Legal People

Law Firm of John F. Schaefer

Best Lawyers of America named John F. Schaefer and the Law Firm of John F. Schaefer to its 2019 Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms lists.  Schaefer has been recognized on this list since 1983.

The Law Firm of John F. Schaefer was founded in 1996 and is dedicated the practice of matrimonial and family law. Schaefer specializes in complex and high profile divorce cases and keeps offices in Birmingham, Grosse Pointe, and Harbor Springs. The Michigan State University College of Law library is named after Schaefer, where he has served as trustee emeritus and adjunct law professor for more than 30 years.

Schaefer serves, and has served, on numerous boards and associations including the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the State of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association.

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Secrest Wardle

Secrest Wardle is pleased to announce that six of the firm’s attorneys have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for 2019. The firm congratulates  Thomas J. Azoni, Derk W. Beckerleg, Nathan J. Edmonds, Daniel P. Makarski, Mark E. Morley, and Bruce A. Truex. All six attorneys are located in the firm’s Troy office and have been listed in their respective categories in Troy.

Thomas J. Azoni is listed in the Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants categories.  Azoni is a senior partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm’s Construction, General Negligence, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. He serves as chair of the General Negligence Practice Group.

Derk W. Beckerleg is listed in the Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Municipal and Municipal Law categories. Beckerleg is an executive partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member and practice group leader of the firm’s Governmental Litigation, Municipal and Real Estate Practice Groups. Beckerleg serves as the managing partner of the Municipal Law Practice Group.

Nathan J. Edmonds is listed in the Litigation – Insurance category. Edmonds is a senior partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm’s Amusement and Leisure, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups.

Daniel P. Makarski is listed in the Arbitration, Insurance Law and Litigation – Insurance categories. Makarski is a senior partner at Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group and serves as chair of the Group.

Mark E. Morley is listed in the Insurance Law, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Litigation – Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants categories. Morley is a senior partner and co-managing partner of Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution, Employment, Insurance Coverage, Malpractice/Professional Liability, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation and Product Liability Practice Groups. He serves as chair of the Malpractice/Professional Liability Practice Group.

Bruce A. Truex is listed in the Litigation – Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants categories. Truex is a senior partner, president and co-managing partner of Secrest Wardle. He is a member of the firm’s Commercial and Business Law, Employment, Environmental and Toxic Tort, Intellectual Property/Advertising Injury and Product Liability Practice Groups and serves as chair of each group.

In addition, Secrest Wardle Executive Partner Shelly Lee Griffin, of the firm’s Troy location, is scheduled to speak at the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) Seminar & Expo on Insurance Fraud taking place September 9-12 in Baltimore, Maryland. The event brings together the world’s leading SIU professionals at the forefront of detecting, investigating and deterring insurance fraud.

Griffin will be presenting, “Rich Man, Poor Man: When the Numbers Don’t Add Up,” on September 11. Her presentation will discuss the effective application of the Doctrine of Judicial Estoppel to dismiss policyholder’s claims when financial inconsistencies arise from prior bankruptcy filings.

Griffin will also be presenting a Secrest Wardle complimentary webinar and podcast coinciding with her presentation, “Rich Man, Poor Man: When the Numbers Don’t Add Up,” on a date to be announced.  To join the distribution list to receive an invitation to sign up for the webinar/podcast, contact Marketing Assistant Sandie Vertel at svertel@secrestwardle.com.

Griffin is a member of Secrest Wardle’s Property, Fire and Casualty, Insurance Coverage, Premises Liability and General Negligence Practice Groups. She has more than 20 years of experience in civil litigation. Her areas of practice include first-party and third-party property-casualty insurance matters, coverage disputes and fraud and arson investigation with extensive trial experience. Griffin has also handled multi-party complex litigation, construction litigation, employment litigation and gas explosion cases. In August 2017, Griffin presented on the topic of Deposition Strategies before the Insurance Alliance of Michigan (IAM).

Griffin is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, International Association of Special Investigation Units and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.

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Foster Swift

Ten attorneys from Foster Swift’s Southfield office were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2019 list. Firm-wide, 45 attorneys were included.
Listed attorneys and their areas of practice are as follows:

Dirk H. Beckwith, Construction Law

Michael R. Blum, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management

Julie I. Fershtman, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law

Gilbert H. Frimet, Health Care Law

Lisa J. Hamameh, Municipal Law

John M. Kamins, Corporate Law

Frank T. Mamat, Labor Law – Management

Paul J. Millenbach, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants

Brian J. Renaud, Administrative/Regulatory Law

Bruce A. Vande Vusse, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants

In addition, Foster Swift estate planning attorneys Nicolas Camargo and Trevor Weston will be among the presenters at the upcoming educational seminar, “Step-by-Step Guide to Drafting Wills and Trusts.”

