm, where she represented clients in a wide range of intellectual property, data privacy, and commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts. Her work also included preparing trademark applications and managing portfolios at the state and federal levels.
Cook earned a law degree from The George Washington University Law School, where she served on the Editorial Board of The George Washington International Law Review. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science Pre-Law and Journalism, with a minor in Law, Justice, and Public Policy and a concentration in International Reporting.
In addition to her private-sector work, Cook gained government and judicial experience through internships with the Federal Trade Commission, Office of International Affairs; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan; the 52-4 District Court; the Executive Office of the Governor of Michigan; and the Michigan Supreme Court.
• • •
Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce that seven attorneys from the firm’s Detroit office have been listed in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Jackson Lewis congratulates the following attorneys named to the 2026 Best Lawyers in America list:
Office Managing Principal Emily M. Petroski (Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Principal and Office Litigation Manager Katherine J. Van Dyke (Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Principal Aimee Guthat (Immigration Law)
Principal Maurice G. Jenkins (Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Principal Marlo Johnson Roebuck (Labor Law – Management)
Principal Allan S. Rubin (Labor Law – Management)
Principal Gillian P. Yee (Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to share that it has been selected for Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “In the Lead: Best Women-Led Law Firms.”
Carrie Leahy, who has chaired the firm since 2020, has successfully guided the firm through obstacles such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its lasting impact on the workplace.
Leahy concentrates her practice in corporate and business law. She counsels both established and emerging businesses on general corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with securities regulations, and issues involving venture capital funding. DBusiness Magazine has listed her among Detroit’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders and Crain’s Detroit Business has honored Leahy as one of Michigan’s 100 Most Influential Women.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly also noted that Bodman has 11 female practice group leaders and many others who chair firm management committees and serve in leadership roles with professional and charitable organizations.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney partner and Litigation Department Leader Courtney L. Nichols was recently elected to the board of directors of ALFA International (ALFAI).
Nichols was elected to a three-year term at the conclusion of the 2025 ALFAI Attorney Business Meeting in Madrid, Spain on Oct. 8. The board consists of 16 member-firm attorneys from the United States and around the world who together ensure proper governance of the organization.
Since joining the firm in 2011, Nichols has built a successful employment law practice. She serves as outside employment law counsel to numerous Michigan companies, and she defends employers in
workplace-related litigation through their insurance providers.
Throughout her career with the firm, Nichols has held several management positions. In addition to serving as the firm’s Litigation Department leader, she has also previously served as Plunkett Cooney’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group leader. She is a member of the firm’s Strategic Planning, Retirement and Salary & Bonus committees, and she serves as general counsel for employment law issues on behalf of the firm.
Nichols is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office where she focuses her litigation practice in the area of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation and civil rights claims. She provides counsel to employers of all sizes regarding complicated employment and labor issues prior to litigation, including compliance with the ADA, FMLA and FLSA. Nichols also assists clients with drafting and enforcing employment policies and contractual agreements.
Nichols was recently selected as a Best Lawyer in America® for Employment Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation and as Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyer magazine for Employment & Labor from 2016 to 2021. In 2024, DBusiness Magazine named Nichols among its 30 in Their Thirties business leaders, and in 2023 Crain’s Detroit Business named her a Notable Leader in Employment & Labor Law. Nichols was also recently honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2025 Influential Woman of Law and as a 2021 Go To Employment Lawyer and 2015 Up & Coming Lawyer.
Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan, Nichols is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as vice chair of ALFAI’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group. She received her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 and her undergraduate degree from the James Madison College at Michigan State University in 2008.
• • •
Fisher Phillips is pleased to announce the arrival of Michelle LeBeau as a partner in Detroit.
With more than 25 years of experience in-house and at leading labor and employment law firms, LeBeau brings a corporate perspective to all aspects of compliance, employment law, and human resources restructuring. She is a first chair litigator known for defending employers in a wide-variety of complex employment disputes in federal and state courts throughout the country with an emphasis on providing strategic counsel in wage and hour-related collective and class actions.
A large part of LeBeau’s practice is also providing practical solutions, strategic advice, and compliance counseling as proactive ways to help employers mitigate and/or manage risk with advice and counsel to help avoid costly litigation.
LeBeau was most recently Of Counsel at one of the big four labor and employment law firms after spending several years in-house with an international staffing agency and as general counsel for a technology company. Before that, she was a shareholder and member of the management committee at another of the big four labor and employment law firms where she was lead strategic counsel on a wide variety of cases including class and collective actions in Michigan and across the nation.
