In the News

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.

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 Dr. Bicuspid 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 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.”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is proud to announce that it is ranked as a top U.S. firm for diversity in The American Lawyer’s annual “Diversity Scorecard” report. With a Diversity Score of 25.9, Dykema ranks 96th out of all Am Law 200 and National Law Journal 250 law firms, up 21 spots from the firm’s previous ranking.

Leonard Wolfe, Lansing-based member of Dykema’s Government Policy & Practice Group, will serve as a featured speaker at the 2018 National Charter Schools Conference in Austin, Texas, June 17-20, 2018.

Natalie Brouwer Potts, Chicago-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Labor & Employment practice, was interviewed by Ryan Whitacre, Managing Director, In-House Practice Group at Major, Lindsey & Africa, in The Recorder, article, “Q&A: Title IX in the Wake of the USC Physician Sexual Misconduct Scandal.”

In its “High Times For Cannabis Law Blogs” article, Above the Law notes the parallel growth of the legal marijuana industry and the firms with experience handling cannabis regulations, and includes Dykema’s Cannabis Law Blog in its list of online sources. The Firm’s Cannabis Law Practice Group is led by Lansing-based member R. Lance Boldrey.

Jim Hermon, Detroit-based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, was quoted in the Crain’s Detroit Business article, “Splitting up is hard to do: Visteon-Leuliette severance fight shows old rules are changing.”

Jarrod Smith, Lansing-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Public Finance practice, served as a featured speaker at the 2018 Michigan Investor Summit which took place June 7 in Detroit. The Summit involved the State Treasurer and others on behalf of the State, the Michigan Finance Authority, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the State Building Authority, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, John Naglick and others on behalf of the City of Detroit. 

Dommond Lonnie, Los Angeles-based member in Dykema’s Litigation Department and Director of the firm’s Automotive Industry Group, was quoted in the Law360 article, “Automotive Regulation To Watch: Midyear Report.”

Elisa Lintemuth, Grand Rapids-based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment practice group, provided the closing comments in the Bloomberg.com article, “Tax-Law Typo Risks Bankrupting #MeToo Victims Without GOP Fix.”

The Hon. Phylis Speedlin, San Antonio-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Litigation Group and former Texas Fourth Court of Appeals Justice, returned to her alma mater in Ohio to address the 2018 Steubenville High School graduating class, as reported in the Herald-Star article, “SHS Class Faces Challenges, Choices.”

William C. Lentine, Bloomfield Hills-based member in Dykema’s Taxation and Estates Practice Group, recently served as a featured speaker at the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) Anti-Fraud Issues, Litigation & Business Valuation, Mergers & Acquisitions Conference in Livonia, Michigan.

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based member in Dykema’s Intellectual Property practice group, was quoted extensively in the Managing Intellectual Property article, “How AI Affects Patent Prosecution and Litigation.”

Thomas B. Alleman, Dallas-based member in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group and Director of the Firm’s Insurance Industry Group, was quoted at length in the Law360 article “Contractors May Be Missing Cyberrisks With Insurance Plans.”

Richard Y. Cheng, Dallas-based member of Dykema's Health Care Practice Group and General Counsel for the Texas Cannabis Industry Association, provided comments for the Dallas Observer article, “Texas Backs Off Changes That Could've Led to CBD Confiscation, for Now.”

Paul M. Laurenza, leader of Dykema’s Automotive Government Policy & Practice group and Chairman of the Connected Vehicle Trade Association, comments on the uncertain states of vehicle-to-vehicle advancement and regulatory guidance in the Automotive World article, “Stalled V2V legislation leaves advances to the OEMs.”

Jonathan W. Michael, Chicago-based member in Dykema's Tax & Estate Planning Practice, will serve as a featured speaker at the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education's 61st Annual Estate Planning Short Course. This two-day event, which is considered the preeminent legal education event for estate planning attorneys and trust officers in the State of Illinois, will take place in Champaign May 14-15 and in Chicago May 23-24.

Dykema's Privacy and Data Security Group has announced the release of "The Firewall," a blog providing thorough analysis of emerging issues in privacy and cybersecurity law. The ever-changing world of data and privacy security continually affects how companies operate. Understanding the emerging security threats and the latest government regulatory developments is a critical responsibility of businesses in all industries.

Sherrie L. Farrell, office managing member of Dykema’s Detroit office and chair of the Firm's Diversity and Inclusion Committee, was featured in the Detroit Legal News photo write-up, “Diversity Doer,” which reported on the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association’s Corporate Counsel Breakfast. During the event, Farrell and other notable members of the legal community enjoyed a presentation followed by a discussion session.

Thomas S. Vaughn, Detroit-based member and co-leader of Dykema's M&A practice, and Brian Page, Grand Rapids-based member in Dykema’s Real Estate practice, were quoted at length in the MiBiz.com article, “Tax Reform Adds Fuel to M&A Deal Flow in Q1.”

Elizabeth Khalil, Chicago-based member in Dykema’s Government Policy Practice Group, and Joe Hickey, Bloomfield Hills-based member in the firm's Financial Services Litigation Practice Group, will each serve as featured speakers at the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Legal Issues & Regulatory Compliance Conference set to take place in Los Angeles from April 29- May 2.

Elisa Lintemuth, Grand Rapids-based member in Dykema’s Labor & Employment practice group, contributes some timely advice in the Society for Human Resource Management story, “Reduce Summer Interns’ Vulnerability to Harassment,” which offers guidelines for protecting summer associates and other classes of temporary employees.

Lansing-based attorneys Gary P. Gordon and Jason T. Hanselman of Dykema’s Government Policy & Practice group were photographed for Bridge Magazine’s Public Sector column, “Legal Marijuana Headed to Michigan Ballot; Prevailing Wage Repeal to Court.”

Tania Shapiro-Barr, Minneapolis-based senior attorney in Dykema’s Intellectual Property practice group, was tapped by World Intellectual Property Review to analyze the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Oil States v. Greene’s Energy for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the article, “SCOTUS Oil States Decision May Raise More Challenges to IPR: Lawyers.”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is pleased to announce that seven of its Dallas-based attorneys are listed as “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” in a special editorial feature in the May 2018 issue of D Magazine. 

Eric T. Fingerhut, Office Managing Member of Dykema's Washington, D.C., office and former leader of Dykema’s Trademark & Copyright Practice, co-authored the World Intellectual Property Review article, “Drawing the Battle Lines: Adidas’s Mission to Protect Its Three Stripes.”

Van Lindberg, San Antonio-based member in Dykema’s Intellectual Property practice group, evaluates the opinions reached by the U.S. Supreme Court in Oil States v. Green Energy and SAS Institute Inc. v. Iancu in IPWatchdog, Law360, and IPPRO Patents, noting that the SAS Institute ruling is more likely to affect the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s inter partes right to review and revoke existing patent grants than the Oil States decision.

William C. Lentine, Bloomfield Hills-based member in Dykema’s Taxation and Estates Practice Group, recently served as a featured speaker for the Taxation Section of the State Bar of Michigan’s presentation “Section 280E: Planning and Considerations.” The presentation took a look at the taxation of cannabis and discussed certain aspects of structuring businesses to comply with tax law.