Columns
LEGAL PEOPLE
October 06 ,2026
Butzel attorney and Shareholder David J. DeVine has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2026. He is one of 34 attorneys who will be recognized at a luncheon and awards celebration on November 20.
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Butzel attorney and Shareholder David J. DeVine has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2026. He is one of 34 attorneys who will be recognized at a luncheon and awards celebration on November 20.
DeVine focuses his practice in the areas of business litigation and counseling. For nearly 20 years, business clients have sought his counsel in an array of industries, especially automotive, construction, and real estate, and DeVine has served as counsel in many high-stakes, multi-million-dollar matters for his clients in state and federal court in Michigan and beyond.
As a member of Butzel’s Automotive Industry Team, DeVine concentrates a significant part of his practice on representing clients in contract disputes and supply chain matters, particularly those involving pricing, warranty, and tooling issues. He counsels suppliers of all sizes on contract terms, litigation avoidance, and dispute resolution strategies, and DeVine has published and spoken on automotive supply-chain topics. He is a regular trade association presenter and likewise has been a repeated contributor to Butzel Long and MEMA’s annual “OEM Light Vehicle Terms and Conditions Comparative Analysis” book.
In addition to his experience representing automotive clients, DeVine also has experience in trade secret and non-compete cases, shareholder disputes, and high-value insurance coverage litigation, and he is a member of Butzel’s Construction Specialty Team.
DeVine has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, Michigan Super Lawyers, DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, and Corporate LiveWire.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, United States Supreme Court Bar, Oakland County Bar Association, Oakland County Bar Foundation, and Federal Bar Association - Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. He also is involved with Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and numerous non-profit community organizations.
DeVine earned a law degree from Emory University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.
• • •
Abigail Richards, an Oakland County family law attorney and founder of Richards Family Law PLLC, has been selected to the 2026 Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. This is the third year Richards has been named to the list. The selection follows her recognition earlier this year as a Top 10 Under 40 attorney.
Richards has more than 10 years of experience focused exclusively on family law. She earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and has been licensed to practice in Michigan since 2016.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney recently expanded its Transportation Law and Torts & Litigation practice groups with the addition of attorney Abraham J. Newhouse.
A member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Newhouse focuses his practice on the defense of claims involving motor vehicle negligence and No-Fault Law, subrogation, and premises liability.
Newhouse represents motorists, rental car companies, and corporations in first- and third-party motor vehicle liability matters. He has defended his clients in cases involving Michigan No-Fault personal injury protection benefits, automobile injuries, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, fraud/rescission, and uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits claims. Newhouse also has experience resolving claims assigned by the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort.
Newhouse earned his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2021 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2018.
In addition, Michael P. Ashcraft Jr., secretary/treasurer of Plunkett Cooney’s Board of Directors, was recently nominated by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MiLW) as one of its 2026 Leaders in the Law. This year’s class will be honored during the annual Leaders in the Law Awards Luncheon on November 20 at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center in Lathrup Village.
Ashcraft, who is a partner in Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, serves as a co-leader of the firm’s Professional Liability Practice Group. A professional liability attorney, he concentrates his practice primarily on the defense of judges, attorneys, accountants, and their firms in professional liability, responsibility and licensing matters. In addition, he counsels professional firms on professional responsibility, ethics, risk management, and claims avoidance issues.
Ashcraft graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 1992 and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1987. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Liability (Lawyers’ Professional Liability Consortium), and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced appointments to the following boards and commissions:
—Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect
Judge Yasmine Poles is a judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court. Poles previously served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Macomb County.
Poles earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the Wayne State University School of Law. Poles will be reappointed to represent civil court judges for a term commencing January 1, 2026, and expiring December 31, 2029.
Created by Executive Order 2013-4, rescinding Executive Order 2010-18, the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect is established within the Department of Human Services and is designed as a multidisciplinary task force for the purposes of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. The Task Force consists of 18 members appointed by the Governor for three-year terms who are professionals with knowledge and experience relating to the criminal justice system and issues of child physical abuse, child neglect, child sexual abuse and exploitation, and child maltreatment related fatalities.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Board of Nursing
Ian Hickman is an attorney at Hewson & Van Hellemont PC. Hickman earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University.
Hickman is appointed as a member of the public for a term commencing October 1, 2026, and expiring June 30, 2030. Hickman succeeds Joseph Thurston, whose term has expired.
The Michigan Board of Nursing was created to establish qualifications for nurse licensure, to establish standards for education and approve nurse education programs, develop, and implement criteria for assurance of continued competency, and take disciplinary action against licensees when the health, safety, and welfare of the public has been adversely affected.
Thia appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Board of Pharmacy
Mitra Jafary-Hariri is an in-house lawyer for a technology company. Jafary-Hariri earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from Wayne State University, a Master of Science in teaching with a concentration in special education from Pace University, and a law degree from the Howard University School of Law. Jafary-Hariri is appointed as a member of the public for a term commencing October 1, 2026, and expiring June 30, 2027. Jafary-Hariri succeeds David Hills, who has resigned.
The Michigan Board of Pharmacy was enacted as part of the Public Health Code to oversee the practice of pharmacy as a health service, the clinical application of which includes the encouragement of safety and efficacy in the prescribing, dispensing, administering and use of drugs and related articles for the prevention of illness and the maintenance and management of health. The Public Health Code mandates certain responsibilities and duties for a health professional licensing board including promoting and protecting the public’s health, safety, and welfare.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to announce that firm partner Barbara Mandell has been named to the Leaders in the Law, class of 2026, by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The announcement of Mandell’s inclusion was made by Fishman Stewart CEO Michael Stewart.
Mandell’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, copyright and trademark law, and antitrust. She litigates, arbitrates, and counsels her clients on patent, trademark and licensing matters, theft of trade secrets, breach of license and franchise agreements, trade dress and copyright infringement claims, and counterfeiting, unfair competition, and false advertising claims. She has presided over more than 70 commercial arbitrations, including at least 40 that advanced to written awards, for the American Arbitration Association, either as a solo arbitrator or on a panel, including as the panel chair.
Mandell is also a multi-year honoree of Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, a DBusiness Top Lawyer honoree, and two-time recipient of the Lexology Client Choice award in the trademarks category.
• • •
Ottenwess Law PLC congratulates David Ottenwess and Eric Ramar for being selected for inclusion in the 2026 “Michigan Legal 250” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
• • •
Miller Johnson is pleased to announce that Brandon C. Griffith has been named a 2026 “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
“I’m grateful to Michigan Lawyers Weekly for this recognition and to the clients who trust us with the ideas their businesses are built on,” said Griffith. “It is as much a reflection of the support I’ve received from outstanding clients, colleagues, and mentors as it is a reflection of my own work. It is a privilege to practice law alongside so many talented professionals and to serve our clients and community every day.”
Griffith chairs Miller Johnson’s Intellectual Property Procurement and Transactions Practice Group, where he helps clients protect, enforce, and allocate rights in their business-critical intellectual property (IP). He counsels clients in the complexities of managing their business and IP strategy, from preparing and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications, to advising on the development, use, and ownership of technology and IP in interparty transactions and agreements. Griffith has guided clients through complex IP issues in hundreds of merger and acquisition transactions, positioning clients’ IP to be preserved and leveraged for maximum value on the sell side, and uncovering and vetting IP issues before closing on the buy side.
Griffith received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2010 and his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2003.
• • •
McDonald Hopkins congratulates James Giszczak on his recognition by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2026 Leaders in the Law honoree.
Giszczak currently serves as co-president of McDonald Hopkins, co-chair of the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice, and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
For more than 34 years, Giszczak has distinguished himself through his client work, leadership, mentorship and commitment to strengthening both the legal profession and his community. His influence extends beyond his work with clients, helping shape McDonald Hopkins, the field of data privacy and cybersecurity, and the many people he has mentored and worked alongside throughout his career.
McDonald Hopkins is also proud to recognize Adam J. Baginski, Detroit office, who hac been elected to the firm’s membership.
Baginski is part of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions group. His practice is focused on advising clients in a variety of industries, including private equity funds, in complex transactional matters, such as domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, distressed acquisitions and dispositions, and other business transactions. His services include due diligence support, drafting and negotiating principal transaction documents and ancillary agreements, and general strategic advice.
• • •
The State Bar of Michigan recently honored Honigman attorney Len Niehoff with its John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award which is given periodically “to a Michigan law school educator whose influence on lawyers has elevated the quality of legal practice in [Michigan].”