Hosted by the National Business Institute (NBI), this all-day seminar takes place Thursday, September 13, at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Southfield – Detroit. This basic-intermediate level seminar will provide those who attend (attorneys, accountants/CPAs, paralegals) with foundational will and trust drafting skills. The seminar will cover the following topics among others:

—Types of wills and trusts

—Trusts vs. wills

—Beneficiary designations in retirement plans and life insurance

—Care of clients with diminishing mental capacity

—Conflicts of interest

Camargo and Weston practice out of the firm’s Southfield office in the areas of trust & estate litigation, elder law, estate planning and business & corporate law. In addition to their practice, both attorneys write for the firm’s Elder Law blog, located at mielderlawblog.com.

For registration and additional information on this seminar, visit https://www.nbi-sems.com/ProductDetails/79854ER

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Foley & Lardner LLP

 Eleven Detroit-based Foley & Lardner attorneys have been named to The Best Lawyers in America 2019 list.  They include:

Norman C. Ankers, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

Jennifer Z. Belveal, Commercial Litigation

John F. Birmingham Jr., Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

Jason Conti, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Real Estate, Litigation and Controversy – Tax

Daljit S. Doogal, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law

Steven H. Hilfinger, Government Relations Practice

Philip B. Phillips, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

John A. Simon, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Thomas B. Spillane Jr., Corporate Law

John R. Trentacosta, Commercial Litigation

Ann Marie Uetz, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation

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Department of Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan recently announced the appointment of Charity Dean as the City of Detroit’s new director of the Department of Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity, the agency that investigates discrimination complaints and enforces requirements that eligible economic development and city construction projects include Detroit-based contractors and employ Detroit residents.

Dean, who begins her new role August 27, succeeds Portia Roberson, who left the city to become CEO of Focus: HOPE.

Dean’s appointment was recently approved by the city’s Human Rights Commission.  She is a lifelong Detroiter who previously served as the director of the City’s Bridging Neighborhoods Program, which is using $32 million in community benefits funding from the government of Canada to pay for optional relocation of residents of the Delray neighborhood impacted by the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor. The program is using the funding to rehabilitate homes owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority for Delray residents who choose to move to other city neighborhoods.

Before helping launch the Bridging Neighborhoods Program, Dean was sales and programs manager for the Detroit Land Bank Authority, where she was responsible for the development and administration of the land bank’s successful core programs: auction, direct sales, and side lots. She also was responsible for developing and implementing a program for the thousands of DLBA owned-occupied properties.  To date, the Land Bank has sold more than 2,500 homes to new families and nearly 10,000 side lots.

Dean previously worked as a community advocate in southwest Detroit before attending law school at University of Detroit Mercy, where she served as vice president of the Student Federal Bar Association and Black Law Student Association.  She was honored with a service award at UDM for creating a yearlong program for high school students, teaching the students law and leadership, implementing a mock trial program and ending the program with a scholarship opportunity for participating students.

“I am thrilled to continue serving the city I love in this new capacity,” Dean said. “I’m excited to continue the great work Portia has done on creating inclusion and opportunity for all Detroiters.”

Dean currently serves on the board Grandmont Community Association, the board for Youth-Works Detroit and as an advisory committee member of the Detroit Women’s Leadership Network. She is a member of the Wolverine Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan.

Dean was a fellow with the Michigan Political Leadership Program in 2015 and is participating in the Michigan Municipal League’s Inaugural Women’s Municipal Leadership Program.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Oakland University and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

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Dykema

Dykema recently announced that 114 of its attorneys, in multiple practice areas and markets, have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2019 guide. Additionally, 13 of the firm’s practitioners have been named Best Lawyers 2019 “Lawyer of the Year.”

The local Dykema attorneys named Best Lawyers 2019 “Lawyers of the Year,” the practice area(s) for which they are being recognized and office location are:

Robert A. Boonin – Litigation - Labor and Employment, Detroit

Grant P. Gilezan – Litigation - Environmental, Detroit

Jin-Kyu Koh – Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Detroit

Gerald T. Lievois – Securities / Capital Markets Law, Bloomfield Hills

D. Richard McDonald – Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Bloomfield Hills

Carl Rashid Jr. – Litigation - Real Estate, Detroit

Thomas S. Vaughn – Securities / Capital Markets Law, Detroit

The local Dykema attorneys listed in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America guide, identified by office location and the practice areas for which they have been recognized, are:
Bloomfield Hills

