Chambers USA Ranks 17 Dykema Attorneys and 10 Practices in 2019 Edition

Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that 17 attorneys from multiple offices and practice areas received individual rankings and 10 practice areas have been recognized in the 2019 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guide.

Published annually, Chambers has been ranking the best law firms and lawyers since 1990, and now covers 185 jurisdictions throughout the world. Chambers ranks both lawyers and law firms based on the investigations of more than 200 researchers who conduct in-depth confidential interviews with lawyers and clients.

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Chambers USA recognized the following Dykema practices:

USA - Nationwide

• Product Liability & Mass Torts

District of Columbia

• Insurance: Insurer

Illinois

• Real Estate

Michigan

• Banking & Finance
• Corporate/M&A
• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• Labor & Employment
• Litigation: General Commercial
• Real Estate

Texas

• Bankruptcy/Restructuring

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Chambers USA recognized the following Dykema attorneys, as identified by jurisdiction and practice area:

USA - Nationwide

• Lance Boldrey—Native American Law

District of Columbia

• Lewis K. Loss—Insurance: Insurer
• Thomas J. Judge— Insurance: Insurer

Illinois

• Michael S. Kurtzon—Real Estate

Michigan

• J. Michael Bernard—Corporate/M&A
• Robert A. Boonin—Labor & Employment
• Amy M. Christen—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• Adam M. Fishkind—Real Estate
• James P. Feeney—Litigation: General Commercial
• Dennis M. Haffey—Litigation: General Commercial
• Kyle R. Hauberg—Real Estate
• Margaret Adams Hunter—Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• Jin-Kyu Koh—Corporate/M&A
• Cameron H. Piggott—Real Estate
• Thomas S. Vaughn—Corporate/M&A

Texas

• Mark E. Andrews—Bankruptcy/Restructuring
• Deborah D. Williamson—Bankruptcy/Restructuring

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Chambers USA also noted client and market perception for the following Dykema practices:

Bankruptcy/Restructuring

What the team is known for

Debtor-side representation focused on midmarket companies across a wide range of industry sectors, with significant energy, real estate and healthcare experience. Adept at advising on distressed asset acquisition and bankruptcy-related litigation. Works with debtors, creditors and committees. Also represents financial institutions, including Texas-based and community-based banks.

Notable practitioners

Deborah Williamson is a leading choice for clients facing insolvency and restructuring issues. She is based in San Antonio and has over 30 years of experience in the area.

Mark Andrews gains praise for his effective representation of creditors. He chairs the practice and regularly works on Chapter 11 proceedings.

Corporate/M&A

What the team is known for

Provides sophisticated counsel on a wide range of corporate and financing matters, including commercial loan structuring, business governance and securities issuances. Attracts a diverse client base, encompassing lenders, banks, investors and high-profile businesses. Strong private equity offering, acting on portfolio acquisitions and sales.

Strengths

A client remarks: “The team is excellent; they are very professional and extremely knowledgeable.”

Notable practitioners

As an “accomplished corporate lawyer,” Michael Bernard is recognized for his experience guiding clients in the automotive, manufacturing and technology sectors through mergers and acquisitions as well as advising on corporate governance matters.

Jin-Kyu Koh is acknowledged for advising clients in both the public and private sector through a wide range of corporate matters including entity formation and restructuring, M&A, and financing transactions. Peers applaud the strength of his practice and find him to be "very pragmatic in this approach."

Thomas Vaughn assists clients with both corporate and capital markets matters. Peers find him to be an “intelligent lawyer” and a client adds: “His strength is his knowledge of our company and his focus on doing what is right for us.”

Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

What the team is known for

Significant expertise in a wide range of employee benefits and executive compensation matters, supported by comprehensive resources in corporate finance, labor and employment and tax. Demonstrates particular strength in the formation of qualified employee benefit plans, welfare benefit schemes and issues relating to ERISA. Experience also covers health plans. Client base includes public and church-affiliated employers.

Strengths

Clients highlight the team’s “work ethic, knowledge of the law and flexibility with deadlines” as key strengths.

Notable practitioners                  

Amy Christen is noted as being “absolutely wonderful to work with” by a client, who also highlights her as a “very knowledgeable, personable and flexible” practitioner. She acts across a full spectrum of employee benefit matters, including designing health plans and fringe benefit plans.

Margaret Adams Hunter is a highly praised employee benefits lawyer and chairs the employee benefits practice at the firm. She offers leading counsel on issues such as the design, implementation and administration of pension and welfare plans.