A litigation attorney, Niehoff possesses 35 years of experience focusing in the areas of media law, higher education law, and appellate litigation. He is also a professor at the University of Michigan Law School where he teaches courses in civil procedure, ethics, evidence, the First Amendment, and media law.
• • •
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that Benjamin Sobczak has been recognized in the 2026 Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers list by Cannabis Law Report and Cannabis Law Journal.
Sobczak, a member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy office, represents clients in complex business disputes, including shareholder conflicts, securities litigation, class actions, and business torts. He also serves as outside counsel to cannabis companies across the U.S. and Canada, advising on regulatory, transactional, and operational matters.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Sarah J. Williams has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2026 list of Leaders in the Law. Honorees will be recognized on November 20 at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center.
Williams is a member in Bodman’s Business Law Practice Group and serves as corporate counsel to a variety of businesses in matters involving mergers, acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial contracts, corporate finance, and debt and equity financing, including private equity, venture capital, and angel investments. She frequently works with technology-based startups throughout the Detroit and Ann Arbor markets, as well as businesses in the aviation services industry.
Williams is active in the firm’s leadership, serving as chair of the Associate Evaluation and Compensation Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee, the Opportunity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee, and the Alumni Committee. She also serves as chair of Programming Directorship for the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
Williams has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law, in Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A work, and has been recognized by Michigan Rising Stars for Business Law. She was recently named as a “Notable Woman in Law” by Crain’s Detroit Business and has been listed in DBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers list for her work in Mergers & Acquisitions law.
• • •
Dykema is proud to announce that Rochelle Lento has been selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2026 “Leader in the Law.” Lento will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Friday, November 20,at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center.
Lento’s practice focuses on affordable housing and community development, guiding developers and nonprofit organizations through complex transactions that create and preserve housing for low-income families and seniors. Her work brings together public and private financing to transform vacant properties, restore historic buildings, and expand access to stable housing throughout Michigan.
Beyond her client work, Lento has demonstrated a commitment to her community and the legal profession. She chairs the board of Alternatives for Girls and is a founding board member and former president of People for Palmer Park. She also teaches affordable housing development at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and previously chaired the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law.
Lento earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a B.A. from the State University of New York at Potsdam.
• • •
Garan attorney Christina M. Mazzara has been named a 2026 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
A shareholder at Garan, Mazzara focuses her practice on personal injury and property insurance defense, including No-Fault/PIP claims, automobile negligence, premises liability, and insurance coverage disputes.
Mazzara also shares her expertise with the broader community. Recently, at Garan’s Troy Breakfast Seminar, she presented “PIP Claims Under the Consumer Protection Act: The Law Just Changed on You.” Last year, she presented “Diminished Value Mini Tort Claims: Key Legal and Practical Considerations” at the IAM Seminar for Insurance Claims Professionals, as well as the Troy Breakfast Seminar.
• • •
Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton, PC is pleased to announce that Lindsay Hazen, a member of the firm’s Education Law Group, has been appointed to the State Bar of Michigan’s United States Courts Committee for the 2026–2027 Bar year. Hazen’s appointment began October 1.
As a member of the United States Courts Committee, Hazen will participate in the committee’s work and activities throughout the upcoming bar year.
In addition, Anne Gabbert, an attorney in the firm’s Municipal Group, has been appointed to the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Committee of the State Bar of Michigan for the 2026–2027 Bar year.
Gabbert’s one-year appointment began October 1. The Lawyers and Judges Assistance Committee is associated with the State Bar of Michigan’s Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program (LJAP), which supports Michigan legal professionals in optimizing their overall well-being and, when appropriate, facilitates their involvement in the program’s monitoring services.
GMH is also pleased to announce that Elizabeth Favaro, a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, has been nominated by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2026 Leader in the Law.
Favaro, who is a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation Group, is a trial attorney with nearly 20 years of courtroom experience. She concentrates her practice primarily on the defense of corporations in product liability, consumer, personal injury, and commercial matters. She has managed and tried litigation matters involving a variety of disputes throughout Michigan and across the country, including proceedings in state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as arbitration.
Favaro works with a publicly traded consumer product manufacturing company on litigation and discovery strategies, as well as product liability matters. She also represents large insurance carriers in No-Fault coverage and litigation matters, as well as small to mid-sized companies in a variety of commercial and employment matters, including non-compete agreements, trade secrets,
discrimination claims, insurance coverage, and franchise law. She is a speaker and author on these and other business law matters.
In addition to her legal practice, Favaro serves on the firm’s Board of Directors and is involved with organizations dedicated to feeding children both locally and abroad. Before becoming an attorney, she was an investigative reporter and news anchor, earning an Emmy Award for her work.
• • •
Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce its inclusion on Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2026 Empowering Women list. The firm supports professional advancement for women through mentorship, leadership development, networking opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture.
DeVine focuses his practice in the areas of business litigation and counseling. For nearly 20 years, business clients have sought his counsel in an array of industries, especially automotive, construction, and real estate, and DeVine has served as counsel in many high-stakes, multi-million-dollar matters for his clients in state and federal court in Michigan and beyond.
As a member of Butzel’s Automotive Industry Team, DeVine concentrates a significant part of his practice on representing clients in contract disputes and supply chain matters, particularly those involving pricing, warranty, and tooling issues. He counsels suppliers of all sizes on contract terms, litigation avoidance, and dispute resolution strategies, and DeVine has published and spoken on automotive supply-chain topics. He is a regular trade association presenter and likewise has been a repeated contributor to Butzel Long and MEMA’s annual “OEM Light Vehicle Terms and Conditions Comparative Analysis” book.
In addition to his experience representing automotive clients, DeVine also has experience in trade secret and non-compete cases, shareholder disputes, and high-value insurance coverage litigation, and he is a member of Butzel’s Construction Specialty Team.
DeVine has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, Michigan Super Lawyers, DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, and Corporate LiveWire.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, United States Supreme Court Bar, Oakland County Bar Association, Oakland County Bar Foundation, and Federal Bar Association - Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. He also is involved with Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and numerous non-profit community organizations.
DeVine earned a law degree from Emory University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.
• • •
Abigail Richards, an Oakland County family law attorney and founder of Richards Family Law PLLC, has been selected to the 2026 Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. This is the third year Richards has been named to the list. The selection follows her recognition earlier this year as a Top 10 Under 40 attorney.
Richards has more than 10 years of experience focused exclusively on family law. She earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and has been licensed to practice in Michigan since 2016.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney recently expanded its Transportation Law and Torts & Litigation practice groups with the addition of attorney Abraham J. Newhouse.
A member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office, Newhouse focuses his practice on the defense of claims involving motor vehicle negligence and No-Fault Law, subrogation, and premises liability.
Newhouse represents motorists, rental car companies, and corporations in first- and third-party motor vehicle liability matters. He has defended his clients in cases involving Michigan No-Fault personal injury protection benefits, automobile injuries, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, fraud/rescission, and uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits claims. Newhouse also has experience resolving claims assigned by the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort.
Newhouse earned his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law in 2021 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2018.
In addition, Michael P. Ashcraft Jr., secretary/treasurer of Plunkett Cooney’s Board of Directors, was recently nominated by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MiLW) as one of its 2026 Leaders in the Law. This year’s class will be honored during the annual Leaders in the Law Awards Luncheon on November 20 at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center in Lathrup Village.
Ashcraft, who is a partner in Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, serves as a co-leader of the firm’s Professional Liability Practice Group. A professional liability attorney, he concentrates his practice primarily on the defense of judges, attorneys, accountants, and their firms in professional liability, responsibility and licensing matters. In addition, he counsels professional firms on professional responsibility, ethics, risk management, and claims avoidance issues.
Ashcraft graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 1992 and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1987. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Liability (Lawyers’ Professional Liability Consortium), and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced appointments to the following boards and commissions:
—Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect
Judge Yasmine Poles is a judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court. Poles previously served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Macomb County.
Poles earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the Wayne State University School of Law. Poles will be reappointed to represent civil court judges for a term commencing January 1, 2026, and expiring December 31, 2029.
Created by Executive Order 2013-4, rescinding Executive Order 2010-18, the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect is established within the Department of Human Services and is designed as a multidisciplinary task force for the purposes of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. The Task Force consists of 18 members appointed by the Governor for three-year terms who are professionals with knowledge and experience relating to the criminal justice system and issues of child physical abuse, child neglect, child sexual abuse and exploitation, and child maltreatment related fatalities.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Board of Nursing
Ian Hickman is an attorney at Hewson & Van Hellemont PC. Hickman earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University.