Bowden V. Brown – Public Finance Law

Brendan J. Cahill – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Amy M. Christen – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Michael G. Cumming – Trusts and Estates

Stephen R. Estey – Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation - Real Estate; Real Estate Law

James P. Feeney – Arbitration; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Adam M. Fishkind – Real Estate Law

Fred J. Fresard – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Alan M. Greene – Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation - Land Use and Zoning; Litigation - Real Estate

Dennis M. Haffey – Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Banking and Finance; Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation - Securities; Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Kyle R. Hauberg – Project Finance Law; Real Estate Law

Margaret Adams Hunter – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Howard B. Iwrey – Antitrust Law; Litigation - Antitrust

Joanne R. Lax – Health Care Law

Gerald T. Lievois – Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law

Bonnie Mayfield – Litigation - Labor and Employment

D. Richard McDonald – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law; Securities Regulation

Paul Nystrom – Commercial Litigation

James D. Obermanns – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Brian Smith – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Sheryl L. Toby – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation - Bankruptcy

Detroit

J. Michael Bernard  – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Robert A. Boonin – Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment

Lisa A. Brown – Commercial Litigation

Michael P. Cooney  – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Sherrie L. Farrell – Commercial Litigation; Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Todd G. Gattoni – Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation /  Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Grant P. Gilezan – Environmental Law; Litigation - Environmental

Steven E. Grob – Litigation and Controversy - Tax; Tax Law

James F. Hermon – Litigation - Labor and Employment

Kathryn J. Humphrey – Aviation Law; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Mark D. Jacobs – Environmental Law

Peter M. Kellett – Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Antitrust; Litigation - Securities; Mediation; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Joel D. Kellman – Litigation - Real Estate; Real Estate Law

Jin-Kyu Koh – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law

Brian M. Moore – Commercial Litigation

Cameron H. Piggott – Litigation - Real Estate; Real Estate Law

Harold D. Pope – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Carl Rashid Jr. – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation - Real Estate; Litigation and Controversy – Tax; Real Estate Law; Tax Law

Thomas M. Schehr – Commercial Litigation

Thomas S. Vaughn – Corporate Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law

In addition to all of the lawyers listed above, the firm is proud to note that a few recently retired local Dykema alumni have earned recognition from Best Lawyers for 2019 as well:

Samuel C. Damren – Commercial Litigation; Mediation

Mark A. Metz – Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law; Securities Regulation

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Kerr Russell

A total of 15 lawyers from Kerr Russell have been named to the 2019 Edition of the Best Lawyers in America.  Eric Lark and Fred Herrmann were named the Best Lawyers® 2019 “Lawyers of the Year” in Detroit for corporate law and antitrust law respectively. 

From Kerr Russell, the 2019 Best Lawyers class features:

James R. Cambridge, Corporate Law

Michael D. Carroll, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction

James R. Case, Construction Law

George J. Christopoulos, Tax Law

Mark M. Cunningham, Construction Law

Curtis J. DeRoo, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

John D. Gatti, Tax Law

Patrick J. Haddad, Health Care Law

Fred K. Herrmann, Antitrust Law

Mark C. Knoth, Employment Law - Management

Eric I. Lark, Corporate Law

Stephen D. McGraw, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Daniel J. Schulte, Health Care Law

Joanne Geha Swanson, Appellate Practice, Litigation - Antitrust

Kurt R. Vilders, Real Estate Law

Reiter & Walsh PC

Reiter & Walsh PC president and birth injury attorney Jesse M. Reiter was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2019 Lawyer of the Year for medical malpractice plaintiff’s attorneys in Troy.

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Butzel Long

Butzel Long attorney and shareholder David F. DuMouchel, who chairs the firm’s Corporate Compliance, Internal Investigation and Criminal Defense practice, has been elected to the first Board of Directors of the Federal Community Defender of Eastern District of Michigan. The board will provide oversight  in the provision of indigent defense services in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

DuMouchel’s practice is limited to white collar criminal defense, defense of corporations and individuals in criminal and civil antitrust matters, professional licensure and criminal health care, IRS investigations of both taxpayers and professionals, SEC enforcement of corporate executives fraud, public corruption, as well as grand jury investigations, internal corporate investigations and compliance.

DuMouchel is a recipient of the Leonard Gilman Award from the Federal Bar Association as the outstanding criminal law practitioner in the Eastern District of Michigan. He has been named by Best Lawyers as the “2010 Detroit Criminal Defense: White-Collar Lawyer of the Year.” He has been listed in each edition of Best Lawyers in America since that publication began more than 30 years ago, including the most recent. Last year, he was one of two Michigan attorneys ranked Tier One in White Collar Crime & Investigations by Chambers USA 2017—The Client’s Guide. DuMouchel also has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Lawyers in the state of Michigan by DBusiness magazine and he’s also listed in Michigan Super Lawyers.

