LEGAL PEOPLE

Mark Brewer, attorney at Goodman Acker PC, recently received the 2016 "Wings of Justice" award by the Oakland County Democratic Party at the annual Phil Hart Dinner. Attorneys vying for this award are evaluated by the Justice Caucus Mission.

Brewer's achievement displays his dedication to providing honest, fair, and just legal services inside and outside the office and courtroom. The award was given to Brewer in recognition of his legal work for Democrats over the last 30 years, particularly for his recent achievements on the ruling in favor of allowing Michigan residents to use the state's long-standing straight-party voting option in the November election.

Recently Brewer said "I'm honored to be among so many fine attorneys who have received this award in the past."

Brewer received his law degree from Stanford University Law School and his A.B. from Harvard College. He also served as the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party and served as MDP chair or executive chair until 2013, being the longest serving MDP chair.

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Best Lawyers® has recognized Neuman, Anderson, Grieco, McKenney PC managing partner Kenneth F. Neuman as a 2017 Best Lawyer.

Neuman concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation and business consulting, with a focus on corporate, real estate, construction and contract disputes. He has more than 30 years of experience in the courtroom and has obtained multiple verdicts and arbitration awards in excess of one million dollars.

Neuman is a registered Certified Public Accountant, as well as an active member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, the American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants, and serves as a master on the Detroit Chapter of the American Inns of Court.

He has been recognized by DBusiness as a Top Rated Lawyer and Super Lawyers as a Top 50 Business Lawyer and a Top 100 Lawyer in Michigan for the past four years.

In addition, Best Lawyers has recognized Neuman, Anderson, Grieco, McKenney partner Jennifer M. Grieco as a 2017 Best Lawyer. This is Grieco's third consecutive year of recognition by Best Lawyers.

She concentrates her practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation, professional malpractice and coverage disputes, and possesses more than 19 years of trial experience. Additionally, Grieco has been awarded multiple high-profile verdicts and arbitration awards, as well as routinely being granted summary judgment/disposition in favor of her clients as both the plaintiff and the defendant.

Grieco has been recognized as a Super Lawyer for the past four years in a row, including recognition as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers, one of the Top 100 Lawyers, one of the Top 50 Business Lawyers and one of the Top 25 Women Business Lawyers in Michigan.

Grieco was most recently re-elected to the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners in 2015 and elected to serve as vice-president for the 2016-2017 term. In addition, she serves as treasurer of the State Bar of Michigan Negligence Council, a member of the Board of Directors of Lakeshore Legal Aid, and a member of the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association and the Michigan Association for Justice.

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In a ceremony held on September 30 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) awarded the William I. Thornton, Jr. Faculty Award at the 81st Annual Conference to Peter Letzmann.

IMLA established this award to honor the memory of William I. Thornton Jr. by recognizing a person dedicated to IMLA and to the practice of local government law and who has participated as a member of the Institute for Local Government Lawyers (ILGL) faculty in helping local government attorneys learn about or reaffirm their knowledge of issues important to their practice of local government law.

Letzmann has practiced municipal law for 43 years and had served as the city attorney for the City of Troy for approximately 17 years. He currently is a consultant at his own practice, Peter Letzmann Associates. He has provided service to the public and devotes much of his time to mentoring young lawyers. He has made an impact in the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys as its education chair.

After his retirement from the City of Troy, Letzmann has followed his passion for education. He has taught at more than eight different colleges/universities as well as continuing to be involved in a handful of different communities in which he resided.

Letzmann not only is involved in the education system and in the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorney's, but he is also involved with IMLA. He has been the Michigan state chair for several years, presented at numerous IMLA events, as well as continued to be an attendee at our Seminar and conferences.

Founded in 1935, the International Municipal Lawyers Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization consisting of approximately 3000 local governments and attorneys throughout the United States and Canada.

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Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart PC is pleased to announce that the firm has been named a "Law Firm of the Year" for the sixth consecutive year. Only one law firm in each practice area receives the "Law Firm of the Year" designation. In the 2017 edition of the U.S. News Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list, Ogletree Deakins is named the "Law Firm of the Year" in the Labor Law - Management category.

Additionally, Ogletree Deakins' Detroit (Metro) office earned metropolitan "First Tier" practice area rankings in the Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor & Employment categories. Nationally, the firm earned "First Tier" practice area rankings in six categories: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - ERISA; Litigation - Labor & Employment; and Construction Law.

Earlier, 196 of the firm's attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2017. Many earned recognition in multiple categories-153 were named under the Employment Law - Management category; 102 were named under the Labor Law - Management category; and 116 were named under the Litigation - Labor and Employment category. Ogletree Deakins attorneys were also recognized in the Immigration Law, Qui Tam Law, and Employee Benefits categories, among others.

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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC announced that 13 of its attorneys have been recognized in DBusiness Magazine's list of 2017 Top Lawyers.

The recipients and respective categories in which they were honored include:

- Harvey R. Heller, shareholder, Executive Committee member and chairman of Defense and Insurance Coverage Practice Group; Insurance Law, Legal Malpractice Law.