Hickman is appointed as a member of the public for a term commencing October 1, 2026, and expiring June 30, 2030. Hickman succeeds Joseph Thurston, whose term has expired.
The Michigan Board of Nursing was created to establish qualifications for nurse licensure, to establish standards for education and approve nurse education programs, develop, and implement criteria for assurance of continued competency, and take disciplinary action against licensees when the health, safety, and welfare of the public has been adversely affected.
Thia appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
—Michigan Board of Pharmacy
Mitra Jafary-Hariri is an in-house lawyer for a technology company. Jafary-Hariri earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from Wayne State University, a Master of Science in teaching with a concentration in special education from Pace University, and a law degree from the Howard University School of Law. Jafary-Hariri is appointed as a member of the public for a term commencing October 1, 2026, and expiring June 30, 2027. Jafary-Hariri succeeds David Hills, who has resigned.
The Michigan Board of Pharmacy was enacted as part of the Public Health Code to oversee the practice of pharmacy as a health service, the clinical application of which includes the encouragement of safety and efficacy in the prescribing, dispensing, administering and use of drugs and related articles for the prevention of illness and the maintenance and management of health. The Public Health Code mandates certain responsibilities and duties for a health professional licensing board including promoting and protecting the public’s health, safety, and welfare.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to announce that firm partner Barbara Mandell has been named to the Leaders in the Law, class of 2026, by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The announcement of Mandell’s inclusion was made by Fishman Stewart CEO Michael Stewart.
Mandell’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, copyright and trademark law, and antitrust. She litigates, arbitrates, and counsels her clients on patent, trademark and licensing matters, theft of trade secrets, breach of license and franchise agreements, trade dress and copyright infringement claims, and counterfeiting, unfair competition, and false advertising claims. She has presided over more than 70 commercial arbitrations, including at least 40 that advanced to written awards, for the American Arbitration Association, either as a solo arbitrator or on a panel, including as the panel chair.
Mandell is also a multi-year honoree of Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, a DBusiness Top Lawyer honoree, and two-time recipient of the Lexology Client Choice award in the trademarks category.
• • •
Ottenwess Law PLC congratulates David Ottenwess and Eric Ramar for being selected for inclusion in the 2026 “Michigan Legal 250” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
• • •
Miller Johnson is pleased to announce that Brandon C. Griffith has been named a 2026 “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
“I’m grateful to Michigan Lawyers Weekly for this recognition and to the clients who trust us with the ideas their businesses are built on,” said Griffith. “It is as much a reflection of the support I’ve received from outstanding clients, colleagues, and mentors as it is a reflection of my own work. It is a privilege to practice law alongside so many talented professionals and to serve our clients and community every day.”
Griffith chairs Miller Johnson’s Intellectual Property Procurement and Transactions Practice Group, where he helps clients protect, enforce, and allocate rights in their business-critical intellectual property (IP). He counsels clients in the complexities of managing their business and IP strategy, from preparing and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications, to advising on the development, use, and ownership of technology and IP in interparty transactions and agreements. Griffith has guided clients through complex IP issues in hundreds of merger and acquisition transactions, positioning clients’ IP to be preserved and leveraged for maximum value on the sell side, and uncovering and vetting IP issues before closing on the buy side.
Griffith received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2010 and his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2003.
• • •
McDonald Hopkins congratulates James Giszczak on his recognition by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2026 Leaders in the Law honoree.
Giszczak currently serves as co-president of McDonald Hopkins, co-chair of the firm’s national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice, and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
For more than 34 years, Giszczak has distinguished himself through his client work, leadership, mentorship and commitment to strengthening both the legal profession and his community. His influence extends beyond his work with clients, helping shape McDonald Hopkins, the field of data privacy and cybersecurity, and the many people he has mentored and worked alongside throughout his career.
McDonald Hopkins is also proud to recognize Adam J. Baginski, Detroit office, who hac been elected to the firm’s membership.
Baginski is part of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions group. His practice is focused on advising clients in a variety of industries, including private equity funds, in complex transactional matters, such as domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, distressed acquisitions and dispositions, and other business transactions. His services include due diligence support, drafting and negotiating principal transaction documents and ancillary agreements, and general strategic advice.
• • •
The State Bar of Michigan recently honored Honigman attorney Len Niehoff with its John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award which is given periodically “to a Michigan law school educator whose influence on lawyers has elevated the quality of legal practice in [Michigan].”
A litigation attorney, Niehoff possesses 35 years of experience focusing in the areas of media law, higher education law, and appellate litigation. He is also a professor at the University of Michigan Law School where he teaches courses in civil procedure, ethics, evidence, the First Amendment, and media law.
• • •
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that Benjamin Sobczak has been recognized in the 2026 Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers list by Cannabis Law Report and Cannabis Law Journal.
Sobczak, a member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy office, represents clients in complex business disputes, including shareholder conflicts, securities litigation, class actions, and business torts. He also serves as outside counsel to cannabis companies across the U.S. and Canada, advising on regulatory, transactional, and operational matters.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Sarah J. Williams has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2026 list of Leaders in the Law. Honorees will be recognized on November 20 at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center.
Williams is a member in Bodman’s Business Law Practice Group and serves as corporate counsel to a variety of businesses in matters involving mergers, acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial contracts, corporate finance, and debt and equity financing, including private equity, venture capital, and angel investments. She frequently works with technology-based startups throughout the Detroit and Ann Arbor markets, as well as businesses in the aviation services industry.
Williams is active in the firm’s leadership, serving as chair of the Associate Evaluation and Compensation Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee, the Opportunity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee, and the Alumni Committee. She also serves as chair of Programming Directorship for the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
Williams has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law, in Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A work, and has been recognized by Michigan Rising Stars for Business Law. She was recently named as a “Notable Woman in Law” by Crain’s Detroit Business and has been listed in DBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers list for her work in Mergers & Acquisitions law.
• • •
Dykema is proud to announce that Rochelle Lento has been selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2026 “Leader in the Law.” Lento will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Friday, November 20,at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center.
Lento’s practice focuses on affordable housing and community development, guiding developers and nonprofit organizations through complex transactions that create and preserve housing for low-income families and seniors. Her work brings together public and private financing to transform vacant properties, restore historic buildings, and expand access to stable housing throughout Michigan.
Beyond her client work, Lento has demonstrated a commitment to her community and the legal profession. She chairs the board of Alternatives for Girls and is a founding board member and former president of People for Palmer Park. She also teaches affordable housing development at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and previously chaired the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law.
Lento earned a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a B.A. from the State University of New York at Potsdam.
• • •
Garan attorney Christina M. Mazzara has been named a 2026 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
A shareholder at Garan, Mazzara focuses her practice on personal injury and property insurance defense, including No-Fault/PIP claims, automobile negligence, premises liability, and insurance coverage disputes.
Mazzara also shares her expertise with the broader community. Recently, at Garan’s Troy Breakfast Seminar, she presented “PIP Claims Under the Consumer Protection Act: The Law Just Changed on You.” Last year, she presented “Diminished Value Mini Tort Claims: Key Legal and Practical Considerations” at the IAM Seminar for Insurance Claims Professionals, as well as the Troy Breakfast Seminar.
• • •
Giarmarco, Mullins, & Horton, PC is pleased to announce that Lindsay Hazen, a member of the firm’s Education Law Group, has been appointed to the State Bar of Michigan’s United States Courts Committee for the 2026–2027 Bar year. Hazen’s appointment began October 1.
As a member of the United States Courts Committee, Hazen will participate in the committee’s work and activities throughout the upcoming bar year.
In addition, Anne Gabbert, an attorney in the firm’s Municipal Group, has been appointed to the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Committee of the State Bar of Michigan for the 2026–2027 Bar year.
Gabbert’s one-year appointment began October 1. The Lawyers and Judges Assistance Committee is associated with the State Bar of Michigan’s Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program (LJAP), which supports Michigan legal professionals in optimizing their overall well-being and, when appropriate, facilitates their involvement in the program’s monitoring services.
GMH is also pleased to announce that Elizabeth Favaro, a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, has been nominated by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2026 Leader in the Law.
Favaro, who is a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation Group, is a trial attorney with nearly 20 years of courtroom experience. She concentrates her practice primarily on the defense of corporations in product liability, consumer, personal injury, and commercial matters. She has managed and tried litigation matters involving a variety of disputes throughout Michigan and across the country, including proceedings in state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as arbitration.
