Miller Johnson
Miller Johnson is pleased to announce the election of Matthew J. Paradiso to firm membership.
Paradiso is a member in Miller Johnson’s Real Estate practice in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, disposition, leasing and development matters.
Paradiso represents a range of real estate investors, developers, owners and users, focused in the areas of retail, office, industrial, mixed-use, health care, affordable-housing, and renewable energy. He also has experience advising health care providers on the fraud and abuse laws that apply to real estate transactions.
Paradiso earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and received a B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
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Butzel Long
Butzel attorney Jennifer Dukarski will be a featured presenter during two programs in March:
• ICLE Health Law Institute – Dukarski will co-present a program with Lauren Wilkens, in-house counsel, Henry Ford Health, on March 13. They will examine current and recent legal and regulatory developments in digital health, including HHS rulings, cybersecurity, FDA guidance, and DOJ activities.
• SAE International’s Second Annual Automated and Connected Vehicles Digital Summit – Dukarski will discuss connected and autonomous vehicles and address questions on legality, reasonable driving and fault on March 25.
Dukarski leads Butzel’s Connected and Autonomous Mobility Team. Her automotive expertise as a former design engineer, Six Sigma master black belt, continuous improvement lead champion, and quality manager gives her a unique perspective on balancing the legal issues and business applications of emerging automotive technology.
She focuses her legal practice where technology, mobility and communications meet. A leader in the area of electrified, connected and automated vehicles, she negotiated some of the first robotaxi agreements in the world. A champion of the responsible use of AI, Dukarski regularly advises and teaches on AI risk mitigation. She was named one of the 30 Women Defining the Future of Technology by Warner Communications for her innovative thoughts and contributions to the tech industry.
In addition, Butzel attorney Debra Geroux will discuss HIPAA Compliance during the Health Care Association of Michigan Spring Leadership Conference on March 19 in Grand Rapids.
Additionally, she will co-present a session during the Health Care Compliance Association’s 29th Annual Compliance Institute on April 28 in Las Vegas. Geroux, along with Scott Wrobel, managing member of N1 Discovery, will present a program titled, “Is Your Network Secure? Tips for Understanding and Assessing Network Vulnerabilities That Cybercriminals Use to Compromise Your Electronic Data.”
Geroux is co-chair of Butzel’s Health Care Industry Team. Her health care practice focuses on health care compliance, cybersecurity and privacy, and statutory reporting obligations. She has assisted health care practitioners in defense of state and federal debarment, fraud, waste and abuse investigations and litigation, licensing and credentialing, government and commercial payor audits and a host of other health care issues. She has experience in supply chain and source contracting for a large Michigan-based health system, including negotiations of its IT contracts.
She earned her Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC) designation from the Compliance and Certification Board (CCB). Geroux also holds a Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) designation from the CCB.
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Bodman PLC
James T. Ramer has joined Bodman PLC as Of Counsel to the firm.
Ramer is the founding partner of Ramer & Moore PC of Harbor Springs, one of northern Michigan’s longest-established law firms. He has a varied practice focused on probate and estate planning, general corporate, and municipal law matters. His clients include high net worth individuals, municipal governments, homeowners’ associations, banks, and manufacturers, among others.
Ramer serves as outside general counsel to several of his corporate clients and is a member of the boards of directors of Petoskey Plastics, First Community Bank of Harbor Springs, and Harbor Springs Financial Corp. He has served for many years as city attorney for Harbor Springs.
Ramer is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and the U.S. Tax Court.
He is a graduate of Tulane University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University.
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Varnum LLP
Varnum is pleased to announce that attorney Ali Bazzi has joined the firm’s Corporate Practice Team in the Birmingham office.
Bazzi brings experience in advising public and private companies on a variety of transactional matters, such as fund formations, mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures and general corporate governance. He focuses on representing sponsors and investment managers with private fund matters including structuring, governance, regulatory and compliance.
Bazzi is also experienced in all aspects of forming and structuring private funds and separately managed accounts that primarily pursue private equity, structured finance, private credit, hedge or venture capital investment strategies. Additionally, he advises clients on securities and investment adviser regulations and compliance matters.
Prior to joining Varnum, Bazzi practiced at two large law firms in New York City.
Bazzi earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School and his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.
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Brooks Kushman P.C.
