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The Trump administration is revising a visa rule for international students that in part determines how long, and under what conditions, they can stay in the country. The change sounds technical. Its effects are not.

(THE CONVERSATION) — The Trump administration is revising a visa rule for international students that in part determines how long, and under what conditions, they can stay in the country. The change sounds technical. Its effects are not.

Beginning Sept. 15, 2026, most students entering the U.S. on F-1 and J-1 visas – meaning visas for international students and exchange visitors, including students and scholars – will no longer be admitted for “duration of status.” Duration of status means they can remain in the U.S. as long they are enrolled in their academic program, or shortly thereafter.

Now, academic visa holders will instead be able to stay in the country for a predetermined period of time, generally four years.

Those who need more time to complete a degree will have to reapply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for permission to stay.

The change could also complicate international travel: Students returning to the U.S. will have to make sure their fixed period of admission has not expired, in addition to having the valid visa and school documents normally required for reentry.

The rule also lets full-time international students stay 30 days in the country after they complete their program, as opposed to the 60 days they currently have to remain in the U.S.

I study the history of international students in U.S. higher education. Universities rely on international students for tuition, teaching, research and other kinds of skilled work.

These new rules will make it harder for some international students to visit and stay in the country, a result that will likely have negative consequences for universities and colleges, too.

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A look at international students

U.S. colleges and universities hosted 1,177,766 international students in the 2024-25 school year, an all-time high that made up approximately 6% of all higher education students.

Most of them were working toward degrees in in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Nearly 488,500 of those international students were seeking graduate degrees. More than 294,000 of them participated in a federal program called Optional Practical Training, which helps some international students work in jobs related to their field of study before or after they graduate.

International enrollment grew steadily at U.S. colleges and universities, from about 565,000 students in the 2004-05 school year to more than 1 million by the 2015-16 academic year.

Growth then slowed during the first Trump administration but began rising again after 2021.

The concentration is much higher in some programs and institutions. At Purdue, for example, international students make up 63% of graduate students in mechanical engineering. At Columbia University, non-U.S. residents made up 53% of graduate students in the fall of 2024.

Since 2024, the greatest number of international students has come from India. The next largest group is students from China. For more than a decade, students from China made up the largest group of international students in the U.S. But the number of Chinese students has dropped over the past several years.

International students are important for university finances, too.

Most of these students are not eligible for U.S. federal student aid or loans.

More than half of international students report “personal or family funds” as their primary source of financial support to help pay for their education. These students contributed nearly US$55 billion to the U.S. economy in 2024, according to the international student exchange nonprofit Institute of International Education.

International graduate students also frequently teach undergraduate courses, conduct experiments and staff research laboratories.

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What the rule changes

Until now, most international students did not have to reapply to maintain or extend their standard F-1 student visa midway through their course of study.

And if a student remained enrolled and complied with immigration rules, a university could extend the student’s expected completion date of their program when more time was needed.

The new rule introduces a separate federal immigration review for every student whose course of study goes beyond four years. This, according to the Department of Homeland Security, will add 393,500 new visa reviews to the U.S. government workload each year.

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Not a strict timeline

Academic work does not always proceed on schedule. Research changes direction. Funding gets delayed. A dissertation needs another semester.

If a student reaches the end of their visa’s limits before they finish their degree, a university can still say that the student is making appropriate progress and needs more time – but now the U.S. government will also have to agree that the student can remain enrolled and stay in the country.

The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration is among the higher education groups that has warned the change could disrupt teaching and research, as well as discourage students from choosing a U.S. school altogether.

The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that the change may be disruptive. But the agency argues that fixed student visa time periods will give immigration officials more opportunities to check whether students are following visa requirements and to conduct national security screening.

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A broader campaign

The first Trump administration proposed a similar policy in 2020. The Biden administration withdrew this visa proposal in 2021. Trump then revived the proposal after returning to office.

This policy change comes alongside other immigration changes that make it harder for international students to attend U.S. schools.

In 2025, the Trump White House tried unsuccessfully to stop Harvard from enrolling any international students. Federal courts blocked that measure in June 2025.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced in May 2025 that the State Department was beginning to revoke visas of some Chinese students and increasing the scrutiny of prospective international students from China and Hong Kong.

The administration said in January 2026 that it had revoked 8,000 student visas since the start of Trump’s second term.

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Why it matters

The new rule does not end international education or impose a four-year maximum on all students’ degrees. It does mean, however, that more international students will need to get additional levels of federal approval so they can complete their education in the U.S.

A student in a six-year doctoral program can still finish their degree, but they will generally need federal approval to remain in the country beyond four years. A student in a two-year master’s program who finishes on schedule may never need an extension.

The four-year limit can also affect students whose programs are designed to take longer. The University of Cincinnati’s engineering degree generally takes five years to complete, for example. Some medical residency and fellowship pathways for J-1 physicians routinely extend five to seven years.

These new roadblocks can determine whether students finish degrees, or remain with their partners and children. They can also determine whether laboratories keep researchers and employers retain graduates trained in the U.S.

On Aug. 18, a coalition of higher education groups and unions sued to block the rule, arguing that requiring students to repeatedly seek federal permission to continue their studies will disrupt degree programs and make it harder for universities to recruit and retain students.

International students are woven into the everyday work of U.S. higher education. Making their ability to stay more dependent on repeated federal decisions will inevitably affect the institutions that rely on them.

The fate of President Donald Trump’s estimated US$400 million White House ballroom may hinge on the little-known and somewhat surprising rules as to when the federal government and its agencies can accept privately donated funds.

By Ellen P. Aprill
University of California, Los Angeles

(THE CONVERSATION) — The fate of President Donald Trump’s estimated US$400 million White House ballroom may hinge on the little-known and somewhat surprising rules as to when the federal government and its agencies can accept privately donated funds.

That’s because Trump’s is using the fact that he’s been accepting private donations to pay for at least some of the project’s cost as a justification for not needing Congress’ explicit authorization.

A federal appeals court on Aug. 7, 2026, disagreed and left in place a lower court’s injunction that was slated to halt construction on Aug. 21. But on that same day, before the injunction took effect, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said the Trump administration could continue construction work while the court considers its request.

As a scholar of nonprofit and tax-exempt law who has studied for decades how the law governs deductible charitable contributions, including those to the government, I find that this appeals court decision calls for an explanation of the role that such private donations may play in any federal government project or activity. An intricate statutory dance is required for taxpayers to make donations to particular government agencies or for particular government purposes.

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Giving to the government

You may not realize that you can make potentially tax-deductible contributions to the federal government itself. An official website lists almost two dozen programs, including the National Endowment for for the Humanities, the National Arboretum and AmeriCorps, to which U.S. citizens can donate.

But such donations are allowed to government agencies only if Congress has granted the agency statutory authority to receive those funds.

In this context, according to the reasoning of the majority in the appeals court case, that means spending donated funds to preserve the East Wing would have been automatically allowed because it stood on a national park and the National Parks Service is an agency that individuals can donate to; spending those funds to build something new to replace that structure would not be allowed unless Congress had authorized the project.

But the Trump administration has failed so far to obtain congressional authorization and appropriations for the ballroom.

The federal government has accepted donations voluntarily made by Americans since its founding.

What’s more, the Bureau of Fiscal Services – the central bank account and financial manager for the federal government – explains that it “may accept gifts donated to the United States Government” and that the account for such gifts, which dates back to 1843, was established “to accept gifts, such as bequests, from individuals wishing to express their patriotism to the United States.” Such gifts, however, are subject to restrictions.

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Statutory restrictions

Since 1982, a provision of the United States Code, the official codification of all the nation’s general and permanent federal statutes, has required that these “patriotic” donations be devoted exclusively to reducing the national debt.

By law, federal agencies cannot augment congressional appropriations. The Miscellaneous Receipts Act requires that “an official or agent of the Government receiving money for the Government from any source shall deposit the money in the Treasury as soon as practicable without deduction for any charge or claim.”

Despite this seemingly absolute language, government agencies are permitted to accept gifts of money or other property when – and to the extent – they are given explicit statutory authority.

Agencies with the authority to accept gifts include the Justice Department, the State Department and the Library of Congress.

But any money must be spent only as Congress directed in establishing the agency mission. The mission of the National Park Service is the conservation and preservation of the land and structures under its jurisdiction.