Favaro works with a publicly traded consumer product manufacturing company on litigation and discovery strategies, as well as product liability matters. She also represents large insurance carriers in No-Fault coverage and litigation matters, as well as small to mid-sized companies in a variety of commercial and employment matters, including non-compete agreements, trade secrets,
discrimination claims, insurance coverage, and franchise law. She is a speaker and author on these and other business law matters.
In addition to her legal practice, Favaro serves on the firm’s Board of Directors and is involved with organizations dedicated to feeding children both locally and abroad. Before becoming an attorney, she was an investigative reporter and news anchor, earning an Emmy Award for her work.
• • •
Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce its inclusion on Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2026 Empowering Women list. The firm supports professional advancement for women through mentorship, leadership development, networking opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture.
COMMENTARY: Voters can prepare for November elections now
October 06 ,2026
With the November midterm elections approaching, news reports indicate that many voters have raised questions about the process. The American Bar Association is sharing resources to help voters understand their rights, make informed decisions, know that the election process is secure and prepare for Election Day. Civic education, the rule of law and access to factual, nonpartisan information are central to the association’s work.
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By Barbara J. Howard
With the November midterm elections approaching, news reports indicate that many voters have raised questions about the process. The American Bar Association is sharing resources to help voters understand their rights, make informed decisions, know that the election process is secure and prepare for Election Day. Civic education, the rule of law and access to factual, nonpartisan information are central to the association’s work.
The voting process begins well before Election Day. It is important to learn about the candidates and the issues on the ballot. The ABA stands with legal authorities and election experts who encourage voters to consult reliable sources for voting information, compare candidates’ positions and consider the issues that matter most to each individual.
It’s equally important to have a plan to vote. The ABA encourages all eligible voters to check their registration information, especially if a voter has recently moved or changed names. Voters can now confirm their polling places, find out what identification may be needed and review the early and mail voting options and deadlines in their state. Anyone seeking to vote by mail should find out when and how to request a mail-in ballot, and then, once the ballot is completed, mail their ballot early so it arrives on time. The ABA’s Election Center and Voting Checklist provide information on voting requirements, voting rights and where to seek assistance.
Through Poll Worker, Esq., the ABA encourages lawyers and law students to serve as poll workers in their communities. The ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law also provides voter education resources and information on election administration, voting rights and access to the ballot.
Voting is one of the most powerful ways we can participate in our democracy. Now is the time to understand your choices, check your registration and make a plan to vote. The ABA is here to help you prepare and make informed decisions.
If you are eligible, go vote. Do not be dissuaded by the noise. It is your right to have your voice heard.
————————
Barbara J. Howard, principal of the Barbara J. Howard law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, is president of the American Bar Association. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and served on the National Council of Bar Presidents Executive Committee and American Judicature Society Board of Directors. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2026/09/statement-re-voters-can-prepare-for-elections-now/)
With the November midterm elections approaching, news reports indicate that many voters have raised questions about the process. The American Bar Association is sharing resources to help voters understand their rights, make informed decisions, know that the election process is secure and prepare for Election Day. Civic education, the rule of law and access to factual, nonpartisan information are central to the association’s work.
The voting process begins well before Election Day. It is important to learn about the candidates and the issues on the ballot. The ABA stands with legal authorities and election experts who encourage voters to consult reliable sources for voting information, compare candidates’ positions and consider the issues that matter most to each individual.
It’s equally important to have a plan to vote. The ABA encourages all eligible voters to check their registration information, especially if a voter has recently moved or changed names. Voters can now confirm their polling places, find out what identification may be needed and review the early and mail voting options and deadlines in their state. Anyone seeking to vote by mail should find out when and how to request a mail-in ballot, and then, once the ballot is completed, mail their ballot early so it arrives on time. The ABA’s Election Center and Voting Checklist provide information on voting requirements, voting rights and where to seek assistance.
Through Poll Worker, Esq., the ABA encourages lawyers and law students to serve as poll workers in their communities. The ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law also provides voter education resources and information on election administration, voting rights and access to the ballot.
Voting is one of the most powerful ways we can participate in our democracy. Now is the time to understand your choices, check your registration and make a plan to vote. The ABA is here to help you prepare and make informed decisions.
If you are eligible, go vote. Do not be dissuaded by the noise. It is your right to have your voice heard.
————————
Barbara J. Howard, principal of the Barbara J. Howard law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, is president of the American Bar Association. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and served on the National Council of Bar Presidents Executive Committee and American Judicature Society Board of Directors. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2026/09/statement-re-voters-can-prepare-for-elections-now/)
COMMENTARY: American electorate continues to fall hard for a leader who lies
October 06 ,2026
In “On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft” author Stephen King relates a life principle he learned as a 6-year-old when he was stricken with the measles. His case was so severe that a doctor was required to puncture his eardrum not once, but three times, to save his hearing.
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By Samuel Damren
In “On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft” author Stephen King relates a life principle he learned as a 6-year-old when he was stricken with the measles. His case was so severe that a doctor was required to puncture his eardrum not once, but three times, to save his hearing.
The first time, the doctor said, “Relax Steve, this won’t hurt.” King believed him. The “pain was beyond the world.” The second time, the doctor “assured me that it wouldn’t hurt, and I once more believed him.” It hurt big time. The third instance was another replay. “I screamed so long and so loud that I can still hear it,” King related.
As a result of “the repeated eardrum-lancing,” King adopted “one of my life’s firmest principles: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.”
This admonition applies to Donald Trump’s repeated baseless lies to the American electorate about voter fraud.
The Lie Republicans Must Learn to Live By
In recent commentary, I referred to Trump’s false claims about voter fraud as “the lie” that Republican candidates “must learn to live by.” Not surprisingly, it has been embraced by Republican candidates for Michigan statewide office in the upcoming midterms.
For some of those candidates, it was a “flip-flop” from previous positions; for others, it was cynical politics.
If politicians were required, as litigators are before they file claims in court, to reasonably investigate factual support for allegations of of wrongdoing, the public would be spared much vitriol and misinformation from the political stump.
If politicians were held to the higher standard that litigators are when pleading fraud, they would also be required to state the allegations with “particularity.” For voter fraud, this would mean that the “who, what, when, where and how” of the fraudulent conduct would be spelled out, rather than posed as a fervent but non-descript accusation.
Trump 1.0
In his first term in office, Trump looked for some source other than himself to make an assertion of wrongdoing by an opponent so that he could embellish it and pretend that a third- party accusation was somehow sufficient to presume guilt.
Trump tried that tactic with Volodymyr Zelensky by demanding as a condition to releasing funds authorized by Congress for Ukraine’s defense, that Ukrainian prosecutors announce an investigation on Joe and Hunter Biden. He did the same thing with Bill Barr, pressuring DOJ for a letter saying the 2020 election was corrupt. Both refused.
Trump 2.0 is No Different
In a much-ballyhooed televised presentation this past July, Trump unveiled his most recent round of supposed “bombshell” claims of voter fraud newly supported by reports from the Department of Homeland Security.
Subsequent factual investigations of the underlying data exposed that the claims were merely “re-treads” or worse of prior baseless speculation.
As part of evaluating current Republican candidates for federal and statewide office, the Michigan electorate would do well to focus on other prominent commitments that Trump made during the 2024 campaign – foreign wars, ICE deportations, and affordability – now clearly shown to be lies.
Support for these policies through the election of Trump backed Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms is on the ballot. The suggestion that if elected, these candidates will “put the brakes” on the continuation of these policies is fanciful.
No Entanglements in Foreign Wars
Trump’s commitment to refrain from foreign military entanglements was quickly proven a lie with military attacks in Venezuela, the ongoing seven-month war with Iran, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea ports to oil exports as well as threats of military interventions in Cuba, the annexation of Panama and Greenland, and making Canada an unwilling 51st American state.
In “On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft” author Stephen King relates a life principle he learned as a 6-year-old when he was stricken with the measles. His case was so severe that a doctor was required to puncture his eardrum not once, but three times, to save his hearing.
The first time, the doctor said, “Relax Steve, this won’t hurt.” King believed him. The “pain was beyond the world.” The second time, the doctor “assured me that it wouldn’t hurt, and I once more believed him.” It hurt big time. The third instance was another replay. “I screamed so long and so loud that I can still hear it,” King related.
As a result of “the repeated eardrum-lancing,” King adopted “one of my life’s firmest principles: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.”
This admonition applies to Donald Trump’s repeated baseless lies to the American electorate about voter fraud.
The Lie Republicans Must Learn to Live By
In recent commentary, I referred to Trump’s false claims about voter fraud as “the lie” that Republican candidates “must learn to live by.” Not surprisingly, it has been embraced by Republican candidates for Michigan statewide office in the upcoming midterms.