Brooks Kushman is proud to present its 2025 Executive Committee. Sangeeta Shah, who will serve as president, and Matthew Jakubowski, who will serve as chair, will lead the Executive Committee (EC). Returning members Michael Brodbine and Robyn Lederman, as well as John LeRoy, who has been newly appointed, join them in representing their respective practice areas.
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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC
Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that Jeffrey M. Frank has joined the firm as a shareholder. A litigator with more than thirty years of practice, Frank handles commercial, construction, and probate disputes. He co-chairs the surety and construction practice group and is a member of our complex litigation and risk advisory group.
Frank handles construction, commercial, and surety-related claims, investigations, risk analyses, and negotiations. He also works closely with sureties, contractors and subcontractors, owners and owners’ representatives, and indemnitors in all levels of bond claims and litigation. He has expertise handling a variety of commercial surety products, with a specialty in resolving probate bond claims.
Frank earned his law degree from Boston University School of Law.
In addition, Maddin Hauser proudly announces that Midwest Real Estate News named President and CEO Steven D. Sallen to their Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame 2024 class.
Throughout his 40 years of practice at Maddin Hauser, Sallen has devoted his practice to real estate, environmental, and corporate law. In addition to his practice, he serves as Environmental Law Group chair and Real Estate Practice Group co-chair.
This Hall of Fame honor follows Sallen’s recognition as the Real Estate Lawyer of the Year at REjournals’ Detroit CRE Awards gala. He has also been listed in Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, and DBusiness Top Lawyers. He was named by Michigan Lawyers as a “Go To” lawyer in commercial real estate in 2024 and 2021 and named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Miller Johnson is pleased to announce the election of Matthew J. Paradiso to firm membership.
Paradiso is a member in Miller Johnson’s Real Estate practice in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, disposition, leasing and development matters.
Paradiso represents a range of real estate investors, developers, owners and users, focused in the areas of retail, office, industrial, mixed-use, health care, affordable-housing, and renewable energy. He also has experience advising health care providers on the fraud and abuse laws that apply to real estate transactions.
Paradiso earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and received a B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
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Butzel Long
Butzel attorney Jennifer Dukarski will be a featured presenter during two programs in March:
• ICLE Health Law Institute – Dukarski will co-present a program with Lauren Wilkens, in-house counsel, Henry Ford Health, on March 13. They will examine current and recent legal and regulatory developments in digital health, including HHS rulings, cybersecurity, FDA guidance, and DOJ activities.
• SAE International’s Second Annual Automated and Connected Vehicles Digital Summit – Dukarski will discuss connected and autonomous vehicles and address questions on legality, reasonable driving and fault on March 25.
Dukarski leads Butzel’s Connected and Autonomous Mobility Team. Her automotive expertise as a former design engineer, Six Sigma master black belt, continuous improvement lead champion, and quality manager gives her a unique perspective on balancing the legal issues and business applications of emerging automotive technology.
She focuses her legal practice where technology, mobility and communications meet. A leader in the area of electrified, connected and automated vehicles, she negotiated some of the first robotaxi agreements in the world. A champion of the responsible use of AI, Dukarski regularly advises and teaches on AI risk mitigation. She was named one of the 30 Women Defining the Future of Technology by Warner Communications for her innovative thoughts and contributions to the tech industry.
In addition, Butzel attorney Debra Geroux will discuss HIPAA Compliance during the Health Care Association of Michigan Spring Leadership Conference on March 19 in Grand Rapids.
Additionally, she will co-present a session during the Health Care Compliance Association’s 29th Annual Compliance Institute on April 28 in Las Vegas. Geroux, along with Scott Wrobel, managing member of N1 Discovery, will present a program titled, “Is Your Network Secure? Tips for Understanding and Assessing Network Vulnerabilities That Cybercriminals Use to Compromise Your Electronic Data.”
Geroux is co-chair of Butzel’s Health Care Industry Team. Her health care practice focuses on health care compliance, cybersecurity and privacy, and statutory reporting obligations. She has assisted health care practitioners in defense of state and federal debarment, fraud, waste and abuse investigations and litigation, licensing and credentialing, government and commercial payor audits and a host of other health care issues. She has experience in supply chain and source contracting for a large Michigan-based health system, including negotiations of its IT contracts.
She earned her Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC) designation from the Compliance and Certification Board (CCB). Geroux also holds a Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) designation from the CCB.
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Bodman PLC
James T. Ramer has joined Bodman PLC as Of Counsel to the firm.
