LEGAL PEOPLE

Dykema

Dykema announced that James Hermon was selected for the Crain’s Detroit Business 2023 Notable Leaders in Employment and Labor Law list.

Hermon is the leader of Dykema’s Labor & Employment practice group and focuses his practice on the defense and trial of employment cases in federal and state courts, as well as counseling, advising, and training corporations regarding their obligations under state and federal employment laws. He provides full-circle employment counsel, helping clients manage employer-employee relationships at all levels and meet their state and federal regulatory and statutory obligations.

Hermon has represented a range of clients in a variety of employment and discrimination-related matters, including representation in administrative proceedings before the EEOC, defense of lawsuits involving race, national origin, age, and sex discrimination, defense of sexual harassment claims, defense of disability and religious accommodation claims under state and federal law, and the defense and prosecution of claims for alleged violations of covenants not to compete.

Hermon received his law degree from Ohio State University, and A.B. from the University of Michigan.

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Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton, P.C.

Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton PC is pleased to announce the addition of Anne R. Gabbert, Lindsay P. Hazen, and Courtney Q. Moore to the firm.

Gabbert has joined the firm as a shareholder in its Municipal Group. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving her clients. With 16 years of experience as an assistant prosecuting attorney,
Gabbert has handled a broad spectrum of cases, ranging from high-stakes capital crimes to complex white-collar crime and money laundering matters. Concurrently, she has cultivated a significant civil practice in asset forfeiture, with nearly 13 years of expertise in this field.

Hazen joins the firm’s Education Law Group.  She represents public school districts in matters of employment discrimination, constitutional litigation, general education, special education, student discipline, and due process, peer-on-peer harassment, and more. Additionally, Hazen has experience in counseling and advising clients on their bargaining agreements, employment agreements, employment policies, employee issues, disciplinary actions, and compliance with laws such as FMLA, ADA, Title IX, FOIA, and the Open Meetings Act.

Moore joins the firms as an associate in its Business Litigation Group. Immediately after law school, Moore joined the General Trials Division of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. As an assistant prosecuting attorney,  she solo chaired dozens of felony trials in Wayne County Circuit Court. In the years following, Moore focused her practice in civil litigation, including No-Fault and commercial and residential property loss, successfully representing her clients in all stages of the litigation process, from the file’s inception through the conclusion.

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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC

Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that shareholder David E. Hart has been named chair of the firm’s Complex Litigation and Risk Advisory group. As an executive management committee member and co-chair of the Financial Services and Real Property Litigation group, Hart’s new role leading the litigation department is a natural fit.

Hart focuses on litigation and dispute resolution involving title insurance, business and commercial disputes, mortgage and real estate litigation, construction disputes, and creditors’ rights law, including bankruptcy.

Hart frequently speaks on title insurance and real estate law topics. He is also a sought-after educator and speaker on commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Recognized for many years in the Michigan edition of Super Lawyers, Hart was named a 2023 Go-To Lawyer in Business Litigation by Michigan Lawyers Weekly and has been listed among DBusiness Magazine’s Top Lawyers. He is one of the firm’s representatives to the Mortgage Bankers Association.  

Hart devotes time to various professional associations, is a conscientious mentor and coach, and participates in the State Bar of Michigan’s Access to Justice Campaign.

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Warner, Norcross, + Judd LLP

Nazli G. Sater, partner with Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, has been recognized in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of 500 Leading U.S. Family Lawyers.

Sater is executive partner in Warner’s Bloomfield Hills office, where she leads operations for the newest of the firm’s nine offices across the state of Michigan. She has almost 30 years of experience as a family law and divorce attorney, with a focus on complex divorce matters, asset division and business valuation, custody and parenting decisions, alimony and child support as well as premarital and postnuptial agreements.

Sater serves as chair of the firm’s Family Law/Divorce Practice Group, where she represents clients in all aspects of family law. She is regularly involved with divorce cases that include complex business valuation issues and property division, premarital and post-nuptial agreements, custody and parenting time, spousal and child support as well as mediation and arbitration of all related issues.

She has served on the board of the Karmanos Cancer Institute since 2009. She is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association.

Sater has been named a “10 Best Family Law Attorney in Michigan” by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys and is consistently recognized by Best Lawyers, Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine and DBusiness Top Lawyers. She was selected to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly “Influential Women of Law” Class of 2023.

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Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Longtime labor lawyer Frank Mamat of Dinsmore’s Detroit office was named to Crain’s “Notable Leaders in Employment and Labor Law” list for 2023 which was released in mid-October.

Mamat has more than four decades of experience as a labor law attorney, community activist, and volunteer in Detroit and Washington D.C.

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Moss & Colella PC

David M. Moss, a founding partner of personal injury and civil rights law firm Moss & Colella PC, has been named a Go To Lawyer in negligence law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

With 100% of his practice devoted to litigation, Moss has spent his nearly 40-year legal career in personal injury law representing victims and their families in a variety of injury cases against insurance companies, national corporations, hospitals, municipalities, and individual defendants.  Known for his courtroom and advocacy skills, he has successfully argued at the appellate level, both before the Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court.  As a skilled negotiator, Moss is sought after by both plaintiff and defense attorneys seeking to retain outside counsel to advocate their cases.