For some of those candidates, it was a “flip-flop” from previous positions; for others, it was cynical politics.
If politicians were required, as litigators are before they file claims in court, to reasonably investigate factual support for allegations of of wrongdoing, the public would be spared much vitriol and misinformation from the political stump.
If politicians were held to the higher standard that litigators are when pleading fraud, they would also be required to state the allegations with “particularity.” For voter fraud, this would mean that the “who, what, when, where and how” of the fraudulent conduct would be spelled out, rather than posed as a fervent but non-descript accusation.
Trump 1.0
In his first term in office, Trump looked for some source other than himself to make an assertion of wrongdoing by an opponent so that he could embellish it and pretend that a third- party accusation was somehow sufficient to presume guilt.
Trump tried that tactic with Volodymyr Zelensky by demanding as a condition to releasing funds authorized by Congress for Ukraine’s defense, that Ukrainian prosecutors announce an investigation on Joe and Hunter Biden. He did the same thing with Bill Barr, pressuring DOJ for a letter saying the 2020 election was corrupt. Both refused.
Trump 2.0 is No Different
In a much-ballyhooed televised presentation this past July, Trump unveiled his most recent round of supposed “bombshell” claims of voter fraud newly supported by reports from the Department of Homeland Security.
Subsequent factual investigations of the underlying data exposed that the claims were merely “re-treads” or worse of prior baseless speculation.
As part of evaluating current Republican candidates for federal and statewide office, the Michigan electorate would do well to focus on other prominent commitments that Trump made during the 2024 campaign – foreign wars, ICE deportations, and affordability – now clearly shown to be lies.
Support for these policies through the election of Trump backed Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms is on the ballot. The suggestion that if elected, these candidates will “put the brakes” on the continuation of these policies is fanciful.
No Entanglements in Foreign Wars
Trump’s commitment to refrain from foreign military entanglements was quickly proven a lie with military attacks in Venezuela, the ongoing seven-month war with Iran, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea ports to oil exports as well as threats of military interventions in Cuba, the annexation of Panama and Greenland, and making Canada an unwilling 51st American state.
None of this is good for America.
ICE Deportations of Only the “Worst of the Worst”
That Trump commitment was proven a lie based on military-styled sweeps by ICE of metropolitan areas in 2025 and the indiscriminate detention of peaceful but undocumented immigrants of color. In 2026, the initiatives were recast to ongoing ICE arrests across the county coupled with the cruelty of immediate mass deportations to third world countries and abrupt separation from family members, including children and infants.
The ICE initiatives primarily target Hispanics, but also extended to select populations of Somali, Haitian, and Afghanistan descent. They now can be seen for what they always were intended to accomplish: ethnic cleansing.
The initiatives are in the tradition of the “worst of the worst” of American government sponsored racism following Reconstruction – the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, segregation in the Jim Crow South, the Immigration Act of 1924 championed by the KKK, and Japanese Internment Camps of World War II.
None of this is good for America.
Affordability
Trump’s campaign commitment to make America affordable for ordinary citizens was proven a lie when he post- election rebranded “affordability” as a “hoax” and portrayed rising prices of food, housing and costs of living, the ever-widening wealth gap and Trump tariff-caused economic disruptions as under control and not a problem.
None of this is good for America.
Shame on the Liar and on the American Electorate
These three lies – when added to the mantra of Trump’s false claims of voter fraud – more than cross the line of Stephen King’s principle to never trust someone who lies to you three times.
The genesis of the “three-lie rule” is set in King’s childhood, but its adoption as “one of my firmest life principles” reveals a mature understanding of personality dynamics.
Responsibility for the first lie resides solely with the liar. Given that prior experience, acceptance of a second lie by the victim is an act of naivety for which responsibility resides solely with the victim.
Commission of the third lie and its acceptance yet again by the victim begins to change the parties’ relationship from one of “liar” and “victim” to that of “abuser” and “abused” placing both parties at fault.
With acceptance of the third lie by the abused, the abuser is at fault for believing that he is entitled to continue to mistreat the abused in the future just as he has done in the past. Conversely, after accepting the third lie, the abused is at fault for continuing to tolerate and thereby encourage further mistreatment instead of severing the relationship. The result often leads to a pattern of more and increasing abuses.
Through his lies and repeated abuses of the country’s institutions and constitutional safeguards, Trump 2.0 changed his relationship with the American electorate. Severing the relationship and support for the new policies and his ongoing misconduct begins with the vote in the midterms.
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Samuel Damren is a retired Detroit lawyer and author of “What Justice Looks Like.”
COMMENTARY: A politician who takes the high road
October 06 ,2026
Given the ugly state of our politics, it is nearly impossible to find an officeholder who could be described as a “profile in courage.”
Finding a politician with principles would be like discovering a healthy person in a colony of lepers.
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Finding a politician with principles would be like discovering a healthy person in a colony of lepers.
By Berl Falbaum
Given the ugly state of our politics, it is nearly impossible to find an officeholder who could be described as a “profile in courage.”
Finding a politician with principles would be like discovering a healthy person in a colony of lepers.
But if it should happen — and it has — there is a moral obligation to acknowledge the individual.
I am referring to Democratic State Representative Noah Arbit, who represents the 20th District in much of Oakland County.
Arbit, in a 10-minute speech on the House floor, recently delivered an impassioned defense of his Jewishness and the State of Israel. No, “defense” is the wrong word; it implies he was responding to negatives. He spoke with pride, embracing his religion and the Jewish homeland.
Rare, rare, indeed.
Meanwhile, much of his party has given comfort to antisemites and those seeking to destroy Israel. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Jew, has suggested Jews should sacrifice themselves along with Israel to save the world. This after stating she would not attend her own party’s convention because, being a Jew, she did not feel safe.
I cannot do justice to Arbit’s words, so I am going to quote as much as possible from the speech, sadly having to comply to length limitations of a political column. Here are some key sections from his speech:
“Over the past decade and a half, Jews have been told not to believe our eyes or ears as individuals and movements hostile to our very existence have grown in stature, support, and power. All the while, we have watched with dread as our vibrant synagogues congeal into fortresses. All the while, we have been stalked, and threatened, and vandalized, and graffitied, and beaten, and shot, and burned, and raped, and killed.
“This is a wake-up call.
“Antisemitism is indeed the world’s oldest hatred. Antisemitism’s staying power lies in its uniqueness. Rather than just an ethnic or religious hatred, antisemitism is better understood as a conspiracy theory that places ‘the Jews’ behind any geopolitical conflict, economic injustice, societal ill, or cultural rot.
“Zionism does not mean the inevitable dispossession and persecution of Palestinians. Zionism does not mean hating Arabs or Muslims; it certainly doesn’t mean supporting [Israel Prime Minister] Netanyahu or his extremist ministers; it does not mean excusing war crimes; it does not mean settler colonialism or Jewish supremacy or any of the insane, conspiratorial garbage out there.
“So, I’m a Zionist. I have been all my life. Because my parents are Zionists, and so are my grandparents, and before them my great-grandparents, and before them… down the line, every single Jew since the Romans burned down our Temple, sacked our capital in Jerusalem, and expelled us from our country, has been dreaming, hoping, praying for our return to our Promised Land.
“But now I am told by people I once considered friends and ideological allies, that my Zionism, embracing my heritage, my faith, my history – makes me a traitor to human rights, a traitor to progressivism, to liberalism.
“When Zionism itself is distorted as an inherently evil ideology, because the vast majority of the world’s 15 million Jews are Zionists, it becomes all too easy for anti-Zionism to become a justification for any and all forms of social, economic, and political exclusion of Jews. Even worse, the logical leap to justifying violence against Israelis, and all Jews, becomes so tiny as to be invisible.
“Indeed, when you hound and harass Jewish elected officials because we refuse to disavow our support for Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, that’s antisemitism. When you vandalize a Jewish-owned business because you oppose Israel’s leaders, that’s antisemitism. When you attack a Jewish synagogue because you oppose Israel’s military actions, that’s antisemitism. When you firebomb a Jewish vigil for Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, that’s antisemitism.
“Some will counter with the ol’ one-liner ‘it’s not antisemitic to criticize Israel!’ And guess what, that’s entirely true! There are many sane and rational ways to criticize Israeli policies, politicians, or even the nature of American foreign policy toward Israel, without invoking conspiracies that blame and endanger Jews.
“But, that’s not what we’re seeing. Not at all. What we’re seeing today is an organized hate movement calling for the elimination of a single country, smaller than New Jersey, and home to half of the world’s Jews.