Ramer is the founding partner of Ramer & Moore PC of Harbor Springs, one of northern Michigan’s longest-established law firms. He has a varied practice focused on probate and estate planning, general corporate, and municipal law matters. His clients include high net worth individuals, municipal governments, homeowners’ associations, banks, and manufacturers, among others.
Ramer serves as outside general counsel to several of his corporate clients and is a member of the boards of directors of Petoskey Plastics, First Community Bank of Harbor Springs, and Harbor Springs Financial Corp. He has served for many years as city attorney for Harbor Springs.
Ramer is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and the U.S. Tax Court.
He is a graduate of Tulane University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University.
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Varnum LLP
Varnum is pleased to announce that attorney Ali Bazzi has joined the firm’s Corporate Practice Team in the Birmingham office.
Bazzi brings experience in advising public and private companies on a variety of transactional matters, such as fund formations, mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures and general corporate governance. He focuses on representing sponsors and investment managers with private fund matters including structuring, governance, regulatory and compliance.
Bazzi is also experienced in all aspects of forming and structuring private funds and separately managed accounts that primarily pursue private equity, structured finance, private credit, hedge or venture capital investment strategies. Additionally, he advises clients on securities and investment adviser regulations and compliance matters.
Prior to joining Varnum, Bazzi practiced at two large law firms in New York City.
Bazzi earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School and his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.
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Brooks Kushman P.C.
Brooks Kushman is proud to present its 2025 Executive Committee. Sangeeta Shah, who will serve as president, and Matthew Jakubowski, who will serve as chair, will lead the Executive Committee (EC). Returning members Michael Brodbine and Robyn Lederman, as well as John LeRoy, who has been newly appointed, join them in representing their respective practice areas.
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Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC
Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that Jeffrey M. Frank has joined the firm as a shareholder. A litigator with more than thirty years of practice, Frank handles commercial, construction, and probate disputes. He co-chairs the surety and construction practice group and is a member of our complex litigation and risk advisory group.
Frank handles construction, commercial, and surety-related claims, investigations, risk analyses, and negotiations. He also works closely with sureties, contractors and subcontractors, owners and owners’ representatives, and indemnitors in all levels of bond claims and litigation. He has expertise handling a variety of commercial surety products, with a specialty in resolving probate bond claims.
Frank earned his law degree from Boston University School of Law.
In addition, Maddin Hauser proudly announces that Midwest Real Estate News named President and CEO Steven D. Sallen to their Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame 2024 class.
Throughout his 40 years of practice at Maddin Hauser, Sallen has devoted his practice to real estate, environmental, and corporate law. In addition to his practice, he serves as Environmental Law Group chair and Real Estate Practice Group co-chair.
This Hall of Fame honor follows Sallen’s recognition as the Real Estate Lawyer of the Year at REjournals’ Detroit CRE Awards gala. He has also been listed in Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, and DBusiness Top Lawyers. He was named by Michigan Lawyers as a “Go To” lawyer in commercial real estate in 2024 and 2021 and named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone
Miller Canfield is proud to announce that Jerome Watson has been named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
With a career spanning nearly five decades, Watson has represented clients in complex disputes involving employment discrimination, breach of contract, class actions, and constitutional law. Among his notable cases, he led a groundbreaking civil RICO action for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, recovering millions for the city, and secured key victories in high-stakes class actions, including a $250 million tax dispute.
As a former managing director of Miller Canfield, Watson helped lead the firm with a collaborative and inclusive approach. He chaired the firm’s Diversity Committee for over a decade, helping to increase representation and foster opportunities for minority attorneys. His leadership extends to the broader legal community, where he is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and an active member of the State Bar of Michigan, National Bar Association, and Detroit Bar Association.
Watson served 12 years on the board of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, including five as chair, working to expand educational opportunities for students. He also sits on the boards of Services to Enhance Potential (STEP) and the Detroit Institute of Arts’ African American Art auxiliary and has been a dedicated youth basketball coach.
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Honigman LLP
Honigman LLP recently announced that labor and employment attorney Michelle Crockett is joining the firm as a partner in the Labor Practice Group and Labor and Employment Department in the Detroit office. Crockett joins the firm from Miller Canfield, where she served as deputy executive officer and chief diversity officer.
Crockett specializes in defending Fortune 500 companies and public-sector clients against a range of employment-related claims.
