LEGAL PEOPLE

Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano announced the appointment of Reginald Turner of Clark Hill to the Wayne County Airport Authority recently for a term commencing immediately and ending Oct. 1, 2018. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Turner serves as a member of Clark Hill's Executive Committee. He will replace Charlie WIlliams on the board. Turner is named in the peer review guides The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Crain's Detroit Power Lawyers. He is a past president of the National Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, and the Barristers of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. Currently, Turner chairs the American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honor reserved to less than one percent of lawyers in each state. Turner is vice chair of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation and a member of the Boards of Directors of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Hudson-Webber Foundation. Turner has government experience at the federal, state, and local levels. He has served as a special assistant to Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros and Andrew Cuomo, as a member of the Michigan State Board of Education, and on several local government boards and commissions. "I am honored to have this opportunity to serve our region because the airports are important engines for economic growth that require sound stewardship and good governance," Turner said in response to the appointment. * * * Brinks, Hofer, Gilson, & Lione announces its new Detroit office is now open. The address is 300 River Place Drive, Suite 1775, Detroit, 48207. The phone number is 313-393-5400 and the fax is 313-393-5401. The Detroit office is located in the same building as the new Elijah J. McCoy United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which opened in July 2012 and is the nation's first satellite USPTO office. The Detroit location provides an on-site location for Brinks and its domestic and international clients to participate in on-site patent examination and administrative trial proceedings. Brinks now has offices at both USPTO locations with its Detroit and Washington, D.C. national offices. Kelly K. Burris, formerly a shareholder in Brinks' Ann Arbor office, is the managing partner of the new Detroit office of Brinks, and she is joined by Brinks shareholder Margaret Dobrowitsky and associate Keith D. Weiss. Burris chairs Brinks' Green Technology Practice Group and focuses her practice on patents in the mechanical, electrical, and materials science arts. She also performs intellectual property due diligence for mergers and acquisitions and manages corporate IP portfolios and policies. In August 2012, Burris testified as an expert witness before the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet in Washington, D.C., speaking in opposition of HR 3889, a bill that would drastically reduce the term for certain automotive design patents. Prior to her law career, Burris was an aeronautical engineer with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing for more than 11 years. A licensed pilot since 1984, Burris serves on a variety of volunteer missions through Angel Flight/Air Charity Network to transport people with medical conditions who are unable to fly commercially to and from medical appointments, military personnel and their families, and medical supplies. In 2009, Burris won the Unsung Hero Award from the State Bar of Michigan for her efforts with Angel Flight. In 2010 she was a recipient of the Women in the Law award from trade publication, Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Dobrowitsky chairs Brinks' Licensing Practice Group and focuses on drafting and negotiating intellectual property and commercial agreements. Prior to joining Brinks, she was senior patent counsel for the engine and energy management business operations of a multinational U.S. automotive technology corporation, where she also served as intellectual property counsel for its mergers and acquisitions, information technology and telecommunications groups. In addition, she was patent counsel for the company's Mexican operations. Dobrowitsky has served as treasurer of the U.S. Group of the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI), and is a past chair of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Weiss brings a background to Brinks with more than 20 years of corporate experience in R&D management, product development, and technology licensing prior to becoming an attorney. He is listed as an inventor on 26 U.S. patents and 9 pending U.S. patent applications regarding advanced materials, components, and systems used in the automotive, aerospace, coatings, plastics, and microelectronic industries. Weiss focuses his practice on patent prosecution and intellectual property agreements with an emphasis towards IP portfolio planning, development, and management. In addition to Detroit, Brinks has an office in Ann Arbor, which opened in 2000. Additionally, six attorneys from the Michigan offices of Brinks, Hofer, Gilson, & Lione have been named or reappointed to firm-wide Practice Group chairs within the firm for 2013. In the area of specialty Legal Practice Groups, Michael Spink will serve a third term as chair of the Intellectual Asset Management Group and Margaret Dobrowitsky will serve a fourth term as chair of the Licensing Group. In the Industry Practice Groups, Bill Boudreaux will continue as co-chair of the Biotech/Pharma Industry Practice Group; Kelly Burris will serve a second term as chair of the Green Technology Group; Eric Sosenko will continue as chair of the Patent Reform Task Force and also serve as the new chair of the Mechanical Group, and Lawrence G. (L.G.) Almeda will continue as chair of the Nanotechnology Group and also serve as chair of the firm's new Brazil task force. Additionally, Steven L. Oberholtzer has been selected to serve on the firm's Board of Directors for 2013. This is the third non-consecutive term Oberholtzer has served on the firm's board. * * * Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Shelly L. Hokenstad and Randall J. Peck have become shareholders with the firm. Hokenstad is well versed in all areas of intellectual property law including worldwide patent preparation and prosecution, patent litigation and preparation of opinions regarding infringement, validity and right-to-use. She practices out of the firm's Royal Oak Office. Peck concentrates his practice in intellectual property law with a focus on patent preparation/prosecution and opinion work, primarily in the chemical arts. He practices out of the firm's Royal Oak Office. * * * Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller PC, a Southfield-based law firm has named two attorneys, Lavinia S. Biasell and Mark E. Plaza, as shareholders. Biasell earned her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University's James Madison College, and her law degree from the university's Detroit College of Law. Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, she concentrates her practice in the areas of title insurance coverage and commercial and real estate litigation. Biasell was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2012, is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Michigan State University - Detroit College of Law Alumni Association. Biasell is the co-chair of the Annual Culinary Challenge, a charity event where attorneys and judges compete in various culinary categories for the title of Best Chef, and is a board member of Life Remodeled, which builds and donates homes to low-income families. Plaza focuses his practice on real estate, appellate, construction and financial serviceslitigation representing financial institutions and insurance carriers. He also is a member of the Real Property and Mortgage Dispute Resolution Group. He is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and the United State Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Plaza earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree from Wayne State University Law Schoo. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Wayne State University Alumni Association, Michigan Center for Civic Education, Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, and Historical Society of Michigan. * * * Dykema announces that Monica B. Wilkinson has joined the firm as senior counsel in the Health Care Practice Group, resident in the Detroit office. Prior to Dykema, Wilkinson was senior vice president, assistant general counsel and assistant secretary at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC), a multi-hospital academic medical center Southeast Michigan. In that capacity, Wilkinson managed the DMC corporate legal department, overseeing a diverse array of legal issues ranging from physician and managed care contracting, regulatory compliance, self-insured employee health plan, and patient care issues, to information privacy and security, research and medical staff matters. In addition to serving as lead counsel for managed care operations, Wilkinson led the DMC legal team in its creation of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) -- a new payment and health delivery system under the federal health care reform law. She also provided counsel to DMC senior management as the enterprise transitioned from a nonprofit to a for-profit corporation. In both her DMC and predecessor private practice experience Wilkinson has advised and represented hospitals, physician groups, managed care clients and other health care providers on a wide variety of issues ranging from the regulation of hospital-physician financial relationships, clinical research compliance, HIPAA, licensure/certification, contracts, provider networks, and governance matters. Wilkinson is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the State Bar of Michigan Health Care Law Section, where she served as a two term Council member and the Chair in 2010-11. She also sat on the Legal and Operational Policy Committee of the Federation of American Hospitals. In addition, Wilkinson has taught at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, serving one year as Adjunct Professor, Bioethics at Wayne State University Law School and five years as Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Sciences, Bioethics, at Oakland University. Wilkinson earned her B.A. from Michigan State University and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. * * * Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that attorney Philip E. Rettig has joined the firm as a member in its Troy office. Rettig is an intellectual property attorney focusing his practice on obtaining and enforcing patents, trademarks and copyrights for clients in various fields, with a particular emphasis in the automotive industry. He also counsels clients in strategic portfolio management of their intellectual property. Prior to joining Dickinson Wright, Rettig practiced law at Harness Dickey. He also previously served as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for a Tier I automotive supplier and prior to his legal career he worked in the automotive industry in a variety of product engineering and sales positions. Rettig earned his B.S. from the General Motors Institute and his law degree from Michigan State University's College of Law. Dickinson Wright is also pleased to announce that Daniel D. Quick has been appointed to a Practice Department Manager position. Quick, a member in the firm's Troy office, is responsible for the firm's Commercial Litigation, Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sports & Entertainment practice areas. Quick splits his time between commercial litigation matters with an emphasis upon business torts, non-competes, UCC disputes, financial industry litigation and shareholder disputes, and intellectual property and entertainment litigation, which includes representation of artists, labels and broadcasters in copyright claims, commercial disputes and defamation actions. He is co-chair, Litigation Section, Intellectual Property Committee for the American Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association (E.D. Michigan) as well as the Oakland County Bar Association. He is also chair of the State Bar of Michigan's Civil Procedure and Courts Committee and a member of the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court, E.D. Michigan. Quick is the co-author of "Michigan Business Torts" and is a frequent author and speaker. Quick