“I believe fiercely in freedom, dignity, and self-determination for all peoples, including, by the way, Palestinians! Human rights. Civil rights. Minority rights. My commitment to these ideals has defined my life; they are fundamental to who I am.
“So, you can imagine my fury that I have to go through a daily cleanse of all my online accounts, sifting through the antisemitic bile on all my feeds. I have been called…a dirty Jew, a ‘Nazi, Hitlerite Jewish supremacist,’ a genocidal terrorist, a ZioNazi, a Zionist freak, a Zionist rat, an ‘Israel first fascist,’ and so much more.
“Ultimately, these awful people are not judging me based on who I am, they’re judging me based on what I am, and that…is the definition of bigotry, the definition of prejudice, and the definition of discrimination.
“…We are not Jews with trembling knees. We will continue fighting to be heard above the din of hatred and conspiracy, no matter how excruciating and painful it continues to be. There is a reason we have survived 3,000 years, and why we will survive for 3,000 more.”
There is more, much more and the speech should be required reading for all those — Jew or Gentile — who, by supporting Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, have embraced Jewish-hatred and the destruction of Israel and the blood libel charge of genocide.
Arbit’s speech, of course, begs the question: Is Arbit, who founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus in 2019 and is described as a rising star, endorsing the Democrat El-Sayed?
When I reached him, Arbit said he had given his last interview on the issue but referred me to a story in The Jewish Insider, a digital news outlet, which addresses the questions I had on the upcoming election.
El-Sayed: No, he will not endorse him.
“El-Sayed aligns himself with people who want to purge the Democratic Party and American life of Zionists and, therefore, most Jews. That is unacceptable.
“Abdul consistently judges pro-Israel Jews in Michigan, and the entire Zionist movement, by Israel’s most extremist elements…yet gets very indignant when people judge him by the most extreme statements of Hasan Piker,” a Twitch streamer who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric and with whom El-Sayed campaigned during the primary.
“I have a huge problem with that hypocrisy. Should you judge a movement by its fringes, or shouldn’t you? Which is it?”
He continues in The Jewish Insider article: “The definition of antisemitism as just a shorthand for hating Jews is useless because you don’t have to hate Jews to be a vector for conspiracy theories. I think it’s very, very clear that the fulcrum of Abdul’s campaign was an antisemitic conspiracy about AIPAC being the No. 1 obstacle toward universal health care, better schools and better roads in
Michigan and in America.
“It is a neat, clever argument. You take an unpopular policy and you say this is the reason why you don’t have nice things. It is the demagogue’s oldest trick in the book.”
He said he met with El-Sayed, stating “It was challenging to find common ground. I think it’s very difficult because he won’t even commit to a two-state solution, where one of those two states is Jewish.”
He said both El-Sayed and the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers, are “unacceptable for Michigan” who threaten his constituents and “that is a tragic place to be.”
“I feel that it is a moral question for each voter to answer as to who is frankly less threatening to them. For me personally, I don’t know how to choose between El-Sayed and Rogers — a bootlicker — for President Donald Trump.”
He does not, in the article, criticize Democrats who have endorsed El-Sayed.
“This is an incredibly obviously uncomfortable time to be a liberal Zionist Democrat,” he said. “We are about to find out whether there is enough space in the party for those of us who are good Democrats but also are unwilling to relinquish our connections and commitments to our homeland — to Israel.”
It has been a long time since I wrote a column on a public officeholder who was so principled and courageous and decided to speak out, damn the political consequences.
It also has been a long, long time since I used the words “principled” and “courageous” to describe a politician.
————————
Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.
Given the ugly state of our politics, it is nearly impossible to find an officeholder who could be described as a “profile in courage.”
Finding a politician with principles would be like discovering a healthy person in a colony of lepers.
But if it should happen — and it has — there is a moral obligation to acknowledge the individual.
I am referring to Democratic State Representative Noah Arbit, who represents the 20th District in much of Oakland County.
Arbit, in a 10-minute speech on the House floor, recently delivered an impassioned defense of his Jewishness and the State of Israel. No, “defense” is the wrong word; it implies he was responding to negatives. He spoke with pride, embracing his religion and the Jewish homeland.
Rare, rare, indeed.
Meanwhile, much of his party has given comfort to antisemites and those seeking to destroy Israel. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Jew, has suggested Jews should sacrifice themselves along with Israel to save the world. This after stating she would not attend her own party’s convention because, being a Jew, she did not feel safe.
I cannot do justice to Arbit’s words, so I am going to quote as much as possible from the speech, sadly having to comply to length limitations of a political column. Here are some key sections from his speech:
“Over the past decade and a half, Jews have been told not to believe our eyes or ears as individuals and movements hostile to our very existence have grown in stature, support, and power. All the while, we have watched with dread as our vibrant synagogues congeal into fortresses. All the while, we have been stalked, and threatened, and vandalized, and graffitied, and beaten, and shot, and burned, and raped, and killed.
“This is a wake-up call.
“Antisemitism is indeed the world’s oldest hatred. Antisemitism’s staying power lies in its uniqueness. Rather than just an ethnic or religious hatred, antisemitism is better understood as a conspiracy theory that places ‘the Jews’ behind any geopolitical conflict, economic injustice, societal ill, or cultural rot.
“Zionism does not mean the inevitable dispossession and persecution of Palestinians. Zionism does not mean hating Arabs or Muslims; it certainly doesn’t mean supporting [Israel Prime Minister] Netanyahu or his extremist ministers; it does not mean excusing war crimes; it does not mean settler colonialism or Jewish supremacy or any of the insane, conspiratorial garbage out there.
“So, I’m a Zionist. I have been all my life. Because my parents are Zionists, and so are my grandparents, and before them my great-grandparents, and before them… down the line, every single Jew since the Romans burned down our Temple, sacked our capital in Jerusalem, and expelled us from our country, has been dreaming, hoping, praying for our return to our Promised Land.
“But now I am told by people I once considered friends and ideological allies, that my Zionism, embracing my heritage, my faith, my history – makes me a traitor to human rights, a traitor to progressivism, to liberalism.
“When Zionism itself is distorted as an inherently evil ideology, because the vast majority of the world’s 15 million Jews are Zionists, it becomes all too easy for anti-Zionism to become a justification for any and all forms of social, economic, and political exclusion of Jews. Even worse, the logical leap to justifying violence against Israelis, and all Jews, becomes so tiny as to be invisible.
“Indeed, when you hound and harass Jewish elected officials because we refuse to disavow our support for Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, that’s antisemitism. When you vandalize a Jewish-owned business because you oppose Israel’s leaders, that’s antisemitism. When you attack a Jewish synagogue because you oppose Israel’s military actions, that’s antisemitism. When you firebomb a Jewish vigil for Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, that’s antisemitism.
“Some will counter with the ol’ one-liner ‘it’s not antisemitic to criticize Israel!’ And guess what, that’s entirely true! There are many sane and rational ways to criticize Israeli policies, politicians, or even the nature of American foreign policy toward Israel, without invoking conspiracies that blame and endanger Jews.
“But, that’s not what we’re seeing. Not at all. What we’re seeing today is an organized hate movement calling for the elimination of a single country, smaller than New Jersey, and home to half of the world’s Jews.
“I believe fiercely in freedom, dignity, and self-determination for all peoples, including, by the way, Palestinians! Human rights. Civil rights. Minority rights. My commitment to these ideals has defined my life; they are fundamental to who I am.
“So, you can imagine my fury that I have to go through a daily cleanse of all my online accounts, sifting through the antisemitic bile on all my feeds. I have been called…a dirty Jew, a ‘Nazi, Hitlerite Jewish supremacist,’ a genocidal terrorist, a ZioNazi, a Zionist freak, a Zionist rat, an ‘Israel first fascist,’ and so much more.
“Ultimately, these awful people are not judging me based on who I am, they’re judging me based on what I am, and that…is the definition of bigotry, the definition of prejudice, and the definition of discrimination.
“…We are not Jews with trembling knees. We will continue fighting to be heard above the din of hatred and conspiracy, no matter how excruciating and painful it continues to be. There is a reason we have survived 3,000 years, and why we will survive for 3,000 more.”
There is more, much more and the speech should be required reading for all those — Jew or Gentile — who, by supporting Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, have embraced Jewish-hatred and the destruction of Israel and the blood libel charge of genocide.
Arbit’s speech, of course, begs the question: Is Arbit, who founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus in 2019 and is described as a rising star, endorsing the Democrat El-Sayed?