In contrast, the White House does not have this authority. Its own website states that it “is unable to accept cash, checks, bonds … or other monetary equivalents” as gifts from private citizens.

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‘No instance in American history’

That’s in part why the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held on Aug. 7 that Trump could not build the ballroom on the site of the former East Wing building.

The two judges in the majority concluded that neither the National Park Service, which is the steward for the national park on which the White House stands, nor Trump himself had satisfied all the statutory requirements needed to undertake building of the above-ground ballroom. It did not block work on an underground military bunker the Trump administration began renovating after it demolished the East Wing in October 2025.

That some, most or even all the funding comes from private donations does not protect the administration’s right to proceed with construction of the 90,000 square-foot (8,361 square-meter) ballroom because it has failed so far to obtain congressional authorization and appropriations for this project, the majority explained.

Crucial to this conclusion was a statute declaring, “A building or structure shall not be erected on any reservation, park, or public grounds of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia without express authority of Congress.”

“We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paidfor,” the majority opinion says. “Until now.”

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Satisfying 2 statutes

The Trump administration has pointed to two possible statutes it says provides the necessary authority to do that.

One involves the purposes for which the National Park Service can spend its funds, including privately donated funds. The other grants the president the ability to spend funds for, among other items, “the care, maintenance, repair, alteration, refurnishing, [and] improvement” of the executive residence at the White House – funds that “are authorized to be appropriated each fiscal year.”

The majority explained that authority for the president to construct the ballroom requires satisfying both of those statutes; neither alone suffices.

And it rejected the reliance on the National Park Service provision alone. That statute limits use of the service’s funds, in the words of the majority, to “the identified purposes of conservation and preservation.”

In particular, the majority ruled, the provision does not authorize the construction of a new building. Further, it held, the National Park Service provision cannot authorize the president to lead the project; only the provision related to the executive residence can do that.

As to the executive residence provision, the majority opinion explains that it “does not expressly grant the President any independent authority.”

Instead, the majority held, the president must rely on “an accompanying appropriation.” The court found no such accompanying appropriation.

After a meteoric rise to the top ranks of British academia, scholar Jason Arday was found dead at his London home on Aug. 14, 2026.

(THE CONVERSATION) — After a meteoric rise to the top ranks of British academia, scholar Jason Arday was found dead at his London home on Aug. 14, 2026.

Arday had spent weeks fighting plagiarism accusations. The way they took on a life of their own in the media ecosystem is a stark reminder of the steep price people can pay in a culture that has made originality a kind of moral virtue.

In 2023, at age 38, he had been appointed to a professorship in sociology of education at the University of Cambridge, becoming the youngest Black professor in the institution’s 800-year history.

Nine days before his death, Arday had resigned from his faculty position. He was facing growing criticism about improbable and inconsistent details appearing in his memoir, scheduled to be released in the coming weeks by Simon & Schuster. Arday’s publisher had stood by him, lauding the academic’s “professionalism and integrity.”

But the originality of Arday’s dissertation and his other academic work was also coming under scrutiny, leading to multiple allegations of plagiarism.

Arday vehemently denied the accusations, suggesting that any mistakes were the result of his autism. He also claimed that his accusers were motivated by racism.

The controversy over Arday’s work reflects an ongoing trend of ideological opponents levying plagiarism accusations to undermine one another. I think it’s also worth exploring why such attacks continue to be so enticing – and so effective.

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Shifting standards for originality

Plagiarism can be defined as the appropriation of someone else’s words or ideas without acknowledgment or compensation.

In the ancient world, plagiarism was viewed quite negatively: The word “plagiarism” actually means “kidnapper” in Latin, and the Roman poet Horace described literary theft like a crow making itself beautiful with stolen feathers.

But in my 2026 book, “Strikingly Similar,” I explore how, throughout the medieval period, the Renaissance and into the early modern era, an ethos of “imitation” prevailed. Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton are examples of authors who hewed closely to writers who had come before them. These writers freely borrowed plots, characters and rhetorical devices in the service of their own work.

True originality came to be viewed in a positive light only gradually, and it eventually developed into the modern concept of intellectual property, in which the creative products of human ingenuity are viewed as tangible assets. Treating creative works as property, in turn, created the legal framework to protect them.

The German artist Albrecht Dürer initiated one of the first known intellectual property lawsuits. In 1506, he asked the Venetian government to stop the Italian engraver Marcantonio Raimondi from copying his woodcuts. Dürer was only partly successful: It was decided that Raimondi could continue copying Dürer’s work, but he was prohibited from also copying the artist’s distinctive monogram.

In the 19th century, as the result of lobbying by authors such as Charles Dickens, the British Parliament enacted the Copyright Act of 1842. This statute greatly expanded the protections granted to authors. It would take another 50 years, however, before foreign authors like Dickens enjoyed similar protections under U.S. copyright law.

Today, the situation that existed during the Renaissance has almost totally reversed itself.

In Europe, groups of scholars have banded together to investigate allegations of plagiarism. Using crowdsourcing techniques, VroniPlag Wiki in Germany and Dissernet in Russia have exposed numerous instances of plagiarism by public servants in their dissertations and academic publications.

The work of VroniPlag Wiki alone has led to several German universities revoking doctoral degrees they had awarded to elected and appointed government officials.

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Plagiarism becomes political

Today, accusations of plagiarism have become a potent way to undermine someone’s credibility. If a claim is substantiated, the plagiarist is seen as sloppy or lazy at best, and fundamentally dishonest at worst.

As a result, partisans of the political left and right routinely use allegations of plagiarism to vilify their ideological adversaries. This serves their goals of undercutting both their target’s work and the institutions they represent.

In 1991, NPR’s Nina Totenberg broke the story of Anita Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, drawing the ire of the right. As the controversy engulfed the confirmation process, the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal revived a nearly two-decade-old plagiarism accusation against Totenberg, dating from her time as a reporter for the National Observer.

The most prominent recent example would be the 2023 claim by conservative activist Christopher Rufo that Claudine Gay, then serving as president of Harvard, had engaged in multiple acts of plagiarism.

In 2024, Gay resigned as the school’s president, although she remains on the faculty. (In an ironic twist, the spouse of one of Gay’s most prominent critics, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, was accused of having plagiarized her own dissertation.)
Conservative voices have also routinely found themselves in the crosshairs.

In 2013, multiple media outlets accused Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul of plagiarizing in his speeches, newspaper column and his 2012 book from a variety of sources, including Wikipedia. And during Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s 2017 confirmation hearings, some media outlets claimed that President Donald Trump’s nominee had plagiarized parts of his 2006 book about assisted suicide. Gorsuch went on to be confirmed by the Senate.

The accusations against Arday did not emerge in a political vacuum. They were shaped by the culture wars over race, academia and diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

On July 21, 2026, Nathan Cofnas, an American philosopher working at Ghent University in Belgium, wrote a Substack post detailing how he submitted Arday’s 2015 dissertation to Copyleaks, a plagiarism detection platform. He found “substantial overlap” with a thesis written by another scholar in 2009.

Cofnas added that “Many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copy-editing mistakes from the original source,” and found similar issues in other papers written by Arday.

In the past, Cofnas has expressed doubts about the intellectual abilities of Blacks in comparison to whites. By discrediting the work of a Black professor, he explained, he could also discredit the university that had hired Arday for promoting “the ideology of DEI.”

Ghent University suspended Cofnas on August 20, 2026, while it conducted an investigation into his actions.

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AI complicates the notion of plagiarism

The rise of generative artificial intelligence has arguably made the public’s desire for original human works even more pronounced. Just a year after the 2022 release of ChatGPT 3.5, Merriam-Webster chose “authentic” as its word of the year.

Copyright laws also underscore the premium we place on originality by granting creators – and even their heirs – long periods of exclusive rights for books, music and other artistic works.

When a student submits a paper written by a chatbot instead of their own work, should this be considered plagiarism? I’ve argued that this is more akin to ghostwriting, since the student isn’t copying from an original source. Instead, generative AI is stringing words together in a probabilistic way that closely resembles human writing.

That isn’t the same as generating a text from a single source. That said, using a chatbot to write without disclosing its use can still be a form of cheating. And most people contend that plagiarism, cheating and ghostwriting are all cut from the same cloth because they all lack the spark that we ascribe to truly original thinking and writing.