LeBeau earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.
• • •
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to welcome its 2025 new associate class, a group of 69 recent law school graduates and judicial clerks. The Detroit office will be welcoming:
Hannah Allbery, Litigation
Carmen Rosa Rida, Business Law
• • •
Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that it has been named to the State Bar of Michigan 2025 Pro Bono Honor Roll as Tier 1 for the firm’s cumulative hours.
In addition to the firm’s recognition, 35 Miller Canfield attorneys were recognized for their individual contributions to pro bono service. Thirteen were named to Tier 1 for providing more than 100 hours of pro bono service in 2023, eight were named to Tier 2 for providing 50-99 hours, and 14 are named to Tier 3 for providing 30-49 hours.
Miller Canfield attorneys who earned recognition include:
—Tier 1
Matthew Allen
Thomas Cranmer
Caroline Giordano
Leo Goddeyne
Katherine Gorman
Saul Green
Thomas Linn
Elyse Lisznyai
Stephen Ott
Sarah Reasoner
Wendy Richards
Sydney Rohlicek
Kimberly Scott
—Tier 2
Emily Barr
Megan Baxter-Labut
Christopher Dutot
Gregory Lewis
Anita Marinelli
Laura Selzer
Ronald Spinner
Matthew Warmbir
—Tier 3
Jeffrey Aronoff
Ahmad Chehab
Haley DelVecchio
Brian Gallagher
Erika Giroux
Paul Kako
Cairle Kubis
Scott Lesser
Patrick McGow
Sonal Mithani
Michael Moore
John Moran
Stephen Ragatzki
Steven Roach
• • •
Secrest Wardle congratulates the following individuals on their achievement of passing the Michigan Bar Exam: Steven Meerschaert, Brooke Drabicki, Klara Marku, Samantha Aula, Maryana Odisho, Maxwell Cavellier, Pandora Pando, and Nathaniel Lazor.
Secrest Wardle is thrilled to welcome them in their new role as associate attorneys.
Prior to joining Butzel, Cook served as vice president of Corporate Development and Legal Counsel for an automotive engineering firm. In that role, she managed complex design-and-build projects from inception to completion, overseeing contracts, account operations, and client relationships while ensuring efficient execution and client satisfaction.
Before her in-house role, Cook practiced at a large Michigan-based law firm, where she represented clients in a wide range of intellectual property, data privacy, and commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts. Her work also included preparing trademark applications and managing portfolios at the state and federal levels.
Cook earned a law degree from The George Washington University Law School, where she served on the Editorial Board of The George Washington International Law Review. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science Pre-Law and Journalism, with a minor in Law, Justice, and Public Policy and a concentration in International Reporting.
In addition to her private-sector work, Cook gained government and judicial experience through internships with the Federal Trade Commission, Office of International Affairs; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan; the 52-4 District Court; the Executive Office of the Governor of Michigan; and the Michigan Supreme Court.
• • •
Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce that seven attorneys from the firm’s Detroit office have been listed in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Jackson Lewis congratulates the following attorneys named to the 2026 Best Lawyers in America list:
Office Managing Principal Emily M. Petroski (Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Principal and Office Litigation Manager Katherine J. Van Dyke (Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Principal Aimee Guthat (Immigration Law)
Principal Maurice G. Jenkins (Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Principal Marlo Johnson Roebuck (Labor Law – Management)
Principal Allan S. Rubin (Labor Law – Management)
Principal Gillian P. Yee (Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment)
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to share that it has been selected for Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “In the Lead: Best Women-Led Law Firms.”
Carrie Leahy, who has chaired the firm since 2020, has successfully guided the firm through obstacles such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its lasting impact on the workplace.
Leahy concentrates her practice in corporate and business law. She counsels both established and emerging businesses on general corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with securities regulations, and issues involving venture capital funding. DBusiness Magazine has listed her among Detroit’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders and Crain’s Detroit Business has honored Leahy as one of Michigan’s 100 Most Influential Women.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly also noted that Bodman has 11 female practice group leaders and many others who chair firm management committees and serve in leadership roles with professional and charitable organizations.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney partner and Litigation Department Leader Courtney L. Nichols was recently elected to the board of directors of ALFA International (ALFAI).
Nichols was elected to a three-year term at the conclusion of the 2025 ALFAI Attorney Business Meeting in Madrid, Spain on Oct. 8. The board consists of 16 member-firm attorneys from the United States and around the world who together ensure proper governance of the organization.
