Butzel attorney and shareholder Thomas A. Kabel was inducted into the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL) 2025 Class during the ACREL Annual Meeting September 18-21 in Washington, D.C. Kabel is the only Michigan-based attorney to be inducted into the 2025 Class.
Kabel, who serves on Butzel’s Board of Directors and is a former chair of the firm’s Corporate/ Real Estate Practice Department, concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and real estate-related finance. He has been involved in all facets of acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and development of real property throughout his career.
His real estate practice spans a range of areas and clients, representing developers, automotive companies, manufacturing companies, and colleges and universities in all aspects of their real estate needs. He also has experience representing commercial lenders in conventional financing and has served as bank counsel on numerous industrial revenue and other tax-exempt financings.
Kabel is certified by the Small Business Administration to close SBA loans under the SBA’s 504 loan program. He is the author of “Equitable Subrogation: Why the Refinance Lender’s Security Interest May Not Be as Secure as It Thinks” (Michigan Real Property Review) and has participated as a speaker and/or author in numerous seminars and other continuing legal education programs over the years.
He is the former chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section. Kabel is a member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association.
Kabel’s honors include recognition by The Best Lawyers in America®, Real Estate Law, 2016-2026, Banking and Finance Law, 2026; Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2024; Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40, Class of 2014; Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Senior Statesperson Real Estate, 2015, 2018-2025.
Kabel has also been recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers, Rising Stars in Real Estate, 2012; Michigan Super Lawyers, Real Estate, 2013-2025; and, DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law, 2011-2012, 2014, 2016-2018, 2020-2023; Banking & Financial Service Law, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021.
Kabel is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School (1999) and Grand Valley State University (1995).
In addition, Butzel President and CEO Paul M. Mersino has been named to DBusiness magazine’s Detroit 500 – 2025 list of the Most Powerful Business Leaders in Metro Detroit, for the third straight year.
Mersino is responsible for the operations and management of the 150+ attorney firm, including budgeting, setting strategic goals, and more. He was elected to the firm’s Board of Directors in 2020.
Mersino was named to Crain’s Detroit Business magazine’s 2021 Class of “40 Under 40” list. In 2020, he was named to DBusiness magazine’s “30 in Their Thirties.”
Mersino has been recognized as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness magazine, as a Michigan Super Lawyer, as one of Oakland County’s Elite 40 under 40, and as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
He represents public and private companies, in a number of areas including complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, non-compete and trade secret disputes, automotive supplier disputes, construction litigation, and First Amendment litigation. He has seen a number of successes in trials and cases across the country, having obtained jury verdicts, summary judgment rulings, dismissal of cases against his clients, and settlements favorable to his clients in state and federal courts throughout the nation.
Mersino also represents and advises a number of startup companies, assisting them with their legal needs and matching them with potential venture capital funding. He handles appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and in federal courts across the country.
Mersino formerly served as Butzel’s Litigation Practice Department chair. He was responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s Commercial Litigation attorneys who reported to him as well as their strategic goals, budgeting, forecasting, and direction of the practice group. Mersino also has served as trustee of the Butzel Charitable Trust.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association and as an advisor to the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Litigation Advisory Board.
Mersino is a 2008 graduate of Ave Maria School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Northwood University (B.A., 2005).
Butzel is also pleased to announce that attorney and shareholder Javon R. David is one of 10 attorneys named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Go To Lawyers: Business Litigation” list.
David is a member of Butzel’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, one of the firm’s largest practice areas. She concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, media and entertainment law, and products liability. She has litigation experience, successfully handling matters from the onset of suit through trial.
As part of her commercial litigation practice, David represents business entities in an array of legal issues, including contract disputes, shareholder oppression claims, non-competition and trade secret disputes, real estate, and automotive supplier disputes.
In addition, David defends media clients in defamation actions and First Amendment cases. She serves as deputy general counsel for the Michigan Press Association (MPA), providing clients with prepublication review and newsgathering advice on sunshine and open-government issues. She advises on clearance projects and performs advertising reviews as well.
