LEGAL PEOPLE

International Bancard - a payment processing solutions provider and merchant services company - announced tay that Mike Bishop has been named as the company's general counsel and director of Government Relations. In his new role, Bishop will advise senior management on company strategies and implementation, manage the legal functions of the company, drive business development and lead public policy initiatives Currently an adjunt professor of law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Bishop has had a career in executive leadership, legal counsel and public service in Michigan. Prior to joining the team at International Bancard, he held a position as senior attorney with Clark Hill in Birmingham. Bishop concentrated his law practice in the areas of public policy and business law. From 1998 and 2011, Bishop served in the Michigan state legislature, first as a state representative, and then as a state senator, spending his second term as Senate Majority leader. "Joining a fast-growing Michigan business like International Bancard was an easy decision," said Bishop. "I am a proud Michigander and this company's business model and goals are just what this state needs to continue to strengthen its economy. I am eager to roll up my sleeves and work hard with a talented and dedicated team to increase the regional and national profile of this great Michigan-based company." Bishop's educational background includes a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan. He is active in the community, having been appointed to the Michigan Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Michigan Covenant House, and many other non-profit and community organizations. * * * Butzel Long attorney Debra A. Geroux has successfully completed the Certified in Healthcare Compliance Examination. She has earned the "CHC" designation through the Compliance Certification Board (CCB). "A lot of changes are occurring in healthcare today," said Geroux. "The CHC certification is not a requirement, but it is an important designation that reinforces my knowledge and commitment to clients as a healthcare attorney." Geroux's healthcare practice focuses on health care compliance (i.e., Stark, AKS and HIPAA), state and federal debarment, NPDB-HIPDB issues, fraud and abuse litigation (both criminal and civil), licensing and credentialing, and a host of other health care issues. In addition to her healthcare practice, Geroux has experience in general commercial civil litigation and appeals. Geroux's professional memberships include: the State Bar of Michigan (including the Health Law Section), the American Bar Association (including the Health Law and Litigation Sections), the Federal Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Health Care Compliance Association, and the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel. She also assisted with numerous pro bono projects for Community Legal Services (n/k/a Michigan Community Resources), which resulted in the publication of various white papers and primers on topics related to Community Land Trusts and Affordability Preservation, as well as a manual regarding malpractice and liability issues facing non-profit healthcare facilities such as free clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and FQHC look-alikes and low-cost clinics. Additionally, Justin G. Klimko, president and managing shareholder and James S. Rosenfeld, shareholder, of Butzel Long are winners of the 2013 Client Choice Awards, presented by the International Law Office (ILO) and Lexology. Klimko was honored for mergers & acquisitions and Rosenfeld was recognized for employment & labor. Klimko, based in the firm's Detroit office, has extensive experience in securities regulation, corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate matters, fields in which he has practiced since 1980. He taught corporation law for five years as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School, frequently lectures and authors articles on business law subjects and has served as general editor of a treatise on Michigan Business Forms and a contributing author for a treatise on Michigan contract law. Klimko is a past chair of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He serves as chair of the Section's Corporate Laws Committee, which prepares amendments to Michigan corporate statutes for legislative approval to keep Michigan corporate law current with modern trends and developments. He also is a member of the Legal Opinions Committee, the Negotiated Acquisitions Committee and the Federal Regulation of Securities Committee of the American Bar Association. Klimko is included in the publication The Best Lawyers in America and carries an "AV" rating from the Martindale-Hubbell rating system. He is rated one of Michigan's top Corporate/M&A attorneys by Chambers USA Guide of America's Leading Lawyers for Business and is listed in Michigan Super Lawyers (Mergers and Acquisitions). He was the recipient of the 2009 Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award from the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Klimko graduated from Duke University Law School ( 1980) and Ohio University (B.A., 1977). Based in Butzel Long's Detroit office, Rosenfeld practices in the area of labor and employment law. He serves as the manager of Butzel Long's Labor and Employment Practice Group and has extensive experience in litigating a wide variety of labor and employment cases. He has experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and handling labor arbitrations and cases before the National Labor Relations Board. Rosenfeld is a Life Member in the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference and a Fellow of the State Bar of Michigan Foundation. He is a member of the Labor and Employment Law and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections of the State Bar and the Labor and Employment Sections of the Federal and American Bar Associations. He served as a member of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly and president of the Barristers of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association and is currently a member of the latter's Board of Directors. Rosenfeld has completed 