She conducts internal investigations involving harassment, retaliation, discrimination, malfeasance, and misappropriation of funds, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) matters. Additionally, Crockett has 25 years of experience providing litigation and traditional labor advice to clients, including assistance with grievances, arbitration hearings, collective bargaining, board governance, and due process hearings.
Crockett’s litigation experience encompasses managing all phases of federal and state court cases, from drafting pleadings and conducting witness interviews to arguing motions and negotiating settlements. She has first-chaired numerous trials and served as an American Arbitration Association arbitrator for employment matters nationwide. Her experience also includes managing administrative proceedings and collective bargaining negotiations, offering comprehensive advocacy for both public- and private-sector clients.
Crockett earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and received her B.A. from North Carolina State University. She was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the State DEI Commission in 2022.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that Ramey Orow has joined the firm’s Troy office as an associate.
Orow focuses his practice on patent prosecution. He assists clients with drafting and prosecuting patent applications across various industries, including telecommunications, wireless technology, software, semiconductors, image processing, and optics. He also has experience conducting patentability analyses and freedom-to-practice opinions, helping clients identify strategic intellectual property opportunities and mitigate risks.
Orow earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Oakland University.
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Fishman Stewart PLLC
Intellectual property law firm Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to share that Michael D. Fishman has been listed in the 2025 World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 - The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. He is a multi-year honoree on the WTR 1000.
Fishman is a founding firm partner of Fishman Stewart and a veteran trademark attorney. He has built a practice managing trademark portfolios of varying sizes, serving a range of industries including banking, insurance, automotive, consumer goods, publishing, sports, entertainment, building products, certification programs, computer hardware and software, food and beverage, telecommunications, and medical, scientific, and laboratory products and services.
Throughout his career, Fishman has filed and prosecuted thousands of U.S. trademark applications and managed the filing, prosecution and maintenance of countless more foreign applications and registrations in more than 200 jurisdictions globally. He has conducted thousands of availability searches and has substantial experience in leading worldwide naming projects and intellectual property due diligence. He also manages numerous contested matters involving the trademark rights of clients across many industries and jurisdictions.
Fishman has lectured on a variety of trademark law topics and is an active, decades-long member of the International Trademark Association (INTA). For several years, he has received the “Top U.S. Trademark Filer” award, which annually recognized the top 20 application filers in the United States. He has consistently been named a Super Lawyer® and Best Lawyer, and received the AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Fishman is also a member of the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2022 class of Leaders in the Law.
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Dykema
Dykema recently announced the addition of Jovan (Joe) Dragovic as senior counsel in its Healthcare Practice Group resident in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. He joins Dykema after practicing at Kotz Sangster for more than 16 years.
Dragovic’s clients include physicians, physician organizations, group practices, and ancillary healthcare service providers and suppliers. In his practice, Dragovic focuses on assisting his clients in addressing and managing the often complex legal issues confronting them. He concentrates in the areas of healthcare business transactions, including, but not limited to, organization and entity structure and creation, acquisitions and business combinations, employment and independent contractor relationships, document preparation, and regulatory guidance and compliance.
In addition to “transactional” legal work, Dragovic has managed cases and matters for clients including, but not limited to, disputes between closely held entities and their owners, contract and commercial litigation controversies arising from purchases,
leases, professional service contracts, mergers, billing and collection, and other reimbursement issues, and the defense of third-party payer audits.
Dragovic earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. from Michigan State University.
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Warner, Norcross, + Judd LLP
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has named several local attorneys to new leadership roles in the firm for 2025.
The new local leaders are:
Sarah R. Bileti, who chairs the Immigration Practice Group.
Dennis W. Loughlin, who chairs the Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group.
Katherine L. Pullen, who is the new assistant general counsel of the firm.
Miller Canfield is proud to announce that Jerome Watson has been named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
With a career spanning nearly five decades, Watson has represented clients in complex disputes involving employment discrimination, breach of contract, class actions, and constitutional law. Among his notable cases, he led a groundbreaking civil RICO action for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, recovering millions for the city, and secured key victories in high-stakes class actions, including a $250 million tax dispute.
As a former managing director of Miller Canfield, Watson helped lead the firm with a collaborative and inclusive approach. He chaired the firm’s Diversity Committee for over a decade, helping to increase representation and foster opportunities for minority attorneys. His leadership extends to the broader legal community, where he is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and an active member of the State Bar of Michigan, National Bar Association, and Detroit Bar Association.
