Issue: Winter 2025
87 results
Graduated in 2020s
2020
Michael Goodyear joined New York Law School as an associate professor. He previously spent two years as an acting assistant professor and fellow at the New York University School of Law. Goodyear’s research and teaching focus on copyright and trademark law and law and technology. His latest scholarship has or will appear in the UC Davis Law Review, Arizona State Law Journal, and UC Law Journal. Goodyear has presented at conferences at Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California, Berkeley, and Emory University, and in London, Munich, and Hong Kong.
2021
Winter 2025 Class Note
Matthew Preston, ’21, Selected for ABA Young Lawyers Division Award
The Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association (ABA) recently honored Matthew Preston, ’21, as a 2025 On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers awardee. Recipients are selected for their leadership, innovation, and example in upholding the law.
2022
Bailey Tulloch joined GableGotwals as a litigation associate in the firm’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, office. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation and other business disputes in federal and state courts. Before joining the firm, Tulloch served as a law clerk to the Hon. David Alan Ezra of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas.
2024
Christian M. Bohórquez joined Gravel & Shea PC. He counsels corporate clients on employment matters and assists on employment-related litigation. Previously, Bohórquez was an associate at a small law firm in Burlington, Vermont, specializing in business litigation, insurance defense, and intellectual property matters.
Graduated in 2010s
2010
Jessica Bernfeld joined the Korey Wise Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School as a staff attorney. Previously, she practiced criminal defense in Colorado, first as a trial attorney in the Arapahoe office of the Colorado State Public Defender and then in solo practice, where she primarily represented youth charged as adults for serious felonies.
John Bringewatt was appointed as a judge to the New York State Court of Claims by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Previously, he was the Monroe County attorney and oversaw a team of attorneys responsible for the county’s civil legal work. Earlier in his career, Bringewatt maintained a wide-ranging litigation practice at Harter Secrest & Emery LLP and was a law clerk to the Hon. Susan L. Carney of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
2011
Maria Jhai was appointed to serve as a judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Most recently, she was an assistant US attorney for the Central District of California.
Gwendolyn A. Stamper joined Vogel, Slade & Goldstein LLP as a partner. She previously was a federal prosecutor in the Fraud, Public Integrity, and Appellate Sections of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division. At the DOJ, Stamper also served in several leadership positions, including as the highest-ranking career official in the Criminal Division and as a key adviser to the deputy attorney general.
2012
Jonathan E. Algor joined Lowenstein Sandler LLP as a partner in the firm’s white collar defense and corporate investigations and integrity practice groups. He formerly served as a prosecutor for the National Security and Cybercrime Section of the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. In his practice, Algor represents individuals and companies in high-stakes criminal and regulatory matters as well as complex commercial and international disputes.
Christiana (Schmitz) Signs joined Reed Smith LLP in the firm’s Philadelphia-based global labor and employment group. She defends employers in national complex employment litigation and provides strategic counsel in wage and hour matters, employment class and collective actions, and arbitrations. Prior to joining Reed Smith, Signs was a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP.
2013
Elizabeth (Cuneo) Thomas has been appointed to the Trinity River Authority board of directors by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Thomas is an attorney and partner at Kelly Hart and Hallman LLP. She has represented companies and individuals in complex commercial matters across industries, including aviation and aerospace, banking, construction, electronic components distribution, energy, food distribution, hospitality, and sports and event production. Thomas also has experience representing families and high-net-worth individuals in breach of fiduciary duty and trust matters.
Sarah (Howe) Waidelich, a partner at Honigman LLP, was named one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly's Influential Women of Law honorees. Outside of Waidelich’s intellectual property litigation practice, she takes on pro bono work, has led or been involved in a number of important child welfare cases before the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court, and volunteers as the youngest member of the board of trustees at Trine University. She also serves on the board of MothersEsquire, an organization dedicated to increasing the retention and promotion rates of women in the legal profession, particularly mothers.
Michael Waldman was named a Law360 Rising Star. He is a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he represents financial institutions in leveraged finance transactions, including acquisition financings, debt restructurings, cross-border transactions, asset-based financings, recurring revenue-based financings, and margin loan financings.
2014
Abigail Barkwell joined Bernstein Shur as a shareholder in the business law group. She previously was in-house counsel at the auction house Christie’s. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, art law, and employment disputes, and her clients range from businesses to cultural institutions.
Michelle Sargent was named a Law360 Rising Star. She is a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where she advises public and private companies in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Sargent also provides counsel regarding general corporate matters, including reporting requirements, corporate governance issues, and other strategic considerations.
