Miller Canfield has named Matthew P. Allen the
recipient of the firm’s 2026 Seryak Award, an internal honor recognizing
outstanding pro bono service and commitment to ensuring access to
justice.
Established in 2015, the Seryak Award honors the legacy of Richard J. Seryak, an employment lawyer and litigator at Miller Canfield for nearly 40 years. Seryak was committed to helping individuals without resources access the legal assistance they needed and set a standard for professional excellence, client service, and dedication to pro bono and community engagement.
Allen’s pro bono work reflects that legacy in both impact and leadership. Recently, he helped lead a federal civil rights trial on behalf of a Michigan Department of Corrections prisoner alleging assault and battery under Michigan law and excessive force under the Eighth Amendment
In addition to individual representation, Allen has also played a role in supporting the broader legal community. As an officer of the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, he led negotiations related to an organizational separation from the national FBA, a multi-year effort designed to preserve and strengthen programming and resources relied on by the federal bench and bar for decades.
“The longer I practice law, the more stewardship I feel for our system of justice, the people who rely on it, and the people who make it function,” Allen said. “Pro bono work allows us to put that stewardship into action, whether we’re helping individuals who would otherwise go without legal representation or supporting the institutions that protect access to justice.”
Allen is also active in civic and professional leadership at the national, state, and local levels. He serves in leadership roles with the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Oakland County Bar Foundation, Detroit Bar Association, and the Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association. He also serves on the board of Leadership Oakland, a leadership incubator for Southeast Michigan professionals across sectors.
• • •
Dawda PLC is pleased to announce that Edward C. Dawda and Marc K. Salach have been recognized in Legal 500’s inaugural US Elite rankings for Corporate and M&A in Detroit.
Dawda, a founding member of the firm, brings decades of experience advising clients on complex mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, and sophisticated financing transactions. He serves as counsel to public and private entities nationwide.
Salach, a member of the firm, concentrates his practice on corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and tax planning. He provides counsel to clients ranging from closely held businesses to automotive dealerships, guiding them through complex ownership transitions, financing arrangements, and regulatory compliance matters.
• • •
Foley & Lardner LLP partner John Birmingham was announced as an inductee to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame.
Birmingham is a trial, arbitral, and appellate attorney and business advisor who guides clients through labor and employment, trade secret and noncompetition, and investigations and crisis management issues. He is the former chair of Foley’s national Labor & Employment Practice and a former member of the firm’s Management Committee.
• • •
Clark Hill PLC recently announced that business, technology, and intellectual property litigators Zachary Moen, Daniel Grossman, and Adam Rosenberg, formerly of ZVMLaw, have joined the firm’s Detroit office.
“Clark Hill’s global and national presence and depth of skill is very attractive to us and to our clients,” said Moen. “We are excited to be able to offer Clark Hill’s breadth of practice areas and enhanced geographic reach to our existing clients, and to offer our experience to Clark Hill’s existing clients.”
Moen represents clients in complex business, technology, and intellectual property disputes and helps clients select, protect, and enforce their intellectual property portfolios. He has more than 20 years of experience providing trusted legal counsel to clients and has served as in-house counsel to both international and family-owned businesses. Moen is a graduate of Wheaton College (Massachusetts) and Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Grossman is legal counsel to clients ranging from entrepreneurs and startups to large global companies. He regularly represents clients in federal and state courts in complex litigation matters, including IP litigation, contract disputes, and disputes between shareholders and other business owners. Grossman received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Rosenberg provides legal counsel to clients ranging from entrepreneurs and nonprofits to large global companies. He represents clients in federal and state courts in complex litigation matters and regularly advises on compliance, antitrust investigations and other critical issues. Rosenberg graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and received his B.A. from Swarthmore College.
• • •
Chelsea Pasquali, an associate at Brooks Kushman, has been named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow for 2025. The LCLD Fellows Program offers high-potential, mid-career attorneys from diverse backgrounds at LCLD Member organizations the opportunity to develop leadership skills and build meaningful relationships within the legal profession.
Pasquali is an intellectual property litigation attorney at Brooks Kushman, where she represents Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, and individuals in complex patent, trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, and copyright disputes. She counsels clients on IP enforcement strategies and has experience representing trademark owners in opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as litigation in state and federal courts and before the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Pasquali earned her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University. She has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as an “Up & Coming Lawyer” and by Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for her professional achievements in intellectual property law.
