In the News

Dykema, a national law firm, announced today that it has been listed as one of the best law firms in the United States for client service performance. As part of its “2019 Client Service A-Team: The Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance” report, BTI Consulting Group has listed Dykema among the best 80 law firms for client service excellence.

Reed R. Heimbecher, managing member of Dykema’s Minneapolis office and leader of the firm’s intellectual property transactional practice group, comments on the threat to inventors who partner with unscrupulous companies promising to help manufacture and market their innovations in the Intellectual Property on Bloomberg Law article, “Whitaker Link Reflects Many Lives of Invention Marketing Scams.”

Bonnie Mayfield, Bloomfield Hills-based member of Dykema’s Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, was quoted at length in the Society for Human Resource Management story, “Educate Managers About Third-Party Harassment.”

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member of the firm's Litigation Group, was quoted in the Dallas Business Journal, Houston Chronicle and Texas Lawbook joint story, “Changes coming to courts of appeals in Dallas.”

Dykema is proud to announce that Lance Boldrey, Lansing-based leader of Dykema’s Cannabis Law practice and member of the firm’s Government Policy practice, was presented with the Pioneer Award by the Marijuana Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

Dykema is proud to announce that Richard Y. Cheng, Dallas-based member of Dykema's Cannabis Law Practice Group and the firm’s Health Care Practice Group, was included in DataBird Research Journal’s list of 250 Cannabis Law Leaders.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today Detroit- and Ann Arbor-based member in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, was selected to serve on the Board of Editors for the Bloomberg BNA treatise “The Fair Labor Standards Act.”

Luke Sosnicki, Los Angeles-based member in Dykema’s Financial Services Litigation Group, will serve as a featured speaker at the 2018 Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) West Coast eMortgage Boot Camp, which takes place November 15 in Irvine California.

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member of the firm's Litigation Group, was quoted extensively in the Dallas Business Journal and Texas Lawbook joint story, “Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson Retires.”

Allan Gabriel, Los Angeles-based member in Dykema’s Intellectual Property and IP Litigation group, was consulted by the New York Times for its Wheels column, “The Racecars Are Allards. He’s an Allard. There’s Just One Issue.”

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member of the firm's Litigation Group, shared his thoughts on the results of the 2018 midterm elections in the Texas Tribune article, “Texas Democrats’ Biggest Win On Election Night May Have Been the Courts.”

Andrew P. Scott, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Real Estate Practice Group, was quoted in the Realtor.com article, “Amazon's New Headquarters May Be a Prime Deal for Two Cities, but Where Will Workers Live?”

Donna McElroy served as a featured panelist for the San Antonio Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Section Meeting on  November 8, 2018.

Richard Y. Cheng, Dallas-based member of Dykema's Health Care Practice Group, co-presented "Enforcement & Compliance: Home Health, Hospice and Nursing Homes," at the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Enforcement Compliance Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, November 4, 2018.

Eric T. Fingerhut, Office Managing Member of Dykema's Washington, D.C., office and former leader of Dykema’s Trademark & Copyright Practice, was quoted in the World Trademark Review article “What trademark owners can learn from the Federal Circuit’s Converse decision.”

Dykema’s Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Outlook Survey results were highlighted in the Michigan Lawyers Weekly article, “Survey shows optimistic M&A outlook.” In the article, Detroit-based attorneys Thomas S. Vaughn, member and co-leader of Dykema’s M&A practice, and J. Michael Bernard, member in the Firm’s Corporate Finance Practice Group, were quoted at length discussing the survey’s findings.

Findings from Dykema’s Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Outlook Survey were referenced throughout the Business Insider article, “New research shows some purchasers are asking for ‘Weinstein Misconduct Clauses’ in M&A deals as scandals rock Silicon Valley.” In the article, Business Insider points out that only 28 percent of the executives surveyed by Dykema said they participated in a deal where a misconduct clause was proposed.

The results of  Dykema’s 14th Annual Mergers & Acquisitions Outlook were summarized in the New York Post article “Mergers, Acquisitions, Will Be Big Next Year, Experts Say.”

A recent Dykema blog post was picked up by Asset Finance International under the title “How Auto Finance Lenders Stand To Gain From Blockchain Technology.”

Thomas S. Vaughn, Detroit-based member and co-leader of Dykema's M&A practice, and Brian J. Page, Grand Rapids-based member in the Firm’s Financial Industry Group and Real Estate Practice Group and co-leader of Dykema's national Lending Team, were quoted at length in the MiBiz article, “Strong Economy Drives Deal Flow, Optimism for Continued Bullish M&A Market.”

