Butzel attorney Debra Geroux will be a featured
speaker during the Michigan Land Title Association’s (MLTA) Convention
from July 12-14 at Boyne Mountain Resort. Her July 13 presentation is
titled “The Cyber Pulse – Understanding the Legal and Practical Aspects
of Data Security.” The session will focus on understanding the evolving
legal and regulatory landscape regarding data privacy and security,
common data breach scenarios and pre-breach readiness, recent
enforcement actions, including Class Action Litigation, and Best
Practices to reduce the possibility of a data breach.
Geroux is a Certified Information Privacy Professional – United States (CIPP/US) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Earlier this year, she was appointed to an IAPP Advisory Board. She also holds Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC) and Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) designations from the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Compliance and Certification Board (CCB).
Geroux is co-chair of Butzel’s Health Care Industry Team. Her health care practice focuses on health care compliance, cybersecurity and privacy, and statutory reporting obligations.
She has assisted health care practitioners in defense of state and federal debarment, fraud, waste and abuse investigations and litigation, cyber incident and breach response, including state and federal post-breach investigations, licensing and credentialing, government and commercial payor audits and a host of other health care issues. Geroux has experience in supply chain and source contracting for a large Michigan-based health system, including negotiations of its IT contracts.
• • •
Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce Principal Aimee Guthat has been ranked in the Chambers USA 2026 Guide in the Immigration category.
Guthat’s practice focuses on partnering with clients to develop strategic and operational planning for matters related to employment-based immigration and corporate compliance. She represents a range of clients, from small and mid-size companies to large multinational organizations in a variety of industries, including original equipment manufacturers in the automotive industry, international financial services institutions and major product and technology suppliers within the automotive industry.
Her practice includes all aspects of U.S. immigration, including nonimmigrant visas, labor certification and permanent residence, citizenship, LCA and I-9 compliance and immigration support for corporate restructuring.
Guthat earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and her B.A. from Western Michigan University.
• • •
Burris Law founder Kelly Burris has been selected among the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global IP Lawyers.
The recognition comes during a milestone year for Burris Law which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2026. Founded by Kelly Burris — a former aerospace engineer, licensed pilot, inventor, and intellectual property attorney — Burris Law has grown from a three-person startup into a globally recognized IP firm serving more than 600 clients across the United States and internationally.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney Senior Attorney Simone R. Fabiilli was recently elected as president of the Italian American Bar Association of Michigan (IABAM).
During her one-year presidential term, Fabiilli will be responsible for fostering professional collaboration among IABAM members, offering support and counsel, and strengthening the longstanding bonds of friendship and community among Italian-American attorneys, judges, and colleagues. Fabiilli has been an IABAM executive board member for the last four years.
Founded in 1931 as the “Italian Lawyers Club of Michigan,” today IABAM remains one of the oldest and largest ethnic bar associations in the country. It is a charitable organization comprised of individuals who are leaders within their professions and within their communities.
Fabiilli is a member of the Bloomfield Hills office of Plunkett Cooney. As a litigator, she defends insurance-related and commercial matters involving premises liability, general negligence, real estate professional liability, and business contractual disputes. She also handles Homeowners Association (HOA) and Limited Liability Company (LLC) matters, including drafting HOA agreements and formation documents and litigating disputes over HOA governance and LLC membership interests.
In addition to her service on the executive board of IABAM, Fabiilli is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. She is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in 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 with a major in English and minor in Italian Studies.
Plunkett Cooney is also pleased to announce that Kevin T. Mackin recently joined as a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group.
Mackin serves as defense counsel for employers facing allegations under federal statutes like Title VII and the Family and Medical Leave Act, Michigan’s Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights and Whistleblower Protection acts, and other accusations of discriminatory practices.
His practice includes defending his clients in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Michigan Civil Rights matters involving allegations of discrimination, as well as in claims alleging wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation and politically motivated employment decisions.
Mackin has represented several metropolitan Detroit cities and townships in employment matters involving significant public scrutiny and criticism. He provides his clients with legal options ranging from risk mitigation to full-scale trial defense. Mackin also has experience consulting and collaborating with employers to draft employment agreements and training documents that ensure compliance with all state and federal requirements.
Prior to his career as a labor and employment attorney, Mackin served as a criminal defense attorney in Southwestern Michigan, including as lead trial counsel in several homicide and narcotic trafficking cases.
Mackin received his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2024. He received his law degree in 2018 from University of Toledo College of Law and his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University in 2010.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced appointments to the following boards and commissions:
—Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Kym Worthy serves as the Wayne County prosecutor. Worthy has the distinction of being the longest serving elected prosecutor of color in the United States and the longest serving elected prosecutor in Michigan. During her time in office, Worthy has been responsible for implementing over fourteen diversion programs that have taken more than 25,000 adults and juveniles out of the criminal justice system.