2015
Charles Berdahl joined Pierce Atwood LLP as an associate in the firm’s business practice group. Before joining the firm, Berdahl was a litigation and trial associate at Latham & Watkins LLP in Washington, DC, where he represented clients in a variety of complex commercial disputes with a focus on antitrust and securities litigation.
Jake Gatof joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as a partner. Before joining the firm, he worked at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC for eight years. Gatof advises life sciences and technology companies on venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, strategic collaborations, and other mission-critical transactions.
Avi Kupfer was named a Law360 Rising Star for his environmental law practice at Mayer Brown LLP, where he is a partner. He focuses his practice on briefing appeals and dispositive motions in federal and state courts and developing legal strategy for proceedings before courts and administrative agencies. Kupfer is a former trial attorney at the US Department of Justice and former manager of the Office of Regional Counsel Land Law Branch of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
2017
Ryan Samii was a guest on the American Arbitration Association’s The AAAi Podcast in conversation with Bridget Mary McCormack—the association’s president and CEO, former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice, and member of the Michigan Law faculty. Samii is the head of product innovation at Harvey; previously, he was head of legal vertical at Hebbia AI and worked in private practice at Paul Hastings LLP.
2018
Ava Morgenstern, an immigration attorney, joined Erickson Immigration Group PC in Arlington, Virginia, as an associate.
2019
Danielle Maldonado joined the Chicago office of Ogletree Deakins as an associate. Her practice focuses on labor and employment law related to a number of federal and state laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She represents clients in state and federal courts as well as before other state and federal agencies.
Graduated in 2000s
2000
Rachel Hong was appointed to the Okanogan County [Washington] Superior Court by Gov. Bob Ferguson. She is a litigation attorney and longtime federal judicial law clerk, including more than 10 years at the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Hong has represented and guided individuals, corporations, and public entities through criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts. She was a litigation attorney at Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo PLLC and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP. Hong also volunteered as an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and recently spent several years as an organic farmer in Shelton, Washington, where she founded a small-scale organic vegetable farm.
Alexandra MacKay was named to Managing Intellectual Property magazine’s 2025 IP Stars list. She is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee, office of Stites & Harbison PLLC. She counsels clients in litigation and transactional matters involving intellectual property, including the selection, adoption, and registration of trademarks and copyrights.
The Hon. Asim Rehman, the commissioner and chief administrative law judge at the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, published “The NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings: Forty-Five Years of Delivering Impartial Adjudications and Providing Access to Justice” in the Cardozo Law Review. Earlier this year, he received the Trailblazer Award at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, ’95, presented him with the award.
Michael L. Simes joined Moses & Singer LLP as a partner in the firm’s litigation practice. Over more than two decades, Simes has represented clients in complex contractual disputes in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court, and other jurisdictions. In addition to contractual disputes, his practice includes bankruptcy-related litigation, investigations, and regulatory matters. He joins Moses Singer from Simes Law, which he founded in 2023. Before that, he was a partner at McGuireWoods and practiced at Mayer Brown and Davis Polk & Wardwell.
Stacey Turner was elected vice president of Alabama Power’s environmental affairs organization by the company’s board of directors. Her responsibilities include compliance and strategy as well as the company’s environmental stewardship programs and operations. Previously, Turner served as associate general counsel for environmental policy and litigation for Southern Company Services Inc. and was the lead environmental lawyer at Georgia Power.
2001
Steven Bressler joined Democracy Forward as a senior legal adviser. Previously, he was deputy general counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he led all appellate, amicus, and defensive litigation work, including a successful defense of the agency’s funding statute in the US Supreme Court, and supervised responses to congressional oversight. Bressler previously served at the US Department of Justice in a variety of roles, including senior trial counsel in the Federal Programs Branch and chief of staff in the Office of Legal Policy. He also was detailed to President Obama’s White House Counsel’s Office.
Tara McGrath joined Perkins Coie as a white collar and investigations partner in the firm’s litigation practice. She previously was the US attorney for the Southern District of California, where she supervised investigations and prosecutions that involved white-collar and financial crime; cyber, environmental, and national security matters; and civil fraud.
Samir Parikh published an essay, “Crossing the Rubicon: Assembling a Litigation Colossus in Mass Torts,” in the Michigan Law Review. He also published two articles in the Cornell Law Review, “The Alchemist’s Inversion” and “Mass-Tort Trusts and the Faustian Bargain.” Additionally, the New York University Law Review recently selected Parikh as the lead faculty organizer for its 2026 litigation finance and aggregate litigation symposium and will be publishing his new article, "Mass-Tort Voting Takes Center Stage."