Dykema’s Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Outlook Survey was discussed in the Law360 article, “Midterm Elections Could Fan Already Soaring M&A Optimism.” In the article, Law360 reported that optimism about M&A activity is at its highest point in the survey’s 14-year history and that the positive vibes could increase even more given the result of the upcoming midterm elections.

Richard Lieberman, Chicago-based senior counsel of Dykema’s Tax Practice group, was quoted in the Law360 article “What To Know About Building In Tax 'Opportunity Zones.'”

Jeanne M. Whalen, Bloomfield Hills-based member in Dykema’s Corporate Finance practice, was named one of 30 “Up & Coming Lawyers” for 2018 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. A luncheon celebrating the honorees will be held December 13 at the Detroit Marriott in Troy, Michigan.

Marsha G. Gentner, Washington, D.C.-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, was interviewed at length for the Life Sciences IP Review article, “Mulling the Future for Marijuana IP.”

Bonnie Mayfield, Bloomfield Hills-based member of Dykema’s Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, was consulted by Diversity Woman in its sidebar, “Confidentiality Agreements: Should They Go Away?” which accompanied the article, “Sexual Harassment at Work: Expert Advice on How to Respond.”

Bonnie Mayfield, Bloomfield Hills-based member of Dykema’s Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, and Chair of the International Association of Defense Counsel's Diversity Committee, was quoted at length in the HRDive article, “How To Hire For Diversity While Avoiding 'Reverse' Discrimination Claims.”

Bonnie Mayfield, Detroit-based member of Dykema’s Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, and Chair of the International Association of Defense Counsel's (IADC) Diversity Committee, was quoted in the Society for Human Resource Management Employment Law section, “Is Mere Existence of Anti-Harassment Policy Enough to Win Disputes?”.

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based member in Dykema’s Intellectual Property practice group, was recognized for his technological proficiency in the Lexis Nexis Business of Law Blog post, “AI in the Legal Sector.”

Jeffrey C. Gifford, San Antonio-based member and leader of Dykema’s Corporate Finance practice group, discusses next year’s mergers and acquisitions outlook, as gleaned from the firm’s 14th annual M&A Survey, in the Texas Lawyer article, “Corporate Execs Optimistic About M&A Market in 2019.”

Tom Alleman, Dallas-based member of Dykema’s Litigation Department and Director of the firm’s Insurance Industry Group, is set to present and serve on a panel at the Autonomous Vehicle Safety Regulation World Congress. The event will take place at The Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich., October 23-25, 2018.

San Antonio-based attorneys Phillip D. Hardberger and Phylis J. Speedlin, both Senior Counsel in Dykema’s Litigation Department and former Texas Fourth Court of Appeals justices, were quoted in the San Antonio Express-News story, “Retired Judge to Lead Sex Abuse Panel; Stone Called Well-Suited For Review Involving Priests, Children.”

Jill M. Wheaton, Ann Arbor-based member in Dykema’s Litigation Department and Leader of the firm’s Appellate practice, will serve as a featured speaker at the Women’s Leadership Forum: Rainmakers presented by the Oakland Women’s Bar Association. Dykema is also serving as an event sponsor.

William J. Kohler, Detroit-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Corporate Finance Practice Group and co-leader of the firm’s Mobility and Advanced Transportation Team, was quoted in the Law360 Analysis column, “3 Takeaways From DOT's New Automated Vehicles Policy.”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is proud to announce that Cynde Munzer was selected by 22nd Century Media as the winner in the Legal category for its first North Shore Women in Business Awards. Munzer was honored, along with the winners from other categories, at the 2018 North Shore Women in Business Awards last month. She and the other honorees were also recognized in 22nd Century Media’s seven North Shore newspapers published in seven northern Chicago suburbs.

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, talks to the Detroit Legal News for its article, “Robert A. Boonin on Raising of Minimum Wage,” which appeared in the publication’s Asked and Answered column.

Group Dentistry Now reported on and summarized Dykema’s 5th Annual DSO Conference in its article, “Recap of Dykema’s 5th Annual DSO Conference.” The article attributes the booming attendance at the event to the unbiased, comprehensive, and extensive roster of programs, notes its unparalleled networking opportunities, and provides a link to the official program.

When Dykema and Cox Smith combined in 2015, the integrated firm expanded capabilities and geographic reach to better address the needs and growth of the clients and communities we serve. Wanting to retain the strength of both firms’ brand names, the newly combined firm temporarily operated as “Dykema Cox Smith” in Texas.

Dykema's 6th Annual Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations presents an opportunity to learn about current best practices in the areas of legal, regulatory, compliance, tax, consumer finance, billing, operations, M&A, financial reporting and other industry-specific issues. It is an immersive event for practice owners, executives, investors and in-house counsel. If you are new to DSOs or would like to expand or improve your current organization, this event offers solutions for various levels of your organization.