She also defends clients in product liability actions and quality disputes, including toxic tort class actions and automotive liability disputes. She previously served on the Board of Governors of MEMA, The Vehicle Suppliers Association’s Emerging Leadership Council.
David is a member of the Board of Directors for the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel after serving as its Trial Practice co-chairperson.
David serves on the Business Court and Counsel Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association. She also serves on the litigation, insurance, and advertising/commercial speech committees for the Media Law Resource Center. David is a member of Leadership Oakland as well.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney partner and Litigation Department Leader Courtney L. Nichols was recently named by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MiLW) to its 2025 Class of “Influential Women of Law.”
Since joining the firm in 2011, Nichols has built a successful employment law practice. She serves as outside employment law counsel to numerous Michigan companies, and she defends employers in workplace-related litigation through their insurance providers.
Throughout her career with the firm, Nichols has held several management positions. In addition to serving as the firm’s Litigation Department leader, she has also previously served as the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group leader. She is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Strategic Planning, Retirement and Salary & Bonus committees, and she serves as employment counsel to the firm.
Nichols is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office where she focuses her litigation practice in the area of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, and civil rights claims. She provides counsel to employers of all sizes regarding complicated employment and labor issues prior to litigation, including compliance with the ADA, FMLA, and FLSA. Nichols also assists clients with drafting and enforcing employment policies and contractual agreements.
In addition to the “Influential Women of Law” honor, Nichols was recently selected as a Best Lawyer in America® for Employment Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation and as a Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in Employment & Labor by Michigan Super Lawyers magazine from 2016 to 2021. In 2024, DBusiness Magazine named Nichols among its 30 in Their Thirties business leaders, and in 2023 Crain’s Detroit Business named her a Notable Leader in Employment & Labor Law. Nichols was also honored by MiLW as a 2015 Up & Coming Lawyer and a 2021 Go To Employment Lawyer.
Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan, Nichols is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as vice chair of ALFA International’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group. She received her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 and her undergraduate degree from the James Madison College at Michigan State University in 2008.
• • •
Kemp Klein congratulates Shareholder C. Leslie Banas on being recognized as one of the 2025 Michigan Lawyers Weekly Influential Women of Law honorees.
Banas counsels companies and individuals in business and real estate matters. She assists clients in organizing business entities, acquiring assets, negotiating contracts, and satisfying regulatory requirements. Her clients include entrepreneurial and established companies in real estate, housing, service, health care, manufacturing, hospitality and other industries.
In addition, Banas works with non-profit educational, health care and community organizations in organizational and governance matters, applying for grants and entering into joint venture arrangements.
• • •
Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho PLC has welcomed Stephanie M.S. Tompkin to the firm. She has joined CMDA as an attorney in the firm’s Clinton Township office where she focuses her practice on insurance defense, premises liability, no-fault/personal injury protection (PIP), and municipal law.
Tompkin regularly advises clients regarding claim liabilities, legal rights, and obligations; evaluates cases and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for court appearances; appears for pre-trial conferences, status conferences, settlement conferences, motion hearings, case evaluation, and facilitation in District Court and Circuit Court; prepares motions, orders, summaries, settlement agreements, and written discovery requests; takes and defends depositions; and negotiates settlement agreements.
Tompkin received a law degree from Cooley Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Eastern Michigan University. She is admitted to practice law in Michigan and Illinois.
• • •
Thirty-two Jones Day lawyers are among those listed in the 2026 edition of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” guide. Amanda K. Rice, of the firm’s Detroit office, was listed under Appellate, including Supreme Court.
Rice has twice argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently in April 2025 in Parrish v. United States. She has also argued in the First, Second, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, as well as in the Michigan and Georgia Supreme Courts.
Rice serves as the Detroit office’s pro bono partner and maintains an active pro bono practice that focuses on civil rights, sentencing questions, LGBTQ issues, and immigration.
Rice has taught legal writing at the University of Michigan Law School and firearms law at Wayne State University Law School. She also served as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge David S. Tatel, D.C. Circuit, and U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg, D.C. District Court.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that member Christopher J. Rambus was recently selected as an honoree for The Michigan Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 list.
