LEGAL PEOPLE

D. Augustus Straker Bar Association

Attorney Kimberley Ann Ward, president-elect of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association, was honored with a 2018 Outstanding Lawyer Award by the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division.

The national award is presented annually in recognition of the achievements of attorneys and judges in the legal profession, as exemplified by professional proficiency, service to the profession and service to the community. The award was presented during the achievement awards program, at the National Bar Association Convention, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ward is also a recipient of the National Bar Association 2018 Expungement Clinic Program Award, the National Bar Association 2018 Health Law Section of the Year Award, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association 2018 Michael K. Lee President's Award for distinguished service, and the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association 2018 Community Action Committee of the Year Award.

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Bodman PLC

Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Noel J. Ravenscroft has joined the firm as a senior associate attorney in the Banking Practice Group and the Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Rights Practice Group in the firm's Detroit office.

Ravenscroft represents financial institutions and other secured and unsecured creditors in connection with commercial bankruptcy issues and disputes.

Ravenscroft also has experience representing corporate clients in a wide range of commercial and business law matters involving breach of contract, commercial collections, complex business transactions, foreclosures, and various other transactions and disputes. He has represented financial institutions, mortgage lenders and servicers, and various municipal entities in connection with real estate law matters and related litigation.

Before joining Bodman, he practiced bankruptcy law and real estate law for nearly five years with two southeast Michigan boutique law firms.

Ravenscroft is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

He is a graduate of Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and earned his undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University.

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Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP

Warner, Norcross, Judd LLP recently announced eight of its attorneys have been named partners, including four in metro Detroit.

The new partners practice in a variety of areas, from corporate and real estate law to litigation and real estate law. They are from offices across the firm's statewide footprint, including Macomb County, Southfield, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

The new metro Detroit partners are:

Southfield

- Roquia K. Draper, whose practice is focused on family law with an emphasis in divorce proceedings, child custody cases, litigation and dispute resolution. Draper has been named to Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Stars list since 2015, as well as Michigan Super Lawyers Top Women Super Lawyers list in 2018.

She is a member of the Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Grand Rapids Bar Association and Wayne County Family Law Bar Association. She serves as vice president of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. She earned a bachelor of science degree from Wayne State University and a law degree from Wayne Law.

- Dennis W. Loughlin, who focuses his practice on creditors' rights, restructuring and insolvency, as well as serving as general counsel for corporate entities. He was named to the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star list and is a member of the Federal Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Macomb County Bar Association, as well as the American Bankruptcy Institute and Turnaround Management Association.

He is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club and serves on its membership development committee. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Macomb

- David W. MacDonald counsels clients on business formations, mergers and acquisitions, purchases and sales of real estate, leasing of commercial, industrial and retail property, as well as condominium and loan documentation. He serves on the board of the McLaren Macomb Healthcare Foundation.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Macomb County Bar Association and Oakland County Bar Association. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the College of Law at DePaul University in Chicago.

- Joseph R. Owens, whose practice is focused on trust and estate planning, tax planning and business succession planning, as well as general business law. He has been named to the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star list since 2013 and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Macomb County Bar Association and Macomb County Probate Bar.

He is also a member of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Macomb County. He earned a bachelor of arts degree cum laude from Oakland University and a law degree from Wayne Law.

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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC

Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC is pleased to announce that Julie Beth Teicher will be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy on March 15 in Coronado, California. The College is an honorary professional and educational association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. The announcement was made by the firm's president and CEO, Steven D. Sallen.

Teicher is a shareholder in Maddin Hauser's Creditor's Rights, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Group and Financial Services and Real Property Litigation Group. She concentrates her practice on business-related insolvency and bankruptcy matters, handling cases in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, U.S. District Court and State court proceedings.

A certified Bankruptcy Court mediator, Teicher has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law at various times since 2006, and has presented at numerous seminars.

Teicher is AV rated in Martindale Hubbell and is included in its registry of preeminent women lawyers. She has been recognized in DBusiness Magazine's Top Lawyers, named in the Best Lawyers in America® and listed in the Michigan edition of Super Lawyers®. Additionally, Teicher was recognized as one of the Top Women Lawyers for Business Bankruptcy by Super Lawyers® and named the Best Lawyers® Detroit Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law "Lawyer of the Year" for 2019.

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Butzel Long

Butzel Long immigration law attorney Reginald A. Pacis has been appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve as a commissioner to the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC). Pacis is one of 12 people appointed to serve on the Commission. His term runs through November 30, 2022. The MAPAAC helps address the needs and concerns of the Asian Pacific American (APA) communities in Michigan.

Pacis focuses his practice in immigration law and has handled a variety of immigration matters including H-1B specialty occupation cases, L-1 Intracompany transfers, Labor Certification matters, Immigrant Visa Petitions/Adjustment of Status applications and interviews, TN Free trade cases, H-1B Department of Labor Investigations, I-9 employer verification compliance, and U.S. Port of Entry airport and land port interviews.

He was named Immigration Lawyer of the Year 2013 in the field of Immigration Law by The Best Lawyers in America and has been listed in Best Lawyers for several years. Pacis is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and the Samahang Pilipino Ng Oakland Filipino organization. He served two consecutive one-year terms from 2003 to 2005 as Chairperson of the Michigan Chapter of AILA and was a member of the AILA National Board of Governors for those terms. Pacis previously served as Secretary (2001 to 2003) and Membership Chairperson of the Michigan Chapter of AILA (1998 to 2003).

Pacis earned a law degree from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University in 1996 and a B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1992. He joined the State Bar of Michigan in 1997.

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Secrest Wardle

On behalf of the firm, the Secrest Wardle Executive Committee is pleased to announce that effective January 1, Anthony A. Randazzo was promoted to senior partner.

Randazzo has been with Secrest Wardle since 2006. He became a partner in 2009 and an executive partner in 2015. He serves as chair of the firm's Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group and vice chair of the Intellectual Property/Advertising Injury Practice Group. He is also a member of the Commercial and Business Law, Construction, Environmental and Toxic Tort, Governmental Litigation, and Motor Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups.

Randazzo has earned an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He has also been selected to the 2011, and 2013-2018 Super Lawyers magazine list of Michigan Rising Stars and was named to the list of "Up & Coming Lawyers" by Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2013. Additionally, Randazzo has been selected among America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®.

In addition, Jacob A. Kahn joins Secrest Wardle as an associate at the firm's Troy office. Kahn is a member of the firm's Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, and Property, Fire, and Casualty Practice Groups. Kahn's practice has primarily focused on civil litigation, specifically premises liability, dog bites, automobile negligence, and no-fault law. Kahn's experience and education strengthen his ability to conduct thorough investigations and expose fraud.

Kahn received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University in Criminal Justice. While attending Michigan State University, he worked for the Michigan State Police Troopers Association (MSPTA). Kahn aided the MSPTA with a collective bargaining agreement between the Troopers and the State of Michigan. Following completion of his undergraduate degree, Kahn continued to work for the MSPTA in East Lansing. A few years later, he moved back to Metro Detroit to pursue a career in law. Kahn interned at the Wayne County Circuit Court with the Judge David Groner while applying to law school. He followed his mentor's path and elected to attend the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he earned his law degree. During law school, he worked with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and became a certified mediator. Kahn also graduated from the Wayne County Reserve Police Officer Academy and worked for various Oakland County police departments throughout law school.

Kahn is licensed to practice law in the states of Michigan and California. He was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2017 and is a member of the Insurance and Indemnity Law, and Young Lawyers Sections.

Published: Mon, Jan 07, 2019