The public ultimately expects journalists, scholars and elected officials to behave ethically. In academia, there is no greater sin than passing off another’s work as one’s own. And violations of public trust are typically judged quite harshly.

The United States throws away between 30 and 40% of the food it produces every year. Much of that loss begins not in the field or the store but in the kitchen, with a date printed on a package.

The United States throws away between 30 and 40% of the food it produces every year. Much of that loss begins not in the field or the store but in the kitchen, with a date printed on a package. That date is about to carry a different weight.
California has enacted the first state law in the country to standardize the wording on food labels. That change arrives just as summer fills refrigerators with produce that spoils fast and gets tossed faster.

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Under the new California law

For years, most packaged food carried a jumble of phrases: sell by, best by, use by, enjoy by. Few of them meant what shoppers assumed. The new law, which makes California the first state to act on the guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture more than a decade ago, cuts the options to two. “Use by” means a genuine safety cutoff, while “Best if used by” indicates peak quality with the food still safe to eat after the date passes. The “sell by” label, written for store inventory rather than for the people buying the food, is banned outright.

The stakes are larger than tidier packaging. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that food loss and waste amount to about 133 billion pounds of food supply, worth roughly $162 billion a year. About 20% of household food waste traces directly to confusion over expiration dates, Nick Lapis of Californians Against Waste told NPR. California alone discards roughly 6 million tons of food each year, close to a fifth of everything the state sends to landfills. Retailers pull products weeks before they spoil, and food banks turn away safe donations, all because a date on a label gets read as a deadline.

There is no federal standard forcing consistency, which is how the patchwork of phrases grew in the first place. Each manufacturer chose its own wording, and shoppers were left to guess whether a date meant danger or merely a drop in flavor. 
California’s version removes the guesswork within its borders, and because national brands rarely print one label for a single state, the standard is expected to spread to shelves elsewhere.

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Summer raises the stakes

Produce is where the confusion does the most damage, and summer is when it piles up. Most fresh fruits and vegetables carry no federal date label at all, so the instinct to trust a printed date does not even apply. What shortens their life is heat.

Warm kitchens and warm transport speed spoilage. Ripening runs faster in heat, so a week of shelf life becomes a few days, and a bowl of tomatoes left on a hot counter can go from firm to soft overnight. The same heat is squeezing the supply; rising temperatures cut crop yields and raise prices, and the Harvard Salata Institute notes that a 1% drop in a major global crop can move prices several times that much. The USDA Economic Research Service forecasts grocery prices to rise about 2.8% in 2026, which means every wasted tomato or bunch of basil can cost more than it did a year ago.

Summer also invites overbuying, as farmers markets and garden gluts leave counters piled with more zucchini and stone fruit than a household can cook before it turns. A surplus like that becomes a 30-minute casserole or a compost. The waste is not a failure of willpower, but a mismatch between how much good produce arrives at once and how fast it goes bad.

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New rules for summer produce

The first rule is to read dates for what they are. On packaged goods, “best if used by” is a quality note, not an eviction notice. On loose produce, there is no date to obey, only the evidence of the fruit or vegetable in hand.

The second rule is to buy on the season rather than the label. Produce picked at peak ripeness travels less and lasts longer once home. What is abundant in August, the corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and summer squash stacked at every market, is also what is cheapest and best right now, which makes the season a more reliable shopping list than habit.

The third rule is to store for the heat rather than against it. Basil and tomatoes belong on the counter, not in a cold refrigerator that turns them mealy. Berries last longer unwashed until the moment they are eaten, or baked into a strawberry spoon cake, the day they start to soften. Leafy greens hold up wrapped loosely and kept dry.

The fourth rule is to cook toward the surplus instead of around it. A pile of eggplant starting to wrinkle turns into baked eggplant parmesan rather than compost. Softening tomatoes becomes sauce. Cooking on the produce’s timeline instead of the calendar’s is what keeps a market haul from ending up in the bin.

The fifth rule is to use the freezer as a pause button. Berries, corn cut from the cob and blanched green beans hold for months, which breaks the link between a glut on Saturday and a bin full of waste by Wednesday. Herbs that are about to wilt can be frozen in oil and dropped straight into a pan later.

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Where the cost lands

The California law will take years to move fully through the supply chain, and other states are watching before they follow. In the meantime, the arithmetic sits with the person holding the grocery bag. Much of what gets thrown out this summer will not have spoiled at all. It will have been misread, chilled when it wanted the counter or left on the counter when it wanted the cold. That is the one line on the grocery bill a shopper can still change.

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Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju is a food and travel writer and a global food systems expert based in Seattle. She has lived in or traveled extensively to over 60 countries, and shares stories and recipes inspired by those travels on Urban Farmie.

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido recently announced that former Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski was hired as chief of the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), serving in the position of part-time special prosecutor. Chrzanowski begins her new role on Monday, August 31.

Macomb County Prosecutor’s Conviction Integrity Unit

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido recently announced that former Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski was hired as chief of the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), serving in the position of part-time special prosecutor. Chrzanowski begins her new role on Monday, August 31.

Chrzanowski succeeds Gail Pamukov, who retired on May 15 after leading the Conviction Integrity Unit since its creation in 2022. Under Pamukov’s leadership, the unit established itself as a model of fairness and accountability, secured a highly competitive $1.6 million federal grant to expand post-conviction DNA reviews, and achieved the office’s first conviction integrity exoneration.

The Conviction Integrity Unit reviews post-conviction claims of actual innocence, examines newly discovered evidence, and works to ensure convictions are both legally sound and factually accurate.

“I am deeply honored that Prosecutor Lucido has entrusted me with this responsibility,” Chrzanowski said. “The integrity of our criminal justice system depends on public confidence that every conviction is accurate, fair, and supported by the evidence. I look forward to building on the outstanding foundation established by Ms. Pamukov and working to ensure justice is faithfully served.”

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Third Circuit Court

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the appointments of Robbie Gaines Jr., Robyn Liddell, and Rula Aoun to the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County. 

Gaines is a founding member of Gaines Law Firm PLC. He is a former law clerk to outgoing Judge Leslie Kim Smith of the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County. Gaines serves on the Board of Directors for the Detroit Bar Association and as a commissioner for the State Bar of Michigan. He is also the past president of the Wolverine Bar Association and a member of the Michigan Association of Justice and the Augustus Straker Bar Association.  

Gaines earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Wayne State University and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.  

“I am deeply grateful to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for this appointment,” said Gaines. “This is not just an honor – it is a responsibility. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the people of Wayne County and to contribute to a justice system grounded in integrity and fairness. I will approach this role with the seriousness, dedication, and respect it deserves. I am ready to get to work and give my full measure of service to the court and the community it serves.” 

This appointment will be made to fill a partial term following the resignation of Judge Leslie Kim Smith. Gaines’s term will commence on September 14, 2026, and expire at twelve o’clock noon on January 1, 2029.   

Liddell, is the chief of the Criminal Trials Division at the Michigan Department of Attorney General. She has served at the Michigan Department of Attorney General since 2014. Liddell is the past president of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and was the recipient of the 2025 Lawyer’s Weekly Outstanding Woman of the Year award.  

Liddell earned a Bachelor of Arts in African-American studies from Oberlin College and a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.   

“I am deeply honored and humbled for this appointment,” said Liddell. “Serving the people of my community has always been a privilege. I am grateful to Governor Whitmer for the confidence placed in me. I will remain committed to fairness and integrity, and equal justice under the law.” 

This appointment will be made to fill a partial term following the upcoming resignation of Judge Kevin Cox. Liddell’s term will commence on October 5, 2026, and expire at twelve o’clock noon on January 1, 2029.    

Aoun is a partner at Cochran, Kroll, & Associates. She also serves as a magistrate judge at the 19th District Court in Dearborn and as a board member and volunteer attorney at the American Arab Civil Rights League.  

Aoun earned a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs and French from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School.  

“I am deeply grateful to Governor Whitmer for this opportunity and honored to serve the people of Wayne County,” said Aoun. “I am committed to ensuring that every person who enters my courtroom is heard and treated with dignity.” 

This appointment will be made to fill a partial term following the upcoming resignation of Judge Muriel Hughes. Aoun’s term will commence on September 14, 2026, and expire at twelve o’clock noon on January 1, 2029.

