Butzel will be part of the MEMA OE/ GAMA/ SCMC Southern
Supplier Summit taking place from June 22-23 at Clemson University
International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), located in
Greenville, South Carolina. This in-person gathering is focused on the
evolving challenges and opportunities facing automotive suppliers.
Butzel, a 20-plus year member of MEMA, is proud to be a presenting
sponsor.
As part of the program, Butzel will be leading an panel discussion centered on the legal and business issues impacting suppliers right now. Attorneys representing Butzel’s Automotive Industry Team will share practical insights and perspectives on navigating today’s complex supply chain environment, alongside critical workforce issues such as wage pressures, non-compete developments, talent mobility and availability, and the labor movement in the Southeast.
Speaking on the panel will be Butzel shareholders David J. DeVine and Blake Padget, along with Monica S. Batsford, associate general counsel, Forvia; Nicoletta Milanesio Berrino, director of legal, general counsel and corporate secretary North America MAHLE Industries Inc.; and Mark Hebert, chief commercial officer, Carlex Glass America LLC.
• • •
The online legal industry platform Leading Lawyers recently named several local Plunkett Cooney attorneys to its 2026 list of top Michigan attorneys:
D. Jennifer Andreou (Detroit) - Medical Malpractice Defense Law
Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. (Bloomfield Hills) - Professional Malpractice Defense: Including Legal/Technical/Financial
Douglas C. Bernstein (Bloomfield Hills) - Banking & Financial Institutions Law / Bankruptcy & Workout Law: Commercial / Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections Law
Matthew J. Boettcher (Bloomfield Hills) - Commercial Litigation
Charles W. Browning (Bloomfield Hills) - Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law
Henry B. Cooney (Bloomfield Hills) - ADR Law: Commercial Litigation / ADR Law: Personal Injury / Commercial Litigation / Products Liability Defense Law
Jeffrey C. Gerish (Bloomfield Hills) - Civil Appellate Law / Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law
Howard B. Goldman (Bloomfield Hills) - Real Estate Law: Commercial / Real Estate Law: Finance
Jeffrey S. Hengeveld (Bloomfield Hills) - Professional Malpractice Defense Law: Including Legal/Technical/Financial
Willard S. Holt III (Bloomfield Hills) - Association & Non-Profit Law / Tax Law: Business / Tax Law: Individual / Trust, Will & Estate Planning Law
Mark S. Kopson (Bloomfield Hills) - Health Law
Scott K. Lites (Bloomfield Hills) - Closely & Privately Held Business Law / Corporate Finance Law /Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Frank T. Mamat (Bloomfield Hills) - Labor Law: Management
Mary Massaron (Bloomfield Hills) - Civil Appellate Law / Appellate Law
Kenneth C. Newa (Bloomfield Hills) - Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law / Toxic Torts Defense Law
Michael K. Sheehy (Detroit) - Transportation Defense Law: Including Aviation/FELA/Maritime
• • •
Assistant Attorney General Eric Sterbis was recently awarded a Merit Service Award by the Troy Police Department, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The award recognizes Sterbis’ work in dismantling a large-scale criminal organization responsible for the thefts of hundreds of vehicles in Southeast Michigan and losses exceeding $40 million.
The Troy Police Department began investigating the auto theft ring in August 2023 and partnered with Sterbis and the Attorney General’s FORCE Team in early 2024 to bring down the expansive criminal organization. The ring targeted new vehicle storage lots at manufacturing facilities, car dealerships, parking lots, and individual residences. To date, more than 40 individuals have been charged in connection with the criminal organization and several members have been sentenced.
Having served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for more than 17 years, Sterbis has experience prosecuting a variety of criminal offenses. He began working at the Department of Attorney General in 2021 and is currently assigned to the attorney general’s FORCE Team, which targets criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit.
Sterbis is one of the two assistant attorneys general who serve the unit full time, working with special agents within the Department of Attorney General and Michigan State Police detectives to investigate and prosecute these crimes. The FORCE team also partners with the FBI’s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force and the Postal Inspection Service. This is a first-in-the-nation unit, unique in the 50 states as being the first such unit with embedded, dedicated staff from the Department of Attorney General.
Sterbis earned his bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice from Western Illinois University before receiving his law degree at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
• • •
Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC welcomes attorney Allison M. Morris.
