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Tyrone C. Fahner (1968)
will receive the 2018 Distinguished Award for Excellence from the Illinois Bar Foundation at the organization’s 20th annual gala October 19, 2018. Fahner is a partner at Mayer Brown in Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Michigan and LL.M. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
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Mary Massaron (1990)
will be recognized at the WMU-Cooley Law Review for her winning brief, Nexteer Automotive Group v. Mando America Corp, filed with the Michigan Supreme Court in 2017. Her team included John J. Bursch, Alexandra W. Wald and Mark Spatz. Massaron is a partner at Plunkett Cooney, P.C. She earned her bachelor's from Marygrove College.
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Gary P. Gordon (1976)
will be recognized at the WMU-Cooley Law Review for his winning brief, AFT v. State of Michigan, filed with the Michigan Supreme Court in 2017. His team included Jason T. Hanselman, W. Alan Wilk and Steve C. Liedel. Gordon is a member at Dykema Gossett PLLC. He earned his bachelor's from Michigan State University.
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Sarah Kwiatkowski (2010)
was named associate general counsel at Premera Blue Cross. She will be focusing on benefits law including the Affordable Care Act, mental health parity and pharmacy benefits analyzing new state and federal regulations as part of the regulatory advocacy process. She earned her bachelor's from Michigan State University.
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Margaret Carroll Alli (1985)
has been named managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins' Detroit office. Alli focuses her practice on the representation and counseling of management concerning the umbrella of employment laws and regulations affecting corporate clients, not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. She earned her bachelor's from Michigan State University.
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Patty Corkery (1999)
is now the EVP/COO and general counsel for the Michigan Credit Union League. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
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Laura Barrera (2016)
was interviewed by
CNN discussing the lack of attorneys and free legal aid for migrant children who are forced to appear in detention hearings without a parent or guardian. Barrera is a Bernstein Fellow at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law where she specializes in asylum and special immigrant juvenile status cases. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Joanne Geha Swanson (1981)
is president-elect for the Detroit Bar Association for 2018-19. Swanson is a member at Kerr Russell where she focuses on civil litigation practice. She earned her bachelor’s from Michigan State University.
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Steve Cappellino (2003)
joined Varnum LLP's Detroit office as a member of the tax planning, compliance and litigation practice team. He earned his bachelor's from Miami University and his LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
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Keith Leenhouts (1952)
will be honored with a permanent fixed tribute by the Royal Oak Historical Society. There will be a formal renaming of the probation department and a mounted wall display telling the story of Leenhouts and his Volunteers in Probation program. Leenhouts served as judge of Royal Oak's 44th District Court in 1959, a position he held for 10 years.
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Erin Mette (2018)
is the recipient of a prestigious Equal Justice Works Fellowship. During her two-year fellowship, Mette is working for the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center to provide legal counseling and representation to families affected by home-based environmental health hazards in Detroit and Flint. She earned her bachelor’s from Kalamazoo College and master’s from the University of Michigan. Read more
here.
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Lisa J. Hamameh (2000)
was elected to the State Bar of Michigan’s 2018-19 Board of Commissioners and will serve a three-year term. The board provides oversight to the bar on finance, public policy, professional standards and member services and communications. Hamameh is a shareholder with Foster Swift Collins and Smith PC, where she practices primarily public entity law, zoning and land use, liquor licensing law and condominium and homeowners’ association law. She earned her bachelor’s from Wayne State University.
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Karen Dodge (1990)
was named a finalist for the Partnership for Public Service’s 2018 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals program. Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. that works to revitalize our federal government. Dodge was recognized for her work on the team that brought justice and restored financial losses of nearly $600 million for hundreds of thousands of people who were defrauded by money transfer scams. Dodge is a staff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission in Chicago.
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Hala Jarbou (1997)
was honored with the Pillar of Justice Award at the Chaldean American Bar Association’s 25th Anniversary Scholarship and Awards Dinner. This award is given to attorneys and judges who not only are experts in the field of law, but who demonstrate exemplary community service and are held in high esteem by their peers. Jarbou is a judge for the Oakland County Circuit Court. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Michael “Max” Sneyd (1994)
presented “Starting Your Start Up Right” as part of Detroit Startup Week, a free event that draws 8,000+ attendees along 19 program track. Sneyd is a member at Kerr Russell. He earned his bachelor’s from Miami University in Ohio.
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Angela Povilaitis (2000)
joined the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board (MDSVPTB) as a staff policy attorney. The MDSVPTB is a seven member, governor-appointed board whose mission is to lead statewide efforts to eliminate domestic and sexual violence in Michigan. Povilaitis earned her bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Tanya Juarez Lundberg (2007)
was promoted to assistant dean of career services and outreach at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Lundberg also was sworn in as president of the Women's Bar Association, the Oakland Region of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, for the 2018-19 bar year. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Dan Kosmowski (2013)
was featured in a report for the Detroit Legal News, “
Lawyer focuses on ‘compassionate’ approach for clients with dementia.” He also was featured in a CBS Detroit segment on dementia and caregiving. Kosmowski launched Brain Care Law PLLC in 2014 in honor of his father who was diagnosed with dementia, and serves families impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease. Kosmowski earned his bachelor’s from Wayne State University.
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Linda S. Hallmark (1977)
served with attorney Edward Gold as co-moderator at the annual Family Court Forum in June 2018. This year’s topic was “Heck No, I Won’t Go – Children Who Resist Parenting Time.” Hallmark is the Oakland County Probate Chief Judge Pro Tempore. She has been a member of the Family Court Forum committee since its inception in 1999, and has served as an Oakland County Probate Court Judge since 1998. Hallmark earned her bachelor’s from Michigan State University.
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Mark Rubenfire (1987)
was named president of the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit. He will serve a two-year term as lay leader of the organization, working with the executive director and board of directors. Rubenfire is a partner at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C., where he specializes in real estate law, real estate leasing and real estate lending and workouts. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Alex Szypa (2014)
became a shareholder at Carlson, Gaskey & Olds in Birmingham, Michigan. Szypa focuses his practice on patent prosecution and IP litigation. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Stephen C. Johnston (2014)
is a co-founder and partner at Signature Legal, PLLC in Warren, Michigan. Johnston focuses his practice on estate planning, probate litigation and administration, trust litigation and administration and landlord/tenant disputes. He earned his bachelor’s from Kalamazoo College.
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Fadi A. Zayto (2014)
is a co-founder and partner at Signature Legal, PLLC in Warren, Michigan. Zayto focuses his practice on immigration, criminal law and estate planning. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
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Hilary Braley (2018)
was featured in a report for the Detroit Legal News, “Advocate: Wayne Law student served as chair of Legal Aid Clinic.” Read the full article
here.
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Emily G. Thomas (2012)
joined Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace, where she will continue to represent victims injured as a result of birth trauma. Thomas serves on the Executive Committee for the Michigan Association for Justice, and she is an active member of the American Association for Justice where she is chair-elect of the Professional Negligence section and an active member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group. She earned her bachelor’s from Michigan State University James Madison College.