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Plunkett Cooney

Michigan Super Lawyers magazine has named 15 attorneys from Plunkett Cooney to its 2026 list of Super Lawyers as well as seven attorneys to its list of Rising Stars.

Receiving special recognition by the magazine this year is health care attorney Mark S. Kopson, who was listed among the “Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers” for his work in the area of health care law.

Below is a list of local Plunkett Cooney partners who received the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyer designation: 

—Bloomfield Hills office members
Douglas C. Bernstein – Bankruptcy: Business 
Matthew J. Boettcher – Business Litigation
Charles W. Browning – Insurance Coverage
Jeffrey S. Hengeveld – Professional Liability: Defense 
Mark S. Kopson – Health Care
Frank T. Mamat – Employment & Labor
Mary Massaron – Appellate
Kenneth C. Newa – Insurance Coverage
Courtney L. Nichols – Employment and Labor
Scott H. Sirich – Construction Litigation
Patrick E. Winters – Insurance Coverage

—Plunkett Cooney’s Detroit office member:
D. Jennifer Andreou – Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense 
Kenneth R. Chadwell – Government Relations
Michael K. Sheehy – Transportation/Maritime
Below are the Plunkett Cooney attorneys who have received the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star designation this year: 
Danielle Chidiac (Bloomfield Hills) – Insurance Coverage
Madeleine C. Craig (Bloomfield Hills) – Business Litigation
Elena Djordjeski Light (Bloomfield Hills) – Personal Injury General: Defense
Simone R. Fabiilli (Bloomfield Hills) – Business Litigation
Courtney A. Lavender (Bloomfield Hills) – Appellate
Robert M. Unatin (Bloomfield Hills) – Insurance Coverage

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The Ravenscroft Group

Jessica Davidova is honored to have been elected president of the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan for the 2026-2028 term. She is an attorney with The Ravenscroft Law Group, where she focuses her practice on business, real estate, and commercial litigation. She also serves as legal counsel and advisor for Firefly Advocates, an organization that supports wrongfully convicted individuals in seeking exoneration and pursuing justice.

Prior to entering private practice, Davidova served as an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in the Special Victims Unit, prosecuting matters involving sexual assault and domestic violence.

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Honigman LLP

Honigman LLP announced that Joshua Zeman joined the firm as a partner in the Supply Chain and Commercial Transactions Practice Group of the Litigation Department. He joins Honigman from Brooks, Wilkins, Sharkey, & Turco.

Zeman has represented clients in a variety of complex commercial matters, including those involving the automotive supply chain, closely held business disputes, financial services, regulatory complaints, and employment disputes. Drawing on his experience in the judiciary, he counsels clients throughout the lifecycle of a dispute, including assisting in prelitigation resolutions and trying cases in state and federal courts both in Michigan and across the country.

Zeman earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and received his B.A. from the University of Michigan.

In addition, Honigman is pleased to announce its list of Michigan-based attorneys recognized as 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.

Twenty-nine Honigman attorneys have been named as Super Lawyers, and 57 have been recognized as Rising Stars. Three attorneys, Partners Joseph Aviv, Michael Hindelang, and I.W. Winsten, were honored among the Top 100 Super Lawyers.
Super Lawyers – Joseph Aviv, Aaron E. Bass, Michael S. Ben, Michelle P. Crockett, Sean F. Crotty, Michael D. DuBay, David A. Ettinger, Amy B. Folbe, Nick Gorga, Andrea L. Hansen, Michael P. Hindelang, J. Michael Huget, Michael A. Indenbaum, Anessa O. Kramer, Donald J. Kunz, Evan J. Leibhan, Steven Migliore, Jonathan P. O’Brien, Ph.D., J. Adam Rothstein, E. Todd Sable, Lowell D. Salesin, Matthew Schneider, Jonathan H. Schwartz, Mark A. Stern, Deborah J. Swedlow, Leigh C. Taggart, Phillip D. Torrence, Matthew R. VanWasshnova, I.W. Winsten.

Rising Stars – Daniel R. Ackerman, Jonathan Ajlouny, Justin M. Azar, Lauren E. Babbage, Elaina Bailey, Gabriel Bedoya, Amanda Blackburn, Jewel H. Boelstler, Brett Bonfanti, Alex Bowman, M. Brian Braum Jr., Alexander Burridge, George M. Cobane, Ian Cosgrove, Kevin Cunningham, Michael J. Dauphinais, Rian C. Dawson, Annie L. Dreisbach, Shannon Duggan, Yafeez Fatabhoy, Steven M. Forte, Angela I. Gamalski, D’Antae D. Gooden, Paul Guenther, Mazen Hajali, Paul W. Howarah, Rama Jawad, Tyler J. Kemper, Spencer Layson, Timothy Lee, Lauren Legner, Jeffrey Lehrberg, Jeremy D. Lockhart, Chauncey C. Mayfield II, Jenna McLane, Jennifer L. Muse, Renee D. Naylor, Andrew John Newton, Garrett Packer, Carsten Parmenter, Andrew Pauwels, Matthew Ritzman, Collin J. Rosenbaum, Ahmad Sabbagh, Tyler Schofield, Sherwin Shushtari, Kory M. Steen, Jacob Stropes, Brian Towne, Anna Transit, Gareth Ulmer, Katarina Vickovic, Nicholas E. Voran, Alexander S. Whang, Chase O. Yarber, Haba K. Yono, Marilyn Yousif.

Honigman is also pleased to announce that the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® recognized several local Honigman attorneys across numerous practice areas.

—2027 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year”
Detroit
Michael W. Domanski, Tax Law
Michael Hindelang, Litigation – Securities
William O. Hochkammer, Insurance Law
Michael A. Indenbaum, Litigation and Controversy – Tax
Lee Johnson, Environmental Law
Paul W. Mardirosian, Land Use and Zoning Law
Steven J. Migliore, Corporate Law

—The Best Lawyers in America 2027
Thomas J. Appledorn, Copyright Law, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Trademark Law
Joseph Aviv, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Family Law, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Securities, Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Scott D. Barnett, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Patent Law
Aaron E. Bass, Real Estate Law
Andrew J. Boes, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Patent Law
Jonathan R. Borenstein, Real Estate Law
Richard J. Burstein, Real Estate Law
Sarah G. Deson, Real Estate Law
Amy B. Folbe, Family Law
Michael K. Hauser, Tax Law
Jeffrey S. Horowitz, Real Estate Law
David J. Jacob, Real Estate Law
Anessa Owen Kramer, Copyright Law, Trademark Law
Joel M. Krugel, Real Estate Law
Timothy D. Lee, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
David G. London, Real Estate Law
Michael E. Morden, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Renee D. Naylor, Real Estate Law
Charles Nida, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Karen R. Pifer, Real Estate Law
Rodney C. Ploucha, Real Estate Law
Adam Rothstein, Leisure and Hospitality Law, Real Estate Law
Lowell D. Salesin, Real Estate Law
Alan J. Salle, Real Estate Law
Matthew H. Szalach, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law
Leigh C. Taggart, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Patent Law
Grace K. Trueman, Corporate Law, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Linda A. Wasserman, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Brandon J. Wilson, Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Law

