Butzel attorney Beth S. Gotthelf has been elected to the Board of Directors for NAATBatt International, the Trade Association for Advanced Battery Technology in North America. Gotthelf is an At Large Board member. The election took place on February 10 during the NAATBatt 2026 Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona.
Gotthelf is Butzel’s co-chair of the Environment, Energy & Sustainability Practice, Chair of the Aerospace & Defense Industry Team and Director of Innovation and External Relations.
Gotthelf has been active in NAATBatt for a number of years and participates in several committees including Second Life, Recycling, Military, Track and Trace, and Off Shoring.
Gotthelf represents a diverse client base including those in the automotive, defense, and aerospace fields. She has environmental, renewable energy, and sustainability experience. She assists clients with remediation, redevelopment, permitting, and compliance.
Gotthelf serves as chair of the Michigan Manufacturers Association’s Environmental Policy Committee; general counsel to the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Surface Finishers; board member and former chair, Michigan Israel Business Accelerator; and Michigan Advisory Board, Women in Defense. Gotthelf also is board directorship certified through the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Gotthelf was named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ 2025 Notable Leaders in Sustainability list.
Butzel is also pleased to announce that attorney Henry M. Nirenberg has joined the firm as a shareholder in the firm’s Troy office. He has been in practice for more than four decades.
Nirenberg is a legal advisor who helps clients navigate complex commercial, employment, probate, and education law matters. His experience as a receiver includes the management or sale of residential, commercial, and industrial property deals, valued at millions of dollars. His knowledge of commercial and business practices has led to appointments overseeing management of many automotive, industrial, and retail businesses.
He also collaborates with a variety of medical practice groups, advising on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, sales, management of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), hospital practice contracts, and succession planning.
In the education law arena, Nirenberg’s experience includes counseling businesses and individuals involved in employment and construction disputes, regulatory matters, foundation management, and millage issues. He is versed in public and private partnerships and has contributed during his lengthy career to major development projects including luxury apartments, micro hospitals, surgical centers, world headquarters, sports domes, field houses, and others.
Nirenberg regularly serves as a mediator, receiver, arbitrator, and special fiduciary and is frequently sought as a speaker at continuing legal education seminars, including the Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) Annual Seminar.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan – Business Law, Health Care Law, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation, Real Property Law sections, Oakland County Bar Association, Inns of Court, and ICLE.
Nirenberg earned his law degrees from Wayne State University Law School and Cooley Law School in addition to a B.A. from the University of Toronto.
In addition, attorney Bradley F. Scobel has joined Butzel as a shareholder in the firm’s Troy office. Scobel dedicates his practice to guiding clients through the complexities of real estate development, financing, and business transactions.
During his more than 30 years in practice, Scobel has developed experience in complex real estate, financing, and business matters.
He represents a range of clients, public and privately held, including developers, commercial and residential builders, venture capital firms, real estate investment trusts (REITs), institutional lenders, contractors, landlords, hotels, and management companies.
Scobel is skilled in structuring loan workouts, forbearance and reorganization transactions, and represents lenders and borrowers throughout the entire loan process.
He maintains an active practice representing manufactured housing community owners and developers. His knowledge extends to construction and lien laws. He also is versed in liquor licensing.
Scobel earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. from Michigan State University. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law, Real Property Law, and Cannabis Law sections.
• • •
Burris Law founder and owner Kelly Burris has been elected vice chair of the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees following a unanimous vote at the board’s February 12 meeting.
Burris was first appointed to the Board by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2023 and was reappointed in 2024 to an eight-year term. She joins Trustee Alan Turfe, elected chair, as part of WMU’s new board leadership team.
“I love Western Michigan University. It is an honor to take on this role at a time when higher education is both challenged and full of opportunity,” said Burris. “I look forward to continuing this work with my fellow trustees, President Kavalhuna, and the campus community to ensure we are strong stewards of Western and that our decisions as a board continue to expand opportunity and success for our Broncos.”
Burris earned her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from WMU before building a career at the intersection of engineering and intellectual property law. She later earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Washington University and a law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Burris founded Burris Law, PLLC in 2016. This year, the Detroit-headquartered firm celebrates its 10-year anniversary.
With more than 25 years of legal experience, Burris represents clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Prior to practicing law, she spent more than 11 years as an aerospace engineer with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Fawzeih H. Daher and Matthew A. Slipchuk have been admitted as members of the firm. Both were previously senior associates with Bodman.
