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Gerald Acker
was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be a Commissioner and U.S. Section chair of the Joint International Commission.
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Danielle Chidiac
was recently named to the Lawyers of Color magazine 2023 Annual Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Hot List. The List annually recognizes junior- and mid-level attorneys across the country who show promise in their careers and demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession.
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Annemarie Linares
has co-founded a Latvian nonprofit organization, AMOS, to ensure that every Latvian who has a serious, chronic, or terminal illness with a limited prognosis can access high quality professional hospice services. AMOS provides highly professional, competent, ethical, patient-centered, value-based, holistic, multidisciplinary, hospice services. The AMOS team interweave medical, social, psychological, spiritual, and care giving support to patients and their families. AMOS is led by an executive team with training and experience in hospice services both in Latvia and the US who are eager to share their considerable experience and expertise for the benefit of fellow Latvians. AMOS operates on value-based healthcare principles. AMOS not only provides state of the art hospice services, but creates efficiencies for the entire Latvian healthcare sector by off-loading hospitals, emergency rooms, emergency medical service brigades, and family doctors.
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Andrew Harris
has joined the firm of Maddin Hauser as a shareholder. Andrew focuses his advocacy on real estate, landlord-tenant, and commercial litigation matters and also handles cases involving state tax issues and insurance. In addition to his diverse and busy practice, Andrew enjoys a vibrant history of public service and active community involvement. He served as an elected member of the Birmingham City Commission from 2015-2019 and as the city’s Mayor from 2017-2018. Additionally, Andrew is an Oakland County Bar Foundation Trustee and former Chairman of the Oakland County Bar Association Real Estate Committee. He is also the President of the Birmingham Little League and serves as legal counsel for the Birmingham Hockey Association.
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Lindsay Abramson
was hired as the Deputy Chief Public Defender of the first-ever Oakland County Public Defender’s Office. Abramson spent 11 years as a Maricopa County Public Defende, in Phoenix, Arizona. During my final years there I was promoted to the Capital unit and was certified death penalty public defender. In 2017, I was appointed to the bench/ judicial officer for four years in the Maricopa County Superior Court. I moved back home to Michigan in January 2022 to be closer to my family. I have worked as the Director of the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity and Expungement Unit for the last year. My work resulted in the exoneration of Kenneth Webb, a man who spent 37 years in prison for murder, he did not commit.
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Stephen Ravas
assumed the position of Acting Inspector General at AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism.
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Carla Testani
received the Mary S. Coleman Award at the Women Lawyer’s Association of Michigan Annual Meeting.
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Scott Sirich
Plunkett Cooney partner Scott H. Sirich was recently named to the 2023 class of Go To Lawyers for construction law as determined by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MiLW). Sirich will be featured, along with 19 other attorneys, in a special section that will appear in the March 27 print and digital editions of MiLW, an industry publication serving the state’s legal community. In its third year, Michigan’s Go To Lawyers is a peer-nomination program that recognizes the top lawyers across the state in a given practice area.
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Corey M. Beaubien
was a guest lecturer at the Michigan State University College of Law for its Intellectual Property Practicum course in March. He discussed subject matter eligibility under 35 USC 101, the origins of the two-step framework, and recent caselaw involving eligibility.
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Howard Hertz
was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award as a “Champion for Artistic Freedom” by the Cultural Council of Birmingham Bloomfield.
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Kyle Kamidoi
was awarded the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel's Golden Gavel Award. the Golden Gavel Award is presented annually to a young lawyer who exemplifies professionalism and courtesy in the practice of law, and who promotes the image and honorable reputation of the profession. The award recognizes achievement within the member’s area of practice as evidenced by his or her knowledge, skill and advocacy, as well as his/her community involvement or pro bono representation and charitable endeavors. The award further recognizes leadership and advancement of the image of the recipient’s peers by way of mentoring, awards, civic leadership or otherwise.
