Alumni Accomplishments
Brent N. Bateman, '99, was named one of the 2009 Utah Legal Elite by Utah Business Magazine. Brent is the Lead Attorney in the Utah Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman.
February 9, 2009Mark A. Frentrup, '99, has been elected a principal of Harness, Dickey, & Pierce PLC. His practice includes patent searching and opinions relating to patentability, infringement, and freedom to practice, as well as preparation and prosecution of patent applications in a wide variety of chemical and mechanical arts, with a specialty in organic and polymer chemistry.
February 9, 2009Thomas A. Kabel, '99, led a roundtable discussion during the ICSC 2009 Michigan Continuing Education program for Real Estate Professionals on April 29, 2009, in Novi, Mich.
June 8, 2009Michael Gibbs, '99, who serves as vice president and general counsel of Whataburger, is pleased to announce that Whataburger has recently moved its corporate headquarters from Corpus Christi, Texas, to San Antonio, Texas, to better manage its 700-plus restaurants and $1.2 billion in system wide sales. Gibbs oversees all the corporate governance, litigation, contracts, employment and intellectual property matters, as well as assists in the management of franchising activities. He and his wife are raising their two sons, 9 and 7, as young Texans.
August 18, 2009Todd Holleman, '99, a principal with Miller Canfield, will serve a third term (2009-2010) as co-chair of the Appellate Practice Committee for the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation.
November 17, 2009Theodore Nittis, '99, was recently hired by Oswald Companies in its fast-growing Lawyers Professional Liability practice. He will counsel clients on risk management, program placement, and serve as lead claims advocate with insurance underwriters and carriers.
January 19, 2010Jeffrey D. Moss, '99, Butzel Long attorney and shareholder, published a substantial guest article that appears in the January/February 2010 edition of Probate & Property magazine, a national publication of the American Bar Association (ABA). The title of the article is "Solar Panels, Tax Incentives and Your House."
January 19, 2010Jeffrey D. Moss, '99, was named a shareholder with Butzel Long. Previously, Moss was a senior attorney with the firm. He has significant transactional experience with a special emphasis on tax planning. As tax issues arise in many different types of transactions and situations, Moss has worked with corporations, limited liability companies, entrepreneurs, physicians and real estate developers to achieve their business and tax goals. His experience and services include mergers and acquisitions, international tax planning, choice of entity and tax-advantaged structures, including joint ventures and other reorganizations.
March 26, 2010Stephanie Hoos, '99, recently became corporate counsel to Barry Diller's media and Internet company, IAC/InterActive Corp (Mindspark) in New York City.
July 12, 2010
David M. LaPrairie, '99, of Howard and Howard Attorneys PLLC, was named to DBusiness Top Lawyers 2011. Attorneys were selected through a process that included a peer review survey that polled more than 15,000 private attorneys in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston counties.
November 16, 2010
David Michael, '99, has been named an associate attorney at Maddin Hauser Wartell Roth and Heller PC, a Southfield, Michigan-based law firm. Michael practices in the areas of business, commercial and real estate litigation, with a concentration in banking and mortgage-lender litigation. He is a board member of the Wayne Law Alumni Association.
December 6, 2010
Eric D. Carlson, '99, has been elected principal of the law firm of Miller Canfield. Carlson specializes in all types of commercial matters including contract negotiation, litigation and insolvency issues.
January 26, 2011
Jeffrey D. Moss, '99, LL.M., joined Dawda Mann PLC as a member, practicing in the areas of tax law, business and medical transactions, estate planning and tax-exempt nonprofit matters. Moss counsels companies and their owners, individuals, fiduciaries and beneficiaries regarding tax planning, succession planning and compliance. ABA Property and Probate magazine named Moss' January 2010 article, "Solar Panels, Tax Incentives and Your House," the Best Cutting Edge Article of 2010. Moss was also named a Top Lawyer by DBusiness magazine for 2011 in the areas of tax law and nonprofit/charities law.
April 19, 2011
Charles Phoenix, '99, of Phoenix Law, was named a 2011 executive cabinet member for the American Heart Association in Lee County, Fla. He also recently received a "Superb 10 Ranking" among AVVO highest rated lawyers from Martindale-Hubbell, and served as a 2011 Sponsor for the Sanibel-Captiva Baseball Little League and the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association Lee County Heart Walk.
July 27, 2011
David M. LaPrairie, '99, of the law firm Howard and Howard, has been named to DBusiness Top Lawyers 2012.
November 3, 2011
Kenneth Phillips, '99, was hired as vice president and general counsel by Amerigon Inc., doing business as Gentherm, a developer of thermal management technologies. He is responsible for managing all aspects of the company's regulatory compliance activities. From 1999 until joining Gentherm, Phillips was a partner in the Detroit office of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP.
July 31, 2012Carrie Lynn Fuca, '98, recently joined the Fitch firm. Prior to joining Fitch, Fuca ran her own firm in Macomb County for five years. She has argued cases in the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court.