Rambus is a member of Bodman’s High Net Worth Practice Group, representing individual clients in connection with estate planning, the administration of complex trusts and estates, real estate transactions, business planning, and related wealth transfer, tax and succession planning matters. His clients range from generationally wealthy families to business owners, entrepreneurs, and C-Suite executives, all with extensive business and personal interests requiring tax, business, and project management expertise.
Rambus is a member of the board of directors of the Detroit Institute of Art’s Founders Junior Council, one of the largest auxiliary boards and fundraising arms at the museum. He is also an active member of the African American Partners’ Collaborative (AAPC), a group comprised of African American partners from prominent metropolitan Detroit law firms.
Rambus has been honored by some of the leading publications that rate high net worth lawyers, including Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America since 2022 under Tax Law and Trusts and Estates; DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyers” since 2024 under Trusts and Estates; and Michigan Rising Stars since 2023 under Estate & Probate. He was also selected as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2025 Up & Coming Lawyer.
Bodman is also pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms® both nationally and in multiple Michigan markets.
Bodman has been ranked in the 2026 Best Law Firms list nationally in two practice areas and at the highest possible “Tier 1” level locally in 21 different practice specialties across 4 metropolitan markets.
Nationally, the firm was recognized for Banking and Finance Law along with Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law.
Best Law Firms ranked Bodman as a leader in the following local areas:
—Detroit Metropolitan Tier 1:
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Litigation-Banking & Finance
Litigation-Bankruptcy
Litigation-Environmental
Litigation-Trusts & Estates
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law
—Troy Metropolitan Tier 1:
Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law-Management
Insurance Law
Labor Law-Management
Litigation-Banking and Finance
Litigation-Insurance
Litigation-Trusts & Estates
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law
• • •
Taft Detroit Payments and FinTech attorneys Aisha Hall and Katherine Razdolsky Rothstein presented “2025 Payments Hot Topics from a Legal Perspective” at Concepts 25 – The Art of Payments on Sept. 25. During the session, Hall and Razdolsky Rothstein discussed key legal issues shaping the payments industry, including new rules and recent cases addressing payment fraud, digital asset legislation, artificial intelligence adoption, bank/fintech partnerships and other emerging trends.
Hall is an attorney in Taft’s Paytech and Payment Systems practice group. She has a specialized background in payments rules and regulations with a particular emphasis on the automated clearing house (ACH) network. Hall advises a wide array of companies in the payments ecosystem, including Originating Depository Financial Institutions (ODFIs), Receiving Depository Financial Institutions (RDFIs), Third-Party Senders, Third-Party Service Providers, Payment Facilitators, independent sales organizations (ISOs), and financial technology (FinTech) companies.
Razdolsky Rothstein is senior counsel in Taft’s Paytech and Payment Systems practice group, where she counsels business clients on a wide variety of payment and technology related matters. She is experienced in drafting various agreements for payment products, as well as negotiating software, system, service and platform agreements. Razdolsky Rothstein counsels clients on compliance with complex payment laws, regulations and industry rules, and is skilled at identifying and assisting clients mitigate operational, contractual, and compliance risks.
• • •
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law has announced that Mark A. Wisniewski, chair and CEO of Kitch Attorneys & Counselors PC, was honored with the Alumni Achievement Spirit Award at a ceremony on September 25. This honor recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements, outstanding leadership, and dedicated service to the community and their alma mater.
Wisniewski, who graduated from Detroit Mercy Law in 1990, has held numerous leadership positions within the law school and its alumni
association, including serving on boards and advisory committees. In 2016, he received the Detroit Mercy Law Alumni Association’s Time & Talent Award for his distinguished leadership and dedicated service to the institution.
In addition, Michigan Lawyers Weekly has recognized Kitch’s Meghan Kennedy Riordan in its Class of 2025’s “Influential Women of Law.”
Kennedy Riordan heads the Immigration Law Practice Group at Kitch, representing clients in various immigration matters, including employment-based and family law, inadmissibility, naturalization, and I-9 compliance.
