In the News

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is proud to announce that Justice Phylis J. Speedlin and Dan G. Webster, were each honored by the San Antonio Business Journal with Lifetime Achievement Awards at its 2017 Outstanding Lawyers Awards reception. Donna J. McElroy was also present at the Awards ceremony, as she also received one of San Antonio Business Journal’s 2017 Outstanding Lawyers Awards.

Thomas S. Vaughn, Detroit-based member and co-leader of Dykema's M&A practice, discussed the decline in M&A activity in Bloomberg BNA’s Corporate Practice section article, “U.S. Deal Value Plunges in Third Quarter.”

Andrew P. Scott, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Real Estate Practice Group, reveals what a city can expect after winning its bid to accommodate a major employer in the Realtor.com article, “Amazon Presents a Prime Opportunity to Transform a City's Housing Market—but Where?”.

Dykema Attorneys Jonathan S. Feld, Monica B. Wilkinson, Lea F. Courington and Alison L. Carruthers have co-authored the article “Rise Of The Travel Act” for Law Journal Newsletters’ Business Crime column.

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and former associate general counsel at Rackspace, was quoted at length in the IAM article “The (Not So) Secret Source.”

Nick Wittner, Bloomfield Hills-based of counsel, and Tom Alleman, Dallas-based member and Director of Dykema’s Insurance Industry Group, will both serve as featured speakers at the Autonomous Vehicle Safety Regulation World Congress. The event is set to be held at The Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich., October 23-24.

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member in the firm's Litigation Practice Group, was tapped by Texas Law Book to comment on President Trump’s selection of Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett and Dallas lawyer James Ho as candidates for the 5th circuit court. The article was also published by the Dallas Business Journal.

Steve Zeller, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Department, was quoted in the Westlaw Journal IP article, “Attorneys Weigh In on Impact of Federal Circuit Patent Venue Ruling.”

Edwin J. Tomko, Dallas-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Business Litigation group—and former prosecutor, stated he was hopeful about Trump’s nominee for the Northern District of Texas in the Dallas Business Journal article, “Erin Nealy Cox Nominated To Be Northern District of Texas U.S. Attorney.”

Jeffrey Gifford, San Antonio-based member and co-leader of Dykema’s M&A practice group, predicts that more “natural disaster” clauses will become standard for M&A contracts in his comments to American Banker for its article, “Bank M&A to Slacken During Irma, Harvey Recoveries.”

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member in the Litigation Practice Group, commented on the Law360 article, “NFL Could Face Another Prolonged Fight In Latest Labor Tiff.”

Jill M. Wheaton, Ann Arbor-based member in Dykema’s Litigation Department and Leader of the firm’s Appellate practice, and Mark Magyar, Grand Rapids-based member in Dykema’s Business and Commercial Litigation practice, secured a winning verdict for client MLive in its Freedom of Information Act claim against the City of Grand Rapids.

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member in the Litigation Practice Group, commented on the President’s proposals for judges in the Texas Lawyer article, “Trump Nominates 5 Texans to the Federal Bench.” Kratovil evaluates some of the nominees, and looks forward to having the current vacancies filled.

Dykema is paying close attention to the Hurricane Harvey aftermath and the looming threats of Hurricanes Irma and Jose. The firm has actively shared legal considerations through a series of alerts relevant to a variety of affected business entities; including sharing a non-exclusive checklist for lenders and servicers, a “tip sheet” on disaster-related force majeure declarations pertinent to suppliers and manufacturers; and an update on tax relief programs available to employers wishing contribute to relief efforts for victims of natural disasters.

Elizabeth Khalil, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy Practice Group, and a former federal banking regulator at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, was quoted in the Compliance Week article, “Federal Reserve Rethinks Oversight by Bank Boards.”

Jason E. Grinnell, Los Angeles-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Real Estate practice group, provides his perspective on the widespread problem of bankruptcies among retailers of all sizes in the Law360 story, “3 Things Developers Are Eyeing Amid Retail Bankruptcy Wave.”

Grant P. Gilezan, Detroit-based member and leader of Dykema’s Environmental Practice Group was quoted extensively in the Law360 article, “3 Questions Environmental Attorneys Have About CERCLA.”

Thomas B. Alleman, Dallas-based member in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group and Director of the Firm’s Insurance Industry Group, contributed the article “A Non-Exclusive Checklist of Post-Harvey Items For Lenders and Servicers to Remember From Harvey’s Ancestors – Katrina, Rita and Ike” to the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) newsletter.

Allan Gabriel, Los Angeles-based member and Director of Dykema’s Intellectual Property Department, was quoted in the Law360 article, “Met With Praise, Trump's USPTO Pick Still Draws Questions.”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is pleased to announce that is was recognized in the BTI Consulting report BTI Most Recommended Law Firms 2017 for the third-consecutive year. Dykema is one of only 84 Firms in the nation to have been recommended by top legal decision makers—in an unprompted manner—three years in a row or more.

