In the News

Michael P. Fannon, Bloomfield Hills-based associate in Dykema’s Corporate Finance practice group, reports on the firm’s Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Outlook Survey in his article, “4 Takeaways From Sunny 2019 M&A Forecast,” which appeared in Law360.

Alison Ashmore, Dallas-based member in Dykema's Litigation Department, was named among D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” for 2019. This marks the second consecutive year Ashmore made this list.

Erin F. Fonté, Austin-based 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, was tapped by Law360 to provide commentary for its article, “Banking Regulation To Watch In 2019.”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, and Loss, Judge & Ward, LLP, a Chambers-ranked Washington, D.C., law firm have combined. The combination doubles each firm’s Washington, D.C., presence. The depth and experience of Loss, Judge & Ward’s nationally-recognized complex commercial insurance practice complements and strengthens Dykema’s Insurance Industry Group. Dykema’s expansive practice capabilities and national platform enhance the range of services available for legacy Loss, Judge & Ward clients.

Thomas B. Alleman, Dallas-based member of Dykema’s Litigation Department and Director of the firm’s Insurance Industry Group, warns that corporate and governmental factions engaging in environmentally-hazardous practices might eventually be held accountable in the courts, as noted in the Law360 article, “Energy Cases To Watch In 2019.”  

Erin F. Fonté, Austin-based 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, was quoted in the Law360 article, “Financial Services Litigation To Watch In 2019.”

Dykema’s Mergers & Acquisitions Outlook Survey served as a source for the Law360 article, “Transformative Deals, Big PE Buys, On Tap For 2019.” The report cites statistics from the latest survey, which supports a climate of optimism among company leaders predicting M&A activities in 2019.

Richard L. Lieberman, Chicago-based senior counsel in Dykema’s Tax Practice group, provides the closing comments for the Law360 article, “Post-Wayfair State Developments To Watch In 2019,” which explores the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision that state sales taxes could be collected for online transactions by sellers with no physical presence in that state.

Christopher D. Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office and member of the firm's Litigation  and Appellate Practice Groups, was quoted at length in the Dallas Business Journal, Houston Chronicle and Texas Lawbook joint story, “Texas Judge Reed O’Connor is the ‘Go-To Judge’ for conservatives.”

Dykema is proud to announce that the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) recognized its Business Development and Marketing Department as a first place winner in each of its Business Development categories for the 2018 LMA Midwest Region Your Honor Awards. Dykema’s Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer, Linda Moss, accepted the awards along with the key team members involved in these programs, Tony Marion and Sarah Minjoe.

Heidi Naasko, Ann Arbor-based litigator and Dykema’s National Pro Bono and Diversity Counsel, was the subject of The Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly feature “A sidebar with … Heidi Naasko.”

Thomas B. Alleman, Dallas-based member of Dykema’s Litigation Department and Director of the firm’s Insurance Industry Group, gives his perspective on recent environmental lawsuits and on the permit revocation for the Keystone XL pipeline in the Law360 piece, “Climate Change Ruled 2018 Energy-Related Court Decisions.”

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.

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 at length in the National Real Estate Investor Finance & Investment Column, “Roadblocks Could Derail EB-5 Investment Capital.”

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.”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that Richard Y. Cheng, Dallas-based member of Dykema’s Health Care Practice Group, was selected to serve as an editor and co-author for a chapter of the Bloomberg BNA Health Care Program Compliance Guide.

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.