Twenty Dickinson Wright Lawyers Elected as Members of the Firm
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Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce the election of 20 new member attorneys of the firm, effective January 1, 2021.
“This year’s class of new members represent a diverse range of practices and offices,” says Michael Hammer, CEO of Dickinson Wright. “Each attorney brings an incredible set of qualities and skills that they have developed over their legal career. I congratulate each and every one of them on this well-deserved honor.”
Below is Dickinson Wright’s new member attorneys for 2021:
Max Aidenbaum is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses his practice on commercial litigation—including contract disputes, business torts, and real estate matters. He has successfully represented corporations, limited liability companies and their members, governmental entities, and individual corporate officers in both state and federal courts, as well as in arbitrations. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation. Mr. Aidenbaum received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Nicholas Angelocci is a Member in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He focuses his practice on intellectual property law, primarily in patent law, helping his clients obtain valid and enforceable patents to protect their investment in innovation. He uses his background in mechanical engineering to assist clients in a variety of fields, including the automotive industry. The majority of his practice focuses on mechanical products, systems, and processes. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is a registered patent practitioner with the USPTO. Mr. Angelocci received his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Robert Avers is a Member in the firm’s Ann Arbor and Lansing offices. He represents clients in a variety of business and political matters in state and federal courts and in various domestic and international arbitral forums. In addition to his business and political litigation practice, he has substantial experience advising clients on political issues, as well as on trade and customs issues arising from international business. Mr. Avers is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars”. He has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions, and serves as First Vice President of the Michigan Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Avers served as a law clerk to both Justice Brian K. Zahra of the Michigan Supreme Court and Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Mr. Avers received his B.S. with honors from Central Michigan University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Laura Bassett is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. She counsels Michigan local governments and school districts on tax-exempt and taxable financings, including debt issued in connection with capital project financing, refinancing, cash flow borrowings, pooled financings and intergovernmental and public-private collaborations. She advises numerous Michigan county drain commissioners and other issuers of bonds to finance drainage systems and water and sewer system improvements. Her public law experience also includes advising clients on election and campaign finance laws and open meeting and procedural matters. She is recognized as a leader in her field by DBusiness Top Lawyers for Public Finance Law. Ms. Bassett received her B.A. from Kalamazoo College, her Ph.D. in History of Art from the University of Michigan, and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Vail Cloar is a Member in the firm’s Phoenix office. He focuses his practice on commercial, eminent domain, and appellate litigation. He has significant experience with eminent domain matters, municipal litigation, legal malpractice defense, complex commercial litigation, and appeals of all kinds. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation. He served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert M. Brutinel, now Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Mr. Cloar received his B.A. from Arizona State University and his J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Michael Dallaire is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses his practice in commercial litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency, and other complex business disputes. In addition to his broad-based commercial practice, Michael frequently represents Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and tiered automotive suppliers in supply chain litigation, financial restructurings, workouts, and asset sales. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights, Insolvency and Reorganization. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University and his J.D. from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law.
Robert Farmer is a Partner in the firm’s Toronto office and serves as Group Head - Banking (Canada). His practice builds upon his 20-year career in finance and investment banking. He leverages his business background to provide practical and experience-based legal advice to his clients. He is a member of the Ontario Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association. He received his B. Com, B.A. from Saint Mary’s University and his LL.B., MBA from Dalhousie University.
Brian Foley is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He represents financial institutions, companies, and individuals in real estate matters, with an emphasis in commercial real estate secured financing transactions. He also has significant experience with purchases and sales of real property, real estate workouts and foreclosures, loan sales, leasing transactions, and real estate closing opinions. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Governing Council of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and the Indiana State Bar Association. He received his B.A. from Kalamazoo College, his M.S. from Michigan State University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Jonathan Harder is a Member in the firm’s Austin office. He provides clients with strategic counsel for intellectual property assets. He routinely represents various Fortune 500 and startup companies in preparing and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications. His practice focuses on the full life cycle of patents, which includes identifying patentable subject matter for clients, preparing patent applications, and performing prosecution procedures. He leverages his technical degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Mathematics, as well as his experience as a software developer at a multi-national computer technology company, to effectively prepare and prosecute patent applications for clients. Mr. Harder received his B.S. and M.S. from Southern Methodist University and his J.D. from University of Houston Law Center.
