LEGAL PEOPLE

Patrice Arend and James Rose, partners at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC, were recently named the co-practice group leaders of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolutions practice group. Jaffe CEO Mark Cooper made the announcement.

As co-practice group leaders, Arend and Rose will oversee the firm’s team of Litigation experts – who have deep expertise in and serve as strategic legal counsel in trial, mediation and arbitration of complex business disputes for clients.

In addition to her new role, Arend is also a member of the firm’s Employment & Labor practice group, advising clients on employment-related issues – including hiring, termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour issues, restrictive covenants and more. She is a seasoned advocate, having represented public and private businesses of all sizes in state and federal courts and administrative agencies, and has provided comprehensive counsel and strategic planning in all matters pertaining to employment and labor law issues.

Arend earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Wayne State University. She earned her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Illinois State Bar Association.

In addition to his new role, Rose also leads the firm’s Appellate practice group and is a longtime member and the immediate past chair of the firm’s Recruiting Committee.

Specializing in appeals and critical motion practice, his work focuses on complex commercial business disputes – including contract disputes, shareholder disputes and corporate and real estate transactions – with a comprehensive background in commercial real estate transactions, including finance matters. He has been a regular contributor to Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) publications, including the Michigan Appellate Handbook.

Rose earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and has been recognized as a DBusiness Top Lawyer.

In addition, Sam Schiffer, attorney and partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss, was recently named by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of Michigan’s Go To Lawyers for Real Estate and Condo Law. Jaffe CEO Mark Cooper made the announcement.

Schiffer serves as the head of the Jaffe Real Estate practice group—representing a variety of real estate owners, investors, operators and users. He practices in all areas of real estate, including commercial leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, financings and development projects, with a focus on the areas of commercial, retail and hospitality among others.

Schiffer graduated from Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance. He later earned his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

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The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division has posted its 2022 On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers honorees. Among this year’s honorees is Michigan attorney Aaron Sohaski.

Sohaski serves as the director of Contracting and Compliance for the Henry Ford Physician Network and ACO. There, he engages in drafting, structuring, and negotiating value-based payor relationships, leads corporate governance structures, and ensures providers adhere to regulatory and compliance activities through routine audits, education sessions, and investigations.

Sohaski is a Detroit Economic Club Young Leader Board Member, Teach for America Alumni Board Member, and currently holds multiple bar leadership positions.   

Sohaski received his BA from Grand Valley State University, MS from The Johns Hopkins University, and his law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.  

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Last month, the Managing Partners’ Forum selected Detroit-based law firm Clark Hill’s “Simply Smarter” branding initiative and website launch for its 2022 Best Marketing Campaign award. The Forum’s 20th annual international awards shine a spotlight on the vital contribution of leaders and management experts to enhancing business strategy.

Clark Hill’s “Simply Smarter” campaign evolved following several years of expansion and acquisitions for the firm. The marketing initiative sought to achieve a streamlined, consistent brand and corporate identity and strategic alignment.

“This recognition is a huge testament to the vision and support of firm leadership, and the enormous collaborative effort from colleagues across all departments, offices, business units, and industry teams,” said Clark Hill Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Susan Ahern.

The criteria for selection by MPF include a combination of strategic alignment, leadership and employee engagement, stakeholder education, positive impact on clients, and measurable impact against goals in a reasonable timescale. Firms are judged by leading consultants, business thinkers, and experts based in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and Australia. This is the second award in three years for Clark Hill from MPF. In March 2020, MPF selected Clark Hill with its “Best Marketing Initiative” award.

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From year-to-year, Butzel attorneys and practice areas are consistently ranked in the Chambers USA 2022 – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2022 – The Client’s Guide.

Butzel practice areas included in Chambers USA 2022 are:

—Corporate/ Mergers and Acquisitions

—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

—Immigration

—Labor & Employment

—Litigation: General Commercial

—Real Estate

Butzel attorneys ranked and highlighted in Chambers USA 2022 include:

—Corporate/M&A

Arthur Dudley II
Jennifer Consiglio
Justin Klimko – Eminent Practitioner
Nicholas Stasevich

—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Andrew Stumpff
Lynn McGuire
Mark Jane – Associate to Watch
Nancy Keppelman
Robert Stevenson

—Immigration

Clara DeMatteis Mager
Bushra Malik
He Xian
Reginald Pacis

—Labor & Employment

Brett Miller
Carey DeWitt
Daniel Tukel
James Rosenfeld
John Hancock Jr.

—Commercial Litigation

Bruce Sendek
Cynthia Haffey
Daniel Rustmann

—White-Collar Litigation

David DuMouchel
George Donnini

—Real Estate

David Hipp – Senior Statespeople
Thomas Kabel

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Harness IP is proud to announce that several of its principals have been named to the IAM Patent 1000 2022 list. This is the ninth year in a row that Harness IP’s patent attorneys have been ranked by the guide.

The 2022 honorees include Harness Michigan patent attorneys:

Mark Elchuk
Glenn Forbis
Paul Keller
David Suter
David Utykanski
Bryant Wade

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Howard & Howard continues to expand its metro-Detroit reach by welcoming Kristine Horn to the Business Litigation Practice Group in the Royal Oak office.

Horn focuses her practice on a variety of commercial litigation matters across the construction and development, and automotive industries. She frequently represents clients on a wide variety of claim management cases involving complex legal issues, heavy discovery, and motion practice.  

Prior to joining Howard & Howard, Horn was a partner at a litigation defense firm in which she helped in the development of the firm’s Property, Fire & Casualty, Insurance Coverage practice group. She also served as a member of the COVID-19/Business Interruption Coverage Team, which advised clients on how to properly assess claims that would qualify businesses for interruption coverage, exclusions, and damages.

Before pursuing her legal career, Horn played professional ice hockey in Lugano Switzerland. She later graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

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Honigman LLP is pleased to announce that Uma Reddy has joined the law firm as its new chief financial officer based in Michigan. Most recently, she served as an executive vice president and managing director of global finance for marketing and communications giant WPP’s VMLYR agency in Dearborn where she successfully spearheaded a transformational business model shift for WPP | Ford, streamlining and strengthening operating companies.

As CFO, Reddy will assume the financial and reporting duties previously held by former Honigman Chief Operating Officer Robert Kubic, who retired this year.

Reddy is the founder of the nonprofit, Ashray Akruti - USA, a group focused on improving the lives of people with disabilities and marginalized sections of society. She was recognized by Bill Gates Sr., father of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with the Global Social Entrepreneurship Award for her innovative ideas to address hearing disabilities.

Reddy was also honored with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance Award.

Reddy is a recipient of WPP’s Winning Women Award for extraordinary contributions and inspirational leadership. Prior to WPP, Reddy (née Pishati) served as a senior manager of risk finance, financial accounting and reporting, and capital planning / special projects for Ally Financial in Detroit. Reddy was an integral player in the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing at Delphi. As Leadership program graduate, she was recognized by Delphi’s Audit Committee and Board of Directors. Reddy started her career as a financial executive for PricewaterhouseCoopers in India.  

Reddy earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Cost Accountant (ICWA).