Shanna Boughton, '02, joined LeClairRyan as a partner on the firm's Financial Services Litigation and Regulation Practice Area and Banking Industry teams. She is in the national law firm's Boston office. An experienced litigator, Boughton concentrates her practice on lender liability defense, complex commercial litigation, insurance defense and bankruptcy matters. She has successfully defended lenders and servicers in allegations of fraud, predatory lending, and alleged violations of Truth in Lending and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act in both state and federal courts. She also represents secured and unsecured creditors in all facets of bankruptcy matters including motions for relief from stay, proof of claim filings, and adversary proceedings. Additionally, Boughton has successfully represented clients in a wide range of complex litigation matters including products liability, premises liability, construction disputes, automobile torts, coverage disputes, and bad faith claims. She also handles complex business disputes involving contract, tort and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Boughton has appeared on "Practical Law," a series featuring leaders in the legal community, to speak on the implications of the Bankruptcy Reform Act. She also regularly volunteers with Boston Cares, an organization which promotes community service throughout the greater Boston area through coordinated team volunteer efforts.
May 21, 2013
Elissa Pinto, '01, was elected shareholder at Butzel Long.Based in the firm's Detroit office, Pinto concentrates her practice on immigration law. She has focused her immigration practice on business immigration, and has gained extensive experience representing local, national and international companies in obtaining authorization for foreign national employees to work temporarily and permanently in the United States, through various work-authorized visa classifications - including H-1B, TN, L-1 and O-1 - and employment-based permanent residence processes, including Multinational Manager/Executive, Extraordinary Ability Alien and Outstanding Researcher and PERM Alien Labor Certifications.
May 21, 2013
Melissa Graves, '02, was installed as president of the Women's Bar Association. She is an attorney with Collins Einhorn Farrell. Graves concentrates her practice on the defense of professional liability claims and has represented both attorneys and health care professionals. She also is involved in the defense of general liability matters. In the past year, Graves has been selected among the "Rising Stars" by Michigan Super Lawyers and as a Top Lawyer by DBusiness.
May 21, 2013
Michael Khoury, '82, was named co-practice group coordinator for Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss PC's Emerging and Growth Business Practice Group. He is a partner with the firm. Khoury is also a member of the Corporate and Intellectual Property and Information Technology Practice Groups, specializing his practice in commercial, business and technology matters including start-ups and emerging businesses. He is a former chair of the State Bar of Michigan's Business Law Section and Information Technology Law Section, as well as a member of advisory boards for several entrepreneurial organizations.
May 17, 2013
Sara Kruse, '96, was named co-practice group coordinator for Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss PC's Emerging and Growth Business Practice Group. Kruse, a partner with the firm, has developed a robust practice in guiding her clients through large corporate transactions, where she represents both private and public companies in all aspects of their legal needs - from formation to equity financing to acquisition. Kruse is also a member of the Corporate and Securities and Regulations Practice Groups at the firm. She is also a long-standing and active member of Jaffe's Women's Caucus Group, which was recently awarded the Inaugural Women's Resource Center Award by the Michigan Women's Foundation. She has represented several clients in complex business transactions that have received Crain's Detroit Business Merger & Acquisition awards, including multiple ‘Deal of the Year' recognitions.
May 17, 2013
Michael Maddin, '65, was selected again for inclusion in "Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business." He is president emeritus and founder of Maddin Hauser Wartell Roth & Heller PC, and represents the firm's Real Estate Group.
May 14, 2013
Mark Hauser, '67, was selected again for inclusion in "Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business." He is managing director and founder of Maddin Hauser Wartell Roth & Heller PC, and represents the firm's Real Estate Group.
May 14, 2013
Marc Wise, '93, was selected for inclusion in "Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business." He is a shareholder with Maddin Hauser Wartell Roth & Heller PC, and was honored in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice area.
May 14, 2013
Brian Kreucher, '90, has joined Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC. He practices out of the firm's Royal Oak Office. For the last 23 years, Kreucher has helped employers minimize the legal risks involved in employment decisions while maintaining business goals. He helps many clients "prevent fires" by functioning as an extension of their human resources and in-house legal team. Kreucher also assists clients in navigating employment laws, restrictive employment covenants, sales commissions laws, internal investigations and employee performance issues. Kreucher also routinely represents employers when confronted with state civil rights charges, unfair labor practice proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, EEOC investigations and discrimination charges, labor arbitrations and commercial and general litigation matters. Kreucher's representative clients range from small businesses to a large multinational Tier 1 automobile supplier, one of the nation's largest security firms as well as a Fortune 500 company, which provides integrated logistics, warehousing and transportation solutions.
May 10, 2013
Jeffrey Hicks, '97, joined Dart Container Corp. as assistant general counsel for Corporate Real Estate. Hicks has practiced extensively in the areas of real estate and business law for 15 years. He is a former managing partner of the Lansing firm Hicks & Mullett PLLC.