2002
Laurie Carafone has been named executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice. She most recently served as vice president of US Legal Services for Kids in Need of Defense.
Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. has been appointed interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Gorgon has been a federal prosecutor in Detroit for 15 years and has worked on cases related to terrorism, violent crime, sex trafficking, carjacking, and immigration.
Stephanie Hausman was named chief appellate defender for the New Hampshire Supreme Court. She previously worked for the New Hampshire Public Defender's Office for 20 years. Hausman also chairs the professional conduct committee, which oversees the state’s attorney discipline system.
2003
Michael R. Cavanaugh co-founded and serves as a managing partner of Atlas Resolution Partners, a specialized advisory and asset management firm. He also is the chief executive officer and director of Range Impact, a public impact investing company focused on acquiring, reclaiming, and repurposing former coal mines throughout Appalachia.
Jennifer Scheller Neumann was appointed of counsel in the Washington, DC, office of Holland & Hart LLP. She joins the firm after two decades at the US Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, where she most recently served as chief of the Appellate Section. In that role, Neumann directed litigation and appeals on issues that involved every major environmental and natural resources statute and represented a broad range of federal agencies.
Skanthan Vivekananda joined O’Melveny & Meyers LLP as a partner in the firm’s corporate finance practice group. His practice focuses on structured finance and derivatives, representing banks and securitization sponsors in connection with the formation and structuring of cash and synthetic CLOs, CDOs, and other types of securitization vehicles, as well as other types of credit-focused investment funds. Vivekananda previously worked as a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in the firm’s structured finance group.
2004
Jennifer Callaghan is now a senior pro bono lawyer with Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP, following the merger of Allen & Overy LLP and Shearman & Sterling. She continues to manage pro bono work related to refugee and asylum matters, human and civil rights issues, and other areas. Before the merger, Callaghan worked at Allen & Overy for 15 years.
Tracey Thomas-Gronniger, managing director of economic security and housing at Justice in Aging, testified before the US House Committee on Ways and Means in September. Gronniger discussed helping people with disabilities find work if they choose, and the particular challenge of doing so without risking access to benefit programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income.
2005
M. Ryan Calo recently published Law and Technology: A Methodical Approach (Oxford University Press, 2025). Calo is the Lane Powell and D. Wayne Gittinger Professor of Law at the University of Washington’s School of Law and a professor at its Information School. He co-founded two interdisciplinary research institutions at the university that focus on technology policy and the study of misinformation, and he has chaired a university-wide task force on technology and society. Calo also co-founded the leading North American conference on robotics and artificial intelligence law and has testified before the US Senate about technology four times.
2006
Yuta Delarck joined Reed Smith LLP as a partner in the firm’s global corporate group. Delarck represents domestic and international clients, including real estate investment trusts, investment banks, and private equity and venture capital firms, in a range of corporate transactions. Her practice includes initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, private placements, strategic investments, de-SPAC transactions, and comprehensive corporate governance and compliance advisory work. Previously, Delarck worked at Greenberg Traurig LLP as a shareholder in the firm’s corporate practice.
Christian Grostic argued on behalf of petitioners before the US Supreme Court in Esteras v. United States in February 2025. In June, the court ruled for petitioners, holding that district courts may not consider punitive factors when revoking supervised release. Grostic is an assistant federal public defender at the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Cleveland.
Matt Nolan was appointed general counsel with a specialized focus on third-party risk management for Honeywell International Inc. Also, Nolan was elected to the global board of directors for the Association of Corporate Counsel.
2007
Robert Harmon Jr. joined The Nuclear Company as chief legal officer. His previous legal experience includes leading energy, real estate, and construction initiatives at Amazon and serving as deputy general counsel and director of real estate at Tesla.
Kristin Klanow was appointed senior vice president and general counsel at Constellation Brands Inc., an international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. Klanow oversees the company’s beer division, including the Corona Extra and Modelo Especial brands. Before joining Constellation, she was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP.
2008
Osman Abbasi is now a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Previously, he was a deputy attorney general at the California Attorney General’s Office. He also has served as an inspector at the Los Angeles County Office of the Inspector General, deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and assistant district attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office.