Watson served 12 years on the board of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, including five as chair, working to expand educational opportunities for students. He also sits on the boards of Services to Enhance Potential (STEP) and the Detroit Institute of Arts’ African American Art auxiliary and has been a dedicated youth basketball coach.
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Honigman LLP
Honigman LLP recently announced that labor and employment attorney Michelle Crockett is joining the firm as a partner in the Labor Practice Group and Labor and Employment Department in the Detroit office. Crockett joins the firm from Miller Canfield, where she served as deputy executive officer and chief diversity officer.
Crockett specializes in defending Fortune 500 companies and public-sector clients against a range of employment-related claims.
She conducts internal investigations involving harassment, retaliation, discrimination, malfeasance, and misappropriation of funds, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) matters. Additionally, Crockett has 25 years of experience providing litigation and traditional labor advice to clients, including assistance with grievances, arbitration hearings, collective bargaining, board governance, and due process hearings.
Crockett’s litigation experience encompasses managing all phases of federal and state court cases, from drafting pleadings and conducting witness interviews to arguing motions and negotiating settlements. She has first-chaired numerous trials and served as an American Arbitration Association arbitrator for employment matters nationwide. Her experience also includes managing administrative proceedings and collective bargaining negotiations, offering comprehensive advocacy for both public- and private-sector clients.
Crockett earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and received her B.A. from North Carolina State University. She was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the State DEI Commission in 2022.
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Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce that Ramey Orow has joined the firm’s Troy office as an associate.
Orow focuses his practice on patent prosecution. He assists clients with drafting and prosecuting patent applications across various industries, including telecommunications, wireless technology, software, semiconductors, image processing, and optics. He also has experience conducting patentability analyses and freedom-to-practice opinions, helping clients identify strategic intellectual property opportunities and mitigate risks.
Orow earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Oakland University.
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Fishman Stewart PLLC
Intellectual property law firm Fishman Stewart PLLC is pleased to share that Michael D. Fishman has been listed in the 2025 World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 - The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. He is a multi-year honoree on the WTR 1000.
Fishman is a founding firm partner of Fishman Stewart and a veteran trademark attorney. He has built a practice managing trademark portfolios of varying sizes, serving a range of industries including banking, insurance, automotive, consumer goods, publishing, sports, entertainment, building products, certification programs, computer hardware and software, food and beverage, telecommunications, and medical, scientific, and laboratory products and services.
Throughout his career, Fishman has filed and prosecuted thousands of U.S. trademark applications and managed the filing, prosecution and maintenance of countless more foreign applications and registrations in more than 200 jurisdictions globally. He has conducted thousands of availability searches and has substantial experience in leading worldwide naming projects and intellectual property due diligence. He also manages numerous contested matters involving the trademark rights of clients across many industries and jurisdictions.
Fishman has lectured on a variety of trademark law topics and is an active, decades-long member of the International Trademark Association (INTA). For several years, he has received the “Top U.S. Trademark Filer” award, which annually recognized the top 20 application filers in the United States. He has consistently been named a Super Lawyer® and Best Lawyer, and received the AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Fishman is also a member of the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2022 class of Leaders in the Law.
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Dykema
Dykema recently announced the addition of Jovan (Joe) Dragovic as senior counsel in its Healthcare Practice Group resident in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. He joins Dykema after practicing at Kotz Sangster for more than 16 years.
Dragovic’s clients include physicians, physician organizations, group practices, and ancillary healthcare service providers and suppliers. In his practice, Dragovic focuses on assisting his clients in addressing and managing the often complex legal issues confronting them. He concentrates in the areas of healthcare business transactions, including, but not limited to, organization and entity structure and creation, acquisitions and business combinations, employment and independent contractor relationships, document preparation, and regulatory guidance and compliance.
In addition to “transactional” legal work, Dragovic has managed cases and matters for clients including, but not limited to, disputes between closely held entities and their owners, contract and commercial litigation controversies arising from purchases,
leases, professional service contracts, mergers, billing and collection, and other reimbursement issues, and the defense of third-party payer audits.
Dragovic earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. from Michigan State University.
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Warner, Norcross, + Judd LLP
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has named several local attorneys to new leadership roles in the firm for 2025.
The new local leaders are:
Sarah R. Bileti, who chairs the Immigration Practice Group.
Dennis W. Loughlin, who chairs the Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group.
Katherine L. Pullen, who is the new assistant general counsel of the firm.