Morris is in the firm’s Southfield office, representing her clients through all phases of insurance defense litigation. She concentrates her practice on matters in Third and First-Party No-Fault litigation, transportation and insurance law. Prior to attending law school, she had previously spent a number of years on an insurance defense team as a legal assistant and law clerk.
Morris earned her law degree from Cooley Law School and her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.
• • •
Bush Seyferth is proud to congratulate attorney Heather Gin on her election as president-elect of the Detroit Bar Association (DBA) Barristers—the DBA’s section dedicated to new lawyers.
Gin previously served as secretary for the 2025–2026 Barristers Board. In her new role as president-elect, she will also serve as an ex-officio member of the Detroit Bar Association’s Board of Directors—with full voting rights on matters before the DBA Board.
Gin will begin exercising her duties this September. She will then succeed to the role of president beginning June 2027.
• • •
American Bonanza Society has published an article by Brooks Kushman attorney, and aviation expert, William G. Abbatt on utilizing artificial intelligence in aircraft use.
Abbatt is a shareholder at Brooks Kushman with more than 35 years of experience in intellectual property law. His practice encompasses all aspects of domestic and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, IP-related due diligence, client counseling, licensing, and patent litigation.
Abbatt has worked with a range of technologies and industries, including aeronautics, automotive, medical devices, computer software, and consumer products. He regularly advises inventors, startups, and multinational companies on the development and strategic management of global patent portfolios and has been recognized as a leading patent practitioner in Michigan.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Judge Melissa Pope to the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board.
Pope is chief judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Cooley Law School.
Pope is reappointed as a person with experience handling the problems of domestic violence and/or sexual violence for a term commencing May 14, 2026, and expiring December 4, 2028.
The Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board coordinates and monitors programs and services for the prevention of domestic and sexual violence and the treatment of victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Board administers grants awarded under the Violence Against Women Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and other governmental and non-governmental grants.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
The Oakland County Bar Assocition is pleased to announce its 2026 Board of Directors election results. Those elected to three-year terms ending June 30, 2029, are:
Kari L. Melkonian, Fieger Law
Syeda F. Davidson, ACLU of Michigan
Emily E. Long, Long Law PLLC
Matthew P. Allen, Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone PLC
Moheeb H. Murray, Bush Seyferth PLLC
As part of the program, Butzel will be leading an panel discussion centered on the legal and business issues impacting suppliers right now. Attorneys representing Butzel’s Automotive Industry Team will share practical insights and perspectives on navigating today’s complex supply chain environment, alongside critical workforce issues such as wage pressures, non-compete developments, talent mobility and availability, and the labor movement in the Southeast.
Speaking on the panel will be Butzel shareholders David J. DeVine and Blake Padget, along with Monica S. Batsford, associate general counsel, Forvia; Nicoletta Milanesio Berrino, director of legal, general counsel and corporate secretary North America MAHLE Industries Inc.; and Mark Hebert, chief commercial officer, Carlex Glass America LLC.
• • •
The online legal industry platform Leading Lawyers recently named several local Plunkett Cooney attorneys to its 2026 list of top Michigan attorneys:
D. Jennifer Andreou (Detroit) - Medical Malpractice Defense Law
Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. (Bloomfield Hills) - Professional Malpractice Defense: Including Legal/Technical/Financial
Douglas C. Bernstein (Bloomfield Hills) - Banking & Financial Institutions Law / Bankruptcy & Workout Law: Commercial / Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections Law
Matthew J. Boettcher (Bloomfield Hills) - Commercial Litigation
Charles W. Browning (Bloomfield Hills) - Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law
Henry B. Cooney (Bloomfield Hills) - ADR Law: Commercial Litigation / ADR Law: Personal Injury / Commercial Litigation / Products Liability Defense Law
Jeffrey C. Gerish (Bloomfield Hills) - Civil Appellate Law / Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law
Howard B. Goldman (Bloomfield Hills) - Real Estate Law: Commercial / Real Estate Law: Finance
Jeffrey S. Hengeveld (Bloomfield Hills) - Professional Malpractice Defense Law: Including Legal/Technical/Financial
Willard S. Holt III (Bloomfield Hills) - Association & Non-Profit Law / Tax Law: Business / Tax Law: Individual / Trust, Will & Estate Planning Law
Mark S. Kopson (Bloomfield Hills) - Health Law
Scott K. Lites (Bloomfield Hills) - Closely & Privately Held Business Law / Corporate Finance Law /Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Frank T. Mamat (Bloomfield Hills) - Labor Law: Management
Mary Massaron (Bloomfield Hills) - Civil Appellate Law / Appellate Law
Kenneth C. Newa (Bloomfield Hills) - Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law / Toxic Torts Defense Law
Michael K. Sheehy (Detroit) - Transportation Defense Law: Including Aviation/FELA/Maritime
• • •
Assistant Attorney General Eric Sterbis was recently awarded a Merit Service Award by the Troy Police Department, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The award recognizes Sterbis’ work in dismantling a large-scale criminal organization responsible for the thefts of hundreds of vehicles in Southeast Michigan and losses exceeding $40 million.