• • •
Robert S. Bick, a shareholder with Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett (WWRP), has been included in the Tier 1 category in Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions in the just-released Legal 500 U.S. Elite regional listing. Making his debut on the Legal 500 U.S. Elite, Bick is one of only nine attorneys to be listed in the Tier 1 corporate/M & A category in his geographic region.
As co-chair of WWRP’s Corporate Practice Group, Bick has closed more than $3 billion in M&A transactions, including more than 150 transactions for private equity firms. Historical highlights include serving as M&A counsel to Compuware in numerous domestic and international transactions and as legal counsel to Compuware’s C-Suite executives during its sale to BMC Software in a $2 billion transaction. Bick also served as co-counsel to the owners of the Detroit Pistons in connection with the team’s sale to Platinum Equity.
Bick’s practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and business transactions. With 40 years as an attorney, he counsels and represents public and private companies, entrepreneurs, venture capital and private equity groups, boards of directors and business owners on matters related to corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, private placements, private equity, securities, tax, commercial and private lending, corporate governance and related business law matters.
The Legal 500 U.S. Elite acknowledgement follows Bick’s inclusion on the Crain’s Detroit Business 2025 list of Notable Leaders in Mergers & Acquisitions. Additionally, he was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2024 list of Go To Lawyers in Business Transactions. Other career accolades include Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America®; M&A Attorney of the Year by the Association for Corporate Growth; Dealmaker of the Year by the M&A Advisor; and a Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Bick has been recognized on the annual list of Best Lawyers in America® since 2019, Michigan Super Lawyers since 2007, and is a multi-year honoree on the DBusiness Top Lawyers list.
Active in the business and legal communities and civic affairs, Bick is a member of the Detroit chapter of Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), where he has served on the programs committee, as a judge for the ACG Cup Competition at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and as co-chair for the M&A All Stars Awards. Bick has also served as a multi-year judge for the Transactional Law Competition at the University of Michigan Law School. His civic activities include membership in the American Jewish Committee, where he served on the board of directors for the Detroit Regional Office, and the Anti-Defamation League, where he also served on the board of directors of the Detroit Regional Office. Bick has also provided multi-year service as a mentor to at-risk children at Haven of Oakland County through his participation on the ACG Cares committee and is general counsel and secretary for the McDonald Agape Foundation.
Bick earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
————————
To submit an announcement for the next Legal People section, e-mail: editor@legalnews.com.
Established in 2015, the Seryak Award honors the legacy of Richard J. Seryak, an employment lawyer and litigator at Miller Canfield for nearly 40 years. Seryak was committed to helping individuals without resources access the legal assistance they needed and set a standard for professional excellence, client service, and dedication to pro bono and community engagement.
Allen’s pro bono work reflects that legacy in both impact and leadership. Recently, he helped lead a federal civil rights trial on behalf of a Michigan Department of Corrections prisoner alleging assault and battery under Michigan law and excessive force under the Eighth Amendment
In addition to individual representation, Allen has also played a role in supporting the broader legal community. As an officer of the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, he led negotiations related to an organizational separation from the national FBA, a multi-year effort designed to preserve and strengthen programming and resources relied on by the federal bench and bar for decades.
“The longer I practice law, the more stewardship I feel for our system of justice, the people who rely on it, and the people who make it function,” Allen said. “Pro bono work allows us to put that stewardship into action, whether we’re helping individuals who would otherwise go without legal representation or supporting the institutions that protect access to justice.”
Allen is also active in civic and professional leadership at the national, state, and local levels. He serves in leadership roles with the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Oakland County Bar Foundation, Detroit Bar Association, and the Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association. He also serves on the board of Leadership Oakland, a leadership incubator for Southeast Michigan professionals across sectors.
• • •
Dawda PLC is pleased to announce that Edward C. Dawda and Marc K. Salach have been recognized in Legal 500’s inaugural US Elite rankings for Corporate and M&A in Detroit.
Dawda, a founding member of the firm, brings decades of experience advising clients on complex mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, and sophisticated financing transactions. He serves as counsel to public and private entities nationwide.
Salach, a member of the firm, concentrates his practice on corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and tax planning. He provides counsel to clients ranging from closely held businesses to automotive dealerships, guiding them through complex ownership transitions, financing arrangements, and regulatory compliance matters.
• • •
Foley & Lardner LLP partner John Birmingham was announced as an inductee to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame.
Birmingham is a trial, arbitral, and appellate attorney and business advisor who guides clients through labor and employment, trade secret and noncompetition, and investigations and crisis management issues. He is the former chair of Foley’s national Labor & Employment Practice and a former member of the firm’s Management Committee.