Ray Bissmeyer, Member and Leader of Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, is scheduled to serve as a speaker at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Project Ability Summit on Friday, September 28.

James S. Azadian, Los Angeles-based member in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group and the firm’s nationwide appellate practice, was quoted at length in the Los Angeles Daily Journal article, “New State Law to Protect Unions Faces Legal Challenges.”

Texas-based attorneys Tom Alleman, Erin Fonté and Jerry Sanchez are all speaking at the 42nd Annual Texas Association of Bank Counsel (TABC) Convention, which takes place Sept. 20-21 at the Omni La Mansión Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Bruce L. Goldsmith, Chicago-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Real Estate practice group, was tapped by the City of Batavia, Illinois, to determine whether the town or the state is the legitimate owner of an area dam, as reported in the Kane County Chronicle article, “City to Take Responsibility for Challenge Dam.”

Erin Fonté, leader of Dykema’s Financial Services Regulatory and Compliance group, as well as its FinTech, Payments and Digital Commerce group, and co-leader of the firm’s Privacy and Data Security Practice Group, will serve as a featured speaker at the 2018 American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section Annual Meeting, on Friday, September 14, 2018.

DSONews reported on Dykema’s 5th Annual Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations with a synopsis of the sessions and respective presenters in its article, “Dykema 5th Annual Definitive Conference for DSOs.”

Craig Woods, Dallas-based member in Dykema's Dental Service Organizations Industry Group, was interviewed by DrBicuspid.com for the article, “Associate pay, Ownership Lead Small-Group Formation Issues.”

Erin Fonté, leader of Dykema’s Financial Services Regulatory and Compliance group, as well as its FinTech, Payments and Digital Commerce group, and co-leader of the firm’s Privacy and Data Security Practice Group, will serve as the closing keynote speaker at the 2018 Midwest Strategic Options Conference on Sept. 6 in Columbus, Ohio. Erin’s presentation is titled “Embracing Innovation: FinTech as Strategic Growth Opportunity.”

Rodrigo J. Figueroa, San Antonio-based member in Dykema’s Regulated Industries department and director of the firm’s Alternative & Renewable Energy group, was quoted in the Wilson County News in the article, “FELPS Considers EMS Master Key Request.”

Sheryl L. Toby, metro Detroit-based member of Dykema’s Business Services Department and Automotive Industry Group, is set to serve as a speaker at the 2018 American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

Dykema is proud to announce that it successfully represented Sterling Commercial Credit LLC and CM Sterling LLC (Sterling) in the Thirteenth District of the Texas Court of Appeals. The Dykema team on the case consisted of Aaron Kaufman (lead) and Melanie Fry.

Brett W. Schouest, San Antonio-based member in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation practice group, comments on the legal dimensions of the city’s construction upsurge in the San Antonio Business Journal article, “As San Antonio booms, What's On the Minds of Construction Law Firms?”.

Ed Weil and Mark Silverman, Chicago-based attorneys in Dykema’s Financial Industry Group, will both serve as featured moderators at the Information Management Network’s (IMN) 8th Annual Midwest Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Forum. The conference takes place Sept. 6-7, 2018, at the JW Marriott in Chicago. Dykema is also sponsoring the conference.

Mark G. Malven, leader of Dykema’s Technology and Outsourcing Transactions practice, will serve as moderator of the State Bar of Michigan Information Technology Law Section’s Annual Meeting & Seminar. The seminar will take place at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan on September 6. Dykema is sponsoring the event.

Jason T. Hanselman, Lansing-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy & Practice group, was quoted in the MLive article, “Ballot Language for Independent Redistricting Proposal Approved by State Board.”

Richard Cheng, Dallas-based member of Dykema's Health Care Practice Group, will serve as a featured speaker at the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Lone Star Summer Conference taking place August 23-24 in Grapevine, Texas. Cheng's presentation is titled “Regulatory Pitfalls Associated with Healthcare Investments & Compensation Arrangements.”

Rochelle E. Lento, Detroit-based member in Dykema’s Real Estate practice group, was named one of 30 “Women in the Law” for 2018 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Sheryl L. Toby, metro Detroit-based member of Dykema’s Business Services Department and Automotive Industry Group, served as a featured speaker at the American Bankruptcy Institute's 14th Annual Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop in Hershey, Pa., last week.

Dykema is extremely proud to announce that five of its Michigan-based employees were recognized as Unsung Legal Heroes in the July 30 issue of Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The unsung heroes program honors the state’s most talented and dedicated legal support professionals who have consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, often behind the scenes.

Jonathan Feld, Chicago-based member and leader of Dykema’s Government Investigations and Corporate Compliance group, was tapped to evaluate the impact of two directives issued by government attorneys Rachel Brand and Michael Granston in the American Lawyer article, “DOJ Memos Making More Appearances in Whistleblower Cases.”