February 9, 2009Mark D. Baker, '98, after serving in the U.S. Navy's JAGC for nearly 10 years, and reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander, left active service last summer and transfered to the reserves. At that time he took a civilian position in Washington, D.C. as an Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. During his time in the Navy he was the senior prosecutor for Naval Station Everett, north of Seattle, Washington, the installation attorney for the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Southeastern Georgia, a fleet attorney for the Atlantic Fleet, in Norfolk, Virginia, and an appellate legal clerk for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals in Washington, D.C.
February 3, 2009Carrie Lynn Fuca, '98, has joined the Fitch firm in the Mt. Clemens office. She gained experience in the Wayne County Prosecutors office, working for another general practice firm, and as a Macomb County case evaluator. Prior to joining, Fuca ran her own firm in Macomb County for five years. She has argued cases in the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court. Fuca also served as an executive board member of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, and ran for Macomb County Circuit Judge in 2006.
February 8, 2009Alexander G. Domenicucci, '98, a partner in Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP's Tax Department, was elected as chair of the State Bar of Michigan Taxation Section's Business Entities Committee. His term will last through 2010.
December 1, 2009Alexander G. Domenicucci, '98, partner with Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn, LLP, spoke at the 12th Annual Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing. His presentation was titled, "Top Ten Tax issues in Structuring Low-Income Housing Credit Transactions."
May 17, 2010Stephen L. Tupper, '98, a member of Dykema's corporate finance practice group and leader of the firm's privacy, data secruity and e-commerce practice and the aviation transactions and finance team, was included in the 2011 edition of Best Lawyers in America.
September 2, 2010
Alexander G. Domenicucci, '98, of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, recently moderated an Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) panel titled "Successfully Handling Partnership Tax Issues."
October 8, 2010
Julie Nichols, '98, was hired by Southfield-based Collins Einhorn Farrell and Ulanoff PC. Nichols devotes a significant portion of her practice to insurance coverage matters and provides advice to clients with respect to coverage opinions, coverage analysis and the litigation of declaratory actions involving issues of insurance coverage with respect to commercial liability, automobile, homeowners and employment policies.
June 2, 2011
George V. Cassar, Jr., '98, a shareholder at Southfield-based Maddin Hauser Wartell Roth and Heller PC, has been selected to serve on the board of directors for Legatus and The Judson Center. Both terms are for two years.
February 27, 2012
J. Matthew Serra, '98, was named executive director of Faculty Personnel Services at Central Michigan University. Operations of FPS include personnel functions and contract administration for CMU's tenure-eligible faculty, fixed-term faculty and graduate assistant employee groups.
March 6, 2012
D. Lee Khachaturian, '98, was listed in Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers. Khachaturian is a member in Dickinson Wright PLLC's office in Detroit. She focuses her practice in the areas of commercial and business litigation, environmental, insurance and ERISA litigation, and labor and employment litigation.
October 22, 2012
Mary Margaret O'Donnell, '98, moved her expanding firm, Blue Filament Intellectual Property LLC, to a larger location at 450 N. Old Woodward in Birmingham. Founded in 2011 by O'Donnell, the firm specializes in intellectual property, including trademarks, copyrights, domain names, brand protection, brand management and enforcement, risk assessment, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings and dispute resolution. She has been recognized as a SuperLawyer Rising Star, a Michigan Lawyer's Weekly Up & Coming Attorney and a Crain's Detroit Business 40 Under 40 business leader. She received an LLM in intellectual property from the Universite Bordeaux IV in France, and is one of the five donors behind the creation of the Brass Ring Scholarship at Wayne Law.
November 1, 2012
Deborah Blair, '98, was appointed by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano to be the director of administration for the Wayne County Department of Public Services. She has worked for Wayne County in various capacities since 1996. She also was elected to serve as an alternate member to the Wayne County DIA Art Institute Authority Board.
November 30, 2012Kevin A. Smith, '97, was elected a principal by Miller Canfield. Smith represents municipal, governmental agency and private clients in evaluating, structuring and documenting a broad range of traditional and complex tax-exempt or taxable financings, including general obligation bonds, collateralized lease revenue bonds, general revenue bonds, private activity bonds, deficit funding and cash flow borrowings. His particular areas of expertise include traditional fixed rate, variable rate and multi-modal financing structures.
February 10, 2009Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, was recently elected to the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce 2009 Board of Directors as Legal Counsel. Hicks is a partner with the Lansing firm of Hicks & Mullett, PLLC and practices extensively in real property and business law.
February 9, 2009Joseph B. Urban, '97, was recently admitted as a member of Clark Hill's Birmingham office, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of municipal finance, education law, and real estate law. Urban has represented Michigan school district and municipal clients, as well as private entities providing financing to these organizations for over a decade. He has extensive experience in municipal and school finance, regularly serving as bond and underwriter's counsel for school districts, public school academies, and other governmental units as well as counseling them in the acquisition and disposition of real property.