From 1978 to 1985, DuMouchel served as chairperson of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. He served as law clerk to Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Giles Kavanagh from 1975-1977. He was an adjunct professor of law at Wayne State University and is a frequent lecturer on criminal practice matters including “Ethics-Grievance Procedures,” Detroit-Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program; “Subpoenaing Lawyers,” Criminal Justice Section, Federal Bar Association; “Plea Negotiation,” White Collar Crime Seminar, Federal Bar Association; “Grand Jury Practice,” Federal Bar Association; “Grand Jury Practice,” U.S. District Court, New Lawyer Seminar, 1986-present.

DuMouchel has often served as a panelist; he was featured at the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants Fraud Awareness Symposiums; the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law’s presentation on corporate misconduct titled “Conducting an Internal Investigation: Legal and Corporate Issues;” and the State Bar of Michigan’s program “Compelled Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege for Businesses: Issues and Practices for Corporate Lawyers and their Clients.”

He has served on the faculty of the U.S. District Court, Advocacy Institute; ICLE: Attorney Grievance and Discipline Practice; ICLE: Health Care Law Institute; ICLE “Polygraphs”; ABA Health Care Fraud, 2005; ABA White Collar Crime Institute, 2006, 2007, 2008; State Bar of Michigan Program, “Compelled Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege,” 2006; Michigan Association of CPA’s, “Accounting Fraud,” 2006, 2007. He also is a frequent speaker on internal corporate investigations and federal criminal procedure matters.

In 2006, DuMouchel was appointed to serve on the American Bar Association’s White Collar Crime Committee for a two-year term as chair of the sentencing committee. He has served as a member of the Rules Advisory Committee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, and was a member of the U.S. District Court Committee on Magistrate Program Evaluation, and chaired the Federal Bar Association Criminal Defense Committee.

He served as a member of the Advisory Committee which drafted the Restatement of Law Governing Lawyers of the American Law Institute, and is on the Member’s Consultative Group of the ALI Model Penal Code Sentencing Project.

DuMouchel has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan Criminal Code Revision Committee, U.S. Courts Committee, and Grievance Committee. In addition, he is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was a Director in 1981. He is a Master of Bench emeritus, American Inn of Court Ch. XI. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Michigan State Bar Foundation.

DuMouchel is a member of Standing Committee on U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Planning Committee, he served as a member of the U.S. District Court Magistrate Selection Committee in 2014, and was a member of the Judicial Advisory Committee to evaluate applicants for the U.S. Attorney and federal judicial appointments in the Eastern District of Michigan in 2010 and 2012.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, whose membership is limited to one percent of trial lawyers in any state. DuMouchel also is a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers.

DuMouchel is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School and the University of Detroit.

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Miller Canfield

Miller Canfield recently announced that it is has been named among 41 major law firms nationwide that have earned Mansfield Certification from Diversity Lab, the national incubator for innovative ideas and solutions to boost diversity and inclusion in law, and is one of just 27 to earn the Mansfield Certified Plus designation for 2018.

Law firms earning Mansfield Certification met or exceeded goals for law firm diversity and inclusion by adopting and complying with the Mansfield Rule, which was inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule and named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States. The rule was piloted in 2017 by more than 30 top firms
nationwide, including Miller Canfield, and measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women and attorneys of color—at least 30 percent of the candidate pool—for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and lateral positions. Those meeting the requirements for Mansfield Certified Plus successfully reached at least 30 percent women and minority lawyer representation in a notable number of their current leadership roles and committees.

“It’s not surprising that Miller Canfield is the only Michigan-headquartered firm to attain Mansfield Certification. We have always been leaders in fostering a culture of inclusiveness and have long benefitted from the leadership of women and minority attorneys,” said CEO Michael McGee. “The Mansfield Rule strengthens this aspect of our culture by ensuring that we are identifying a diverse group of emerging leaders, and actively taking part in helping them to achieve, succeed and lead.”

Law firms are increasingly being asked by clients to provide proof that their ranks are representative of the diverse communities in which they do business. More than 55 legal departments from large global companies, including Target, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and PepsiCo, signed on to support the Mansfield Rule and the law firms that piloted it. Saying that diverse companies—and the law firms that serve them—deliver better results, are more competitive, and are more innovative if they are more diverse, the companies stated that they are eager to work with firms that foster a culture of diversity and inclusion.

