Dickinson Wright PLLC Names 12 New Members
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce the election of 12 new member attorneys to the firm, effective January 1, 2016.
Melissa Alcantara is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Washington, D.C. office where she focuses her practice on intellectual property. She is experienced in trademark and unfair competition litigation; trademark prosecution; domain name disputes; and opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law and Litigation Sections. She also served as a legal intern for the Honorable Judith M. Barzilay of the United States Court of International Trade. Ms. Alcantara has been recognized as a Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer “Rising Star” for Intellectual Property. She received her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law.
Farayha Arrine is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She focuses her practice in high-stakes commercial litigation with a focus on banking, financial, and insurance litigation as well as class action defense and eminent domain litigation. Ms. Arrine is experienced in all phases of complex, commercial litigation from managing large-scale electronic discovery and deposing witnesses to motion practice and oral argument in both state and federal court. She has been listed as a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Ms. Arrine is a member of the Defense Research Institute’s Young Lawyers Section, the State Bar of Michigan, and a board member of the Michigan Muslim Bar Association. She served as a federal judicial intern to the Honorable Denise Page Hood, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Ms. Arrine received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School where she competed and ranked in various regional and national moot court competitions.
Eric Bergeron is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He serves as counsel to lenders in a range of loan transactions, including single-bank and syndicated middle market, asset-based, and international credit facilities, participations, and intercreditor agreements, among others. He is also counsel to lenders in workouts, loan modifications, and loan sales, including negotiating forbearance agreements and liquidation agreements, disposition of collateral under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, representation in bankruptcy proceedings, and orderly wind-downs of borrower’s operations. Mr. Bergeron has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Star”. He received his B.A. from Oakland University and his J.D. from the College of William & Mary School of Law.
Steven Hurles is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy office where he focuses his practice on intellectual property, particularly in the area of patent prosecution. He has significant experience in the mechanical arts with a particular focus on inventions related to the automotive industry. On behalf of the firm’s clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual inventors, he handles all aspects of patent application preparation and prosecution including responses to office actions, appeals, oppositions, reexaminations and reissue applications. He also prepares patentability opinions, patent infringement opinions and freedom to operate opinions. He also specializes in patent litigation support and has experience working on cases in the International Trade Commission. Mr. Hurles received his B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.
Amy Kwiatkowski is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office who focuses her practice on corporate law. She serves as counsel to buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries and provides counsel to clients regarding general business and corporate planning issues, including business formation, corporate governance and dissolution issues for all entity types. Ms. Kwiatkowski is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law Section and the Women Lawyers’ Association of Michigan. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Wayne State University School of Law.
Andrae Marrocco is a Partner in the firm’s Toronto office. He advises Canadian and international businesses on all aspects of Canadian franchise and distribution law including advice on expansion strategies, negotiation of franchise, distribution and licensing agreements, regulatory requirements, trademarks, acquisitions/dispositions, disputes and enforcements. He has developed specific expertise advising foreign franchisors expanding and adapting their systems to the Canadian market. He is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Franchise Association, the International Franchise Association, and the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising. Mr. Marrocco received his B. Soc. Sc.; LL.B. and his B.Com. from the University of Adelaide.
Christina McDonald is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Grand Rapids office. She has served as lead counsel in a variety of lawsuits across multiple practice areas with an emphasis on health care, construction, and employment disputes. She also counsels a diverse range of companies in business and employment matters, including discrimination and non-compete issues and ADA, FMLA, wage and hour, and regulatory compliance. She is Board Member at Large for Family Promise of Grand Rapids, serves as an Appointed Member of the Michigan State Court Forms Committee, and has served on the board of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan-Western Region for many years. Ms. McDonald has been recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star”. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.
