Six Dykema Attorneys Recognized Among Top 50 Women Super Lawyers 2010

Press Releases

11.09.10

DETROIT—Dykema, a leading national law firm, announces that the following six attorneys are among those receiving the highest point totals in the Michigan Super Lawyers nomination, research and blue ribbon review process. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

The Dykema attorneys receiving this recognition are:

Maria B. Abrahamsen, whose practice is devoted to representation of health care facilities and practitioners in corporate and regulatory matters, with emphasis on medical staff, reimbursement, and regulation of hospital-physician financial relationships. She is a member of the firm's Executive Board and was Leader of the Health Care Practice Group from 2000 to 2004. Ms. Abrahamsen's practice is located in the Bloomfield Hills office.

Marie R. Deveney, whose principal areas of practice include gift, estate and generation skipping transfer tax planning, probate and trust administration, wills and trust agreements, and retirement distribution planning. She is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, the Washtenaw County Bar Association, and the State Bar of Michigan. She is also a member of the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education's Probate & Estate Planning Advisory Board. Ms. Deveney practices from the Ann Arbor office.

Kathryn J. Humphrey, whose Michigan-based practice includes complex and high-stakes matters in aviation, pharmaceuticals, automotive and industrial products, construction and commercial disputes, and environmental litigation. She has successfully defended product liability claims concerning chemicals, natural gas, automobiles, trucks, general aviation aircraft, airline, executive jet and cargo aircraft, paper-making machinery and materials handling equipment. As a litigation lawyer active in state and federal courts, she has handled multi-million dollar construction and contract law disputes, trademark and RICO matters, and has defended banks, small and large businesses, standards setting and testing organizations, nonprofit corporations, governmental entities, and global corporations. Ms. Humphrey has served for six years as a Practice Group Leader for the 150-member Litigation Practice Group. She practices out of the Detroit office.

Margaret Adams Hunter, who heads the Employee Benefits Practice and is the Assistant Practice Group Leader of the Tax Department. She focuses on the design, implementation and administration of pension plans, welfare plans, fringe benefit plans, stock compensation plans and executive compensation arrangements for publicly owned, nonprofit, private and governmental employers. She also performs compliance audits on employee benefit plans and counsels clients regarding voluntary and involuntary compliance programs sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor. She works closely with automotive suppliers in the negotiation of unfunded liability securitization claims by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Ms. Hunter's practice is located in the Detroit office.

Lori McAllister is resident in the Lansing, Michigan office and is the firm's General Counsel.  She has practiced law with Dykema since 1986. Ms. McAllister focuses on complex commercial litigation and the defense of class action lawsuits. She also serves as outside general counsel to both public and privately held companies, advising on such issues as corporate governance, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, and audit committee responsibilities. Ms. McAllister recently served as lead defense counsel in a class action lawsuit filed against the insurance industry, which resulted in a complete defense victory and a reported decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals establishing the framework for the application of the federal racketeering laws to the automobile insurance industry.

Marilyn Peters is one of the leaders of the firm in complex commercial litigation, including various business, financial institution and supplier disputes, has worked on putative class action in the consumer protection and financial areas, in federal and state courts both in Michigan and other states, has handled all aspects of such litigation, including review of contract rights, negotiations, preliminary injunction hearings, and trials. She has done complex commercial litigation for some of the firmfs largest banking clients, has represented mortgage brokers and investment advisors in putative class actions, and has represented other clients, including General Motors Corporation, in numerous supplier and contract issues. In addition, she has been involved in a wide variety of other commercial litigation, including those arising from the sale, acquisition and merger of entities, consumer lending, consumer goods, environmental and construction litigation. Ms. Peters practices from the Bloomfield Hills office.