William Hurles is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He is an intellectual property attorney and focuses his practice on patent, trademark and copyright matters. He has significant experience in filing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also counsels clients on the avoidance of competitor intellectual property rights while bringing new products to the market, and represents clients in inter partes review and ex parte reexamination patent validity challenging proceedings. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a member of the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Charles Kocher is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He focuses his practice on intellectual property including patents and trademarks. He assists clients in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications worldwide, including significant experience in the automotive, residential energy, and data storage technologies. He also assists clients in patentability searches and opinions, patent infringement analysis and clearance searches, trademark opinions and applications, and IP due diligence support. He received his B.S. from The Ohio State University, his M.S. from Oakland University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
David Lockshaw is a Member in the firm’s Columbus office. He is a litigator who focuses on financial services and business disputes at both the trial and appellate levels for our corporate and individual clients. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, he served as the Director of Labor and Legal Affairs at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and clerked for Ohio’s Tenth District Court of Appeals. He received his B.A. from The Ohio State University and his J.D. from the University of Akron.
Chelsey Marsh is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. Her practice focuses on representation of national, regional and local financial institutions, companies and individuals in commercial real estate finance transactions, including construction financing across the country. She also represents entities and individuals in a broad array of real estate transactions, including the leasing, acquisition and disposition of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Real Estate Law. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Mitesh Patel is a Member in the firm’s Phoenix office. His practice focuses on real estate transactions and representation of public entities. He has experience with all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, development agreements, water and well issues, land use and easement issues, impact fee agreements, government property lease excise taxes (GPLETs), public records, open meeting laws, and procurement. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar and the Scottsdale, Arizona and National Board of Realtors. He received his B.S. from the University of Arizona, MRED from Arizona State University WP Carey School of Business, and J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Ariana Pellegrino is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She is an experienced litigator who has represented clients in a variety of areas, including commercial real estate, non-compete and anti-solicitation agreements, shareholder disputes, employment discrimination, and intellectual property litigation. She is well-versed in effectively and efficiently managing large-scale discovery, with experience implementing and managing the discovery process from collection to production. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation and was named Nonpartner Associate of the Year by Crain’s Detroit Business. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Joseph Pytel is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He concentrates his practice on providing strategic counseling on intellectual property matters and preparing and prosecuting patent applications. He has significant experience in the electrical, computer hardware and software, and mechanical arts. In addition to patent preparation and prosecution, he has experience in providing patentability and infringement opinions. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Intellectual Property. He received his B.S. and M.S. from Kettering University and his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Michael Saunders is a Member in the firm’s Austin office. He has over a decade of experience in helping clients efficiently address challenging intellectual property cases, business disputes, and intellectual property-related transactions. He has represented and advised clients in patent and trade secret cases in state and federal courts, before the International Trade Commission, and on appeal at the Federal Circuit. He has also advised companies on the intellectual property and technology related aspects of major transactions. He has been recognized as a leader in his field by Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Intellectual Property Litigation. He received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Katherine VanderVeen is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She assists clients in a variety of industries with all aspects of commercial finance transactions, including structuring, negotiation, due diligence, and documentation. She has expertise in bilateral and syndicated loans, cash-flow-based and asset-based loans, real estate financing, acquisition financing, cross-border financing, and PPP loans. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Banking and Finance Law. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Adam Wallace is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He represents private equity funds and their related portfolio companies in various types of mergers and acquisitions and related financings. He is skilled in aspects of corporate formation, corporate governance and contract review. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Banking & Finance Law and Corporate Law. He is also listed in Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Mergers & Acquisitions. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Jessica Wood is a Member in the firm’s Grand Rapids office. She focuses on municipal law, economic development, and municipal finance, the latter as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel. She serves as the City Attorney, Assistant City/Township Attorney, or as special counsel for multiple Michigan municipalities and authorities, and served as the City Attorney for the City of Benton Harbor during its financial restructuring under Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law. She was recognized as a leader in her field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Local & Municipal Law. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Oregon.