Ryan Mitchell is a Member in the firm’s Grand Rapids office. His practice covers a broad range of real estate transactions, including the representation of developers, lenders, landlords and tenants in connection with the acquisition, disposition, financing, development and leasing of retail, office, industrial and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. He also has extensive experience representing alternative energy developers and lenders in connection with all aspects of the development and financing of wind and thermal energy projects. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the State Bars of Michigan, Illinois and California. He received his B.A. from Skidmore College and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Christopher Montgomery is a Member in the firm’s Columbus office. He provides counsel to developers, private equity firms, multi-national corporations, small and midsize businesses, individuals and financial institutions in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, managing, construction and financing of office, retail, hospitality, industrial, mixed-use and residential real estate projects. His experience includes structuring joint ventures, partnerships, real estate syndications and tax-deferred exchanges. Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Urban Land Institute, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He received his B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from The Ohio State University.
Bryan Schomer is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy office where he focuses his practice in intellectual property and intellectual property litigation. He assists clients in patent application preparation and prosecution worldwide and routinely prepares intellectual property opinions, including patentability opinions, non-infringement opinions, and validity/invalidity opinions. He is a member of the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association and the American Intellectual Property Association. Mr. Schomer received his B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University, his M.B.A. from Wayne State University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University School of Law.
Benjamin Sobczak is a Member in the firm’s Troy office where he focuses his practice on commercial & business litigation. He has planned, researched and drafted oppositions to class certification in a multi-million dollar national class action litigation predicated on ERISA notice and appeal right violations and products liability claims. He has also argued cases before the Sixth Circuit of Appeals and tried several one-day trials/evidentiary hearings before various state courts on a wide range of legal issues. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. He is listed in Michigan Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star”. Mr. Sobczak received his B.S. from Western Michigan University and his J.D. from Wayne State University School of Law.
Marki Stewart is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Phoenix office. She focuses her practice on healthcare law, appellate law, family law, and litigation. She is a member of the Arizona State Bar and the Oregon State Bar. She is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Susan G. Komen of Arizona and Mountain Park Health Center, and is a member of the Corporate Counsel Advisory Committee at the Phoenix Art Museum. Ms. Stewart served as a Law Clerk for Judge Daniel A. Barker at the Arizona Court of Appeals. She received her B.A. from Washington State University and her J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Melissa Alcantara is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Washington, D.C. office where she focuses her practice on intellectual property. She is experienced in trademark and unfair competition litigation; trademark prosecution; domain name disputes; and opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law and Litigation Sections. She also served as a legal intern for the Honorable Judith M. Barzilay of the United States Court of International Trade. Ms. Alcantara has been recognized as a Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer “Rising Star” for Intellectual Property. She received her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law.
Farayha Arrine is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She focuses her practice in high-stakes commercial litigation with a focus on banking, financial, and insurance litigation as well as class action defense and eminent domain litigation. Ms. Arrine is experienced in all phases of complex, commercial litigation from managing large-scale electronic discovery and deposing witnesses to motion practice and oral argument in both state and federal court. She has been listed as a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Ms. Arrine is a member of the Defense Research Institute’s Young Lawyers Section, the State Bar of Michigan, and a board member of the Michigan Muslim Bar Association. She served as a federal judicial intern to the Honorable Denise Page Hood, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Ms. Arrine received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School where she competed and ranked in various regional and national moot court competitions.
Eric Bergeron is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He serves as counsel to lenders in a range of loan transactions, including single-bank and syndicated middle market, asset-based, and international credit facilities, participations, and intercreditor agreements, among others. He is also counsel to lenders in workouts, loan modifications, and loan sales, including negotiating forbearance agreements and liquidation agreements, disposition of collateral under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, representation in bankruptcy proceedings, and orderly wind-downs of borrower’s operations. Mr. Bergeron has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Star”. He received his B.A. from Oakland University and his J.D. from the College of William & Mary School of Law.
Steven Hurles is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy office where he focuses his practice on intellectual property, particularly in the area of patent prosecution. He has significant experience in the mechanical arts with a particular focus on inventions related to the automotive industry. On behalf of the firm’s clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual inventors, he handles all aspects of patent application preparation and prosecution including responses to office actions, appeals, oppositions, reexaminations and reissue applications. He also prepares patentability opinions, patent infringement opinions and freedom to operate opinions. He also specializes in patent litigation support and has experience working on cases in the International Trade Commission. Mr. Hurles received his B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.