Jacob S. Sherkow was named the Richard W. and Marie L. Corman Professor of Law at the University of Illinois, where he has been teaching since 2020. He also serves as a professor of medicine at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and as a professor at the European Union Center, and he is an affiliate of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois. Sherkow’s research focuses on intellectual property, regulation, and bioethics of advanced biotechnologies.
2009
Israel Moya joined Western State College of Law as a visiting assistant professor. He is a diplomat, human rights advocate, and public servant who has two decades of international experience tackling global issues across South America, Africa, and Asia.
Graduated in 1990s
1990
Kristen (Brink) Rosati received the David J. Greenburg Founders Award, the American Health Law Association’s (AHLA) highest distinction. Rosati is a partner at Coppersmith Brockelman in Phoenix and is the chair of the firm’s governance committee. She is a former AHLA president and has been a frequent speaker and author of many AHLA publications.
1991
Johanna R. Ginsberg joined Sussan Greenwald & Wesler as an associate attorney after a 30-year hiatus from the practice of law. Her practice focuses exclusively on parent-side special education law. Previously, she worked briefly in criminal law and public relations before settling into a career as a journalist. Ginsberg’s articles have been published in outlets including Haaretz, the Jerusalem Post, the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, New York Jewish Week, New Jersey Jewish News, and others.
Michael B. Stewart has been included on the Forbes 2025 list of Best-In-State Lawyers for his intellectual property practice in Michigan. Stewart is the co-founder and a managing partner of Fishman Stewart PLLC in Troy.
Winter 2025 Class Note
Martha Umphrey, ’91: A New View as Provost at Amherst College
Martha Umphrey, ’91, thrived as a professor in Amherst College’s Department of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought for 30 years. Since 2024, she has embraced the challenge of serving as the college’s provost and dean of faculty.
1993
Bethany A. Breetz, a member at Stites & Harbison PLLC, was included on the Forbes 2025 list of Best-In-State Lawyers for her appellate law practice in Kentucky. Her practice focuses on federal and state appellate advocacy as well as complex commercial litigation, including matters involving financial institutions, real estate, and trusts and estate litigation. Breetz currently serves as co-chair of the firm’s appellate advocacy group.
Laura Sheppard Faussié has joined Butzel Long as a shareholder. She is a commercial litigator, legal analyst and strategist, and appellate attorney. Before joining Butzel, Faussié co-founded and ran a boutique-style litigation firm in downtown Detroit for more than 20 years.
Kathryn R.L. Rand, visiting professor at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law and co-director of the Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law & Policy, co-authored the third edition of Indian Gaming Law and Policy (Carolina Academic Press, 2025). Indian Gaming Law and Policy is the leading overview of the law and policy shaping the tribal gaming industry. The third edition features comprehensive revisions and updates, including recent case law and new federal regulations as well as new content on issues such as sports betting, mobile wagering, and trends in tribal-state compacting.
1994
Ann-Marie Anderson joined Klinedinst PC as senior counsel. She has served as lead counsel in complex transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters and represented a wide range of publicly-traded, privately-held, and government entities across industries in her 30 years of practice. She speaks annually at the State Bar of Arizona Convention and other legal, technology, and academic organizations.
Heather Gerken was appointed as the 11th president of the Ford Foundation. She previously served as the dean at Yale Law School, where she also was the Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law. Gerken is a nationally recognized expert on constitutional law and democracy. Prior to her time at Yale, she was a professor at Harvard Law School and an associate at Jenner & Block.
Mitzi Hill joined Buchalter as special counsel in the firm’s Atlanta office. For more than thirty years, she has worked with businesses across a wide range of industries on issues related to the use and development of technology solutions, including AI and privacy. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law.
Larry R. Seegull has been recognized in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA for his labor and employment practice. Seegull is a principal in the Baltimore office of Jackson Lewis PC, where he represents private and public sector employers in all areas of labor and employment law.
1995
Colin Owyang was appointed as a superior court judge by Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. Owyang most recently worked for Vermont Electric Power Company and Vermont Gas Systems in executive leadership roles.
Karen Zatz was elected to a six-year term on the DuPage County [Illinois] Regional Board of School Trustees. She is vice president of the board, which represents nearly a million people in the region.
1996
Thomas B. Cochrane received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Albion College. The award recognized, among other accomplishments, his successful litigation to compel the State of Ohio to end sexual orientation discrimination in its civil service and his contributions to drafting a city ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in Westerville, Ohio. As an undergraduate at Albion College, Cochrane helped lead the student movement advocating for divestment from corporations operating under apartheid in South Africa. After graduation, he moved to South Africa to join the anti-apartheid liberation struggle, an experience that inspired him to pursue a legal career. Cochrane has practiced union-side labor relations law for 29 years and currently serves as senior labor relations counsel with the Air Line Pilots Association International, AFL-CIO.