February 7, 2009Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, was recently elected to a four year term on the Delta Township Board of Trustees. He previously served on and chaired the Delta Township Zoning Board of Appeals. Hicks is a partner with the Lansing firm of Hicks & Mullett, PLLC and practices extensively in real property and business law.
November 18, 2008George V. Cassar Jr., '97, shareholder at the Southfield-based law firm of Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth and Heller, PC, has been selected by Inforum to serve on its Finance Committee.
June 1, 2009Jason Bank, '97, has joined Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC as a member of the firm, leading the firm's bankruptcy and restructuring practice.
July 7, 2009Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, of the Lansing law firm, Hicks & Mullett, PLLC, was recently elected President of The Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to raise funds for the awarding of grants to support the charitable endeavors of the Rotary Club of Lansing.
July 7, 2009Robert P. Tiplady II, '97, of Dykema, was listed in the 2010 Best Lawyers in America guide. He practices in the areas of estate planning and probate, including wills, trust agreements, powers of attorney, probate and trust administration, probate litigation, and gift, estate and generation skipping transfer tax planning. Tiplady has substantial experience advising fiduciaries and beneficiaries in contested and uncontested probate matters.
August 28, 2009Pete N. Kiousis, '97, has joined the Bloomfield Hills office of Rader, Fishman & Grauer, PLLC, a leading national intellectual property law firm, as an of counsel attorney.
December 18, 2009
Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, a partner with the Lansing firm Hicks & Mullett, PLLC, was recently elected to the 2010 Board of Directors of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. He will serve on the Executive Committee as Legal Counsel. Hicks was also recently appointed to a three-year term on the Ingham Regional Healthcare Foundation of Ingham Regional Medical Center. He practices extensively in the areas of real property and business law.
December 22, 2009
George V. Cassar Jr., '97, of Southfield-based Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth and Heller PC, has been named to the Board of Directors of Don Bosco Hall. Don Bosco Hall (www.donboscohall.org) is a Detroit-based, non-profit agency that provides supportive human services to enhance the quality of life for youth and their families residing in the metropolitan Detroit-Wayne County community. In his position he will be involved with the organization's social media initiatives and in gathering financial and non-financial support for Don Bosco Hall and the many activities it supports. Cassar focuses his practice in the areas of estate and business succession planning, taxation and probate.
February 3, 2010
Sue Nolan, '97, recently had an article published in the ABA Health Lawyer.
February 19, 2010
Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, of the Lansing firm Hicks & Mullett, PLLC recently received the prestigious Community Service Award from the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce at its 2010 Annual Dinner. The award is given annually to recognize outstanding individuals of sound moral character who give of their time and expertise to make Lansing a better community and serve as an inspiration to the community and a credit to their business or profession. Hicks was also recently appointed to serve on the Michigan Municipal League's Legislative Governance Committee and the Land Use and Economic Development Committee. Hicks practices extensively in the areas of real property and business law.
March 3, 2010
George Cassar, '97, an attorney with Southfield-based Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, P.C., was recently selected to the board of directors for the Miracle League of Plymouth.
April 8, 2010
Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, managing partner of the Lansing firm Hicks & Mullett, PLLC, was recently elected to the National Executive Board of the Michigan State University Alumni Association. He previously served two years on the Association's Advisory Council. Hicks practices extensively in the areas of real property and business law.
May 18, 2010
Eric T. Carver, '97, LL.M., of Dykema, was ranked by his peers as a leader in trusts and estates in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in America.
June 24, 2010
Eric T. Carver, '97, an attorney with the Detroit office of Dykema, was included in the 2011 Best Lawyers of America guide.
August 31, 2010Suzanne D. Nolan, '97, co-authored an article in the Fall 2010 Michigan Medical Law Report titled "Watching the Bottom Line: How Health Care Practices Can Control Employee Health Insurance Costs."
October 6, 2010
Eric T. Carver, '97, LL.M., of Dykema, was elected secretary and treasurer of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit (FEPCMD), effective Jan. 1, 2011. Carver has served for the last five years on the FEPCMD's Board of Directors. He was elected unanimously to serve a one-year term for both offices. The election took place at the FEPCMD's Annual meeting on Nov. 9, 2010.
November 17, 2010
Steven J. Enwright, '97, and Andrey T. Tomkiw, '92, have formed Tomkiw Enwright PLC, a new law firm in Royal Oak, Mich., dedicated to providing personalized and strategic legal services to leading and emerging businesses. Tomkiw Enwright will focus on representing businesses in the areas of labor and employment law, complex litigation, business formation and planning, venture finance, entertainment/ media law and general corporate counsel.
March 4, 2011
Veronica R. Leonard, '97, has formed Veronica R. Leonard PLLC. The firm concentrates its practice in all areas of family law (divorce, custody, child support and parenting time issues) as well as probate and estate planning. The firm, online at www.leonardfamilylaw.com, is located in Southfield, Mich.