Detroit
Kasturi Bagchi, Real Estate Law
Danielle F. Bass, Artificial Intelligence Law
Gabriel E. Bedoya, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Securities
Michael M. Bell, Banking and Finance Law
Michael S. Ben, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
Jennifer L. Benedict, Health Care Law
Andrew W. Clark, Commercial Litigation
James H. Combs, Tax Law
Meghan N. Covino, Immigration Law
Michelle P. Crockett, Employment Law – Management
Sean F. Crotty, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Laura J. Davis, Corporate Law
Matthew Disbrow, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Michael W. Domanski, Tax Law
Michelle Bleda Drew, Banking and Finance Law
Michael D. DuBay, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Kimberly A. Dudek, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law
David A. Ettinger, Antitrust Law, Franchise Law, Litigation - Antitrust
David Foltyn, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
Nicholas B. Gorga, Commercial Litigation
Raymond W. Henney, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Litigation – Securities
Michael Hindelang, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Securities, Privacy and Data Security Law
Karl A. Hochkammer, Corporate Law, Information Technology Law
William O. Hochkammer, Health Care Law, Insurance Law
Michael A. Indenbaum, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
Lee Johnson, Environmental Law
Eric M. Jones, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Nicholas J. Jones, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
John P. Kanan, Corporate Law, International Mergers and Acquisitions, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Maryam Karnib Parshall, Real Estate Law
Douglas E. Kelin, Real Estate Law
Matthew R. Keuten, Health Care Law
Scott B. Kitei, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
Samantha A. Kopacz, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Donald J. Kunz, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation, Venture Capital Law
Jeffrey Lamb, Commercial Litigation
Evan J. Leibhan, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Jeremy D. Lockhart, Commercial Litigation
Stewart L. Mandell, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
Paul W. Mardirosian, Land Use and Zoning Law
Chauncey C. Mayfield II, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Corporate Law
Steven J. Migliore, Corporate Law
Matthew J. Moussiaux, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Matthew G. Mrkonic, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Securities
Joshua F. Opperer, Corporate Law
Alex L. Parrish, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law
Andrew M. Pauwels, Commercial Litigation
Nicholas Pedersen, Corporate Law
Matthew E. Radler, Employment Law – Management
Robert M. Riley, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Julie E. Robertson, Health Care Law, Insurance Law
Scott Romney, Corporate Law, Government Relations Practice
Todd Sable, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
Alan S. Schwartz, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law
Jonathan H. Schwartz, Commercial Litigation
Michael B. Shapiro, Litigation - Real Estate
Khalilah Spencer, Commercial Litigation
Mark A. Stern, Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation
Matthew R. VanWasshnova, Corporate Law
Glenn Walter, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Alexander S. Whang, Corporate Law
Sheldon P. Winkelman, Real Estate Law
W. Winsten, Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation
Richard E. Zuckerman, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America
Bloomfield Hills
Tyler Kemper, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Catherine Niedermaier, Patent Law
Megan J. Parpart, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law
Elias de Wit, Real Estate Law

Detroit
Daniel Ackerman, Antitrust Law, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law
Justin Azar, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Elaina Bailey, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Laura E. Biery, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Jewel Haji Boelstler, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Brett Bonfanti, Labor and Employment Law – Management
Brian Braum Jr., Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
George M. Cobane, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Ian J. Cosgrove, Construction Law, Real Estate Law
Michael Dauphinais, Labor and Employment Law – Employee, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Rian C. Dawson, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law
Angela I. Gamalski, Administrative / Regulatory Law, Corporate Law, Health Care Law
D’Antae Gooden, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Municipal Law, Transportation Law
Paul Guenther, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Mazen Hajali, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Paul Howarah, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law
Rama Jawad, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
David Krueger, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Joseph M. Kuzmiak, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Spencer Layson, Corporate Law
Jenna R. McLane, Health Care Law, Insurance Law
Jennifer L. Muse, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Matthew Ritzman, Labor and Employment Law – Management
Ahmad Sabbagh, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Brian Sarnacki, Real Estate Law
Tyler D. Schofield, Real Estate Law
Sherwin Shushtari, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law
Kory M. Steen, Commercial Litigation
Haba Yono, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Marilyn Yousif, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment   

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Butzel Long

Butzel immigration law attorney Reginald A. Pacis, has been selected as a 2026 Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. 

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. 

Pacis was named Immigration Lawyer of the Year in 2025, 2023 and 2013, respectively 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.

Butzel is also pleased to announce that 28 attorneys have been named to the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers list. In addition, six Butzel attorneys have been named to the list of Rising Stars and Lee T. Silver has been named to the Super Lawyers Top 100 and Top 10 lists. 

The local Butzel attorneys included in the 2026 Super Lawyers list are:

—2026 Rising Stars
Javon R. David, Business Litigation
Steven Eatherly, Business Litigation
Shanika Owens, Real Estate
Blake C. Padget, Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
Amber D. Peters, General Litigation
Mitch Zajac, Intellectual Property

—2026 Super Lawyers 
Detroit office
Eric J. Flessland, Construction Litigation
Bernard J. Fuhs, Business Litigation
Cynthia J. Haffey, Business Litigation
Justin G. Klimko, Mergers & Acquisitions
Phillip C. Korovesis, Business Litigation
Mark R. Lezotte, Health Care
Paul M. Mersino, Business Litigation
Brett J. Miller, Employment & Labor
Reginald A. Pacis, Immigration: Business
James S. Rosenfeld, Employment & Labor
Daniel R.W. Rustmann, Business Litigation

Troy office
David J. DeVine, Business Litigation
Carey A. DeWitt, Employment & Labor
Michael P. Donnelly, Business Litigation
George B. Donnini, Criminal Defense: White Collar
Laura S. Faussié, Business Litigation
Robert P. Perry, Estate & Probate
Ryan C. Plecha, Business Litigation
Daniel B. Tukel, Employment Litigation: Defense

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Dickinson Wright PLLC

Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that Mais Moran has joined the firm’s Troy office as Of Counsel.

Moran is an immigration attorney where she advises clients on a range of business immigration matters. She assists employers with U.S. permanent residence and work authorization matters on behalf of their employees and has experience with a variety of employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visa matters. As an immigrant herself, she brings firsthand perspective on the complexities of the immigration process and approaches her work with an understanding of the challenges clients may encounter along the way. In addition to her business immigration law experience, Moran has practiced insurance defense, handling first- and third-party claims.

Moran is recognized as a leader in her field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars.” She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Arab American Bar Association Michigan Chapter and is a member of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, the National Arab American Bar Association National Chapter, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 

Moran received her B.A. from Western Michigan University and her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Dickinson Wright is also pleased to announce that 39 of the firm’s attorneys have been named 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers. Twenty-one Dickinson Wright attorneys have been named 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars.”

Local Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this year’s Michigan Super Lawyers list include:

—Detroit
Richard M. Bolton, Mergers & Acquisitions
Aaron V. Burrell, Business Litigation
Christopher A. Cornwall, Construction Litigation
David R. Deromedi, Labor & Employment
Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate,
K. Scott Hamilton, Business Litigation
Mark R. High, Business/Corporate
Steven G. Howell, Bankruptcy: Business,
Timothy H. Howlett, Labor & Employment
James A. Plemmons, Creditor Debtor Rights
William P. Shield Jr., Banking
Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Bankruptcy: Business
L. Pahl Zinn, Business Litigation

—Troy
J. Benjamin Dolan, Business Litigation
Deborah L. Grace, Employee Benefits
Craig W. Hammond, Government Finance
Monica J. Labe, Real Estate, Top 50 Women Lawyers in Michigan
Elizabeth L. Luckenbach, Estate & Trust Litigation, Top 50 Women Lawyers in Michigan, Top 100 Lawyers in Michigan
James A. Martone, Business Litigation
Cynthia A. Moore, Employee Benefits
Scott A. Petz, Business Litigation
Daniel D. Quick, Business Litigation, Top 100 Lawyers in Michigan
William L. Rosin, Business/Corporate
Kimberly J. Ruppel, Health Care
Lynn C. Sirich, Family Law
Michael R. Vogt, Real Estate
Peter H. Webster, Eminent Domain
Katheryne L. Zelenock, Real Estate
Local Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this year’s Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Stars list include:

—Detroit
Davina Bridges, Business Litigation
Jonathon H. Oakley, Mergers & Acquisitions
Rebecca S. Papi, Mergers & Acquisitions
M. Katherine VanderVeen, Banking

—Troy
Juliet R. Boyd, Estate & Trust Litigation
Brandon L. Debus, Business Litigation
Allison Dolson, Health Care
Kaitlyn Elias, Real Estate
Eric W. Gregory, Employee Benefits
Lawrence Opalewski, Business Litigation
Nicholas E. Papasifakis, Estate & Probate
Anthony J. Piccirilli, Construction Litigation
Will Sanford, Estate & Probate
Alma Sobo, Business Litigation
Gage Wakula, Business Litigation
Colby Zurbay, Estate & Trust Litigation

In addition, Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that attorneys in the firm’s Michigan offices have been included in Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, and Ones to Watch 2027 editions.
Local Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this Best Lawyers in America® year’s list include:

—Detroit
Max A. Aidenbaum, Commercial Litigation
Allison R. Bach, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Richard M. Bolton, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
William T. Burgess, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
Aaron V. Burrell, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment
Christopher A. Cornwall, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction
David R. Deromedi, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management
Phillip J. DeRosier, Appellate Practice
Patrick B. Green, Commercial Litigation
K. Scott Hamilton, Appellate Practice
Salina M. Hamilton, Commercial Litigation
Mark R. High, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law
Edward J. Hood, Arbitration, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction
Steven G. Howell, Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
Timothy H. Howlett, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
Amy Kwiatkowski, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
John K. Lawrence, Banking and Finance Law
Andrew W. MacLeod, Corporate Law, International Mergers & Acquisitions, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Funds/Hedge Funds Law
James A. Plemmons, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy
William P. Shield Jr., Banking and Finance Law
Theodore B. Sylwestrzak, Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Bruce C. Thelen, International Trade and Finance Law
M. Katherine VanderVeen, Banking and Finance Law
L. Pahl Zinn, Litigation – Antitrust

—Troy
Juliet R. Boyd, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
Roger H. Cummings, Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law
J. Benjamin Dolan, Litigation – Real Estate
Alison F. Duffy, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
Thomas E.F. Fabbri, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Tax Law
Kevin A. Fanning, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Real Estate
John P. Gonway, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law
Deborah L. Grace, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Roberta P. Granadier, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Eric W. Gregory, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Craig W. Hammond, Banking and Finance Law, Public Finance Law
William H. Honaker, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law
Richard A. Jones, Patent Law
Mark Jotanovic, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law
Monica J. Labe, Real Estate Law
Elise S. Levasseur, Immigration Law
Elizabeth L. Luckenbach, Trusts and Estates
Michael J. Lusardi, Real Estate Law
Michael N. MacCallum, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Patent, Patent Law
J. Thomas MacFarlane, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Christopher C. Maeso, Corporate Law
James A. Martone, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Intellectual Property
Jonathan M. Martone, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Scott A. McBain, Patent Law
Eric McGlothlin, Public Finance Law
Cynthia A. Moore, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Mahesh K. Nayak, Commercial Litigation
Shannon M. Nichols, Banking and Finance Law
Nicholas Papasifakis, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Tax Law
Erin M. Pawlowski, Corporate Law, Litigation - Intellectual Property
Scott A. Petz, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants
Daniel D. Quick, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Intellectual Property
Paul Rodriguez, Patent Law
William L. Rosin, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Kimberly J. Ruppel, Commercial Litigation
Lynn Capp Sirich, Family Law
Joan Cripe Skrzyniarz, Trusts and Estates
Kimberly M. Slaven, Patent Law
Jared A. Smith, Information Technology Law
Robert L. Stearns, Litigation – Intellectual Property
Michael R. Vogt, Litigation - Real Estate, Real Estate Law
Peter H. Webster, Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Municipal Law
Mark E. Wilson, Health Care Law
Katheryne L. Zelenock, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Securitization and Structured Finance Law
Local Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this year’s Best Lawyers in America® “Lawyer of the Year” list include:

—Detroit 
Allison R. Bach, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

—Troy
Christopher C. Maeso, Corporate Law
Shannon M. Nichols, Banking and Finance Law
Daniel D. Quick, Litigation - Intellectual Property
Dickinson Wright attorneys recognized on this year’s Best Lawyers in America® Ones to Watch list include:

—Detroit
Patrick Masterson, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Antitrust

—Troy
Erick W. Hosner, Corporate Law
Ashley Jericho, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Nicholas J.H Mercado, Commercial Litigation
Corey Neil, Patent Law
Aleanna Siacon, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Municipal Law, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Alma Sobo, Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation - Real Estate, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, Municipal Law

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Fishman Stewart PLLC

Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to announce that three firm partners have been named IP Stars for 2026 by Managing IP. In addition to the individual recognitions, the firm earned a repeat recognition as Highly Recommended in the area of Trademarks.

Representing Fishman Stewart on the list this year—all repeat IP Stars honorees—are:

Co-founder and CEO Michael B. Stewart – Patent Star

Co-founder and Partner Michael Fishman – Trademark Star

Partner Michelle Visser – Copyright Star and Trademark Star

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Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett PC

Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett (WWRP) is pleased to announce that 12 attorneys have been included on the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers list, with another attorney debuting on the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. 

The following WWRP attorneys, all repeat Super Lawyers, have received the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers honor within the noted practice areas:

Alexander A. Ayar – Business Litigation

Robert S. Bick – Business & Corporate; Mergers & Acquisitions; Securities & Corporate Finance

John W. Crowe – Mergers & Acquisitions, Business/Corporate, Real Estate – Business, Business Litigation, Securities & Corporate Finance, Civil Litigation: Defense

Brian E. Etzel – Business Litigation

William E. Hosler – Real Estate: Business; General Litigation; State, Local & Municipal; Business Litigation

Robert B. Labe – Estate Planning & Probate; Business & Corporate

Jason C. Long – Eminent Domain; Tax: Business; Appellate; Real Estate: Business

Jerome P. Pesick – Eminent Domain; Tax; Land Use & Zoning

David E. Plunkett – Business Litigation; Real Estate; Business & Corporate

Richard E. Rassel III – Business & Corporate; General Litigation; Real Estate

Richard D. Rattner – Land Use & Zoning; Real Estate; Business & Corporate

C. Kim Shierk – Real Estate

New to the Michigan Rising Stars list for 2026:

Michael Petrus – Business Litigation

WWRP is also pleased to announce that 13 partners have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2027 edition.  The following WWRP attorneys have received the Best Lawyers designation in their respective categories of distinction:

Alexander A. Ayar, Litigation - Real Estate

Robert S. Bick, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law; Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

John W. Crowe, Corporate Law

James P. Cunningham, Family Law

Brian E. Etzel, Commercial Litigation; Employment Law – Individuals

John D. Gaber, Litigation – Real Estate

Robert B. Labe, Trusts and Estates

Jason C. Long, Land Use and Zoning Law; Real Estate Law

Jerome Pesick, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Real Estate Law

David E. Plunkett, Commercial Litigation

Richard E. Rassel III, Commercial Litigation

Richard D. Rattner, Copyright Law; Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation – Land Use and Zoning; Litigation – Real Estate; Real Estate Law

C. Kim Shierk, Corporate Law; Land Use and Zoning Law; Real Estate Law

In addition to being named a Best Lawyer, Shierk has been awarded 2027 Best Lawyers regional “Lawyer of the Year” honors. Shierk received the accolade in the category of Land Use and Zoning Law. The latest acknowledgment follows Shierk being named by Crain’s Detroit Business as a Notable Woman in Law in February 2026. At WWRP, she represents real estate developers in all aspects of land development: zoning approvals and entitlements, property acquisition, construction and permanent financing, development agreements, construction contracts and leasing. Her practice also encompasses telecommunications law and land use.

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Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC

Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC is pleased to announce that three attorneys have been named Michigan Super Lawyers for 2026. 

The Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer attorneys named 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers have earned the recognition for multiple, consecutive years:

• Managing Partner and co-owner Deborah Brouwer is listed in the Employment Litigation, Appellate, and Employment & Labor categories.

• Partner and co-owner Terry W. Bonnette is listed in the Employment & Labor and Employment Litigation categories.

• Patricia Nemeth, Of Counsel at the firm, is listed in the Employment Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Employment & Labor categories.

“Our firm is grateful to practice among consummate professionals in the Michigan legal community and we appreciate the peer support in this Super Lawyers recognition,” Brouwer said.

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Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith, PC­

Six attorneys from the Southfield office of Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC have been selected to the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers and “Rising Stars” lists.

2026 Michigan Super Lawyers and their area(s) of practice:

Dirk H. Beckwith, Transportation/Maritime

Michael R. Blum, Employment & Labor

Julie I. Fershtman, Civil Litigation: Defense

Paul J. Millenbach, Business Litigation

2026 “Rising Stars” and their area(s) of practice:

Joseph J. Giacalone, Personal Injury General: Defense

Jeffrey G. Schultz, Personal Injury General: Defense

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Warner, Norcross, + Judd LLP

Warner Norcross + Judd LLP attorneys have been selected for multiple honors by The Best Lawyers in America® 2027. 