1997
Richard Bierschbach, dean and the John W. Reed Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School, became the university’s interim president in September, appointed by the university’s board of governors. Bierschbach joined Wayne State Law School in 2017; previously, he taught at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he also served as vice dean.
Enoh T. Ebong is the new president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ global development department. From 2022 to earlier in 2025, she was the director of the US Trade and Development Agency. There, she led the agency’s global infrastructure development efforts in the energy, transportation, digital, and health care sectors and represented the US in high-level engagements with foreign governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector.
1998
Jonathan D. Andrews joined the board of trustees at Macalester College. He is a mediator and trial attorney at Signature Resolution and serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters in San Diego.
Dina Kallay, LLM, SJD, was appointed deputy assistant attorney general for International, Policy, and Appellate at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division in Washington, DC. Previously, she spent 12 years at the telecommunications company Ericsson, most recently as head of antitrust and competition. Kallay also has served as counsel for intellectual property and international antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission. She is grateful to longtime Michigan Law Professor Thomas Kauper, ’60, who passed away in 2025, for sparking her passion for antitrust law.
The Hon. Nancy (Woodruff) Salomone has been appointed chief judge of Colorado’s 20th Judicial District (Boulder County) by Supreme Court Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez. Salomone has served as a judge in the 20th Judicial District since 2017. Previously, she was a partner at the criminal defense law firm Malkinson Salomone LLC.
1999
Jill Abrams joined Crowell & Moring LLP in the firm’s health care group. Before joining Crowell, Abrams spent more than two decades at the US Department of Health and Human Services, most recently as a senior attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, where she advised on Medicare program integrity issues with a particular focus on Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D.
Joel Hassman Samuels was named executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Miami. He has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina for the last five years.
Graduated in 1980s
1982
William D. Ellis, a real estate partner at Akerman LLP in Los Angeles, was named one of the 2025 top 100 Lawyers in Southern California by the Los Angeles Business Journal. He also was shortlisted for the California Real Estate Lawyer of the Year award by American Lawyer Media, the parent company of Law.com and The Recorder. Ellis began his career at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP before becoming a senior partner at Sidley Austin LLP. He also has served as general counsel at NASDAQ-listed Reading International Inc.
George Vincent joined The Kroger Co. as secretary and general counsel. He previously served as managing partner at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP from 2007 to 2022. Vincent also has served as board chair for various civic and business organizations, including the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, The Christ Hospital, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Myint Zan, LLM, published “Reminiscences about Michigan Law School Classes of 1981–82” in the Seoul Times. The article highlights how lessons from Zan’s time in Ann Arbor have remained salient throughout his legal career. He is a retired professor of law who taught at universities in Malaysia, Australia, the South Pacific, and the US.
1983
William Young was reappointed to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for a three-year term. Young is a retired attorney and has served as a Michigan employment relations commissioner since 2021. He previously was a shareholder at White, Schneider, Young & Chiodini PC and spent nearly 28 years with the firm, where he represented unions and teachers, among other clients. In retirement, Young volunteers with Ingham County Meals on Wheels, is a member of the Spring Lake Village Historical Commission, and serves as a fellow with the Michigan State Bar Foundation.
1984
Meg Waite Clayton has published her ninth novel, Typewriter Beach (HarperCollins, 2025). The instant USA Today Bestseller has been heralded as recommended reading by the Today Show, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly, among others. She recently relocated to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, with a new second home in New Haven, Connecticut.
Wayne M. Smith was named executive vice president of the legal department at Warner Bros. Studios, where he will oversee the Warner Bros. Studios content production portfolio, including HBO, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, DC Studios, Warner Bros. Television, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The role also includes legal oversight of theatrical distribution and marketing, labor relations, music, and the physical studio lots in Burbank, California, and in the United Kingdom.
1985
Michael J. Mueller, partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, was elected as a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers by its board of directors, in recognition of his sustained contributions to the field. In addition to his commercial litigation practice, Mueller has been litigating and trying labor and employment disputes since 1987. He has published and spoken extensively on labor and employment topics, particularly on the intersection of labor and employment law with antitrust and RICO claims, as well as litigation and trial of wage-hour claims.