When I reached him, Arbit said he had given his last interview on the issue but referred me to a story in The Jewish Insider, a digital news outlet, which addresses the questions I had on the upcoming election.
El-Sayed: No, he will not endorse him.
“El-Sayed aligns himself with people who want to purge the Democratic Party and American life of Zionists and, therefore, most Jews. That is unacceptable.
“Abdul consistently judges pro-Israel Jews in Michigan, and the entire Zionist movement, by Israel’s most extremist elements…yet gets very indignant when people judge him by the most extreme statements of Hasan Piker,” a Twitch streamer who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric and with whom El-Sayed campaigned during the primary.
“I have a huge problem with that hypocrisy. Should you judge a movement by its fringes, or shouldn’t you? Which is it?”
He continues in The Jewish Insider article: “The definition of antisemitism as just a shorthand for hating Jews is useless because you don’t have to hate Jews to be a vector for conspiracy theories. I think it’s very, very clear that the fulcrum of Abdul’s campaign was an antisemitic conspiracy about AIPAC being the No. 1 obstacle toward universal health care, better schools and better roads in
Michigan and in America.
“It is a neat, clever argument. You take an unpopular policy and you say this is the reason why you don’t have nice things. It is the demagogue’s oldest trick in the book.”
He said he met with El-Sayed, stating “It was challenging to find common ground. I think it’s very difficult because he won’t even commit to a two-state solution, where one of those two states is Jewish.”
He said both El-Sayed and the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers, are “unacceptable for Michigan” who threaten his constituents and “that is a tragic place to be.”
“I feel that it is a moral question for each voter to answer as to who is frankly less threatening to them. For me personally, I don’t know how to choose between El-Sayed and Rogers — a bootlicker — for President Donald Trump.”
He does not, in the article, criticize Democrats who have endorsed El-Sayed.
“This is an incredibly obviously uncomfortable time to be a liberal Zionist Democrat,” he said. “We are about to find out whether there is enough space in the party for those of us who are good Democrats but also are unwilling to relinquish our connections and commitments to our homeland — to Israel.”
It has been a long time since I wrote a column on a public officeholder who was so principled and courageous and decided to speak out, damn the political consequences.
It also has been a long, long time since I used the words “principled” and “courageous” to describe a politician.
————————
Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.
SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK
October 06 ,2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is rebuffing an appeal from a Michigan woman fighting a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” a jab at then-President Joe Biden with a coded reference to profanity.
:
High court rejects appeal
over Michigan school ban
By Lindsay Whitehurst
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is rebuffing an appeal from a Michigan woman fighting a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” a jab at then-President Joe Biden with a coded reference to profanity.
The mother of two boys says their First Amendment rights were violated when they were told to take off the sweatshirts she bought them for Christmas in 2022.
A lower court disagreed, finding that the veiled vulgarity of the phrase, which functions as a stand-in for “F-— Joe Biden,” allows schools to ban it.
The woman’s attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar. The phrase itself doesn’t contain any swear words or sexual implications, they said.
The school district urged the justices to reject the case, arguing that messages with lewd implications have no place in school, even if they touch on political topics. There has been evidence that some students wore clothing that read “Make America Great Again” or had messages supporting President Donald Trump, a Republican who lost the 2020 election to Biden, a Democrat.
The phrase originated in 2021, when people in the crowd at a NASCAR race chanted the obscenity directed at Biden and a TV sports reporter said they were calling out “Let’s Go, Brandon,” apparently believing they were chanting for driver Brandon Brown, who had just won a race.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is rebuffing an appeal from a Michigan woman fighting a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” a jab at then-President Joe Biden with a coded reference to profanity.
The mother of two boys says their First Amendment rights were violated when they were told to take off the sweatshirts she bought them for Christmas in 2022.
A lower court disagreed, finding that the veiled vulgarity of the phrase, which functions as a stand-in for “F-— Joe Biden,” allows schools to ban it.
The woman’s attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar. The phrase itself doesn’t contain any swear words or sexual implications, they said.
The school district urged the justices to reject the case, arguing that messages with lewd implications have no place in school, even if they touch on political topics. There has been evidence that some students wore clothing that read “Make America Great Again” or had messages supporting President Donald Trump, a Republican who lost the 2020 election to Biden, a Democrat.
The phrase originated in 2021, when people in the crowd at a NASCAR race chanted the obscenity directed at Biden and a TV sports reporter said they were calling out “Let’s Go, Brandon,” apparently believing they were chanting for driver Brandon Brown, who had just won a race.
LEGAL PEOPLE
September 29 ,2026
Butzel continues to grow with the addition of senior attorney Christian A. Bashi in the firm’s Detroit office. Bashi brings experience representing Fortune 500 employers in litigation, internal investigations, and workplace disputes across the country.
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Butzel continues to grow with the addition of senior attorney Christian A. Bashi in the firm’s Detroit office. Bashi brings experience representing Fortune 500 employers in litigation, internal investigations, and workplace disputes across the country.
Bashi defends employers against individual and multi-plaintiff claims involving discrimination, retaliation, employment torts, and wage-and-hour violations in federal and state courts, arbitration, and administrative proceedings. He also prosecutes and defends claims involving restrictive covenants, including noncompetition, nonsolicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
His litigation experience spans jurisdictions throughout the United States and includes claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and state and local employment laws. He has second-chaired trials involving retaliation, employment torts, and breach of contract, and has represented employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and state human rights agencies.
Beyond litigation, Bashi conducts internal investigations and advises employers on compliance risks associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.
Prior to joining Butzel, Bashi practiced at a global law firm in New York City where he represented employers in litigation, investigations, and other matters involving legal, operational, and reputational risk. Earlier in his career, he served as a judicial law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge J. Phil Gilbert, Southern District of Illinois.
Bashi is a member of the National Employment Law Council (NELC) and was named a Fellow in 2024. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Karen Kudelko to the Michigan Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council (MCCERCC)
Kudelko is the director of Federal Affairs in the Executive Office of the Governor. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and international relations from Brown University and a law degree from Yale Law School.
Kudelko is appointed as a member of the general public for a term commencing September 21, 2026, and expiring December 31, 2030. She fills a vacant seat.
The Michigan Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council (MCCERCC) assists in developing, maintaining, implementing and supporting and promoting emergency response principles, strategies, and practices within governmental agencies and private sector organizations in Michigan.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Foley & Lardner LLP associate Amir El-Aswad has been selected as a member of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Leadership Detroit Class 47.
El-Aswad, a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, advocates for corporate clients in complex commercial and employment disputes across state and federal courts, as well as in arbitral forums. His practice spans a range of matters, including restrictive covenant enforcement, trade secret misappropriation, trademark infringement, antitrust litigation, cyber fraud, business torts, commercial real estate, and contract and warranty disputes.
Leadership Detroit is a Chamber-led community leadership program for executives in Southeast Michigan, with a network of more than 2,500 alumni. Since its founding in 1979, the program has increased awareness of critical regional issues while cultivating the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
• • •
Ottenwess Law PLC is honored to announce David Ottenwess, John Monnich Sr., Jeff Feikens, and Eric Ramar have been recognized as 2027 Best Lawyers in America.
• • •
Jeff Lamb, partner and vice chair of Honigman’s Litigation Department, was recently named as a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Lamb was selected for his accomplishments as a trial lawyer and advisor to automotive manufacturers, as well as his reputation for handling some of the industry’s most complex commercial disputes while strengthening his firm, mentoring the next generation of attorneys, and serving his community.
• • •
Miller Canfield Associate Arthur Griem has been selected to participate in Leadership Detroit Class 47, the Detroit Regional Chamber’s nine-month leadership development program for emerging and established leaders throughout Southeast Michigan.
Class 47 includes more than 75 participants from across the 11-county Southeast Michigan region.
Griem is an associate in Miller Canfield’s Corporate and Transactions Group. His practice includes work with businesses and nonprofit organizations, and he is active in the community through his service on the Board of Directors of the Clark Park Coalition in southwest Detroit.
Miller Canfield is also pleased to announce that Frederick Acomb, principal and leader of the firm’s International Disputes Group, has been named a 2026 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Acomb has built an international disputes practice group with a reach beyond Michigan, assembling a team of lawyers who regularly handle transnational litigation and international commercial arbitration. His matters have involved parties, witnesses, discovery and assets spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
He represents companies in complex cross-border litigation and international commercial arbitration involving post-M&A disputes, automotive and supply-chain matters, intellectual property, trade secrets, distribution and other business disputes.