Worthy earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law.
Worthy also serves as vice-chair of the Joyful Heart Foundation; co-chair of the Joyful Heart Foundation National Council of Leadership and Innovation (NCLI); is a member of the National Black Prosecutors Association and Prosecutors Against Gun Violence; and is the past president of the Boards of Directors for both the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
Worthy is appointed as a prosecutor for a term commencing June 23, 2026, and expiring June 22, 2030.
The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was originally created by Executive Order 2024-4 and re-established by Executive Order 2026-13. The Task Force is housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and is charged with identifying the root causes of gun violence, compiling and reports relevant data, maximizing existing resources, soliciting perspectives from diverse stakeholders, and recommending policy to save lives. The group is comprised of members reflecting a wide range of stakeholders including state department directors, medical experts, law enforcement professionals, tribal representatives, and more.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Education Trust Board of Directors
Andy Meisner is the community market president for Oakland County at Huntington National Bank. Previously, Meisner was the president and founder of Community Unity Bank, the Oakland County treasurer, and served as a State Representative. Meisner’s parents set up MET accounts for him during one of the first years of the program.
Meisner earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Meisner is reappointed as the nominee of the senate majority leader for a term commencing January 1, 2027, and expiring December 31, 2029.
The Michigan Education Trust (MET) is a qualified tuition program which provides tax exemption for the trust and tax exemption of earnings for contract participants who use MET funds to pay for qualified higher education expenses. The MET Board of Directors are responsible for policy development, investment initiatives, program development and implementation.
The MET Board of Directors also serve as an advisory board for the Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP).
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Varnum is pleased to announce that attorney Manan Shah has joined the firm’s Corporate Practice Team in the Birmingham office.
Shah advises clients on financing transactions and a range of corporate matters, including work for private equity and venture capital firms, borrowers, emerging growth companies, and investors. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, fund investments, and transactions that support clients through periods of formation, growth, investment, and transition.
As a CPA, Shah brings a financial and business background to his legal practice. Prior to joining Varnum, he represented emerging growth companies and leading venture capital firms in corporate and financing transactions in private practice.
Shah earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• • •
The IAM Patent 1000 has awarded Honigman with a “Gold” band ranking. Additionally, IAM recommended several Honigman attorneys in its annual guide of exceptional patent
attorneys. Local Honigman attorneys listed are Thomas Appledorn, Grant Griffith, J. Michael Huget, and Leigh Taggart.
Geroux is a Certified Information Privacy Professional – United States (CIPP/US) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Earlier this year, she was appointed to an IAPP Advisory Board. She also holds Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC) and Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) designations from the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Compliance and Certification Board (CCB).
Geroux is co-chair of Butzel’s Health Care Industry Team. Her health care practice focuses on health care compliance, cybersecurity and privacy, and statutory reporting obligations.
She has assisted health care practitioners in defense of state and federal debarment, fraud, waste and abuse investigations and litigation, cyber incident and breach response, including state and federal post-breach investigations, licensing and credentialing, government and commercial payor audits and a host of other health care issues. Geroux has experience in supply chain and source contracting for a large Michigan-based health system, including negotiations of its IT contracts.
• • •
Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce Principal Aimee Guthat has been ranked in the Chambers USA 2026 Guide in the Immigration category.
Guthat’s practice focuses on partnering with clients to develop strategic and operational planning for matters related to employment-based immigration and corporate compliance. She represents a range of clients, from small and mid-size companies to large multinational organizations in a variety of industries, including original equipment manufacturers in the automotive industry, international financial services institutions and major product and technology suppliers within the automotive industry.
Her practice includes all aspects of U.S. immigration, including nonimmigrant visas, labor certification and permanent residence, citizenship, LCA and I-9 compliance and immigration support for corporate restructuring.
Guthat earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and her B.A. from Western Michigan University.
• • •
Burris Law founder Kelly Burris has been selected among the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global IP Lawyers.
The recognition comes during a milestone year for Burris Law which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2026. Founded by Kelly Burris — a former aerospace engineer, licensed pilot, inventor, and intellectual property attorney — Burris Law has grown from a three-person startup into a globally recognized IP firm serving more than 600 clients across the United States and internationally.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney Senior Attorney Simone R. Fabiilli was recently elected as president of the Italian American Bar Association of Michigan (IABAM).
During her one-year presidential term, Fabiilli will be responsible for fostering professional collaboration among IABAM members, offering support and counsel, and strengthening the longstanding bonds of friendship and community among Italian-American attorneys, judges, and colleagues. Fabiilli has been an IABAM executive board member for the last four years.