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member in the Litigation Practice Group, and Jill M. Wheaton, Ann Arbor-based member in Dykema’s Litigation Department and Leader of the firm’s Appellate practice, were featured in the Grand Rapids Legal News story, “Dykema Shares Supreme Court Cases That Affect Civil Litigation.”

San Antonio-based Dykema attorneys René Ruiz, Marty Truss, David West, and Josué Galván were interviewed for the article “Texas Lawyers Win Asylum for Family Threatened by Taliban,” featured in Texas Lawyer.

Bonnie Mayfield, Detroit-based member of Dykema’s Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, and Chair the International Association of Defense Counsel's (IADC) Diversity Committee, authored an update about the Diversity Committee’s activity for the year on the IADC website.

Erin Fonté, Texas-based member in Dykema’s Corporate Finance Practice Group, and Elizabeth Khalil, Chicago-based attorney in the Firm’s Government Policy & Practice, co-authored the Law360 article, “New Reg CC Brings New Liability Considerations For Banks,” which previously appeared as a Dykema Blog.

Arlene Switzer Steinfield, Dallas-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Labor and Employment Practice, discusses the separate factors of intention and timing as they affect evidence of retaliation in the Society for Human Resource Management piece, “Plaintiffs Can Now Receive Emotional Distress Damages in Wage and Hour Retaliation Claims.”

Thomas B. Alleman, Dallas-based member in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group and Director of the Firm’s Insurance Industry Group, discussed the necessity of additional insurance protection for the construction industry in the Law360 article, “A General Contractor's Guide To Additional Insured Coverage.”

Gary P. Gordon, Lansing-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy practice, and former Chief Deputy Attorney General for the State of Michigan, was quoted in the Detroit News article, “Kid Rock for U.S. Senate? Try Bob Ritchie.”

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, and former chair of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute, was quoted at length in the Society for Human Resource Management story, “Senate Confirms Kaplan to NLRB: Decisions Likely to Be Overturned.”

Jason T. Hanselman, Lansing-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy & Practice group, was the subject of a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Sidebar column, following his election as president of the Ingham County Bar Foundation.

Terri S. Reiskin, Washington, D.C.-based member and leader of Dykema’s Products, Class Actions & Professional Liability Practice Group, was quoted in the National Law Journal story, “Consolidated Trials Drawing Fire From Defense as Unfair.”

The week of July 24, 2017, marks the 50th anniversary of a period of unrest in Detroit, leading to an uprising that gripped the city and the nation. At the time, Dykema was a much smaller firm than it is today, consisting of only between 40-50 attorneys. Many Dykema attorneys volunteered their time to represent those arrested, some of whom were just in the wrong place at the wrong time during law enforcement sweeps of affected areas.

Arlene Switzer Steinfield, Dallas-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Labor and Employment Practice, was interviewed by Dentist’s Money Digest for their segment, “Ask an Expert: Dealing with Internal Discrimination Complaints.”

Elizabeth Khalil, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy Practice Group, was quoted extensively in the BloombergBNA Banking Report article, “At 2017’s Mid-Point, Some Key Cases on Bank Radar Screens.”

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, was interviewed by Automotive World for the article “Industry ‘Unprepared’ for Imminent Autonomous Vehicle Patent Boom.”

James G. Aldrich, Jr., Bloomfield Hills-based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group and Leader of the Firm's Immigration Team, was quoted in the Michigan Radio story, “More H-2B Visas Could Offer Relief for Michigan Tourism Industry.”

Wilhelm E. Liebmann, San Antonio-based member of the Business Services Department and Leader of the Corporate Finance Practice Group, was quoted extensively in the Texas CEO Magazine article, “How to Increase the Value of Your Business: Preparing for an M&A Transaction.”

Thomas B. Alleman, Dallas-based member in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group and Director of the firm’s Insurance Industry Group, points out possible areas of uncertainty, incidental to the CFPB’s new arbitration rule banning companies from denying consumers the right to sue, in the Auto Finance News article, “Arbitration Rule to Prompt Confusion for Renegotiated Terms.”

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, and former chair of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute, comments upon the Department of Labor’s brief asking the 5th Circuit Court to ignore the overtime salary thresholds stipulated in the DOL’s job re-classification rules—while retaining the authority to set salaries limit—in the Business Insurance article, “Labor Department Overtime Brief Leaves Issue in Flux.”

San Antonio-based Dykema attorneys Jane Bockus and Deborah Williamson were quoted in the Rivard Report article, “New Jewish Youth Center Honors Respected Community Leader.”

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office, and member in the Litigation Practice Group, was tapped by Law360 to analyze some of the decisions handed down in the 2017 Session of the Texas Supreme Court in its midyear report, “Top Texas Supreme Court Rulings Of 2017.”

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, and former chair of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute, was quoted in the Society for Human Resource Management article, “DOJ Abandons Defense of Increased Salary Level in 2016 Overtime Rule.”