Zachary M. Hoard, Dallas-based member in Dykema’s Business Litigation Group and the Dental Service Organizations (DSO) Industry Group, was the subject of the DrBicuspid.com article, “Lawyer Advises Growth Focus for Small-Group Formation.” During an interview at Dykema’s Fifth Annual Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations, Hoard discussed arriving at a decision to set up a DSO, and the importance of efficiency in the management of dental offices.

Dykema attorneys Steven C. Liedel, Jason Hanselman, W. Alan Wilk, and Gary P. Gordon were selected by the WMU-Cooley Law Review to receive the Distinguished Brief Award in recognition of the filing they composed for the 2017 AFT Michigan [Teachers’ Union] v. State of Michigan, Michigan Supreme Court Case No. 148748, as reported in the Detroit Legal News photo-feature, “Top Scholarly Briefs Filed Before MSC to Be Honored.”

Jeffrey Gifford, San Antonio-based member and leader of Dykema’s Corporate Finance Practice Group, is quoted extensively in the Mergermarket article, “Pressure Building for Vigorous Second Half in Energy Sector.”

Michael Weis, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Corporate Finance Practice Group, served as a featured presenter on the National Business Institute webcast, “Business Financing Fundamentals for Attorneys,” which was held Monday, July 23. The webcast was designed to serve as a fundamental financing guide designed specifically for attorneys.

Ernest Aliseda, McAllen-based member of Dykema’s Commercial Litigation Group, was the subject of the Texas Border Business article, “Judge Aliseda Secured Republican Nomination for Chief Justice of the [Texas]13th Court of Appeals.” In addition to announcing Aliseda’s nomination to run for Chief Justice in November, the story reviewed his distinguished career in the military, academia, and law.

Dykema is proud to announce that Jason Grinnell, Los Angeles-based senior counsel in Dykema's Real Estate practice group, was recently appointed to serve on the Executive Committee for the California Lawyers Association's Real Property Law Section.

Dykema attorneys R. Lance Boldrey. Brenna McGee, and Richard Y. Cheng have written, “New Bill Addresses Systemic Risk In Cannabis Banking” which appeared in Law360’s Expert Analysis column.

Dykema is proud to announce that the firm was listed as one of only 138 Signatories on the Pro Bono Institute’s 2018 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge. Since its inception, the Challenge has served as a guidepost to assist major law firms in increasing their commitment to pro bono legal services.

Leonard Wolfe, Lansing-based member of Dykema’s Government Policy & Practice Group, shared his memories with the Detroit Free Press of clerking with fellow law student Raymond Kethledge, now serving on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Kethledge was a recent contender for the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

Brian A. Colao, Dallas-based member and Director of the Dykema's Dental Service Organizations (DSO) Industry Group, discusses the fundamentals of DSOs in a lively and informative interview with the hosts of the Dental Hacks podcast. The episode is titled, “DSOs for Dummies.”

Austin-based corporate finance attorneys Erin Fonté and Brenna McGee deftly tackle a complicated subject in the Law360 Expert Analysis column, “EU Law Brings Data Sharing Pointers For US Financial Companies.”

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,  favors a posture of collaboration and counseling between the Department of Labor and employers who may be in violation of wage-and-hour laws, as noted in the Daily Labor Report article, “Prosecutors Treating ‘Wage Theft’ as a Crime in These States.”

Andrew P. Scott, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Real Estate Practice Group, discussed the challenges of building an express rail line connecting downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport in the Law360 feature, “Privately Backed Rail And Transit Projects To Watch.”

Richard Lieberman, Chicago-based senior member of Dykema’s Tax Practice group, predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court Decision obligating online businesses to charge state taxes would place a great burden on smaller online vendors in the Law360 article, “Attorneys React To Ruling In South Dakota V. Wayfair.”

Bonnie Mayfield, Detroit-based member of Dykema’s Litigation and Labor & Employment practices, volunteered her time in a mentorship program at Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School. According to the Detroit Legal News story, “Law School Hosts National Association of Women Judges MentorJet Program,” the annual session invites new attorneys, law school graduates and students to meet with established members of the legal community.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is proud to announce that it is ranked as a Top 10 U.S. firm in Law360’s “The Best Firms For Minority Attorneys” report. Dykema was listed as the eighth-best U.S. firm in the 300-599 lawyer category when it comes to the racial and ethnic minority diversity of its attorneys.

Robert A. Boonin, Detroit- and Ann Arbor–based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, delivered a speech to conference-goers on the current status of the Department of Labor, as summarized in the SHRM article, “DOL Has Been Busy During Trump Administration.”