“This year’s class of new members represent a diverse range of practices and offices,” says Michael Hammer, CEO of Dickinson Wright. “Each attorney brings an incredible set of qualities and skills that they have developed over their legal career. I congratulate each and every one of them on this well-deserved honor.”
Below is Dickinson Wright’s new member attorneys for 2021:
Max Aidenbaum is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses his practice on commercial litigation—including contract disputes, business torts, and real estate matters. He has successfully represented corporations, limited liability companies and their members, governmental entities, and individual corporate officers in both state and federal courts, as well as in arbitrations. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation. Mr. Aidenbaum received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Nicholas Angelocci is a Member in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He focuses his practice on intellectual property law, primarily in patent law, helping his clients obtain valid and enforceable patents to protect their investment in innovation. He uses his background in mechanical engineering to assist clients in a variety of fields, including the automotive industry. The majority of his practice focuses on mechanical products, systems, and processes. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is a registered patent practitioner with the USPTO. Mr. Angelocci received his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Robert Avers is a Member in the firm’s Ann Arbor and Lansing offices. He represents clients in a variety of business and political matters in state and federal courts and in various domestic and international arbitral forums. In addition to his business and political litigation practice, he has substantial experience advising clients on political issues, as well as on trade and customs issues arising from international business. Mr. Avers is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars”. He has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions, and serves as First Vice President of the Michigan Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Avers served as a law clerk to both Justice Brian K. Zahra of the Michigan Supreme Court and Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Mr. Avers received his B.S. with honors from Central Michigan University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Laura Bassett is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. She counsels Michigan local governments and school districts on tax-exempt and taxable financings, including debt issued in connection with capital project financing, refinancing, cash flow borrowings, pooled financings and intergovernmental and public-private collaborations. She advises numerous Michigan county drain commissioners and other issuers of bonds to finance drainage systems and water and sewer system improvements. Her public law experience also includes advising clients on election and campaign finance laws and open meeting and procedural matters. She is recognized as a leader in her field by DBusiness Top Lawyers for Public Finance Law. Ms. Bassett received her B.A. from Kalamazoo College, her Ph.D. in History of Art from the University of Michigan, and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Vail Cloar is a Member in the firm’s Phoenix office. He focuses his practice on commercial, eminent domain, and appellate litigation. He has significant experience with eminent domain matters, municipal litigation, legal malpractice defense, complex commercial litigation, and appeals of all kinds. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation. He served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert M. Brutinel, now Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Mr. Cloar received his B.A. from Arizona State University and his J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Michael Dallaire is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses his practice in commercial litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency, and other complex business disputes. In addition to his broad-based commercial practice, Michael frequently represents Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and tiered automotive suppliers in supply chain litigation, financial restructurings, workouts, and asset sales. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights, Insolvency and Reorganization. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University and his J.D. from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law.
Robert Farmer is a Partner in the firm’s Toronto office and serves as Group Head - Banking (Canada). His practice builds upon his 20-year career in finance and investment banking. He leverages his business background to provide practical and experience-based legal advice to his clients. He is a member of the Ontario Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association. He received his B. Com, B.A. from Saint Mary’s University and his LL.B., MBA from Dalhousie University.
Brian Foley is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He represents financial institutions, companies, and individuals in real estate matters, with an emphasis in commercial real estate secured financing transactions. He also has significant experience with purchases and sales of real property, real estate workouts and foreclosures, loan sales, leasing transactions, and real estate closing opinions. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Governing Council of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and the Indiana State Bar Association. He received his B.A. from Kalamazoo College, his M.S. from Michigan State University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Jonathan Harder is a Member in the firm’s Austin office. He provides clients with strategic counsel for intellectual property assets. He routinely represents various Fortune 500 and startup companies in preparing and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications. His practice focuses on the full life cycle of patents, which includes identifying patentable subject matter for clients, preparing patent applications, and performing prosecution procedures. He leverages his technical degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Mathematics, as well as his experience as a software developer at a multi-national computer technology company, to effectively prepare and prosecute patent applications for clients. Mr. Harder received his B.S. and M.S. from Southern Methodist University and his J.D. from University of Houston Law Center.