Beyond her practice, Kennedy Riordan writes and lectures on immigration law. She is involved in professional organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association and is on the board of the Women Lawyers Association Foundation of Michigan.
Kabel, who serves on Butzel’s Board of Directors and is a former chair of the firm’s Corporate/ Real Estate Practice Department, concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and real estate-related finance. He has been involved in all facets of acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and development of real property throughout his career.
His real estate practice spans a range of areas and clients, representing developers, automotive companies, manufacturing companies, and colleges and universities in all aspects of their real estate needs. He also has experience representing commercial lenders in conventional financing and has served as bank counsel on numerous industrial revenue and other tax-exempt financings.
Kabel is certified by the Small Business Administration to close SBA loans under the SBA’s 504 loan program. He is the author of “Equitable Subrogation: Why the Refinance Lender’s Security Interest May Not Be as Secure as It Thinks” (Michigan Real Property Review) and has participated as a speaker and/or author in numerous seminars and other continuing legal education programs over the years.
He is the former chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section. Kabel is a member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association.
Kabel’s honors include recognition by The Best Lawyers in America®, Real Estate Law, 2016-2026, Banking and Finance Law, 2026; Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2024; Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40, Class of 2014; Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Senior Statesperson Real Estate, 2015, 2018-2025.
Kabel has also been recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers, Rising Stars in Real Estate, 2012; Michigan Super Lawyers, Real Estate, 2013-2025; and, DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law, 2011-2012, 2014, 2016-2018, 2020-2023; Banking & Financial Service Law, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021.
Kabel is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School (1999) and Grand Valley State University (1995).
In addition, Butzel President and CEO Paul M. Mersino has been named to DBusiness magazine’s Detroit 500 – 2025 list of the Most Powerful Business Leaders in Metro Detroit, for the third straight year.
Mersino is responsible for the operations and management of the 150+ attorney firm, including budgeting, setting strategic goals, and more. He was elected to the firm’s Board of Directors in 2020.
Mersino was named to Crain’s Detroit Business magazine’s 2021 Class of “40 Under 40” list. In 2020, he was named to DBusiness magazine’s “30 in Their Thirties.”
Mersino has been recognized as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness magazine, as a Michigan Super Lawyer, as one of Oakland County’s Elite 40 under 40, and as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
He represents public and private companies, in a number of areas including complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, non-compete and trade secret disputes, automotive supplier disputes, construction litigation, and First Amendment litigation. He has seen a number of successes in trials and cases across the country, having obtained jury verdicts, summary judgment rulings, dismissal of cases against his clients, and settlements favorable to his clients in state and federal courts throughout the nation.
Mersino also represents and advises a number of startup companies, assisting them with their legal needs and matching them with potential venture capital funding. He handles appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and in federal courts across the country.
Mersino formerly served as Butzel’s Litigation Practice Department chair. He was responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s Commercial Litigation attorneys who reported to him as well as their strategic goals, budgeting, forecasting, and direction of the practice group. Mersino also has served as trustee of the Butzel Charitable Trust.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association and as an advisor to the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Litigation Advisory Board.
Mersino is a 2008 graduate of Ave Maria School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Northwood University (B.A., 2005).
Butzel is also pleased to announce that attorney and shareholder Javon R. David is one of 10 attorneys named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Go To Lawyers: Business Litigation” list.
David is a member of Butzel’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, one of the firm’s largest practice areas. She concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, media and entertainment law, and products liability. She has litigation experience, successfully handling matters from the onset of suit through trial.
As part of her commercial litigation practice, David represents business entities in an array of legal issues, including contract disputes, shareholder oppression claims, non-competition and trade secret disputes, real estate, and automotive supplier disputes.
In addition, David defends media clients in defamation actions and First Amendment cases. She serves as deputy general counsel for the Michigan Press Association (MPA), providing clients with prepublication review and newsgathering advice on sunshine and open-government issues. She advises on clearance projects and performs advertising reviews as well.
She also defends clients in product liability actions and quality disputes, including toxic tort class actions and automotive liability disputes. She previously served on the Board of Governors of MEMA, The Vehicle Suppliers Association’s Emerging Leadership Council.