On the 241st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Dykema was extremely proud to once again partner with the National Archives Foundation and our client, John Hancock, for the July 4th at the National Archives celebration.

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, discusses how a landmark case, Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International, Inc, could impact automakers in the Mobility Finance article, “How a Supreme Court Case Could Transform AV Ownership.”

From June 23-25, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum conducted its fourth year of airshow performances over the Detroit River in connection with the GM River Days festival. Dykema coordinated the FAA waiver for the show. The 135,000 people in attendance saw aerobatic performances, World War II aircraft, formation demonstrations, and even a U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight consisting of a rare TF-51D Mustang flying in formation with two A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.

Brian A. Colao, Dallas-based member and Director of the firm's Dental Service Organizations Industry Group, appeared in a Dentist’s Money Digest video interview in which he weighed the factors involved in selecting the best location for a dental practice.

James M. (Marty) Truss, San Antonio-based member and Co-Leader of Dykema’s Energy Industry Group, was cautiously optimistic in the San Antonio Express-News and the Laredo Morning Times article “How Big Was the Oil Boom in South Texas? A New Report Has the Numbers.”

Arlene Switzer Steinfield, Dallas-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Labor and Employment Practice, was the subject of a Dentist’s Money Digest video interview in which she provided examples of employment situations dental professionals face which might require the counsel of an L&E lawyer.

Marsha G. Gentner, Washington, D.C.-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, was quoted in three leading IP publications following the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Matal v. Tam, which deemed that the Lanham Act's ban on disparaging trademarks being registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office violates the First Amendment.

Erin Fonté, Austin-based Leader of Dykema’s Financial Services Regulatory and Compliance Group and Co-Leader of the firm’s Privacy and Data Security Practice, and who also serves on the Federal Reserve’s Faster Payments Task Force, explains why the state of Texas is an attractive location for Fintech companies in the deBanked article, “The ‘Loan’ Star State – Texas is an alternative finance nexus.”

During Dykema's 4th Annual Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations, Brian Colao, Dallas-based member and Director of the firm's Dental Service Organizations Industry Group, sat down with Dentist's Money Digest to discuss the importance of hiring attorneys familiar with dental regulations.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is proud to announce that pro bono clients Samira Hakimi and her two sons, four and eight years old, and Nazifa Nabizada and her 10-month old son were granted asylum in the United States after more than five months of detention in the Karnes County Detention Facility. Rene Ruiz and James “Marty" Truss, San Antonio-based members in the firm’s Government Policy & Practice group, represented the Hakimi family. David West, a member in Dykema Cox Smith’s Financial Services Litigation practice, and Josué Galván, a Commercial Litigation associate, represented the Nabizada family.

Jacqueline M. Allen, Dallas-based attorney in Dykema’s Corporate Finance Practice Group, authored a Law360 column, “NetSpend Case Has Relevance Beyond Prepaid Card Industry.”

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, and former chair of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute, was quoted at length in the Crain’s Detroit Business article, “Overtime Limbo: Court Case Over Proposed Eligibility Rule Change Remains Unresolved.”

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, and former chair of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute, was quoted in the Society for Human Resource Management article, “DOL Will Submit Request for Information on Overtime Rule.”

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, and former chair of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute, was quoted in the Society for Human Resource Management article, “Labor Department Revokes Expansive Definitions of ‘Employer.’”

Elizabeth Khalil, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy Practice Group, was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA: Banking article, “CFPB: Look to Enforcement for Compliance Path.”

Dykema’s Fourth Annual Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations is one of the summer conferences recommended by Group Dentistry Now. The meeting, scheduled June 15–16 in New Orleans, LA, will explore legal, regulatory, financial and other dental industry concerns.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that the firm’s Immigration and Automotive Product Liability Litigation practices have been ranked by the Legal 500 United States 2017 (The Legal 500). In addition to the practice rankings, eight total Dykema attorneys received individual recognition within the two practice categories, including naming Kathleen Campbell Walker as a “Leading Lawyer” in Immigration.

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, was interviewed on WOAI’s CyberTalkRadio program.

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, was mentioned in the Community Impact Newspaper article, “Economic Outlook Forum speakers talk about job forecasts, growth in Houston.”

John (Jack) P. Schaedel, Los Angeles-based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment practice group, was quoted at in the USA Today article, “Roger Ailes' death complicates sexual harassment cases against him.”

Dykema is proud to announce that it was honored by the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission for being one of 47 firms to participate in the 2016 Raising the Bar in D.C. campaign.

World Champion Quarterback, Broadcaster, and Entrepreneur, Joe Theismann has committed to speak at Dykema's 4th Annual Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations in New Orleans this June.

Brendan J. Cahill, Bloomfield Hills-based member in Dykema’s Corporate Finance practice and director of the firm’s Automotive Industry group, was quoted extensively in the Automotive News report, “Self-Driving Technology Could Boost Market for Mergers and Acquisitions.”