Local Warner attorneys by office are (unless otherwise noted, all are Best Lawyers):

—Bloomfield Hills
Roquia K. Draper
Antonia R. Giles, Ones to Watch
Charles C. Kadado, Ones to Watch
Randall J. Peck
Nazli G. Sater

—Detroit
Aaron J. Beresh
Michael Brady
Kurt M. Brauer
Robert J. Cambridge
Vito A. Ciaravino
Sean H. Cook
Katelyn D. Crysler, Ones to Watch
Jennifer L. Dudley
Homayune A. Ghaussi
Rozanne M. Giunta
Wyatt J. Istvan-Mitchell
William R. Jansen
Jay A. Kennedy
Kurt A. Kissling
Steven C. Kohl
Mary Jo Larson
Christopher M. LeClair, Ones to Watch
Dennis W. Loughlin
Thomas J. Manganello
Lawrence J. Murphy
Linda Paullin-Hebden
Erin Poston, Ones to Watch
Katherine L. Pullen
Ashley E. Racette, Ones to Watch
Adam T. Ratliff, Ones to Watch
Alan T. Rogalski
Zainab H. Sabbagh, Ones to Watch
Timothy H. Smith, Ones to Watch
Jennifer A. Watkins
Laura N. You
Lisa B. Zimmer

—Macomb County
Matthew K. Casey
David C.C. Eberhard
Frank E. Henke
Nina E. Lucido, Ones to Watch
David W. MacDonald
Brian D. Wassom
Robin E. Yono

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Miller Johnson

Miller Johnson is proud to welcome Jessica Faber to its Detroit office as a counsel attorney in the Med Recovery practice group. Faber has more than a decade of experience in high-volume litigation, appellate advocacy, and insurance disputes.

Faber’s practice focuses on medical recovery and litigation, representing healthcare providers and payors in recovery matters. Her background litigating personal injury and insurance claims gives her an understanding of Michigan’s No-Fault Act and the issues that most often affect providers and payors. Before joining Miller Johnson, she managed personal injury cases throughout the state, experience that gives her firsthand insight into how payors evaluate and resolve disputes, which she now applies on behalf of her clients.

Faber earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Wagner College.

Miller Johnson is also proud to announce that several of the firm’s attorneys have been selected for recognition by Super Lawyers as 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers and Michigan Rising Stars. 

Local Miller Johnson – 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers:

—Detroit
William D. Gilbride Jr. – Alternative Dispute Resolution
Todd A. Holleman – Business Litigation
Emily C. Palacios – Land Use/Zoning
Local Miller Johnson – 2026 Michigan Rising Stars:

—Detroit
Ali Fardoun – Business / Corporate
Saniya Khare – Alternative Dispute Resolution

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McDonald Hopkins LLC

Nine attorneys at McDonald Hopkins have been selected to the 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers list and five McDonald Hopkins attorneys have been selected to the 2026 Michigan Rising Stars list.

—Michigan Super Lawyers
Colin Battersby, member, Business Litigation
John E. Benko, member, Business Litigation
James J. Boutrous II, member, Labor and Employment 
James J. Giszczak, member, Business Litigation
Stephen M. Gross, member, Bankruptcy, Business
Patrick A. Karbowski, member, Real Estate 
Michael G. Latiff, member, Business Litigation
Timothy Lowe, member, Business Litigation
Miriam L. Rosen, member, Labor and Employment 

—Michigan Rising Stars
Adam Baginski, associate, Mergers & Acquisitions
Donald J. Brewer, counsel, Technology Transactions
Mitchell Capp, associate, Business/Corp
Kate Jarrett Furstenau, counsel, Technology Transactions
Emily Honet, associate, Business Litigation 

In addition, several local McDonald Hopkins attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America.

—Best Lawyers
Bloomfield Hills
Colin M. Battersby (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2025)
John E. Benko (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
James J. Boutrous II (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2012)
James J. Giszczak (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2022)
Stephen M. Gross (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2011)
Patrick A. Karbowski (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2011)
Michael G. Latiff (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
Dominic A. Paluzzi (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2025)
Antoinette M. Pilzner (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
Miriam L. Rosen (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)

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Zausmer, P.C.

Zausmer is pleased to announce that seven attorneys have been named 2026 Michigan Super Lawyers. Additionally, 13 Zausmer attorneys have been recognized as Rising Stars. 

—2026 Michigan Super Lawyers
Michael L. Caldwell, shareholder
Stephen R. Estey, shareholder
Cameron R. Getto, shareholder
Cinnamon A. Plonka, executive shareholder
Devin R. Sullivan, shareholder
Nicole M. Wright, eecutive shareholder
Mark J. Zausmer, managing shareholder

—2026 Michigan Rising Stars
Shelby L. Avery, associate
Dylan M. Beadle, principal attorney
Theresa A. Bodwin, shareholder
Chad M. Duschinsky, shareholder
Jonathan R. Freshour, associate
Redon Ipeku, associate
Benjamin M. Krinke, senior attorney
John A. Lewsley, shareholder
Nicole B. Lockhart, associate
Talitha T. Mahome, senior attorney
Alexander Schultz, associate
Brian M. Voorheis, senior attorney
Kyle A. Warwick, shareholder
In addition, 16 Zausmer attorneys have been honored in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers.
Managing Shareholder Mark Zausmer has been recognized as a Best Lawyer for the 20th consecutive year for his work in Commercial Litigation and Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law.
Best Lawyers honorees include:
Mischa M. Boardman, executive shareholder
Michael L. Caldwell, shareholder
Stephen R. Estey, shareholder
Brandon S. Heintzelman, shareholder
Jeremy M. Mullett, shareholder
Cinnamon A. Plonka, executive shareholder
A. Adam Post, shareholder
Michael A. Schwartz, shareholder
Devin R. Sullivan, shareholder
Darice E. Weber, principal attorney
Mark J. Zausmer, managing shareholder
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2027:
Christopher B. Best, principal attorney
John A. Lewsley, shareholder
Brent R. Lockwood, senior attorney
Branden T. Prather, associate
Stephanie L. Strycharz, shareholder

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Kemp Klein Law Firm

Twenty Kemp Klein attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, and four additional attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. Robert S. Zawideh was also named the 2027 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Trusts and Estates in Troy.

The Best Lawyers in America honorees include:

William B. Acker – Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Real Estate Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates

C. Leslie Banas – Corporate Law and Real Estate Law

Richard C. Bruder – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Venture Capital Law

Joseph P. Buttiglieri – Family Law and Litigation – Trusts and Estates

Ralph A. Castelli Jr. – Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, and Real Estate Law

James P. Davey – Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Construction

Mark R. Filipp – Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, and Litigation – Labor and Employment

Faith M. Gaudaen – Commercial Litigation

Brian R. Jenney – Elder Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates

David D. Marsh – Corporate Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, and Real Estate Law

Alan A. May – Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates

Edward M. Nahhat – Appellate Practice

Ronald S. Nixon – Commercial Litigation

Neal Nusholtz – Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates

Norman D. Orr – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Corporate Law

Brian H. Rolfe – Commercial Litigation and Corporate Law

Amy A. Stawski – Family Law

Michael D. Umphrey – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, and Trusts and Estates

Cynthia L. Umphrey – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, and Trusts and Estates

Robert S. Zawideh – Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Trusts and Estates

The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch honorees include:

Casey W. Callahan – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, and Trusts and Estates

William Haines II – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Elder Law, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, and Trusts and Estates

Tyler Knurek – Litigation – Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates

Margaret Lindauer – Elder Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates

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Varnum LLP

The 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® includes 111 Varnum attorneys in 53 practice areas, with 18 additional attorneys named in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, and seven named “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas.
Local Varnum Best Lawyers include:

—Birmingham 
Thomas H. Bergh, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
Brendan G. Best, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Gabriel Edelson, Corporate Law
J. David Garcia, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property
Rebecca L. Grove, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Ziyad I. Hermiz, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Trade Secrets Law
Robert E. Kass, Trusts and Estates
Samuel Kokoszka, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
Christopher M. Mann, Corporate Law, Trusts and Estates
Eric M. Nemeth, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
Jeffrey Stefan, Artificial Intelligence Law, Corporate Law
William L. Thompson, Commercial Litigation
Sam J. Vitale, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Sarah S. Weston, Banking and Finance Law

—Novi
Bradley S. Defoe, Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Law
Richard T. Hewlett, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
Richard A. Hooker, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
Paul L.B. McKenney, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
Julia A. Perkins, Family Law, Family Law Mediation
Michael Romaya, Banking and Finance Law
Maureen Rouse-Ayoub, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
Kristen M. Veresh, Banking and Finance Law
Local Varnum Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch include:

—Birmingham 
Kathryn Ahlbrand, Tax Law
Jailah Emerson, Commercial Litigation
W. Caleb Griscom, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Jeffrey Hewlett, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property
Trevor Lloyd, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law
Jordan M. Small, Corporate Law
Zachariah Snyder, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

—Novi
Louis Ronayne, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law

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Burris Law PLLC

Burris Law attorneys Kelly Burris and George Patsarikas have been recognized in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®.  Burris is included in The Best Lawyers in America for Patent Law, while Patsarikas is named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Intellectual Property Law.