Amy Kwiatkowski is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office who focuses her practice on corporate law. She serves as counsel to buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries and provides counsel to clients regarding general business and corporate planning issues, including business formation, corporate governance and dissolution issues for all entity types. Ms. Kwiatkowski is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law Section and the Women Lawyers’ Association of Michigan. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Wayne State University School of Law.
Andrae Marrocco is a Partner in the firm’s Toronto office. He advises Canadian and international businesses on all aspects of Canadian franchise and distribution law including advice on expansion strategies, negotiation of franchise, distribution and licensing agreements, regulatory requirements, trademarks, acquisitions/dispositions, disputes and enforcements. He has developed specific expertise advising foreign franchisors expanding and adapting their systems to the Canadian market. He is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Franchise Association, the International Franchise Association, and the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising. Mr. Marrocco received his B. Soc. Sc.; LL.B. and his B.Com. from the University of Adelaide.
Christina McDonald is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Grand Rapids office. She has served as lead counsel in a variety of lawsuits across multiple practice areas with an emphasis on health care, construction, and employment disputes. She also counsels a diverse range of companies in business and employment matters, including discrimination and non-compete issues and ADA, FMLA, wage and hour, and regulatory compliance. She is Board Member at Large for Family Promise of Grand Rapids, serves as an Appointed Member of the Michigan State Court Forms Committee, and has served on the board of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan-Western Region for many years. Ms. McDonald has been recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star”. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.
Ryan Mitchell is a Member in the firm’s Grand Rapids office. His practice covers a broad range of real estate transactions, including the representation of developers, lenders, landlords and tenants in connection with the acquisition, disposition, financing, development and leasing of retail, office, industrial and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. He also has extensive experience representing alternative energy developers and lenders in connection with all aspects of the development and financing of wind and thermal energy projects. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the State Bars of Michigan, Illinois and California. He received his B.A. from Skidmore College and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Christopher Montgomery is a Member in the firm’s Columbus office. He provides counsel to developers, private equity firms, multi-national corporations, small and midsize businesses, individuals and financial institutions in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, managing, construction and financing of office, retail, hospitality, industrial, mixed-use and residential real estate projects. His experience includes structuring joint ventures, partnerships, real estate syndications and tax-deferred exchanges. Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Urban Land Institute, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He received his B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from The Ohio State University.
Bryan Schomer is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy office where he focuses his practice in intellectual property and intellectual property litigation. He assists clients in patent application preparation and prosecution worldwide and routinely prepares intellectual property opinions, including patentability opinions, non-infringement opinions, and validity/invalidity opinions. He is a member of the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association and the American Intellectual Property Association. Mr. Schomer received his B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University, his M.B.A. from Wayne State University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University School of Law.
Benjamin Sobczak is a Member in the firm’s Troy office where he focuses his practice on commercial & business litigation. He has planned, researched and drafted oppositions to class certification in a multi-million dollar national class action litigation predicated on ERISA notice and appeal right violations and products liability claims. He has also argued cases before the Sixth Circuit of Appeals and tried several one-day trials/evidentiary hearings before various state courts on a wide range of legal issues. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. He is listed in Michigan Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star”. Mr. Sobczak received his B.S. from Western Michigan University and his J.D. from Wayne State University School of Law.
Marki Stewart is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Phoenix office. She focuses her practice on healthcare law, appellate law, family law, and litigation. She is a member of the Arizona State Bar and the Oregon State Bar. She is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Susan G. Komen of Arizona and Mountain Park Health Center, and is a member of the Corporate Counsel Advisory Committee at the Phoenix Art Museum. Ms. Stewart served as a Law Clerk for Judge Daniel A. Barker at the Arizona Court of Appeals. She received her B.A. from Washington State University and her J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