In reflecting on the best career advice he’s received, Moss says he’s followed it throughout his career.  “Be prepared every step of the way.  Don’t leave any detail to chance and recognize that winning personal injury cases requires out-working your opposition,” Moss said.   

In addition to the Go To Lawyer honor, Moss was named to The Best Lawyers in America® list in August 2023—his second appearance on the list—in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation–Plaintiffs, and has been named a Michigan Super Lawyer and DBusiness Top Lawyer for multiple years. He was also named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame Class of 2023 earlier this year.

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Jones Day

Crain’s Detroit Business has named Aaron Markel, an associate in the Jones Day’s Labor & Employment Practice, among the publication’s “Notable Leaders in Employment & Labor Law” for 2023.

Markel represents employers in labor and employment matters with a focus on traditional labor issues arising under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and Railway Labor Act (RLA). He played a central role representing the freight rail industry in the recent Presidential Emergency Board, which was appointed by President Biden, helping to avoid threatened work stoppages by 100,000 workers that would have gravely imperiled the U.S. economy. He oversaw day-to-day coordination of the Presidential Emergency Board team and was responsible for the carriers’ case on train crew size.

Markel also served as the lead negotiator in four collective bargaining agreements on behalf of a national media organization—including three initial contracts—that resulted in agreements with strong management rights clauses to ensure management adaptability to an ever-changing media landscape.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC

Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that David Deromedi (member, Detroit) has been named a “Notable Leader in Labor & Employment Law” by Crain Detroit Business.

“I am honored to be selected by Crain Detroit Business as a ‘Notable Leader in Labor & Employment Law.’ This list is filled with talented and accomplished attorneys,” Deromedi said.

With 35 years of experience, Deromedi acts as outside general counsel for employment matters, both with respect to counseling and litigation, for multiple employers with operations in Michigan and throughout the United States. He also acts as general counsel for employment and litigation matters for foreign companies operating in the United States, including employers headquartered in Japan, Korea, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness Top Lawyers.

Deromedi serves as internal employment counsel for Dickinson Wright, representing the firm in labor and employment matters and counseling the firm on human resource issues. He also served as an adjunct professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

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Brooks Kushman P.C.

Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce that the firm has achieved Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus status again for 2022-2023.

“The principles of the Mansfield Rule align with Brooks Kushman’s core values of advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity in our firm and the legal profession. With the support of Diversity Lab and the Mansfield framework, we have been able to take and continue to sustain the necessary steps to grow and evolve our practices and processes in objective ways to secure the challenging Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus certification. We are proud of the progress we’ve made to date and embrace the work that lies ahead to foster a more inclusive work environment,” said Sangeeta Shah, CEO of Brooks Kushman.

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Office of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointments of Lawrence Elassal to the Wayne County Circuit Court and Monique Sharpe to the Wayne County 36th District Court.

Elassal is a magistrate for the 20th District Court and the founding partner and senior trial attorney at Elassal & Associates PLC. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan and Henry Ford College, where he teaches business law classes. Previously, Elassal worked as a federal attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Defense and was an associate attorney for Cardelli, Lanfear, & Buikema PC.  

Elassal received his Bachelor of Business Administration and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law.   

“I am humbled and incredibly honored to receive this appointment from Governor Whitmer to serve as a circuit court judge,” said Elassal. “I am excited to serve the citizens of Wayne County and the State of Michigan, and committed to treating all those who appear before the court with the utmost respect and humanity. I promise to remain devoted to every person that enters my courtroom, by ensuring my decisions are fair and equitable based on deliberation grounded in law.”  

This appointment was made to fill a partial term following the resignation of Judge Gregory D. Bill. Elassal’s term will commence on December 4, 2023, and expire at twelve o’clock noon on January 1, 2025.   

Sharpe currently serves as deputy general counsel to the 36th District Court, a position she began in February of this year. Previously, Sharpe served as Legislative Counsel and Policy Advisor for the City of Pontiac. Additionally, she was Representative David Nathan’s chief of staff in the Michigan House of Representatives. She is a former member of the board of directors for the Voyageur Academy and has volunteered for voter registration drives and as a voter protection volunteer.  

Sharpe received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Spelman College, her Master of Arts in International Politics and Economics from the University of Detroit, and her law degree from Cooley Law School.  

“I am humbled and grateful to have received this appointment from Governor Whitmer,” Sharpe said. “As a proud native Detroiter, I am honored to be able to serve the citizens of Detroit as a judge.”  

This appointment was made to fill a partial term following the resignation of Judge Jacquelyn A. McClinton. Sharpe’s term will commence on November 16, 2023, and expire at twelve o’clock noon on January 1, 2025.