David is a member of the Board of Directors for the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel after serving as its Trial Practice co-chairperson.
David serves on the Business Court and Counsel Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association. She also serves on the litigation, insurance, and advertising/commercial speech committees for the Media Law Resource Center. David is a member of Leadership Oakland as well.
• • •
Plunkett Cooney partner and Litigation Department Leader Courtney L. Nichols was recently named by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MiLW) to its 2025 Class of “Influential Women of Law.”
Since joining the firm in 2011, Nichols has built a successful employment law practice. She serves as outside employment law counsel to numerous Michigan companies, and she defends employers in workplace-related litigation through their insurance providers.
Throughout her career with the firm, Nichols has held several management positions. In addition to serving as the firm’s Litigation Department leader, she has also previously served as the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group leader. She is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Strategic Planning, Retirement and Salary & Bonus committees, and she serves as employment counsel to the firm.
Nichols is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office where she focuses her litigation practice in the area of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, and civil rights claims. She provides counsel to employers of all sizes regarding complicated employment and labor issues prior to litigation, including compliance with the ADA, FMLA, and FLSA. Nichols also assists clients with drafting and enforcing employment policies and contractual agreements.
In addition to the “Influential Women of Law” honor, Nichols was recently selected as a Best Lawyer in America® for Employment Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation and as a Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in Employment & Labor by Michigan Super Lawyers magazine from 2016 to 2021. In 2024, DBusiness Magazine named Nichols among its 30 in Their Thirties business leaders, and in 2023 Crain’s Detroit Business named her a Notable Leader in Employment & Labor Law. Nichols was also honored by MiLW as a 2015 Up & Coming Lawyer and a 2021 Go To Employment Lawyer.
Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan, Nichols is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as vice chair of ALFA International’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group. She received her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 and her undergraduate degree from the James Madison College at Michigan State University in 2008.
• • •
Kemp Klein congratulates Shareholder C. Leslie Banas on being recognized as one of the 2025 Michigan Lawyers Weekly Influential Women of Law honorees.
Banas counsels companies and individuals in business and real estate matters. She assists clients in organizing business entities, acquiring assets, negotiating contracts, and satisfying regulatory requirements. Her clients include entrepreneurial and established companies in real estate, housing, service, health care, manufacturing, hospitality and other industries.
In addition, Banas works with non-profit educational, health care and community organizations in organizational and governance matters, applying for grants and entering into joint venture arrangements.
• • •
Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho PLC has welcomed Stephanie M.S. Tompkin to the firm. She has joined CMDA as an attorney in the firm’s Clinton Township office where she focuses her practice on insurance defense, premises liability, no-fault/personal injury protection (PIP), and municipal law.
Tompkin regularly advises clients regarding claim liabilities, legal rights, and obligations; evaluates cases and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for court appearances; appears for pre-trial conferences, status conferences, settlement conferences, motion hearings, case evaluation, and facilitation in District Court and Circuit Court; prepares motions, orders, summaries, settlement agreements, and written discovery requests; takes and defends depositions; and negotiates settlement agreements.
Tompkin received a law degree from Cooley Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Eastern Michigan University. She is admitted to practice law in Michigan and Illinois.
• • •
Thirty-two Jones Day lawyers are among those listed in the 2026 edition of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” guide. Amanda K. Rice, of the firm’s Detroit office, was listed under Appellate, including Supreme Court.
Rice has twice argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently in April 2025 in Parrish v. United States. She has also argued in the First, Second, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, as well as in the Michigan and Georgia Supreme Courts.
Rice serves as the Detroit office’s pro bono partner and maintains an active pro bono practice that focuses on civil rights, sentencing questions, LGBTQ issues, and immigration.
Rice has taught legal writing at the University of Michigan Law School and firearms law at Wayne State University Law School. She also served as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge David S. Tatel, D.C. Circuit, and U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg, D.C. District Court.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that member Christopher J. Rambus was recently selected as an honoree for The Michigan Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 list.