- John E. Jacobs, shareholder; Real Estate Law.

- Evan H. Kaploe, shareholder; Tax Law.

- Robert D. Kaplow, shareholder; Trusts and Estates, Tax Law.

- Kathleen H. Klaus, shareholder; Professional Malpractice Law.

- Charles M. Lax, shareholder; Employee Benefits Law.

- Michael W. Maddin, co-founder, president emeritus and Executive Committee member; Real Estate Law.

- Richard J. Maddin, Of Counsel; Real Estate Law.

- James M. Reid IV, shareholder; Labor and Employment Law.

- Richard F. Roth, shareholder; Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates.

- Steven D. Sallen, shareholder, president, CEO, Executive Committee member, and co-chairman of Real Estate Practice Group; Real Estate Law.

- David M. Saperstein, shareholder; Legal Malpractice Law.

- Steven M. Wolock, shareholder; Legal Malpractice Law.

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Butzel Long has received national recognition in the 2017 "Best Law Firms," rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®.

Butzel Long is ranked in multiple legal specialties locally in Bloomfield Hills and Detroit.

Below is a full list of Butzel Long's local 2017 Best Law Firm rankings:

-TIER 1

Bloomfield Hills

- Commercial Litigation

- Construction Law

- Employment Law Management

- Environmental Law

- Litigation Antitrust

- Litigation ERISA

- Litigation Labor & Employment

- Litigation Real Estate

- Real Estate Law

- Trusts & Estates Law

Detroit

- Commercial Litigation

- Corporate Law

- Criminal Defense: White-Collar

- Employment Law Management

- Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law

- Immigration Law

- International Trade and Finance Law

- Labor Law Management

- Litigation Labor & Employment

- Personal Injury Litigation Defendants

- Product Liability Litigation Defendants

- Securities/ Capital Markets Law

- Securities Regulation

-TIER 2

Bloomfield Hills

- Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law

- Corporate Governance Law

- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

- Immigration Law

- Labor Law Management

- Litigation -- Construction

- Litigation Environmental

- Product Liability Litigation Defendants

- Tax Law

Detroit

- Antitrust Law

- Construction Law

- Corporate Compliance Law

- Corporate Governance Law

- Health Care Law

- Litigation Construction

-TIER 3

Bloomfield Hills

- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law

- Corporate Law

- Litigation Trusts & Estates

- Personal Injury Litigation -- Defendants

Detroit

- Mergers & Acquisitions Law

In addition, Butzel Long attorney and shareholder Paul M. Mersino is one of only 30 attorneys in the state named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's 2016 Class of "Up & Coming Lawyers." Mersino will be honored during a luncheon on December 1.

Mersino is a member of Butzel Long's Commercial Litigation Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, non-compete and trade secret disputes, automotive supplier disputes, construction litigation, and landlord-tenant disputes. He also represents and advises several startup companies, assisting them with their legal needs and matching them with potential venture capital funding, and serves as a mentor to startup business incubators and accelerators in the region.

He handles appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and federal courts. Mersino has won several appeals at the state and federal level and recently filed an amicus brief on behalf of the estate of Chris Kyle in the "American Sniper" lawsuit.

Mersino has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star in Business Litigation every year since 2012 and was recently named a "Top Lawyer" by DBusiness Magazine. Moreover, he was named to the Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2015.

Mersino is on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association and serves as an advisor to the Institute of Continuing Legal Education's Litigation Advisory Board.

Mersino is a 2008 graduate of Ave Maria School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Northwood University (B.A., 2005).

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McKeen & Associates welcomes a recent law school graduate, Steven Hurbis, as an associate attorney to its law practice.

Hurbis earned his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University, where he majored in political science.

As a law student Hurbis represented clients at the University of Illinois Civil Litigation Clinic and also worked for a year in the Community Preservation Clinic where he represented clients in danger of losing their homes. He won a motion resulting in the largest sanctions awarded in the Community Preservation Clinic's history.

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Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Kevin Sanker has joined the firm. He will practice out of the firm's Royal Oak office.

Sanker concentrates his practice in real estate, corporate law, and business transactions. Prior to practicing law, Sanker worked in the auto industry where he managed inbound freight for one of the major automotive manufacturers in Michigan. He also worked in the mortgage industry for several years. As a mortgage banker, he counseled hundreds of clients through the home buying and mortgage lending process. As an underwriter, he analyzed financial and credit information to make lending decisions for a major retail mortgage lender.

Sanker received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2016 and his B.B.A. from Michigan State University in 2008.

He is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan.

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Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, & Sadler PLC has been recognized by U.S. News Best Lawyers® as a Tier 1 "Best Law Firms" in metro Detroit for 2017. Managing Member Ed Dawda made the announcement.

Dawda Mann has been recognized by "Best Law Firms" in the practice areas of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Environmental Law, Litigation-Environmental, Litigation-Real Estate and Real Estate Law.