Since joining the firm in 2011, Nichols has built a successful employment law practice. She serves as outside employment law counsel to numerous Michigan companies, and she defends employers in
workplace-related litigation through their insurance providers.
Throughout her career with the firm, Nichols has held several management positions. In addition to serving as the firm’s Litigation Department leader, she has also previously served as Plunkett Cooney’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group leader. She is a member of the firm’s Strategic Planning, Retirement and Salary & Bonus committees, and she serves as general counsel for employment law issues on behalf of the firm.
Nichols is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office where she focuses her litigation practice in the area of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation and civil rights claims. She provides counsel to employers of all sizes regarding complicated employment and labor issues prior to litigation, including compliance with the ADA, FMLA and FLSA. Nichols also assists clients with drafting and enforcing employment policies and contractual agreements.
Nichols was recently selected as a Best Lawyer in America® for Employment Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation and as Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyer magazine for Employment & Labor from 2016 to 2021. In 2024, DBusiness Magazine named Nichols among its 30 in Their Thirties business leaders, and in 2023 Crain’s Detroit Business named her a Notable Leader in Employment & Labor Law. Nichols was also recently honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2025 Influential Woman of Law and as a 2021 Go To Employment Lawyer and 2015 Up & Coming Lawyer.
Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan, Nichols is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as vice chair of ALFAI’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group. She received her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 and her undergraduate degree from the James Madison College at Michigan State University in 2008.
• • •
Fisher Phillips is pleased to announce the arrival of Michelle LeBeau as a partner in Detroit.
With more than 25 years of experience in-house and at leading labor and employment law firms, LeBeau brings a corporate perspective to all aspects of compliance, employment law, and human resources restructuring. She is a first chair litigator known for defending employers in a wide-variety of complex employment disputes in federal and state courts throughout the country with an emphasis on providing strategic counsel in wage and hour-related collective and class actions.
A large part of LeBeau’s practice is also providing practical solutions, strategic advice, and compliance counseling as proactive ways to help employers mitigate and/or manage risk with advice and counsel to help avoid costly litigation.
LeBeau was most recently Of Counsel at one of the big four labor and employment law firms after spending several years in-house with an international staffing agency and as general counsel for a technology company. Before that, she was a shareholder and member of the management committee at another of the big four labor and employment law firms where she was lead strategic counsel on a wide variety of cases including class and collective actions in Michigan and across the nation.
LeBeau earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.
• • •
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to welcome its 2025 new associate class, a group of 69 recent law school graduates and judicial clerks. The Detroit office will be welcoming:
Hannah Allbery, Litigation
Carmen Rosa Rida, Business Law
• • •
Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that it has been named to the State Bar of Michigan 2025 Pro Bono Honor Roll as Tier 1 for the firm’s cumulative hours.
In addition to the firm’s recognition, 35 Miller Canfield attorneys were recognized for their individual contributions to pro bono service. Thirteen were named to Tier 1 for providing more than 100 hours of pro bono service in 2023, eight were named to Tier 2 for providing 50-99 hours, and 14 are named to Tier 3 for providing 30-49 hours.
Miller Canfield attorneys who earned recognition include:
—Tier 1
Matthew Allen
Thomas Cranmer
Caroline Giordano
Leo Goddeyne
Katherine Gorman
Saul Green
Thomas Linn
Elyse Lisznyai
Stephen Ott
Sarah Reasoner
Wendy Richards
Sydney Rohlicek
Kimberly Scott
—Tier 2
Emily Barr
Megan Baxter-Labut
Christopher Dutot
Gregory Lewis
Anita Marinelli
Laura Selzer
Ronald Spinner
Matthew Warmbir
—Tier 3
Jeffrey Aronoff
Ahmad Chehab
Haley DelVecchio
Brian Gallagher
Erika Giroux
Paul Kako
Cairle Kubis
Scott Lesser
Patrick McGow
Sonal Mithani
Michael Moore
John Moran
Stephen Ragatzki
Steven Roach
• • •
Secrest Wardle congratulates the following individuals on their achievement of passing the Michigan Bar Exam: Steven Meerschaert, Brooke Drabicki, Klara Marku, Samantha Aula, Maryana Odisho, Maxwell Cavellier, Pandora Pando, and Nathaniel Lazor.
Secrest Wardle is thrilled to welcome them in their new role as associate attorneys.