June 7, 2011
Jeffrey C. Hicks, '97, managing partner of the Lansing law firm Hicks and Mullett PLLC, was recently appointed to the Michigan Office of Regulatory Reinvention's Occupational Licensing Advisory Rules Committee. The Committee will assist the Office of Regulatory Reinvention in identifying duplicative, obsolete, unnecessary or unduly restrictive occupation licensing rules that are not conducive to Michigan's business growth and job creation. The committee will evaluate each of Michigan's 91 regulated occupations to determine whether the rules currently in place provide enough benefits to outweigh the cost to taxpayers. Hicks practices extensively in the areas of real property and business law.
August 5, 2011
Michael T. Price, '97, has joined the Southfield-based firm of Collins, Einhorn, Farrell and Ulanoff PC. Price focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and employment litigation law.
April 16, 2012
Cynthia Haffey, '97, was named one of 20 awardees of Michigan Lawyer Weekly's Women in the Law 2012. She is with Butzel Long.
July 30, 2012
Jeffrey Hicks, '97, was recently re-elected to the Delta Township Board as trustee. Hicks practices extensively in the areas of real property and business law as a managing partner of Hicks & Mullett PLLC.
November 29, 2012
Jeffrey Hicks, '97, was recently elected to the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He will serve on the Board's Executive Committee as general counsel. He practices extensively in the areas of real property and business law as a managing partner of Hicks & Mullett PLLC in Lansing.
January 9, 2013
Cynthia Haffey, '97, was elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors at Butzel Long. Haffey is a shareholder and vice president practicing in Butzel Long's Detroit office. She represents corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships in complex disputes involving a wide range of corporate and commercial matters. She regularly appears before the federal and state courts, as well as arbitration tribunals. She represents clients in cases involving commercial disputes and business litigation, including automotive supply chain disputes, shareholder, partner and owner disputes, corporate mergers, acquisitions and other transaction disputes, fraud and other business torts, sales commission disputes, non-compete agreements and trade secrets, real estate disputes, construction contract disputes, anti-trust, bankruptcy and securities litigation. In addition, Haffey also has significant experience in advising and defending clients at trial and in arbitration in age, sex, and racial discrimination actions and other wrongful discharge claims. Haffey currently serves as the co-chair of the firm's Automotive Practice Group, chair of the firm's Women's Initiative Committee and a co-chair of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter's Social Justice Committee.
March 29, 2013
Suzanne Nolan, '97, joined the Detroit office of Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook. Nolan has substantial experience and regularly performs legal services for healthcare providers and technology companies on a wide variety of transactional and regulatory compliance matters including entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, real estate, contracts and corporate governance. Combining these skills and experience, Nolan will devote a substantial portion of her practice to advising and assisting health care providers on the creation, protection and licensing of all types of intellectual property; the development, distribution, buying, selling and licensing of technology goods and services; and on health care information technology including the privacy and security of healthcare information.
May 8, 2013
Jeffrey Hicks, '97, joined Dart Container Corp. as assistant general counsel for Corporate Real Estate. Hicks has practiced extensively in the areas of real estate and business law for 15 years. He is a former managing partner of the Lansing firm Hicks & Mullett PLLC.
May 9, 2013Sherry O’Neal, '96, is a new member of the Dickinson Wright PLLC firm. O’Neal focuses her expertise in commercial and business litigation, labor and employment relations, ERISA litigation.
February 9, 2009Michael Socha, '96, has recently become a member of the Dickinson Wright PLLC firm. He focuses his practice in commercial, business and product liability litigation.
February 9, 2009Steven Tyshka, '96, joined Lutheran Social Services of Michigan as vice president of services for senior adults. Tyshka will oversee operation of three senior retirement communities, three freestanding skilled nursing facilities including Luther Manor in Saginaw, 15 subsidized apartment complexes and a home care program. He previously worked for Sunrise Senior Living in southeast Michigan.
March 4, 2009Norman Richards, '96, has joined the Farmington Hills office of Foster, Swift, Collins, and Smith PC as a shareholder. Richards is a leading attorney in the areas of estate planning (wills, trusts and powers of attorney), estate taxes, elder law and disability planning, probate and trust administration, real estate, and business formation and succession planning. He volunteers as a legal advisor to seniors through the Farmington Hills Costick Center. He is a frequent lecturer with organizations such as the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Lorman Education Services, the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeast Michigan and private interest groups.
December 1, 2008Matthew Schenk, '96, has been named by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano as new chief of staff and assistant deputy CEO. Schenk, who most recently served as an assistant Wayne County executive, is replacing Nancy Mouradian and William Wolfson.
March 27, 2009Abby Pendleton, '96, co-founded the Health Law Partners, PC, a boutique firm specializing in healthcare law in Southfield, Mich., with Rob Iwrey, '93, Adrienne Dresevic, '02, and Jessica Gustafson, '05.