Acomb has held leadership roles with the International Bar Association’s Litigation Committee and the American Bar Association’s International Litigation Committee and has been active in professional education and the development of best practices for lawyers handling cross-border disputes. He is also a committed mentor who gives younger lawyers opportunities to argue motions, examine witnesses, participate in arbitrations and take ownership of sophisticated matters.
Acomb’s professional honors include recognition by Chambers USA for General Commercial Litigation; Band 1 recognition in Commercial Disputes by Legal 500 US Detroit Elite; recognition by The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation and International Arbitration – Commercial; and recognition by Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers and DBusiness Top Lawyers. He also holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and received a 2026 JD Supra Readers’ Choice Award for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Acomb earned his law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University.
• • •
Dykema is pleased to announce that Laura Baucus, director of the firm’s Automotive, Mobility, and Transportation Industry Group, has been elected to the World Services Group (WSG) 2026–2027 Board of Directors. Baucus will serve a four-year term where she will work collaboratively with WSG leadership in assessing the strategic future and progress of the WSG mission and objectives.
Baucus said, “I am honored to join the WSG Board of Directors. My involvement with WSG has given me the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with colleagues across the network and experience firsthand the value of our global connections. I look forward to working with the Board to build on that strong foundation, strengthen our network, and create an even greater impact for our members.”
Baucus leads Dykema’s 150-person Automotive, Mobility, and Transportation Group and founded and leads the firm’s Supply Chain Group. She represents manufacturers and suppliers in complex supply chain disputes and transactions, often in high-stakes situations where maintaining supply continuity is critical.
Baucus was selected to lead the North America Regional Counsel for the World Services Group in 2025. She has also been recognized by Chambers, The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 United States, Michigan Super Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, and Crain’s Detroit Business.
• • •
Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce that shareholder Frank Angileri has been recognized as a Corp! Magazine Inspiring Leader.
Angileri is a shareholder in Brooks Kushman’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice, helping clients enforce and defend valuable intellectual property rights. He counsels businesses on litigation strategy involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other competitive assets. His experience is beneficial to companies in innovation-driven sectors, including automotive and mobility, industrial manufacturing, and advanced materials.
Bashi defends employers against individual and multi-plaintiff claims involving discrimination, retaliation, employment torts, and wage-and-hour violations in federal and state courts, arbitration, and administrative proceedings. He also prosecutes and defends claims involving restrictive covenants, including noncompetition, nonsolicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
His litigation experience spans jurisdictions throughout the United States and includes claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and state and local employment laws. He has second-chaired trials involving retaliation, employment torts, and breach of contract, and has represented employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and state human rights agencies.
Beyond litigation, Bashi conducts internal investigations and advises employers on compliance risks associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.
Prior to joining Butzel, Bashi practiced at a global law firm in New York City where he represented employers in litigation, investigations, and other matters involving legal, operational, and reputational risk. Earlier in his career, he served as a judicial law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge J. Phil Gilbert, Southern District of Illinois.
Bashi is a member of the National Employment Law Council (NELC) and was named a Fellow in 2024. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Karen Kudelko to the Michigan Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council (MCCERCC)
Kudelko is the director of Federal Affairs in the Executive Office of the Governor. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and international relations from Brown University and a law degree from Yale Law School.
Kudelko is appointed as a member of the general public for a term commencing September 21, 2026, and expiring December 31, 2030. She fills a vacant seat.
The Michigan Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council (MCCERCC) assists in developing, maintaining, implementing and supporting and promoting emergency response principles, strategies, and practices within governmental agencies and private sector organizations in Michigan.
This appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
Foley & Lardner LLP associate Amir El-Aswad has been selected as a member of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Leadership Detroit Class 47.
El-Aswad, a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, advocates for corporate clients in complex commercial and employment disputes across state and federal courts, as well as in arbitral forums. His practice spans a range of matters, including restrictive covenant enforcement, trade secret misappropriation, trademark infringement, antitrust litigation, cyber fraud, business torts, commercial real estate, and contract and warranty disputes.
Leadership Detroit is a Chamber-led community leadership program for executives in Southeast Michigan, with a network of more than 2,500 alumni. Since its founding in 1979, the program has increased awareness of critical regional issues while cultivating the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
• • •
Ottenwess Law PLC is honored to announce David Ottenwess, John Monnich Sr., Jeff Feikens, and Eric Ramar have been recognized as 2027 Best Lawyers in America.
• • •
Jeff Lamb, partner and vice chair of Honigman’s Litigation Department, was recently named as a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Lamb was selected for his accomplishments as a trial lawyer and advisor to automotive manufacturers, as well as his reputation for handling some of the industry’s most complex commercial disputes while strengthening his firm, mentoring the next generation of attorneys, and serving his community.
• • •
Miller Canfield Associate Arthur Griem has been selected to participate in Leadership Detroit Class 47, the Detroit Regional Chamber’s nine-month leadership development program for emerging and established leaders throughout Southeast Michigan.
Class 47 includes more than 75 participants from across the 11-county Southeast Michigan region.
Griem is an associate in Miller Canfield’s Corporate and Transactions Group. His practice includes work with businesses and nonprofit organizations, and he is active in the community through his service on the Board of Directors of the Clark Park Coalition in southwest Detroit.
Miller Canfield is also pleased to announce that Frederick Acomb, principal and leader of the firm’s International Disputes Group, has been named a 2026 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Acomb has built an international disputes practice group with a reach beyond Michigan, assembling a team of lawyers who regularly handle transnational litigation and international commercial arbitration. His matters have involved parties, witnesses, discovery and assets spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
He represents companies in complex cross-border litigation and international commercial arbitration involving post-M&A disputes, automotive and supply-chain matters, intellectual property, trade secrets, distribution and other business disputes.
Acomb has held leadership roles with the International Bar Association’s Litigation Committee and the American Bar Association’s International Litigation Committee and has been active in professional education and the development of best practices for lawyers handling cross-border disputes. He is also a committed mentor who gives younger lawyers opportunities to argue motions, examine witnesses, participate in arbitrations and take ownership of sophisticated matters.
Acomb’s professional honors include recognition by Chambers USA for General Commercial Litigation; Band 1 recognition in Commercial Disputes by Legal 500 US Detroit Elite; recognition by The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation and International Arbitration – Commercial; and recognition by Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers and DBusiness Top Lawyers. He also holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and received a 2026 JD Supra Readers’ Choice Award for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Acomb earned his law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University.
• • •
Dykema is pleased to announce that Laura Baucus, director of the firm’s Automotive, Mobility, and Transportation Industry Group, has been elected to the World Services Group (WSG) 2026–2027 Board of Directors. Baucus will serve a four-year term where she will work collaboratively with WSG leadership in assessing the strategic future and progress of the WSG mission and objectives.
Baucus said, “I am honored to join the WSG Board of Directors. My involvement with WSG has given me the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with colleagues across the network and experience firsthand the value of our global connections. I look forward to working with the Board to build on that strong foundation, strengthen our network, and create an even greater impact for our members.”
Baucus leads Dykema’s 150-person Automotive, Mobility, and Transportation Group and founded and leads the firm’s Supply Chain Group. She represents manufacturers and suppliers in complex supply chain disputes and transactions, often in high-stakes situations where maintaining supply continuity is critical.
Baucus was selected to lead the North America Regional Counsel for the World Services Group in 2025. She has also been recognized by Chambers, The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 United States, Michigan Super Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, and Crain’s Detroit Business.
• • •
Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce that shareholder Frank Angileri has been recognized as a Corp! Magazine Inspiring Leader.
Angileri is a shareholder in Brooks Kushman’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice, helping clients enforce and defend valuable intellectual property rights. He counsels businesses on litigation strategy involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other competitive assets. His experience is beneficial to companies in innovation-driven sectors, including automotive and mobility, industrial manufacturing, and advanced materials.
headlines Oakland County
- New leadership: State Bar welcomes new president
- Court rules Michigan marijuana business illegally violated protected wetlands
- ‘How To Scale And Grow Your Law Firm’ explored online
- Three sentenced to combined 235 months in federal prison for $16M student loan, PPP fraud schemes
- ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity awards 2026 LGBTQ+ scholarships
headlines National
- Melissa Hart, the chair of the ABA Legal Ed council, dies
- Judge suspended after indictment over alleged perjury
- Bill Withers’ music publisher files copyright suit over Olivia Dean’s ‘I’ve Seen It’
- Judge reinstates US attorney in Washington fired by Trump
- Interim law dean of University of Florida named to permanent role
- Clio acquires Learned Hand, an AI company for courts, judges