"Best Law Firms has been recognizing highly acclaimed law firms in their distinct practice area for many years, and we are honored to be included on the list for 2017," said Dawda. "With a submission process that relies heavily on peer and client feedback, we appreciate the hard work our team puts in every day to provide great results in the best interest of our clients, resulting in being held in such high esteem by our colleagues in the metro Detroit area."

This is the eighth consecutive time that Dawda Mann has been named one of the "Best Law Firms" in metro Detroit.

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Dykema recently announced that the firm was nationally ranked in 16 practice areas in the 2017 U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" list, as well as receiving a total of 139 metropolitan rankings representing various areas of law.

Dykema's local recognized practices are listed below:

- METROPOLITAN TIER 1

Bloomfield Hills

- Arbitration

- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

- Commercial Litigation

- Corporate Governance Law

- Corporate Law

- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

- Health Care Law

- Land Use & Zoning Law

- Litigation - Antitrust

- Litigation - Banking & Finance

- Litigation - Bankruptcy

- Litigation - Land Use & Zoning

- Litigation - Real Estate

- Litigation - Securities

- Litigation - Trusts & Estates

- Mergers & Acquisitions Law

- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

- Public Finance Law

- Real Estate Law

- Securities / Capital Markets Law

- Tax Law

- Trusts & Estates Law

Detroit

- Commercial Litigation

- Corporate Law

- Employment Law - Management

- Litigation - Labor & Employment

- Litigation - Real Estate

- Litigation - Tax

- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

- Mediation

- Mergers & Acquisitions Law

- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

- Real Estate Law

- Securities / Capital Markets Law

- Tax Law

- METROPOLITAN TIER 2

Bloomfield Hills

- Litigation - Mergers & Acquisitions

- Securities Regulation

Detroit

- Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

- Environmental Law

- Litigation - Antitrust

- Litigation - Environmental

-Metropolitan Tier 3

Detroit

- Litigation - Securities

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that attorney Aaron V. Burrell has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Burrell is an associate in the firm's Detroit office. He focuses his practice in the areas of appellate, commercial & business litigation, labor & employment, and minority business enterprises. He has defended clients in a wide range of discrimination and unfair labor practice claims in state and federal court. He has also counseled clients on all aspects of the employment relationship including hiring, discipline, and the creation and enforcement of employment agreements.

Burrell was recently elected to the Oakland County Bar Association's Board of Directors and is the immediate past president of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association. He is a member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Burrell received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

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Javon R. David, of Secrest Wardle's Troy office, has been published in The Journal of Insurance & Indemnity Law. The article appears in the publication's October 2016 issue, Volume 9 Number 4, and is titled "Michigan No-Fault & Third Party Practice: Is the Tide Turning in the McCormick Era?" David's article provides a comprehensive review of six recent cases where the Michigan Court of Appeals has issued unpublished opinions analyzing McCormick, ruling in favor of the defense.

David represents insurers, corporations, and individuals in a broad spectrum of general liability defense matters, including first and third party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability, and personal injury. She is a certified mediator through the American Bar Association.

David earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, with concentrations in history, political science, and psychology. She received her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2013.

The Journal of Insurance & Indemnity Law is a quarterly publication of the State Bar of Michigan's Insurance and Indemnity Law Section.

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Demorest Law Firm PLLC has been honored as the 2016 Michigan Business Law Firm of the Year by Global Law Experts. This is the first time Demorest Law Firm has been selected for this award.

Global Law Experts is based in London, England. Since 2010, the Global Law Experts annual awards have been celebrating excellence, innovation and performance across the legal communities from around the world. GLE seeks nominations from business leaders and in-house counsel around the world, and then GLE's nominations panel selects the annual award winners.

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Barris, Sott, Denn, & Driker PLLC is pleased to announce that U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers ranked BSDD among the top law firms in the country and state for 2017.

BSDD was ranked nationally for Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Litigation and Appellate Practice.

BSDD was ranked locally for Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Ethics & Professional Responsibility Law, Antitrust Litigation, Labor & Employment Litigation, Securities Litigation, Real Estate Law, Real Estate Litigation, Professional Malpractice Defense, Trusts & Estates Law, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, and Construction Litigation.

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Jennifer M. LaTosch has joined the Southfield office of Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC as a partner in the firm's family law practice group. Jaffe CEO William Sider made the announcement.

LaTosch will concentrate her practice in family and domestic relations law, which includes routine and complex divorces, post-judgment matters, custody and parenting time disputes, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements and dissolution of relationship matters, child support, paternity, change of domicile, adoption and personal protection orders.

Prior to joining Jaffe, LaTosch was a senior attorney at a law firm in Troy where she focused her practice on personal services, including family law, cohabitation and marriage agreements, and estate and trust administration.

LaTosch is a frequent author and speaker at industry events on topics such as marriage equality and divorce. She is an active member of the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Wayne County Family Bar Association and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. Additionally, she serves as president on the board of education for Ferndale Public Schools.

LaTosch earned her bachelor's degree from Albion College and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.

Published: Mon, Nov 07, 2016