June 18, 2009Stephen T. Portell, '96, has joined the Tucson-based office of Haralson, Miller, Pitt, Feldman & McAnally PLC. Portell's practice includes automotive and heavy equipment product liability, drug and medical device, insurance coverage, class-action and business litigation. He is admitted to practice law in Arizona state courts and the U.S. District Court for Arizona, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining the firm, Portell was an equity partner with Quarles & Brady LLP and an associate with Snell & Wilmer LLP. Portell graduated summa cum laude from the University of Detroit. He is former president of the Pima County Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division and currently serves on the Arizona Supreme Court's Judicial Performance Review Commission and as a special magistrate for the Tucson City Court.
October 23, 2009Chris Bzdok, '96, a principal with Olson, Bzdok & Howard, PC, was elected Mayor of Traverse City.
November 23, 2009Marcy Ford, '96, EVP and managing partner of Trott & Trott PC's Bankruptcy and Foreclosure First Legal Department, has been recognized in the 16th edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Trott was one of only two attorneys in the state of Michigan recognized for the practice of mortgage banking foreclosure law.
January 26, 2010
John P. Gonway, '96, a shareholder at Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller P.C., a Southfield, Michigan-based law firm, is the director of advocacy for the Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA).
March 17, 2010
John P. Gonway, '96, a shareholder at Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller P.C., a Southfield-based law firm, has been appointed to the Snowmobile and Trails Advisory Council by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.
April 8, 2010Julian C. Swearengin, '96, has left the litigation department of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and has been elected principal and named associate general counsel at Bessemer Trust. He has also joined the adjunct faculty at New York Law School where he will be teaching courses on securities litigation and government investigations.
July 16, 2010Michelle D. Bayer, '96, co-authored an article in the Fall 2010 Michigan Medical Law Report titled "On the Hot Seat: Handling Hospital Investigations and Other Privileging Disputes."
October 6, 2010
Carol Parker , '96, was selected by the American Council on Education to participate in its 2012-2013 Fellows Program. Parker currently serves as Associate Dean for Finance and Administration at the University of New Mexico School of Law.
April 6, 2012
Marcy Ford, '96, was the subject of a feature story in the Washtenaw County Legal News for being named president of the USFN, formerly known as the U.S. Foreclosure Network. Ford is a partner and executive vice president of Trott & Trott in Farmington Hills.
November 5, 2012
Abby Pendleton, '96, was featured in a Motion Magazine story titled "In Good Health: Partners find their niche in legal field." She is a co-founder of The Health Law Partners legal firm.
December 5, 2012
Jodi Munn Schebel, '96, was elected as a member of Dickinson Wright PLLC. She focuses her practice on the areas of commercial and business litigation, insurance, and product liability and personal injury. Schebel is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. She is also a speaker and author, writing the chapter on "Dismissals and Defaults" for the book, "Michigan Civil Procedure."
January 11, 2013
Joseph Gustavus, '96, was slated as a speaker at the American Conference Institute's 7th annual National Exports Control Forum on International Technology Transfers and Deemed Export Compliance, Jan. 28-29 in San Francisco. Gustavus will serve as a panel member on "Monitoring Technology Transfer and Deemed Export Compliance by Foreign Affiliates, Subsidiaries, Parents and Joint Ventures." Gustavus is a corporate attorney with Miller Canfield representing multinational clients and clients primarily in the automotive, defense, aerospace, software and information technology sectors. He counsels and assists clients with their complex domestic and international acquisitions and commercial transactions, ITAR and export control compliance issues, corporate governance and with building, demonstrating, and protecting the value of their intellectual property rights. He is also a certified public accountant.
January 15, 2013
Rebecca Sczepanski, '96, joined HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick (Georgia), as of counsel with the firm's ERISA and Employee Benefits Practice Group. An accomplished attorney and C.P.A., Sczepanski brings extensive experience advising for-profit and non-profit clients on ERISA and employee benefits issues including qualified plans, welfare plans, investment policy statements and fiduciary responsibilities, IRS submissions and Department of Labor audits and investigations. Before joining HunterMaclean, Sczepanski served as senior counsel at the law firm of Ice Miller LLP in Indianapolis, Ind., and as general counsel for Employee Health Insurance Management Inc. in Southfield.
April 22, 2013
Sara Kruse, '96, was named co-practice group coordinator for Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss PC's Emerging and Growth Business Practice Group. Kruse, a partner with the firm, has developed a robust practice in guiding her clients through large corporate transactions, where she represents both private and public companies in all aspects of their legal needs - from formation to equity financing to acquisition. Kruse is also a member of the Corporate and Securities and Regulations Practice Groups at the firm. She is also a long-standing and active member of Jaffe's Women's Caucus Group, which was recently awarded the Inaugural Women's Resource Center Award by the Michigan Women's Foundation. She has represented several clients in complex business transactions that have received Crain's Detroit Business Merger & Acquisition awards, including multiple ‘Deal of the Year' recognitions.
May 17, 2013Gerald J. Gleeson II, '95, was elected a principal by Miller Canfield. He specializes in criminal and civil litigation. He has handled cases in federal court and various courts across Michigan and has personally tried more than 180 jury trials to verdict. He is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association Board of Directors, where he is chair of the Criminal Committee.