Ron Yolles has been named a Notable Leader in Finance for 2025 by Crain’s Detroit Business. Yolles is co-founder, partner, and chief visionary officer of Diversified Portfolios Inc. and co-founder of the Council of Independent Financial Advisors. He also is active with a number of charities and nonprofits in Southeast Michigan, including University of Michigan Hillel.
1986
Robert S. Bick, a shareholder with Williams Williams Rattner & Plunkett (WWRP) in Birmingham, Michigan, has been named to the Crain’s Detroit Business 2025 list of Notable Leaders in Mergers & Acquisitions. Bick’s practice of nearly 40 years focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and business transactions. He serves as co-chair of WWRP’s corporate practice group and has previously served as co-counsel to the owners of the Detroit Pistons.
1988
Thomas Froehle was honored with The Indiana Lawyer’s 2025 Leadership in Law Lifetime Achievement Award. Froehle is a partner and chair emeritus at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, where he focuses on recruitment, professional development, and community engagement in Indianapolis.
Elizabeth Barrowman Gibson was appointed group vice president and general counsel for Toyota Motor North America, where she oversees the company’s legal department and is responsible for setting legal direction and strategy. Previously, Gibson was vice president and deputy general counsel at the company, with responsibility for complex litigation, product liability, government investigations, risk mitigation, intellectual property, franchise and dealer issues, and regulatory compliance.
1989
Cindy Cohn will step down from her role as executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 2026 after more than 25 years with the organization. She first became involved with EFF in 1993, when she served as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. US Department of Justice on behalf of the organization. From 2000 to 2015, Cohn was EFF’s legal director and general counsel.
Damion Frasier was appointed to the Michigan Wildlife Council for a four-year term by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He is the owner and operator of Au Sable Riverview Resort and a managing partner at Shedd Frasier PLC.
Graduated in 1970s
1975
Jeffrey Haynes recently published a three-part article, “Abuse of Discretion: Principles from 180 Years of Michigan Caselaw,” in the Michigan Appellate Practice Journal. Using an empirical database of more than 2,000 cases, the article describes how the Michigan Supreme Court has applied the abuse-of-discretion standard of appellate review. Haynes is a fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, the editor of the Michigan Environmental Law Deskbook, and he has taught environmental law at the University of Michigan-Dearborn for three decades.
1976
Thomas Linn received the 2025 Pro Bono Service Award from the Legal Services Corporation in recognition of his commitment to expanding access to justice for underserved Michiganders. Linn serves as of counsel and chairman emeritus to Miller Canfield PLC, following nearly eight years as the chief executive officer and 20 years as a managing director. He was nominated for the award by Lakeshore Legal Aid, where he currently serves as chair of the board of directors.
1977
Ross Petty recently published From Marking Products to Marketing Brands: A Legal Perspective on the History of Brand Marketing (Springer Nature, 2025). The book examines the historical evolution from marking or branding products for ownership purposes to branding products in order to promote the brand itself. He is the author of two other books on the law, advertising, and marketing. Petty is an emeritus professor of marketing law at Babson College, where he served on the faculty for 31 years.
1978
Duncan McMillan was reappointed to the Workers’ Disability Compensation Appeals Commission for a four-year term by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. McMillan also served on the board’s predecessor body, the Michigan Compensation Appellate Commission. Previously, he worked at Kluczynski, Girtz & Vogelzang for more than 30 years, where he represented clients in workers’ disability and civil rights cases.
Graduated in 1960s
1964
Richard J. Aronson retired five years ago after practicing civil defense law for 55 years. He was managing attorney for Fireman’s Fund Staff Counsel and served as defense counsel for multiple insurers in more than 150 jury trials and arbitrations. Aronson and his wife, Laurie, who are based in Chicago, have traveled the world, once taking six months off work to circle the globe. He has conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led mock jury trials at a local high school, and volunteers for various events at Lambs Farm, a facility for adults with special needs. He plays the piano and works incessantly on his N-scale model train layout. He is proud to have graduated from the University of Michigan Law School.
Samuel McKim joined Dickinson Wright PLLC as of counsel. His practice focuses on complex litigation and tax matters, particularly state and local taxation. He also advises clients on tax planning, opinion work, and trial and appellate appeals. McKim is a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. He has taught state and local tax law as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School.
1969
George Elworth has retired from the Michigan Department of Attorney General, where he served as assistant attorney general for five decades. He previously spent a year with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and four years as an associate at Lord, Bissell, & Brook LLP in Chicago. Elworth also sat on the attorney general’s opinion review board.