May 9, 2013
Lisa Hamameh, '00, joined Foster Swift's Farmington Hills office as a senior attorney. She is a member of the firm's Administrative and Municipal practice group. Hamameh brings more than 10 years of experience practicing law in the following areas: municipal law, land use and zoning, liquor license acquisition and transfers, appeals and violation defense. landlord-tenant and summary proceedings, real estate litigation, criminal prosecution and defense, homeowners and condominium association representation. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Macomb County Bar Association, American Bar Association and Arab American Bar Association. Hamameh is also a member of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys; American Institute of Architects; Sterling Heights, Shelby, Utica Chamber of Commerce; and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce. Hamameh is a contributing co-author in the following Institute of Continuing Legal Education Publications: Michigan Municipal Law 2012 and Michigan Criminal Procedure 2010. In 2011, she received Oakland County Bar Association's Frances Avadenka Memorial Award for significant contributions to the community beyond the legal profession. She has also been included as a "Michigan Rising Star" by Michigan Super Lawyers for 2011 and 2012.
May 8, 2013
Suzanne Nolan, '97, joined the Detroit office of Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook. Nolan has substantial experience and regularly performs legal services for healthcare providers and technology companies on a wide variety of transactional and regulatory compliance matters including entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, real estate, contracts and corporate governance. Combining these skills and experience, Nolan will devote a substantial portion of her practice to advising and assisting health care providers on the creation, protection and licensing of all types of intellectual property; the development, distribution, buying, selling and licensing of technology goods and services; and on health care information technology including the privacy and security of healthcare information.
May 8, 2013
Pamela Enslen, '81, has been named resident director of the Kalamazoo office of Miller Canfield, overseeing the overall operations of the 34 lawyer and 25 staff member-office. Enslen is a principal at Miller Canfield and a member of the firm's Litigation and Trial Group. She originally joined the firm in 1985. In 2001, she left to be a public defender in federal courts before returning to Miller Canfield in 2003. She now represents companies and executives in various commercial disputes, including employment cases and white collar criminal defense.
May 7, 2013
Sarah Deson-Fried, '87, was hired by the Ann Arbor office of Schiff Hardin LLP. Deson-Fried has extensive experience practicing transactional real estate law on a national basis. She has represented a wide variety of clients, including buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, borrowers, lenders, developers, franchisors and franchisees in connection with office, industrial, retail, residential and multi-family real estate matters. Deson-Fried also is an experienced business consultant who advises with respect to major business operations and strategy. She is a former board member of the Michigan Economic Growth Authority and former treasurer of the Michigan Humanities Council.
May 7, 2013
Gary Peters, '89, will receive an honorary degree and give the commencement address when Lawrence Technological University holds its 81st commencement May 11. Peters represents the 14th congressional district that includes Pontiac, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, half of Detroit, and the Grosse Pointes. Shortly after arriving in Congress in 2009, he worked with the Obama Administration to ensure the survival of Michigan's auto industry, making sure that manufacturers received loans they needed. He is running for a Senate seat. For 22 years, Peters was an investment advisor, helping families save for retirement and provide for their children's college education. He was elected to the Rochester Hills City Council in 1991 and to the Michigan State Senate in 1994. He later served as the Michigan State Lottery commissioner. Peters served as a Seabee combat warfare specialist and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he signed up to again serve in the Reserve.
May 7, 2013
Milton Mack Jr., '75,
is this year's winner of the Judicial Award for Contributions in Law and Aging given by Elder Law of Michigan. Mack is Wayne County Probate Court chief judge. He earned the award for "his unyielding work protecting vulnerable adults, especially those with mental illnesses, that has contributed to improved treatment for those who need it most."
April 30, 2013
Sanford Mall, '66, was awarded the Advocacy Award by Elder Law of Michigan honoring his work as an advocate for laws, regulations and protections for older adults and people with disabilities, as well as his work as an attorney in private practice and generous pro bono service. Mall is founder and senior partner of Mall Malisow & Cooney P.C., a Holistic elder care special needs and estate planning law firm in Farmington Hills.
April 30, 2013
Damon Keith, '56, (LL.M.) will be honored May 1 with a 2013 Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit. The award will be presented in Washington, D.C., during Law Day 2013 by the Washington Bar Association and the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation. Criteria for the annual award include a jurisprudence that recognizes law as an organism for social justice through social engineering; impels and challenges people to leadership and service for the betterment of the human race, and serves and operates to disrobe and destroy the human-perceived encumbrances and trappings of birth, origin, color, creed or religion. A native Detroiter, Keith has served as a Court of Appeals judge since 1977. Before that, he was chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Keith, for whom the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School is named, is known for vigorously enforcing the nation's civil rights laws, most notably in the areas of employment and education.
April 29, 2013
Wayne Budd, '67, is being awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Boston College during its May commencement. The legal career of Budd, a graduate of Boston College, has run the gamut from corporate counsel to associate U.S. attorney general, from business executive to Massachusetts' chief federal prosecutor. Along the way, Budd has served as a mentor, advocate and advisor in support of education, civil rights, and the development of the next generation of business and civic leaders. Currently senior counsel at the Boston law firm of Goodwin Procter, LLP, Budd has lent his expertise to federal and state agencies on sentencing guidelines, civil service regulation and public health. He is a board member for the New England Innocence Project and the pre-collegiate program Squash Busters Inc., and a former chairman and board member of The Partnership, a leadership development initiative for African-American men.
April 26, 2013
Joyce Draganchuk, '86, will preside over Ingham County's new business court. She was elected in November 2004 as an Ingham County Circuit Court judge.