Daher practices in Bodman’s Detroit office and is a member of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She regularly briefs and argues disputes in the Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court, and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has represented clients in reversing adverse decisions, defending trial court wins, and securing stays and other strategic relief. Her practice encompasses contractual disputes, business torts, real property matters, shareholder disputes, construction claims, and general liability litigation.
Daher is involved in the legal and business communities and serves on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Michigan Appellate Practice Section. She is also chair of the Appellate Practice Section’s Rules and Legislation Committee. Daher is listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch under Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation and in Michigan Rising Stars under Business Litigation. She is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School and earned her undergraduate degree at WSU.
Slipchuk practices in Bodman’s Detroit office and is a member of the Business and Tax practice groups. He represents business clients in connection with complex transactions and general corporate matters and has particular experience advising on the tax aspects of M&A transactions. He also advises clients on regulatory trade and compliance matters including import activities, proper classification of merchandise, correct valuation, and regulatory restrictions and exemptions, and on export controls and compliance with regulatory restrictions.
Before joining Bodman, Slipchuk practiced as a senior associate with a global accounting firm where he represented large corporate clients and private equity firms as a transactional tax advisor, participating in transactions ranging in size up to $24 billion. He is listed in Michigan Rising Stars under Mergers & Acquisitions. Slipchuk earned law degrees from DePaul University Law School and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor.
• • •
Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that Shareholders Ron Sollish and David Freedman have been named in Legal 500’s inaugural Detroit Elite City Focus. The two earned recognition for their work handling corporate and M&A matters.
As president and CEO of the firm, and chairman of the firm’s Corporate and Business and Employment and Workforce Management groups, Sollish specializes in employment, real estate, partnership, finance, corporate, and business law. He has led the Employment Law Symposium and Breakfast Bites®: Employment Law Series for many years. Michigan Lawyers Weekly has twice named Sollish a Go To Lawyer for Employment Law and inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2022.
Freedman advises clients on a range of M&A, corporate, business, and real estate matters with an emphasis on broad-based M&A, transactional and contract work. He handles all types of business and related transactions and represents mortgage industry clients in mergers and acquisitions. He also guides clients through debtor and creditor rights matters, both in and out of court. Freedman has been recognized by Best Lawyers of America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and Leading Lawyers.
Gotthelf is Butzel’s co-chair of the Environment, Energy & Sustainability Practice, Chair of the Aerospace & Defense Industry Team and Director of Innovation and External Relations.
Gotthelf has been active in NAATBatt for a number of years and participates in several committees including Second Life, Recycling, Military, Track and Trace, and Off Shoring.
Gotthelf represents a diverse client base including those in the automotive, defense, and aerospace fields. She has environmental, renewable energy, and sustainability experience. She assists clients with remediation, redevelopment, permitting, and compliance.
Gotthelf serves as chair of the Michigan Manufacturers Association’s Environmental Policy Committee; general counsel to the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Surface Finishers; board member and former chair, Michigan Israel Business Accelerator; and Michigan Advisory Board, Women in Defense. Gotthelf also is board directorship certified through the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Gotthelf was named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ 2025 Notable Leaders in Sustainability list.
Butzel is also pleased to announce that attorney Henry M. Nirenberg has joined the firm as a shareholder in the firm’s Troy office. He has been in practice for more than four decades.
Nirenberg is a legal advisor who helps clients navigate complex commercial, employment, probate, and education law matters. His experience as a receiver includes the management or sale of residential, commercial, and industrial property deals, valued at millions of dollars. His knowledge of commercial and business practices has led to appointments overseeing management of many automotive, industrial, and retail businesses.
He also collaborates with a variety of medical practice groups, advising on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, sales, management of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), hospital practice contracts, and succession planning.
In the education law arena, Nirenberg’s experience includes counseling businesses and individuals involved in employment and construction disputes, regulatory matters, foundation management, and millage issues. He is versed in public and private partnerships and has contributed during his lengthy career to major development projects including luxury apartments, micro hospitals, surgical centers, world headquarters, sports domes, field houses, and others.
Nirenberg regularly serves as a mediator, receiver, arbitrator, and special fiduciary and is frequently sought as a speaker at continuing legal education seminars, including the Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) Annual Seminar.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan – Business Law, Health Care Law, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation, Real Property Law sections, Oakland County Bar Association, Inns of Court, and ICLE.