Insurance: Insurer

What the team is known for

Strong team offers dedicated representation of insurers in complex coverage disputes and other litigation. Strong record in both professional liability and general liability claims, including particular expertise in cases involving bank failure. Frequently acts on bad faith claims.

New developments

Strengthened its DC presence following its merger with Loss, Judge and Ward in January 2019.

Strengths

Clients say: “The firm has great skill and substantive knowledge. They are very well informed on all up-to-date case law and trends,” adding: “They are also practical and realistic.”

Notable practitioners

Lewis Loss is praised as “a great thinker with vast experience and depth of knowledge” by impressed market sources. He is well regarded for his experience handling a broad range of insurance coverage matters including mediation and litigation.

Thomas Judge has substantial experience handling a range of complex coverage disputes for insurance carriers. He is noted for particular skill advising on D&O and professional liability matters. Impressed clients remark: “He has lots of practical experience he brings to the table, has a great approach and commands substantial respect,” also saying: “He is a very established lawyer and people listen to what he says.”

Labor & Employment

What the team is known for

Robust labor and employment practice popular with a diverse range of banking, higher education and technology clients. Expertise spans noncompete and trade secret claims. Notable strength in representing clients in administrative proceedings before the NLRB and Michigan Employment Relations Commission. Has recently been highly active advising on traditional labor matters, including union issues and wage and hour cases.

Notable practitioners

Robert Boonin has experience representing clients in wage and hour disputes and employment litigation involving allegations of discrimination. He also acts for employers in labor negotiations and labor strikes. His clients include school districts, universities and townships.

Litigation

What the team is known for

Thriving commercial litigation team acting for both sides in a range of high-stakes civil disputes. Possesses an excellent track record representing clients in arbitrations and mediations, as well as state and federal court cases across the USA, on a wide range of antitrust, product liability and real estate-related issues. Well known for its work advising major pharmaceutical and medical device businesses, as well as automotive companies. Also represents clients in the healthcare industry in product liability matters.

Strengths

Clients say: “The team is made up of incredibly knowledgeable and experienced attorneys.”

Notable practitioners

Dennis Haffey acts for both plaintiffs and defendants in complex business litigation. His broad practice encompasses shareholder disputes and cases involving allegations of fraud or breach of fiduciary duty. He also has experience representing clients in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, as well as handling matters at trial and appellate level.

James Feeney is a highly regarded trial lawyer with acknowledged expertise in class actions and high-profile disputes. His clients include financial institutions, real estate developers and insurance companies, among others. Impressed clients say: “He can handle any type of litigation matter and has a proven record of excellent results.”

Real Estate

What the team is known for

Full-service real estate practice, representing a range of clients such as developers, investors and owners. Draws on its impressive construction knowledge to advise on transactional real estate matters, covering property acquisition, leasing, restructurings and financings.

Undertakes the full spectrum of real estate work including commercial loan origination, foreclosures and infrastructure development. Acts for a host of transactional stakeholders, from real estate owners and investors to architects. Experienced in working with clients from the retail and utilities sectors. Known for its bench of highly experienced practitioners, and regularly acts with members of other groups within the firm to provide an integrated service.

Strengths

One client highlights the team’s strengths as “excellent team work,” further noting that the team is “timely and responsive to what I must admit are sometimes unrealistic deadlines.”

Interviewees say: “Dykema is a stellar firm housing a lot of very good lawyers.”

Notable practitioners

Adam Fishkind is noted for advising investors, owners, developers and lenders on a wide range of real estate matters. He is regularly called upon regarding the acquisition, financing and management of golf courses, industrial properties and planned developments, among other projects.

Michael Kurtzon is particularly proficient in real estate financing, and is especially well regarded for his representation of lenders. Clients comment: “He has a very calm negotiating style, he is very practical and focuses on the bigger issues.”

Cameron Piggott is experienced assisting clients with substantial real estate transactions as well as commercial and residential development matters. He also offers expertise in real estate workouts.

Kyle Hauberg represents his clients on complex real estate matters such as joint ventures, development projects and acquisitions. His varied client roster includes servicers, borrowers, lenders and investors.

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About Chambers

Chambers and Partners, the publisher of Chambers USA, is a renowned research organization headquartered in London. For more than 25 years, Chambers has published the leading directories of the legal profession—in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America. Chambers stands out for its commitment to reporting integrity and its comprehensive methodology and objective rankings process, based on in-depth interviews with clients and members of the legal community at outside law firms.