Areas of Practice Emphasis

Representative Clients

  • A.G. Simpson Automotive, Inc.
  • CenturyTel, Inc.
  • CB Richard Ellis Martin
  • Gestamp US Hardtech Inc.
  • Ingham Regional Medical Center
  • Michigan Milk Producers Association
  • Michigan Podiatric Medical Association
  • Mid-Michigan Physicians, P.C.
  • Rossman Group
  • Weyco, Inc.

Prominent Assignments

  • General Counsel, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • National Labor Counsel for CenturyTel, Inc.
  • Won elections or obtained election petition withdrawals in the automotive (Tier I and Tier II), forging, telephone, retail, manufacturing, and health care industries, and charter schools
  • Represented the Capital Area United Way in a high profile case covered by the media including The New York Times
  • Tried bench and jury cases defending wrongful termination, race discrimination, disability discrimination, and sex discrimination claims
  • Handled employment aspects of mergers from $1.5 million to $2.3 billion

Education

  • J.D. (Order of the Coif), University of Wisconsin, 1979
  • B.G.S. (magna cum laude), University of Michigan, 1975

Admitted to Practice

  • Michigan and Wisconsin, 1979
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern & Western Districts of MI
  • Pro hac vice U.S. District Courts for AL, AR, FL, LA, OH, TN, TX
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth (1987), Fifth (2001) Circuits
  • Michigan Supreme Court
  • National Labor Relations Board
  • U.S. Department of Labor

Professional and Community Involvement

  • Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, 1999-2005
  • Member, Nominating Committee of the Capital Area United Way, 1999-present
  • Member, Michigan Manufacturers Association Committee on Government Affairs
  • Founding Member and Past Chairperson, Ingham County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section
  • Michigan Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law and Litigation Sections
  • American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law and Litigation Sections

Publications and Presentations

  • Michigan Chamber of Commerce, contributing author, "A Michigan Employer's Guide to Drafting Your Employee Handbook"
  • Michigan Chamber of Commerce, contributing author, "Michigan Wage and Hour: A Practical Guide for Small Businesses"
  • Michigan Chamber of Commerce, contributing author, "The Michigan Personnel File Survival Kit"
  • Michigan Chamber of Commerce, lecturer
  • Presenter to various organizations on topics such as "Hiring and Firing," "Employer's Guide to Maintaining Union-Free Status," "Recordkeeping: What Employers Can, Should, and Must Keep," and "Just Cause Employment and Peer Review"

Attorney Recognitions