February 10, 2009Humma S. Siddiqi, '95, was recently elected to membership of Dykema. Siddiqi's practice focuses on automotive, toxic tort and other general litigation matters.
February 9, 2009James J. Boutrous II, '95, joined the Detroit Office of McDonald Hopkins' Labor and Employment Counseling and Litigation Practice, which specializes in representing management in all aspects of labor and employment law at both the state and federal level. Boutrous has extensive non-compete and trade secret experience, which includes counseling, auditing, and drafting agreements. Boutrous's national practice involves both prosecuting and defending employers in non-competition and trade secret litigation, with significant injunction hearing experience. He is a member of the Non-Compete/Trade Secrets Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section. Boutrous is also a skilled employment litigator, with trial experience in employment discrimination matters, defending employers in labor arbitrations, as well as labor and employment counseling.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 from the University of Notre Dame.
October 23, 2009Gerry Gleason, '95, a Miller Canfield principal, served as moderator for the Oakland County Bar Association's Seminar "Preservation of Electronic Evidence, e-Discovery: No Longer an Option -- It's a Rule, So Now What?"
November 17, 2009Dwight K. Hamilton, '95, was named the new assistant vice president for Affirmative Action at Grand Valley. He will start his new job at Grand Valley on Jan. 7, 2010.
December 15, 2009William D. Adams, '95, has been named partner at Southfield-based Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss, PC. Adams is a member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group. He primarily supports the firm's Aviation Practice Group, specializing in aircraft-related litigation both in Michigan and nationwide.
February 23, 2010Antoinette M. Pilzner, '95, has joined the Detroit office of McDonald Hopkins LLC as a member in the firm's national Employee Benefits and Labor and Employment Counseling and Litigation Practice Groups, which provide legal services to a diverse group of clients throughout the United States. Pilzner, who has 15 years of experience advising clients in the areas of ERISA, employee benefits and executive compensation, is also a certified public accountant.
February 28, 2010
Joseph J. DeVito, '95, LL.M. 2005, of Howard and Howard Attorneys PLLC, was named to DBusiness Top Lawyers 2011. Attorneys were selected through a process that included a peer review survey that polled more than 15,000 private attorneys in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston counties.
November 16, 2010Bradley E. Lerner, '95, recently joined the legal department of ValueOptions, Inc. the largest privately-owned behavioral health maintenance organization (BHMO) in the United States. ValueOptions provides behavioral healthcare management to Fortune 500 companies, national and regional health plans, and federal, state, and local governments. Brad formerly worked at the Federal Communications Commission and Cavalier Telephone, LLC. In his position, Brad will be monitoring health care legislation for executive leadership.
January 3, 2011Monica D. Moons, '95, of Couzens Lansky of Farmington Hills, was chosen as a 2011 FIVE STAR Wealth Manager. She is part of a select group, representing less than 7 percent of wealth managers in the Detroit metropolitan area. The award is based on survey results from thousands of consumers and other financial services professionals.
August 16, 2011
Joseph J. DeVito, '95, LL.M. '05, of the law firm Howard and Howard, has been named to DBusiness Top Lawyers 2012.
November 3, 2011
Joseph J. DeVito, '95, , LL.M., '05, an attorney with Howard and Howard Attorneys PLLC, has been named chair of the firm's Corporate Practice Group.
March 6, 2012
David Nykanen, '95, formed, with Michael Dorfman, a full-service law fim, Nykanen Dorfman PLLC, in Farmington Hills specializing in real estate, litigation, property tax and business issues. He was featured in the Macomb County Legal News.
September 6, 2012
Rebecca Davies, '95, was scheduled as a featured speaker for an Oct. 21-23 panel presentation at the North American Transportation Employee Relations Association's 26th annual conference in Florida. She is a board member of NATERA and a shareholder with Butzel Long. Davies concentrates her practice primarily in the areas of employment law and commercial litigation, and counsels employers regarding compliance under federal and state employment laws, drafts policies and procedures, and advises on preventative strategies.
September 11, 2012
Sean Cook, '95, joined the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP as a partner. Cook, who is also a certified public accountant, concentrates his practice in corporate and individual tax, estate planning, commercial law and mergers and acquisitions. He has extensive experience with transactions, including business formation, stock and asset sales, tax free reorganizations and related issues.
January 10, 2013Martin S. Frenkel, '94, a shareholder at Southfield-based Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller PC, was a featured panelist at a national conference hosted by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) in Chicago.
May 11, 2009Elisa Angeli Palizzi, '94, has been sworn in as the 2009-2010 president of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan.
August 10, 2009Mona Armstrong, '94, senior assistant prosecutor was featured in The Times Herald as a potential candidate for St. Clair County Circuit Judge.
January 17, 2010Michael Cone, '94, was a speaker at the Georgetown University Law Center's 2010 International Trade Update held in Washington, D.C. The topic of his panel was the "Nuts and Bolts of Litigating a Customs Case."