is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers and is a five-time honoree for pro bono work by the U.S. District Court, E.D. Michigan. Quick earned his B.A. and his law degree from the University of Michigan. * * * Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has elected Jennifer M. Hetu a new partner in the firm effective Jan. 1. Hetu practices in the Intellectual Property Department and is located in the firm's Oakland County office. She advises clients on a wide range of trademark matters in the U.S. and international markets, including trademark searches and clearance opinions, prosecution of trademark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, registration, maintenance, and renewal of trademarks, enforcement actions involving trademark and domain names, and domain and website related investigations. Hetu earned a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a B.A. in political science from Western Michigan University. * * * Farmington Hills.-based Attorneys Title Agency (ATA), a full-service title company providing comprehensive services throughout the state of Michigan, recently announced that it has formed a new affiliate, Ohio-based Talon Title Agency, LLC. Talon Title Agency, LLC has acquired the assets of Columbus, Ohio-based Talon Title Agency of Central Ohio, Inc. The transaction closed on December 31, 2012. ATA Chairman and CEO David A. Trott made the announcement. "As the largest independent title agency in metropolitan Columbus, Talon Title Agency, LLC has some great opportunities," stated Trott. "We are thrilled to expand our footprint into Ohio, and the acquisition further strengthens our presence in the Midwest." Talon Title Agency will continue to operate its four offices throughout the metropolitan Columbus market. Former Talon Title Agency of Central Ohio President Joseph J. Barone will remain president of the new agency, overseeing the organizations' 40 employees. William L. Robinson Jr., who is also the president of ATA, will serve as the CEO of Talon Title Agency. * * * Bowman and Brooke LLP recently announced that, for the fourth consecutive year, it is one of five firms to have been named Practice Group of the Year in Product Liability. It is the only firm to be named four times in this category. The 200-attorney firm was recognized, in part, for significant defense verdicts, including verdicts for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. in two states over alleged product defects and for Ford Motor Co. in a Virginia suit over unintended acceleration. Bowman and Brooke also averted unfavorable judgments for Breg Inc. when a federal judge in Washington State declared a mistrial in a suit alleging injury due to a pain pump, and for American Honda Motor Co. in a Montana all-terrain vehicle accident suit in which a jury deadlock led to a mistrial. Most notably, Bowman and Brooke represents Toyota Motor Corp. as lead counsel for all personal injury and wrongful death suits nationwide in the unintended acceleration litigation. Among many other clients embroiled in high-profile litigation, Bowman and Brooke currently represents helmet maker Riddell Inc. in the concussion litigation brought by former NFL players. * * * Alan Gilchrist of Southfield-based The Health Law Partners (HLP), has been recognized by his industry peers as one of the best lawyers in the nation, receiving the AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell for the 30th year in a row. HLP Founding Partner Robert Iwrey made the announcement. Gilchrist, a partner in the firm, chairs the civil false claims and white-collar criminal practice group, and he represents health care providers, suppliers and professional organizations. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Gilchrist established the Michigan Bar Association Institute of Continuing Education. Gilchrist has received numerous accolades, and was selected as an inaugural member of the Fellows of the State Bar of Michigan's Health Care Law Section. Gilchrist graduated from Wayne State University Law School and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. * * * Barry Goodman, co-founder and senior partner of the Southfield-based personal injury firm, Goodman Acker PC, was recently elected by the Democratic State Central Committee to a seat on the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Goodman will serve in his role with the DNC for a four-year term. He is one of 447 DNC delegates nationally, and one of only seven elected members in Michigan. "I am honored to be serving on the DNC, and contributing my time, expertise and passion to making a positive difference in the country's political landscape," said Goodman. "I have devoted my career to the preservation of the civil justice system, which includes working in the political arena to place like-minded thinkers into the appropriate positions of power." Both Goodman and his partner, Gerald H. Acker, have a history of political volunteerism, including their roles on the National Finance Committee for President Obama's election campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Additionally, Goodman is a past president of the Michigan Association of Justice (MAJ), a non-profit membership organization dedicated to furthering civil justice and access to the courts for the people of the State of Michigan. Acker is the current president-elect of that organization. Goodman and Acker, both personal injury litigation specialists, also have recently been recognized as 2013 Michigan Super Lawyers by the Thomson Reuters publication of the same name. It is the sixth consecutive year that Goodman has received the Super Lawyers designation. Goodman earned his law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Florida. He was admitted to practice in Florida in 1977 and Michigan in 1979, and has practiced extensively in the federal courts of both states. He has been a member of the MAJ since 1985, and has served the organization in a variety of executive leadership positions over the years. Goodman also has been a member of the American Association of Justice (AAJ), formerly known as the American Trial Lawyers Association, since 1979, and has been a frequent lecturer for the State Bar of Michigan, the AAJ, MAJ and the Institute of Continuing Education. Published: Mon, Jan 21, 2013