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Andrew M. Creal
has joined Maddin Hauser as an associate attorney. As a member of their Complex Litigation and Risk Advisory group, he will work on business and real estate matters, including general business and contractual disputes, business torts, shareholder oppression claims, supplier disputes, construction litigation, real estate disputes, land use and zoning issues, and other real property matters. Andrew graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 2019 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University’s James Madison College in 2016.
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Andrew Kowalkowski
appointed by Governor Whitmer to the 44th District Court bench. Prior to joining the bench, he was an Administrative Law Examiner at the Michigan Department of State.
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Richard G. Himelrick
retired from Tiffany & Bosco, P.A. (Phoenix, AZ). Before retiring, he authored six editions of Arizona Securities Fraud Law: Civil Liability, Defenses, and Remedies. His former partner, Robert D. Mitchell, will continue to update the book as future editions are published.”
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Brian P. Frasier
joins Collins Einhorn Farrell PC. Brian is a member of the firm’s general and automotive liability group. He focuses his practice on the defense of general and first and third-party automobile liability claims. Brian offers clients litigation strategies in several areas of law, including personal injury, product liability, premises liability, consumer protection, and employment, in addition to no-fault/third-party automobile injury cases. He focuses much of his practice on complex antifraud investigations and litigation, including insurance defense and healthcare abuse.
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Amanda Shelton
was elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court bench in November to a six-year term. Prior to joining the bench, she was the founding partner of Shelton & Deon Law Group.
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Alexandru Salar
has joined Collins Einhorn Farrell PC. Alexandru focuses his practice on defense litigation for the firm’s General and Automotive Liability practice group. His practice includes first-party No-Fault claims, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, automobile negligence, and general liability matters. Alexandru has experience with general and automotive liability claims through all phases of litigation.
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James Reid IV
has joined its Labor and Employment Department as a partner in the firm's Ann Arbor office. Reid specializes in counseling business owners, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, in-house counsel, and human resource directors to help them make strategic business decisions from hiring to firing. He helps clients comply with the ever-changing and overlapping laws, including the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) among others.
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Noraline Issak
was admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. The swearing-in ceremony took place on November 1, 2022, in Washington D.C. Nellie L. King, President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, moved for her admission before the full Court with Chief Justice John Roberts presiding.
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Stephen P. Brown
a partner of Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms, was recently inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC). Established in 2012, the ACCC is composed of nearly 400 insurance coverage and extracontractual counsel in the United States and Canada. Membership is by invitation only and is reserved exclusively for attorneys who have engaged substantially in the practice of insurance law for at least 15 consecutive years and who have met the ACCC Board of Regents’ requirements.
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Lewis Kolak
has joined Vector North America as General Counsel. Kolak earned his master's degree from Auburn University and his bachelor's degree from Saginaw Valley State University.
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Richard Smart, III
received the Daniel J. Wright Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Supreme Court, Child Welfare Services Department on November 22, 2022 for his service to children and families in the Child Welfare System. Throughout his career, Richard has served as a Referee, Chief Referee, and Deputy Court Administrator in the Juvenile Section of the Third Circuit Court. His innovative leadership has helped thousands of families in Wayne County.
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Rachel Pinch
now leads the Law Office of Rachel M. Pinch (formerly the Law Office of David S. Hankus) where she represents claimants throughout Michigan in claims for Social Security Disability Benefits and Supplemental Security Income.
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Anisa Allen
was recently promoted to Managing Attorney for Progressive House Counsel, in December 2022.
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Sandra D. Glazier
has been appointed a commissioner to the ABA Commission on Law and Aging. The Commission is an interdisciplinary body of experts in aging and law, including lawyers, judges, health and social services professionals, academics, and advocates, that work on a wide range of law-related issues that affect our aging population and focus on strengthening and securing the legal rights, dignity, autonomy, quality of life and quality of care of older adults. The Commission accomplishes its work through research, policy development, advocacy, education, training, and through assistance to lawyers, bar associations, and others working on aging issues.