April 21, 2010
Michael T. Cone, '94, a member of Wayne Law's external advisory committee for the Program for International Legal Studies, now practices in the areas of administrative law, customs, and international trade with McCullough Ginsberg Montano and Partners LLP in New York. Additionally, he will be presenting a seminar on importing and exporting textiles to members of the Van Andel Global Trade Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Aug. 18, 2010.
August 2, 2010Ted C. Tow III, '94, of Northglenn, Colorado, will replace retiring District Court Judge John T. Bryan in the 17th Judicial District - which serves Adams and Broomfield counties - effective Jan. 11. Tow is currently the executive director of the Colorado District Attorneys' Council. Prior to that, he served as a deputy district attorney in the 17th Judicial District, a civil litigator and as a manager in the private sector.
September 23, 2010Lorraine Shalhoub, '94, vice president and general counsel of Chrysler Canada, was profiled in the December issue of Inside Counsel magazine. The article talks about her career and her being named Canadian General Counsel of the Year in 2010. http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2010/December-2010/Pages/Chrysler-Canada-GC-Lorraine-Shalhoub-on-Her-Road-to-Success.aspx?k=Lorraine+Shalhoub
December 6, 2010
Michael T. Cone, '94, was recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered program in an interview ("Sawing Apart Gym Shoes At The Port Of Long Beach"). Cone is also presenting a food importing seminar in Grand Rapids on Jan. 26, an importing seminar in New York on Jan. 27, and will be a panelist on March 2 for Georgetown Law CLE's 2011 International Trade Update. Additionally, he recently won a case at the CIT relating to government procurement.
January 26, 2011
Rachel Brochert Roe, '94, recently joined Munson Healthcare as assistant general counsel. Munson Healthcare is a multi-hospital regional health system based in Traverse City, Michigan. Prior to her affiliation with Munson Healthcare, she was a shareholder in the law firm of Smith Haughey Rice and Roegge.
March 10, 2011
Michael T. Cone, '94, provided expertise in a Ms. Magazine post titled "How Gender Gets Stopped at the Border." Cone, a member of the Wayne Law Program for International Legal Studies Advisory Committee, practices in the areas of administrative law, customs and international trade with McCullough Ginsberg Montano and Partners LLP in New York.
July 18, 2011
Mike Kolasa, '94, LL.M., has opened a new division in Marquette, Mich., for The Stephenson National Bank and Trust (SNBT). As Vice President and Trust Officer of the Marquette Trust and Investment Services Office, he will focus primarily on financial, tax, and estate planning as well as account investment management for clients.
April 16, 2012
Sabrina Johnson, '94, was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to replace former Inkster District Judge Sylvia James, who was removed from the 22nd District Court bench for financial improprieties. Johnson served as a Wayne County assistant prosecutor from 1996-02 and from 2008 until her 2012 appointment. From 2002-08, she managed her own private law firm. Her appointment runs through Jan. 1, 2013.
September 6, 2012
Eric Jones, '94, was featured in an Oakland County Legal News article titled "Top gun: IP attorney served as a pilot in Air Force, National Guard." His is an intellectual property attorney and shareholder with Reising Ethington in Troy, and teaches in Nicaragua several times a year.
September 6, 2012
Michael Cone, '94, has been appointed to a new term as a member of the Advisory Committee for the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. He practices in the areas of administrative law, customs, and international trade with FSB FisherBroyles in New York. Cone counsels clients on a broad array of regulatory compliance issues. His administrative expertise includes matters falling under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the Food and Drug Administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Products Safety Commission, and a variety of other administrative bodies that regulate the importation and sale of merchandise. He also represents clients in all phases of litigation before federal and state courts, including the U.S. Court of International Trade. Advisory committee members work with the court to enhance its internal operations and amend its rules in order to improve practice before the court. Cone is a frequent speaker at professional and commercial trade events, and has been quoted in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Journal of Commerce, Women's Wear Daily, Marie Claire magazine and other publications. Cone is general counsel for and a member of the Board of The Gohan Society, a nonprofit charity that seeks to further awareness of Japanese cuisine and culinary arts. He is fluent in French, and has studied and practiced law in Paris.
February 19, 2013
Alan Taylor, '94, has joined Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd., a litigation firm with offices in seven cities nationwide, as a shareholder in the firm's Detroit office. Taylor will focus his practice on commercial litigation, professional negligence defense for attorneys and accountants, insurance defense, real estate litigation, business transactions and defending creditors' rights. He has extensive experience representing publicly traded corporations, private companies and individuals throughout Michigan.Taylor also regularly counsels landlords and tenants on all aspects of commercial, industrial and residential tenancies.Taylor was named to the 2011 and 2012 Michigan Super Lawyers lists and was recognized as a 2011 Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is actively involved in several legal and real estate organizations including multiple sections of the Michigan State Bar.