40-hour General Civil Case Mediator Training and has served as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School teaching alternative dispute resolution. He frequently lectures and conducts training for employers and supervisors on various employment issues. He was a speaker and author on panels for the ABA's ADR in Labor and Employment Law Committee, in 2007 and 2008. Rosenfeld is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (1986) and Harvard College (A.B., 1981). He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers in Labor and Employment, and has been ranked by Chambers USA. * * * Southfield-based Collins, Einhorn, Farrell, & Ulanoff, PC announced attorney Eric M. Kociba has joined the firm. Kociba represents businesses and individuals in litigation, including claims of product liability, business torts, contract disputes and corporate secrets. His experience is broad based, involving matters as diverse as the representation of a public utility against a multinational construction company, a cargo airline against an aircraft conversion facility and a property leasing company against a Tier 1 automotive supplier. Kociba also has experience as in-house counsel at two large companies, including a national fuel distributor with revenues of more than $1 billion. Additionally, he has litigated cases involving free speech, zoning regulations and noncompetition agreements. He graduated from Wayne State University Law School, where he remains active in the school's alumni association. Kociba obtained his Bachelor of Science from Eastern Michigan University. * * * Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan is proud to announce Tamra Tobin Teno, vice president, has become a community partner of the southeast Michigan Program, LEAVE A LEGACY®. Through this partnership, Teno maintains her commitment to the community by supporting and promoting the need for individuals to support their favorite charities in their wills and estate plans. Teno is a Michigan and Ontario attorney and estate settlement specialist for Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan and works in the corporate headquarters in Southfield. Teno has been in the industry for more than 27 years, focusing on trust and estate administration. * * * Michael Pitt, co-founder of Royal Oak law firm Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Rivers, & Golden, has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of its 2013 "Leaders in the Law." The publication made its annual selection of 30 Michigan attorneys based on criteria related to excellence and success in the practice of the law, commitment to the profession and dedication to the education and mentoring of others. Pitt is past president of the Michigan Association of Justice and has been a member and served in numerous leadership positions with the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association for many years. He was recently selected 2013 Lawyer of the Year in Employment Law by Best Lawyers, has been repeatedly recognized as a Super Lawyer and named in U.S. News & World Report The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Pitt is a member and Fellow of the National Employment Lawyers Association. He has also served as volunteer counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union for more than 30 years. Pitt and his wife, Peggy Goldberg Pitt, have endowed a scholarship to Wayne State University Law School awarded each year to a student with a severe disability. Pitt earned an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from Wayne State University Law School. * * * Harvey R. Heller, shareholder at Southfield-based Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth, & Heller, recently served as a panelist at the 12th Annual Legal Malpractice & Risk Management (LMRM) Conference in Chicago. Heller served on the "Estate Planning - Recent Developments on Standing to Sue" panel. In it he, along with Connecticut-based attorney Philip J. Tellerine and Tampaattorney Marjorie Hensel, addressed the increasing threat of litigation estate practitioners face from beneficiaries, contingent beneficiaries and disgruntled heirs. They discussed the various state court views on the right of a non-client, who may be a beneficiary of a will or other testamentary document, to pursue a malpractice claim against an attorney who drafted the estate plan. Historically, such a claim required the existence of a lawyer/client relationship. This requirement has eroded in most states, allowing certain non-clients to pursue the attorney. Heller is a member of the Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellows, Michigan Defense Trial Council, American Bar Association Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability, Defense Research Institute, and the International Association of Defense Counsel. The award-winning attorney has authored numerous articles on professional liability and often speaks at professional liability seminars. Heller earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the Detroit College of Law. He is the leader of the firm's Insurance Coverage and Defense Practice Group. * * * The law firm of Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that the following people have been elected principals of the firm. Detroit office: Shawn N. Hopper, from associate to principal. Hopper is a member of the Financial Institutions and Transactions Group. He specializes in drafting and negotiation of commercial loan documentation, especially asset-based financing. He also has experience in syndicated loan transactions and credit enhancement facilities for variable rate bond issues, such as commercial letters of credit and standby bond purchase agreements. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School (2006) and his BBA from Western Michigan University. Brian M. Schwartz, from associate to principal. Schwartz is a member of the Employment and Labor Group. He represents management in various aspects of labor and employment counseling and litigation. His practice focuses on defending class-action lawsuits involving retiree health benefit disputes and employment discrimination. He also has been involved in defending race, gender and disability discrimination claims as well as whistleblower, retaliation and Family Medical Leave Act claims. He was named an "Up and Coming Lawyer" by Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2012. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School (2005) and his B.S. from Cornell University. Joseph G. Vernon, from associate to principal. Vernon is a member of the Litigation and Trial Group and leads its Sports and Entertainment Section. His litigation practice focuses on all aspects of commercial law. He has litigated complex disputes involving commercial transactions, intellectual property rights, business torts, automotive supply contracts, dealer/sales representative relationships, non-competition agreements and both product and premises liability issues. His work in the sports and entertainment field is comprehensive and includes the representation of professional athletes in the negotiation of their contracts, advising athletes and entertainers about their intellectual property rights and litigating disputes relating to same, and drafting and revising industry specific agreements. He is certified as a contract advisor by the National Football League Players Association and the Canadian Football League Players Association. He earned his law degrees from the University of Windsor School of Law (2005) and the University of Detroit Mercy Law School (2005) and his BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. * * * Wayne State University Law School continues to be recognized as one of the nation's top law schools in U.S. News & World Report's list of Best Law Schools for 2013. The Wayne Law's 2013 ranking was its highest in several decades, reflecting its upward climb into the nation's top tier of law schools. "We know already that Wayne Law is one of the leading public interest law schools in the Midwest," Dean Jocelyn Benson noted recently in response to the announcement. "With several new programs and exciting initiatives planned for the year ahead, this ranking reflects that we are well on our way to being one of the top law schools in the country." Benson also emphasized that Wayne Law's impressive 2013 ranking "reflects the hard work of previous Wayne Law Dean Robert Ackerman, who prioritized expanding scholarship and employment opportunities for our students during his tenure." Upon taking office in December 2012, Benson established the Program on Entrepreneurship and Business Law (PEBL), which provides hands on opportunities for law students to assist in small business development and serves as an integral part of Detroit's economic resurgence. Benson is also expanding other programs, such as the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and the Program for International Legal Studies, to create even more skills-based learning opportunities for Wayne Law students. "I am confident that we will continue to ascend in the US News rankings of top law schools in the coming years," Benson said. "Wayne State University and our Wayne Law family of alumni, faculty, students and supporters should be proud of what we have accomplished and will accomplish together in the future." * * * The law firm of Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC has elected Bruce VandeVusse as vice president for Southeast Michigan for its 2013 executive committee. VandeVusse is a shareholder in the firm's Farmington Hills office. He practices primarily in the areas of medical malpractice, health law and general litigation. A litigator, VandeVusse concentrates primarily on professional liability defense and the representation of hospitals, their various affiliates, physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers. He has consulted on a variety of health care issues ranging from licensing investigations, medical record matters, Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), peer review, staff privileges and managed care participation and termination. Rounding out his practice, VandeVusse also handles civil litigation matters in state and federal courts, both at the trial and appellate levels, and in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution forums. In addition to being involved in legal professional groups such as the State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, VandeVusse is passionate about helping at-risk children. He currently sits on the Board of Starr Commonwealth and was formerly the president of the Board of Trustees for the Children's Home of Detroit. * * * Ari Kresch, founder and CEO of 1-800-LAW-FIRM has been nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award for 2013. The nomination was spurred by the Southfield Area Chamber Of Commerce. Kresch, after purchasing and remodeling his building located at 26700 Lahser in Southfield has hired dozens of people and is providing easy access to legal solutions for people not only throughout southeastern Michigan, but also across the United States. Kresch has been practicing law since 1978, and through 1-800-LAW-FIRM has demonstrated a strong resolve and mission to give consumers everywhere access to the legal system most have been shut out from. Kresch graduated from Detroit College of Law. * * * Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Royal Oak based attorney John C. Louisell has been selected for a 2013 Client Choice Award by the International Law Office (ILO) and Lexology. Established in 2005, the Client Choice awards "recognize those law firms and partners around the world that stand apart for the excellent client service they provide. The criteria for the awards focus on the ability to add real value to clients' business above and beyond other players in the market. This year the research was expanded in order to choose winners by state and province in the US and Canadian markets." * * * Attorney Nicholas Pedersen, who was a 2012 summer associates at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP, has joined the firm's Corporate Department. He sat for the Michigan bar exam in February and anticipates admission in June. Pedersen, who is located in Honigman's Detroit office, earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in international studies from the University of Michigan. Published: Mon, Mar 18, 2013