“Large law firms have struggled to move the needle to make meaningful culture changes regarding diversity and inclusion,” said Miller Canfield Diversity and Development Principal, Michelle Crockett. “Programs like Mansfield Certification take a firm’s efforts beyond training and planning and turn it into data-driven action. It’s just one of the initiatives the firm has implemented to advance diversity and ensure true inclusion of women and minorities.”

Mansfield Certified firms made significant progress in diversifying, following adoption of the Mansfield Rule, specifically:

• 40 percent of the firms increased representation of women and diverse lawyers in leadership and governance roles.

• 33 percent increased the number of women and diverse senior associates hired.

• 35 percent increased the number of women and diverse partners hired.

• 38 percent increased the number of women and diverse lawyers promoted to partner.

Miller Canfield is one of the 65 firms nationwide piloting Mansfield 2.0 through 2018, which expands on the Mansfield Rule to include LGBTQ attorneys.

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Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.

Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC recently hired Patrick M. Burnett as a partner in the firm’s Electronic Payments Practice Group. In his new position, Burnett expands Jaffe’s payments group practice expertise to include anti-money laundering, money transmitter, prepaid debit and payroll card, and card issuing issues.

Burnett has in-house counsel experience with two of the largest card payment acquirers, one of the largest MasterCard issuers and a money transmitter.  He has experience in state, federal, and card brand regulatory compliance and on negotiating and drafting ISO and bank sponsorship agreements. He is also a frequent presenter at industry conferences on payment legal issues.

Before joining Jaffe, Burnett served in roles of increasing responsibility at Comdata Inc. in Brentwood, Tenn., most recently serving as vice president and senior counsel. Burnett also served as vice president and counsel at Fifth Third Processing Solutions in Cincinnati and as contract manager at National Processing Co. LLC in Louisville.

Burnett earned a  law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, a master of business administration degree with concentration in entrepreneurship from the University of Louisville College of Business and Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and humanities with concentration in modern culture from the University of Louisville.

In addition, Jaffe’s Real Estate Practice Group has authored the 2018 Chambers USA Regional Real Estate Guide for Michigan. Developed by four legal real estate experts from Jaffe, the guide provides easily accessible information on navigating the legal system when conducting real estate business in the state and helps explain local laws that are crucial for those doing business in the area.

The 2018 Chambers Regional Real Estate Guide for Michigan is available from Jaffe’s website, www.jaffelaw. com.

In the guide produced by Chambers and Partners, which supplies definitive law guides of comparative analysis from top ranked lawyers around the globe, Jaffe Partners Trey Brice, Milton I. Kovinsky, Mark P. Krysinski and Mark D. Rubenfire provide insight on Michigan real estate trends, laws, regulations and more through the following eight sections:

• General – covering significant trends and the impact of new U.S. tax law changes.

• Sale and Purchase – featuring insight on ownership structures, jurisdictional requirements, rules for foreign investors, environmental assessment and more.

• Real Estate Finance – offering information on acquisitions and taxes of commercial real estate, regulations for foreign lenders, security, and borrower liability.

• Planning and Zoning – containing expert advice on legislative and governmental controls applicable to design and construction, working with authorities and enforcement of restrictions on development.

• Investment Vehicles – sharing guidance on types of entities available to investors to hold real estate assets, plus applicable tax benefits, costs and governance requirements.

• Commercial Leases – detailing the types of commercial leases in Michigan, plus regulations, terms and in-depth detail on rent variations and issues.

• Construction – defining common structures used to price projects, management of risk and more.

• Tax – discussing various aspects of corporate real estate tax, liability, benefits, foreign investor specifics, reform and more.

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Plunkett Cooney

Plunkett Cooney has added further depth to its business law department with the recent addition of tax attorney Alan Shamoun.

A member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Shamoun will serve as Plunkett Cooney’s Tax Law Practice Group leader, working closely with attorneys in the business law and estate planning practice groups.

Shamoun focuses his tax practice primarily on tax planning, resolving tax controversies and assisting tax exempt organizations. His specific expertise includes white collar criminal defense, IRS audits and appeals, international tax issues, and tax matters related to estate, gift and trust planning. In addition, Shamoun works with clients on commercial real estate matters, corporate transactions and emerging areas such as crytocurrency.

Named a 2018 Top Lawyer in Tax by DBusiness magazine, Shamoun is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan, as well as in the U.S. Tax Court. He is a member of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and the Real Property Law, Taxation, and Young Lawyers sections of the State Bar of Michigan.
Shamoun received his law degree from University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2012 and his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 2006.