William Hurles is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He is an intellectual property attorney and focuses his practice on patent, trademark and copyright matters. He has significant experience in filing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also counsels clients on the avoidance of competitor intellectual property rights while bringing new products to the market, and represents clients in inter partes review and ex parte reexamination patent validity challenging proceedings. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a member of the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Charles Kocher is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He focuses his practice on intellectual property including patents and trademarks. He assists clients in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications worldwide, including significant experience in the automotive, residential energy, and data storage technologies. He also assists clients in patentability searches and opinions, patent infringement analysis and clearance searches, trademark opinions and applications, and IP due diligence support. He received his B.S. from The Ohio State University, his M.S. from Oakland University, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
David Lockshaw is a Member in the firm’s Columbus office. He is a litigator who focuses on financial services and business disputes at both the trial and appellate levels for our corporate and individual clients. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, he served as the Director of Labor and Legal Affairs at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and clerked for Ohio’s Tenth District Court of Appeals. He received his B.A. from The Ohio State University and his J.D. from the University of Akron.
Chelsey Marsh is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. Her practice focuses on representation of national, regional and local financial institutions, companies and individuals in commercial real estate finance transactions, including construction financing across the country. She also represents entities and individuals in a broad array of real estate transactions, including the leasing, acquisition and disposition of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Real Estate Law. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Mitesh Patel is a Member in the firm’s Phoenix office. His practice focuses on real estate transactions and representation of public entities. He has experience with all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, development agreements, water and well issues, land use and easement issues, impact fee agreements, government property lease excise taxes (GPLETs), public records, open meeting laws, and procurement. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar and the Scottsdale, Arizona and National Board of Realtors. He received his B.S. from the University of Arizona, MRED from Arizona State University WP Carey School of Business, and J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Ariana Pellegrino is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She is an experienced litigator who has represented clients in a variety of areas, including commercial real estate, non-compete and anti-solicitation agreements, shareholder disputes, employment discrimination, and intellectual property litigation. She is well-versed in effectively and efficiently managing large-scale discovery, with experience implementing and managing the discovery process from collection to production. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation and was named Nonpartner Associate of the Year by Crain’s Detroit Business. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Joseph Pytel is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He concentrates his practice on providing strategic counseling on intellectual property matters and preparing and prosecuting patent applications. He has significant experience in the electrical, computer hardware and software, and mechanical arts. In addition to patent preparation and prosecution, he has experience in providing patentability and infringement opinions. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Intellectual Property. He received his B.S. and M.S. from Kettering University and his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Michael Saunders is a Member in the firm’s Austin office. He has over a decade of experience in helping clients efficiently address challenging intellectual property cases, business disputes, and intellectual property-related transactions. He has represented and advised clients in patent and trade secret cases in state and federal courts, before the International Trade Commission, and on appeal at the Federal Circuit. He has also advised companies on the intellectual property and technology related aspects of major transactions. He has been recognized as a leader in his field by Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Intellectual Property Litigation. He received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Katherine VanderVeen is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She assists clients in a variety of industries with all aspects of commercial finance transactions, including structuring, negotiation, due diligence, and documentation. She has expertise in bilateral and syndicated loans, cash-flow-based and asset-based loans, real estate financing, acquisition financing, cross-border financing, and PPP loans. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Banking and Finance Law. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Adam Wallace is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. He represents private equity funds and their related portfolio companies in various types of mergers and acquisitions and related financings. He is skilled in aspects of corporate formation, corporate governance and contract review. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” for Banking & Finance Law and Corporate Law. He is also listed in Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Mergers & Acquisitions. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
Jessica Wood is a Member in the firm’s Grand Rapids office. She focuses on municipal law, economic development, and municipal finance, the latter as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel. She serves as the City Attorney, Assistant City/Township Attorney, or as special counsel for multiple Michigan municipalities and authorities, and served as the City Attorney for the City of Benton Harbor during its financial restructuring under Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law. She was recognized as a leader in her field by Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for Local & Municipal Law. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Oregon.
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