• • •
Clark Hill PLC recently announced that business, technology, and intellectual property litigators Zachary Moen, Daniel Grossman, and Adam Rosenberg, formerly of ZVMLaw, have joined the firm’s Detroit office.
“Clark Hill’s global and national presence and depth of skill is very attractive to us and to our clients,” said Moen. “We are excited to be able to offer Clark Hill’s breadth of practice areas and enhanced geographic reach to our existing clients, and to offer our experience to Clark Hill’s existing clients.”
Moen represents clients in complex business, technology, and intellectual property disputes and helps clients select, protect, and enforce their intellectual property portfolios. He has more than 20 years of experience providing trusted legal counsel to clients and has served as in-house counsel to both international and family-owned businesses. Moen is a graduate of Wheaton College (Massachusetts) and Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Grossman is legal counsel to clients ranging from entrepreneurs and startups to large global companies. He regularly represents clients in federal and state courts in complex litigation matters, including IP litigation, contract disputes, and disputes between shareholders and other business owners. Grossman received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Rosenberg provides legal counsel to clients ranging from entrepreneurs and nonprofits to large global companies. He represents clients in federal and state courts in complex litigation matters and regularly advises on compliance, antitrust investigations and other critical issues. Rosenberg graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and received his B.A. from Swarthmore College.
• • •
Chelsea Pasquali, an associate at Brooks Kushman, has been named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow for 2025. The LCLD Fellows Program offers high-potential, mid-career attorneys from diverse backgrounds at LCLD Member organizations the opportunity to develop leadership skills and build meaningful relationships within the legal profession.
Pasquali is an intellectual property litigation attorney at Brooks Kushman, where she represents Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, and individuals in complex patent, trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, and copyright disputes. She counsels clients on IP enforcement strategies and has experience representing trademark owners in opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as litigation in state and federal courts and before the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Pasquali earned her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University. She has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as an “Up & Coming Lawyer” and by Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for her professional achievements in intellectual property law.
• • •
Robert S. Bick, a shareholder with Williams, Williams, Rattner, & Plunkett (WWRP), has been included in the Tier 1 category in Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions in the just-released Legal 500 U.S. Elite regional listing. Making his debut on the Legal 500 U.S. Elite, Bick is one of only nine attorneys to be listed in the Tier 1 corporate/M & A category in his geographic region.
As co-chair of WWRP’s Corporate Practice Group, Bick has closed more than $3 billion in M&A transactions, including more than 150 transactions for private equity firms. Historical highlights include serving as M&A counsel to Compuware in numerous domestic and international transactions and as legal counsel to Compuware’s C-Suite executives during its sale to BMC Software in a $2 billion transaction. Bick also served as co-counsel to the owners of the Detroit Pistons in connection with the team’s sale to Platinum Equity.
Bick’s practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and business transactions. With 40 years as an attorney, he counsels and represents public and private companies, entrepreneurs, venture capital and private equity groups, boards of directors and business owners on matters related to corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, private placements, private equity, securities, tax, commercial and private lending, corporate governance and related business law matters.
The Legal 500 U.S. Elite acknowledgement follows Bick’s inclusion on the Crain’s Detroit Business 2025 list of Notable Leaders in Mergers & Acquisitions. Additionally, he was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2024 list of Go To Lawyers in Business Transactions. Other career accolades include Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America®; M&A Attorney of the Year by the Association for Corporate Growth; Dealmaker of the Year by the M&A Advisor; and a Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Bick has been recognized on the annual list of Best Lawyers in America® since 2019, Michigan Super Lawyers since 2007, and is a multi-year honoree on the DBusiness Top Lawyers list.
Active in the business and legal communities and civic affairs, Bick is a member of the Detroit chapter of Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), where he has served on the programs committee, as a judge for the ACG Cup Competition at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and as co-chair for the M&A All Stars Awards. Bick has also served as a multi-year judge for the Transactional Law Competition at the University of Michigan Law School. His civic activities include membership in the American Jewish Committee, where he served on the board of directors for the Detroit Regional Office, and the Anti-Defamation League, where he also served on the board of directors of the Detroit Regional Office. Bick has also provided multi-year service as a mentor to at-risk children at Haven of Oakland County through his participation on the ACG Cares committee and is general counsel and secretary for the McDonald Agape Foundation.
Bick earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
————————
To submit an announcement for the next Legal People section, e-mail: editor@legalnews.com.