Nirenberg earned his law degrees from Wayne State University Law School and Cooley Law School in addition to a B.A. from the University of Toronto.
In addition, attorney Bradley F. Scobel has joined Butzel as a shareholder in the firm’s Troy office. Scobel dedicates his practice to guiding clients through the complexities of real estate development, financing, and business transactions.
During his more than 30 years in practice, Scobel has developed experience in complex real estate, financing, and business matters.
He represents a range of clients, public and privately held, including developers, commercial and residential builders, venture capital firms, real estate investment trusts (REITs), institutional lenders, contractors, landlords, hotels, and management companies.
Scobel is skilled in structuring loan workouts, forbearance and reorganization transactions, and represents lenders and borrowers throughout the entire loan process.
He maintains an active practice representing manufactured housing community owners and developers. His knowledge extends to construction and lien laws. He also is versed in liquor licensing.
Scobel earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. from Michigan State University. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law, Real Property Law, and Cannabis Law sections.
• • •
Burris Law founder and owner Kelly Burris has been elected vice chair of the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees following a unanimous vote at the board’s February 12 meeting.
Burris was first appointed to the Board by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2023 and was reappointed in 2024 to an eight-year term. She joins Trustee Alan Turfe, elected chair, as part of WMU’s new board leadership team.
“I love Western Michigan University. It is an honor to take on this role at a time when higher education is both challenged and full of opportunity,” said Burris. “I look forward to continuing this work with my fellow trustees, President Kavalhuna, and the campus community to ensure we are strong stewards of Western and that our decisions as a board continue to expand opportunity and success for our Broncos.”
Burris earned her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from WMU before building a career at the intersection of engineering and intellectual property law. She later earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Washington University and a law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Burris founded Burris Law, PLLC in 2016. This year, the Detroit-headquartered firm celebrates its 10-year anniversary.
With more than 25 years of legal experience, Burris represents clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Prior to practicing law, she spent more than 11 years as an aerospace engineer with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.
• • •
Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Fawzeih H. Daher and Matthew A. Slipchuk have been admitted as members of the firm. Both were previously senior associates with Bodman.
Daher practices in Bodman’s Detroit office and is a member of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She regularly briefs and argues disputes in the Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court, and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has represented clients in reversing adverse decisions, defending trial court wins, and securing stays and other strategic relief. Her practice encompasses contractual disputes, business torts, real property matters, shareholder disputes, construction claims, and general liability litigation.
Daher is involved in the legal and business communities and serves on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Michigan Appellate Practice Section. She is also chair of the Appellate Practice Section’s Rules and Legislation Committee. Daher is listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch under Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation and in Michigan Rising Stars under Business Litigation. She is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School and earned her undergraduate degree at WSU.
Slipchuk practices in Bodman’s Detroit office and is a member of the Business and Tax practice groups. He represents business clients in connection with complex transactions and general corporate matters and has particular experience advising on the tax aspects of M&A transactions. He also advises clients on regulatory trade and compliance matters including import activities, proper classification of merchandise, correct valuation, and regulatory restrictions and exemptions, and on export controls and compliance with regulatory restrictions.
Before joining Bodman, Slipchuk practiced as a senior associate with a global accounting firm where he represented large corporate clients and private equity firms as a transactional tax advisor, participating in transactions ranging in size up to $24 billion. He is listed in Michigan Rising Stars under Mergers & Acquisitions. Slipchuk earned law degrees from DePaul University Law School and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor.
• • •
Maddin Hauser is pleased to announce that Shareholders Ron Sollish and David Freedman have been named in Legal 500’s inaugural Detroit Elite City Focus. The two earned recognition for their work handling corporate and M&A matters.
As president and CEO of the firm, and chairman of the firm’s Corporate and Business and Employment and Workforce Management groups, Sollish specializes in employment, real estate, partnership, finance, corporate, and business law. He has led the Employment Law Symposium and Breakfast Bites®: Employment Law Series for many years. Michigan Lawyers Weekly has twice named Sollish a Go To Lawyer for Employment Law and inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2022.
Freedman advises clients on a range of M&A, corporate, business, and real estate matters with an emphasis on broad-based M&A, transactional and contract work. He handles all types of business and related transactions and represents mortgage industry clients in mergers and acquisitions. He also guides clients through debtor and creditor rights matters, both in and out of court. Freedman has been recognized by Best Lawyers of America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and Leading Lawyers.