Founded in 1931 as the “Italian Lawyers Club of Michigan,” today IABAM remains one of the oldest and largest ethnic bar associations in the country. It is a charitable organization comprised of individuals who are leaders within their professions and within their communities.
Fabiilli is a member of the Bloomfield Hills office of Plunkett Cooney. As a litigator, she defends insurance-related and commercial matters involving premises liability, general negligence, real estate professional liability, and business contractual disputes. She also handles Homeowners Association (HOA) and Limited Liability Company (LLC) matters, including drafting HOA agreements and formation documents and litigating disputes over HOA governance and LLC membership interests.
In addition to her service on the executive board of IABAM, Fabiilli is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. She is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in 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 with a major in English and minor in Italian Studies.
Plunkett Cooney is also pleased to announce that Kevin T. Mackin recently joined as a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group.
Mackin serves as defense counsel for employers facing allegations under federal statutes like Title VII and the Family and Medical Leave Act, Michigan’s Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights and Whistleblower Protection acts, and other accusations of discriminatory practices.
His practice includes defending his clients in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Michigan Civil Rights matters involving allegations of discrimination, as well as in claims alleging wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation and politically motivated employment decisions.
Mackin has represented several metropolitan Detroit cities and townships in employment matters involving significant public scrutiny and criticism. He provides his clients with legal options ranging from risk mitigation to full-scale trial defense. Mackin also has experience consulting and collaborating with employers to draft employment agreements and training documents that ensure compliance with all state and federal requirements.
Prior to his career as a labor and employment attorney, Mackin served as a criminal defense attorney in Southwestern Michigan, including as lead trial counsel in several homicide and narcotic trafficking cases.
Mackin received his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2024. He received his law degree in 2018 from University of Toledo College of Law and his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University in 2010.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced appointments to the following boards and commissions:
—Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Kym Worthy serves as the Wayne County prosecutor. Worthy has the distinction of being the longest serving elected prosecutor of color in the United States and the longest serving elected prosecutor in Michigan. During her time in office, Worthy has been responsible for implementing over fourteen diversion programs that have taken more than 25,000 adults and juveniles out of the criminal justice system.
Worthy earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law.
Worthy also serves as vice-chair of the Joyful Heart Foundation; co-chair of the Joyful Heart Foundation National Council of Leadership and Innovation (NCLI); is a member of the National Black Prosecutors Association and Prosecutors Against Gun Violence; and is the past president of the Boards of Directors for both the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
Worthy is appointed as a prosecutor for a term commencing June 23, 2026, and expiring June 22, 2030.
The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was originally created by Executive Order 2024-4 and re-established by Executive Order 2026-13. The Task Force is housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and is charged with identifying the root causes of gun violence, compiling and reports relevant data, maximizing existing resources, soliciting perspectives from diverse stakeholders, and recommending policy to save lives. The group is comprised of members reflecting a wide range of stakeholders including state department directors, medical experts, law enforcement professionals, tribal representatives, and more.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Education Trust Board of Directors
Andy Meisner is the community market president for Oakland County at Huntington National Bank. Previously, Meisner was the president and founder of Community Unity Bank, the Oakland County treasurer, and served as a State Representative. Meisner’s parents set up MET accounts for him during one of the first years of the program.
Meisner earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Meisner is reappointed as the nominee of the senate majority leader for a term commencing January 1, 2027, and expiring December 31, 2029.
The Michigan Education Trust (MET) is a qualified tuition program which provides tax exemption for the trust and tax exemption of earnings for contract participants who use MET funds to pay for qualified higher education expenses. The MET Board of Directors are responsible for policy development, investment initiatives, program development and implementation.
The MET Board of Directors also serve as an advisory board for the Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP).
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Varnum is pleased to announce that attorney Manan Shah has joined the firm’s Corporate Practice Team in the Birmingham office.
Shah advises clients on financing transactions and a range of corporate matters, including work for private equity and venture capital firms, borrowers, emerging growth companies, and investors. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, fund investments, and transactions that support clients through periods of formation, growth, investment, and transition.
As a CPA, Shah brings a financial and business background to his legal practice. Prior to joining Varnum, he represented emerging growth companies and leading venture capital firms in corporate and financing transactions in private practice.
Shah earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• • •
The IAM Patent 1000 has awarded Honigman with a “Gold” band ranking. Additionally, IAM recommended several Honigman attorneys in its annual guide of exceptional patent
attorneys. Local Honigman attorneys listed are Thomas Appledorn, Grant Griffith, J. Michael Huget, and Leigh Taggart.