Rambus is a member of Bodman’s High Net Worth Practice Group, representing individual clients in connection with estate planning, the administration of complex trusts and estates, real estate transactions, business planning, and related wealth transfer, tax and succession planning matters. His clients range from generationally wealthy families to business owners, entrepreneurs, and C-Suite executives, all with extensive business and personal interests requiring tax, business, and project management expertise.
Rambus is a member of the board of directors of the Detroit Institute of Art’s Founders Junior Council, one of the largest auxiliary boards and fundraising arms at the museum. He is also an active member of the African American Partners’ Collaborative (AAPC), a group comprised of African American partners from prominent metropolitan Detroit law firms.
Rambus has been honored by some of the leading publications that rate high net worth lawyers, including Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America since 2022 under Tax Law and Trusts and Estates; DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyers” since 2024 under Trusts and Estates; and Michigan Rising Stars since 2023 under Estate & Probate. He was also selected as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2025 Up & Coming Lawyer.
Bodman is also pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms® both nationally and in multiple Michigan markets.
Bodman has been ranked in the 2026 Best Law Firms list nationally in two practice areas and at the highest possible “Tier 1” level locally in 21 different practice specialties across 4 metropolitan markets.
Nationally, the firm was recognized for Banking and Finance Law along with Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law.
Best Law Firms ranked Bodman as a leader in the following local areas:
—Detroit Metropolitan Tier 1:
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Litigation-Banking & Finance
Litigation-Bankruptcy
Litigation-Environmental
Litigation-Trusts & Estates
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law
—Troy Metropolitan Tier 1:
Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law-Management
Insurance Law
Labor Law-Management
Litigation-Banking and Finance
Litigation-Insurance
Litigation-Trusts & Estates
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law
• • •
Taft Detroit Payments and FinTech attorneys Aisha Hall and Katherine Razdolsky Rothstein presented “2025 Payments Hot Topics from a Legal Perspective” at Concepts 25 – The Art of Payments on Sept. 25. During the session, Hall and Razdolsky Rothstein discussed key legal issues shaping the payments industry, including new rules and recent cases addressing payment fraud, digital asset legislation, artificial intelligence adoption, bank/fintech partnerships and other emerging trends.
Hall is an attorney in Taft’s Paytech and Payment Systems practice group. She has a specialized background in payments rules and regulations with a particular emphasis on the automated clearing house (ACH) network. Hall advises a wide array of companies in the payments ecosystem, including Originating Depository Financial Institutions (ODFIs), Receiving Depository Financial Institutions (RDFIs), Third-Party Senders, Third-Party Service Providers, Payment Facilitators, independent sales organizations (ISOs), and financial technology (FinTech) companies.
Razdolsky Rothstein is senior counsel in Taft’s Paytech and Payment Systems practice group, where she counsels business clients on a wide variety of payment and technology related matters. She is experienced in drafting various agreements for payment products, as well as negotiating software, system, service and platform agreements. Razdolsky Rothstein counsels clients on compliance with complex payment laws, regulations and industry rules, and is skilled at identifying and assisting clients mitigate operational, contractual, and compliance risks.
• • •
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law has announced that Mark A. Wisniewski, chair and CEO of Kitch Attorneys & Counselors PC, was honored with the Alumni Achievement Spirit Award at a ceremony on September 25. This honor recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements, outstanding leadership, and dedicated service to the community and their alma mater.
Wisniewski, who graduated from Detroit Mercy Law in 1990, has held numerous leadership positions within the law school and its alumni
association, including serving on boards and advisory committees. In 2016, he received the Detroit Mercy Law Alumni Association’s Time & Talent Award for his distinguished leadership and dedicated service to the institution.
In addition, Michigan Lawyers Weekly has recognized Kitch’s Meghan Kennedy Riordan in its Class of 2025’s “Influential Women of Law.”
Kennedy Riordan heads the Immigration Law Practice Group at Kitch, representing clients in various immigration matters, including employment-based and family law, inadmissibility, naturalization, and I-9 compliance.
Beyond her practice, Kennedy Riordan writes and lectures on immigration law. She is involved in professional organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association and is on the board of the Women Lawyers Association Foundation of Michigan.