Patsarikas focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution, counseling clients on inventions related to electrical engineering and computer-implemented technologies. His work includes patents involving automotive control systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, acoustic systems, semiconductors, semiconductor processing systems, robotic systems, heating systems, and medical devices.

Burris founded Burris Law in 2016 and has since grown the firm from a three-person startup into a globally recognized IP firm serving more than 600 clients. A former aerospace engineer, licensed pilot, inventor, and one of the leading IP attorneys across the globe, Burris has more than two decades of IP and patent law experience across sectors including automotive, semiconductors, medical, green and clean technologies, manufacturing technologies, welding and gas cutting, metallurgy, ceramic and composite materials, and consumer products.

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The Dollar Law Firm PLLC

Michigan attorney James W. “Jamie” Low has been elected vice president for Membership of the American Counsel Association, a national and international organization of attorneys founded in 1928.

Low was elected to the officer position during the American Counsel Association’s Annual Meeting in Chicago, held in conjunction with the 2026 American Bar Association Annual Meeting.

As vice president for Membership, Low will help lead the Association’s efforts to grow and strengthen its membership, increase member engagement and help position the organization as it approaches its centennial in 2028.

“This is a tremendous professional honor,” Low said. “I have spent much of my career involved in bar service at the local, state and national levels, and I have seen firsthand how much strong professional organizations depend upon engaged members and the relationships that develop among them. I am grateful to my fellow members of the American Counsel Association for their confidence in electing me as one of the Association’s officers, and I am excited about the opportunity to help strengthen an organization with nearly a century of history.”

Low brings more than two decades of legal practice and service to the profession to the position.

He currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of the State Bar of Michigan, where he has served since 2019 and was most recently reelected to another three-year term. The Board of Commissioners provides oversight and governance for the State Bar and its work serving Michigan’s legal profession and the public.

At the national level, Low has served in the American Bar Association House of Delegates since 2017. The nearly 600-member House is the ABA’s policymaking body and ultimate governing body, considering and adopting policy on issues affecting the legal profession, the justice system and the administration of law.

Low currently represents the Oakland County Bar Association in the ABA House of Delegates, a position he has held since 2022. He has also served as the ABA State Membership Chair for Michigan, on the ABA Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education, and on the ABA Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee.

His involvement with the OCBA dates to 2004. He is a Sustaining Member of the OCBA, a Fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, a member of the OCBA Membership Committee and a Master in the OCBA Inn of Court. Earlier in his career, he chaired the OCBA New Lawyers Committee.

Low has also served for many years on the State Bar of Michigan Character and Fitness Committee and previously served on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, including as its Secretary-Treasurer.
He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Low’s professional service has also had an international component. He has participated in numerous meetings of the European Young Bar Association throughout Europe and previously represented the United States through the ABA Young Lawyers Division at an international debate competition in Montreal.

In 2025, Michigan Lawyers Weekly named Low to its class of “Leaders in the Law.” The recognition came sixteen years after the publication selected Low as one of its 2009 “Up & Coming Lawyers.”

Low has practiced law in Michigan since 2001. He practices with The Dollar Law Firm PLLC, where his practice is concentrated primarily on civil litigation involving medical providers and claims arising from automobile accidents.

Low earned his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in 1998 and his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2001.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has?shifted the legal strategy?in?her?fight against fossil fuel companies. Nessel’s office filed an antitrust lawsuit?in January that reads less like a traditional competition case and more like an alternate history of how energy markets?supposedly would?have evolved but for a decades-long conspiracy.

By Jarrett Skorup and Dr. Ted Bolema,

Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has?shifted the legal strategy?in?her?fight against fossil fuel companies. Nessel’s office filed an antitrust lawsuit?in January that reads less like a traditional competition case and more like an alternate history of how energy markets?supposedly would?have evolved but for a decades-long conspiracy. The complaint does not merely allege misconduct; it imagines an entirely different Michigan?–?one where electric vehicles dominate roads, renewable energy is ubiquitous, and consumers enjoy lower costs and broader choices in transportation and home energy.???

In this “but-for” world, electric vehicles would no longer be niche or luxury products. They would be rolling off assembly lines across the state, parked in driveways in every region, and charging at grocery stores, highway rest stops and converted gas stations. Renewable electricity?–?delivered through a fully green grid or even a dedicated 100% renewable network?–?would power those vehicles. Homes and businesses would rely primarily on solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal energy, with fossil fuels relegated to a secondary role.??

This vision?quickly collides with reality.?As?is noted in the case, Michigan has?roughly 9.4 million vehicles on the road — and fewer than 180,000 of them are electric. Nearly 70% of the fleet consists of trucks and SUVs, not compact commuter cars. The state?has about?5,000?gas stations compared to roughly 1,800 public charging stations.?Renewables account for?less than 10% of transportation energy?use and less than 10% of primary energy overall. Gasoline and oil still supply roughly 90% of transportation energy?–?not because of some hidden cartel switch, but because consumers continue to choose them given price, convenience, range, and reliability.??

Nessel’s case is absurd because her alternative reality?doesn’t?exist anywhere?– regardless of the fossil fuel industry’s?supposed power. And it is fantastical because in fact Michigan has a multitude of incentives that distort the market in favor of renewable energy sources and companies.?If there?is an antitrust case here, it should be filed in the other direction.

Michigan already mandates renewable energy?through a renewable portfolio standard. The state?has?poured?billions?of?taxpayer?dollars?into?electric vehicle manufacturing,?battery plants, wind projects?and?solar development. At the same time, Michigan’s electricity market?remains tightly controlled, with limited customer choice and little retail competition. If fossil fuel companies truly possessed the power to suppress viable alternatives, these mandates and subsidies would be inexplicable.??

Rather than grappling with those contradictions, the lawsuit leans heavily on a?curious?narrative: Oil companies allegedly misled the public about climate science, distorted academic research by “capturing” universities, and slowed the adoption of cleaner technologies. What is new here is not the story, but the legal theory. Instead of tort claims, Michigan repackages these allegations as antitrust violations, arguing that public skepticism and slower EV adoption are evidence of suppressed competition.??

The complaint even attributes decades of public opinion polling trends to this alleged deception campaign, asserting that Americans would otherwise have rushed into electric vehicles and renewable energy. That assumption is tenuous. Consumers haven’t adopted electric vehicles en masse because of price and questions about their range.?

Behind the scenes, this lawsuit also fits neatly into a?national climate-litigation strategy?driven by?politically aligned class-action firms. These firms present themselves as contingency-fee crusaders, but they are often already flush with funding from activist donors and public-interest pipelines. Simply persuading a state attorney general to sign on is itself a major win: It generates headlines, confers legitimacy, attracts more donors, and encourages additional states?to pile on.??

That dynamic?suggests the?case is less about winning on the merits than about momentum. The relief Michigan?seeks?is sweeping?–?treble damages for alleged overcharges, broad injunctions against vaguely defined “anticompetitive conduct,” and attorneys’ fees. Even if the legal theory is shaky, the political payoff is immediate.??

The larger issue?here?is institutional. Courts are not designed to set climate or energy policy, especially when those policies require tradeoffs among cost, reliability, consumer preference, and technological readiness. Michigan already has a legislature,?regulators?and energy planners empowered to make those decisions. Using antitrust law to force an imagined energy transition through litigation risks turning judges into energy czars and law firms into shadow policymakers.??

The attorney general’s lawsuit says more about the ambitions of climate litigators than about the realities of Michigan’s energy markets. The alternate reality described in the complaint may be rhetorically appealing, but it is not how consumers behave, how infrastructure develops, or how competition law is supposed to work.?

This article originally appeared in Real Clear Energy February 20, 2026.
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Jarrett Skorup is the vice president for marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Ted Bolema is a senior fellow with the Mackinac Center and an antitrust and competition fellow with the Innovators Network Foundation.