The Troy Police Department began investigating the auto theft ring in August 2023 and partnered with Sterbis and the Attorney General’s FORCE Team in early 2024 to bring down the expansive criminal organization. The ring targeted new vehicle storage lots at manufacturing facilities, car dealerships, parking lots, and individual residences. To date, more than 40 individuals have been charged in connection with the criminal organization and several members have been sentenced.
Having served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for more than 17 years, Sterbis has experience prosecuting a variety of criminal offenses. He began working at the Department of Attorney General in 2021 and is currently assigned to the attorney general’s FORCE Team, which targets criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit.
Sterbis is one of the two assistant attorneys general who serve the unit full time, working with special agents within the Department of Attorney General and Michigan State Police detectives to investigate and prosecute these crimes. The FORCE team also partners with the FBI’s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force and the Postal Inspection Service. This is a first-in-the-nation unit, unique in the 50 states as being the first such unit with embedded, dedicated staff from the Department of Attorney General.
Sterbis earned his bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice from Western Illinois University before receiving his law degree at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
• • •
Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith PC welcomes attorney Allison M. Morris.
Morris is in the firm’s Southfield office, representing her clients through all phases of insurance defense litigation. She concentrates her practice on matters in Third and First-Party No-Fault litigation, transportation and insurance law. Prior to attending law school, she had previously spent a number of years on an insurance defense team as a legal assistant and law clerk.
Morris earned her law degree from Cooley Law School and her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.
• • •
Bush Seyferth is proud to congratulate attorney Heather Gin on her election as president-elect of the Detroit Bar Association (DBA) Barristers—the DBA’s section dedicated to new lawyers.
Gin previously served as secretary for the 2025–2026 Barristers Board. In her new role as president-elect, she will also serve as an ex-officio member of the Detroit Bar Association’s Board of Directors—with full voting rights on matters before the DBA Board.
Gin will begin exercising her duties this September. She will then succeed to the role of president beginning June 2027.
• • •
American Bonanza Society has published an article by Brooks Kushman attorney, and aviation expert, William G. Abbatt on utilizing artificial intelligence in aircraft use.
Abbatt is a shareholder at Brooks Kushman with more than 35 years of experience in intellectual property law. His practice encompasses all aspects of domestic and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, IP-related due diligence, client counseling, licensing, and patent litigation.
Abbatt has worked with a range of technologies and industries, including aeronautics, automotive, medical devices, computer software, and consumer products. He regularly advises inventors, startups, and multinational companies on the development and strategic management of global patent portfolios and has been recognized as a leading patent practitioner in Michigan.
• • •
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Judge Melissa Pope to the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board.
Pope is chief judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Cooley Law School.
Pope is reappointed as a person with experience handling the problems of domestic violence and/or sexual violence for a term commencing May 14, 2026, and expiring December 4, 2028.
The Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board coordinates and monitors programs and services for the prevention of domestic and sexual violence and the treatment of victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Board administers grants awarded under the Violence Against Women Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and other governmental and non-governmental grants.
This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
• • •
The Oakland County Bar Assocition is pleased to announce its 2026 Board of Directors election results. Those elected to three-year terms ending June 30, 2029, are:
Kari L. Melkonian, Fieger Law
Syeda F. Davidson, ACLU of Michigan
Emily E. Long, Long Law PLLC
Matthew P. Allen, Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone PLC
Moheeb H. Murray, Bush Seyferth PLLC