February 28, 2013
Tammy Klugh, '94, was recognized by the Michigan Chronicle as a "Woman of Excellence 2014" honoree. She is vice president of diversity, inclusion and compliance for Kelly Services. In her role, Klugh partners with leaders throughout Kelly Services to design global strategies to create an inclusive environment internally as well as develop staffing solutions for customers. Prior to joining Kelly in 1999 as the director of diversity, Klugh was assistant director, Diversity and Compliance Office, for Oakland University in Rochester Hills. She began her career with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office Federal Contract Compliance Programs as a compliance officer serving southeastern Michigan.
March 29, 2013Mark Sparschu, '93, joined Brooks Kushman P.C. Sparschu joins the leading intellectual property (IP) law firm as a senior attorney and will be responsible for client counseling in trademark and other IP law matters, including brand protection and trademark development, clearance, counterfeiting and litigation. Most recently, Sparschu served as chief trademark counsel for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich., where he had overall responsibility for the trademark law matters for Ford and its worldwide subsidiaries, including the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin brands. In this capacity, he led a group of eight trademark professionals in four countries and outside counsel throughout the world.
March 6, 2009Marcy J. Ford, '93, a partner with Farmington-Hills based Trott & Trott PC, has been named USFN Secretary. USFN is a national resource network serving the mortgage industry. Ford is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, American Bankruptcy Institute, Consumer Bankruptcy Association (CBA) and the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association (MMLA).
November 13, 2008David Galbenski, '93, has authored a book: "Unbound: How Entrepreneurship is Dramatically Transforming Legal Services Today." The book highlights and dissects how the demands of a changing marketplace are forcing the legal industry, rooted in century-old law firms and billing practices, to behave less like a profession and more like a business. The book also demonstrates how entrepreneurial best practices are being applied to the rapidly changing legal services industry. Nineteen leading visionaries from corporate counsel, law firms, and legal outsourcing providers offer input on where the industry is going over the next three to five years. Seven key trends are examined in the book. The hard-cover edition is slated for an April 20, 2009 release, and can be ordered at www.unboundlegal.com, or by contacting Karen Weaks at kweaks@unboundlegal.com.
April 10, 2009Portia Roberson, '93, has been named director of intergovernmental affairs and public liaison at the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C. She formerly worked at the Detroit Medical Center.
June 12, 2009Rob Iwrey, '93, co-founded the Health Law Partners, PC, a boutique firm specializing in healthcare law in Southfield, Mich., with Abby Pendleton, '96, Adrienne Dresevic, '02, and Jessica Gustafson, '05.
June 18, 2009Andrew M. (Jake) Grove, '93, is a shareholder at Reising Ethington, PC. He is now in his third year serving as an adjunct professor teaching Trademark Law and Unfair Competition at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School. He is also co-author of the student case book Patent Law published by Thomson West. Grove has also been selected as a Michigan Super Lawyer in each of the last four years.
July 24, 2009Andrew "Jake" Grove, '93, a shareholder at the intellectual property law firm Reising Ethington, has been asked back to teach the Trademark and Unfair Competition law class this year at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He was asked to teach again after last year's students gave him excellent reviews. Grove is a co-author of the West Publishing Company's Sixth Edition of the textbook Cases and Materials on Patent Law, Including Trade Secrets, Copyrights, Trademarks and a corresponding teacher's guide. He has been asked to help write the next edition of this textbook and teacher's guide.
August 21, 2009
Michelle C. Harrell, '93, of Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, PC, has been named as a shareholder of the firm and the managing shareholder of the firm's eight-member General & Complex Litigation Group. She concentrates her practice on complex commercial, real estate, receivership and family law litigation. Harrell is a Barrister in the American Inn of Court, Oakland County Chapter; an appointed member of the U. S. Courts Committee of the State Bar of Michigan, a mentor in the Oakland County Bar Association Mentor Program; and an Oakland County Circuit Court Case Evaluator.
January 11, 2010Jake Grove, '93, has joined Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn, LLP as a partner in its Litigation Department. Grove concentrates his practice on intellectual property litigation with a particular emphasis on patent, trade secret and other technology-related subjects.
November 17, 2009William J. Kliffel, '93, was named a shareholder with Butzel Long. Previously, Kliffel was a senior attorney with the firm. He has extensive experience in the area of asbestos defense litigation, including product identification, liability issues, appearance work and medical aspects of defense of both manufacturers and suppliers. He also has experience in the defense of automotive negligence, premises liability, medical malpractice and products liability cases.
March 26, 2010Mark Sparschu, '93, shareholder of Brooks Kushman PC, was appointed to head the firm's trademark group. The appointment was announced by Mark Cantor, president of the firm, and furthers the continued success of the firm's diverse trademark team.
June 8, 2010
Kim Yapchai, '93, is now director of Corporate Ethics and Counsel-Retail/Wholesale Group for Masco Corporation.
July 2, 2010
Stephen P. Brown, '93, a partner of Plunkett Cooney, was recently selected for membership in the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), an international organization whose members dedicate their practice to the representation of corporations and insurance companies in the defense of civil litigation.
October 4, 2010