Largest Law Firms 2011 - Michigan Lawyers Weekly

Michigan’sLARGESTLAW FIRMS2011 Directory

An annual supplement to

Dear Readers,

As part of our effort to provide you the most up-to-date information about the practice of law,Michigan Lawyers Weekly brings you the annual “Michigan’s Largest Law Firms” directory.

While our state continues to adapt in a challenging economy, its largest law firms have beenadjusting staffing levels and areas of practice.

Lawyers Weekly invited law firms with 20 or more attorneys to participate in this compilation. Everyeffort was made, with surveys and personal contact, to provide as complete a listing as possible.

Firms are ranked by the number of attorneys employed in Michigan as of Jan. 1, 2011. Firms withthe same number of attorneys are listed alphabetically.

We are proud to serve you. We appreciate your cooperation and welcome your comments, questionsor recommendations. You may contact us at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Donald W. StemmermannPublisher, Michigan Lawyers Weekly

From the publisher

Because of the frequency of turnover among law firms, Lawyers Weekly cannot assure that the information contained in this directory is the most recent information ofits kind that is available at any given time. Lawyers Weekly’s Michigan’s Largest Law Firms 2011 Directory is intended for use as a supplement for other sources ofinformation and should not be used as a substitute for reasonable investigation or the exercise of reasonable judgment by the user. Federal copyright law protects theMichigan’s Largest Law Firms 2011 Directory. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of the Michigan’s Largest Law Firms 2011 Directory, or any portion thereof, isstrictly prohibited, and may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent permitted by law.

© 2011 Lawyers Weekly, Inc. Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 7013 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 110, West Bloomfield, MI 48322.

Abbott, Nicholson, Quilter,

Esshaki & Youngblood .........................................18

Barnes & Thornburg............................................16

Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker...................................14

Berry Moorman...................................................17

Bodman ...............................................................8

Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner P.L.C. .........................13

Brooks Kushman ................................................10

Butzel Long ..........................................................8

Clark Hill...............................................................7

Collins, Einhorn, Farrell & Ulanoff .........................15

Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick ..............................18

Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis,

Roeder & Lazar...................................................15

Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho.....................13

Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler .........................13

Dean & Fulkerson ...............................................18

Dickinson Wright...................................................6

Dykema Gossett....................................................7

Foley & Lardner ..................................................13

Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith .................................8

Fraser Trebilcock Davis & Dunlap.........................13

Garan Lucow Miller ...............................................9

Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton................................10

Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman.....................12

Harness, Dickey & Pierce ....................................10

Harvey Kruse ......................................................14

Hertz Schram......................................................15

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn......................6

Howard & Howard Attorneys................................10

Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss ......................................8

Kemp Klein Law Firm ..........................................13

Kerr, Russell and Weber ......................................11

Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook ..........9

Kotz, Sangster,Wysocki and Berg ........................13

Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins & Borsos.........................14

LawWeathers.....................................................14

Lipson, Neilson, Cole, Seltzer & Garin...................16

Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis & Gotting................17

Maddin, Hauser,Wartell, Roth & Heller .................11

Michael Morse....................................................16

Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones .............................12

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone .......................6

Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey.......................9

O’Reilly Rancilio ..................................................18

Parmenter O’Toole ..............................................18

Pepper Hamilton .................................................18

Plunkett Cooney....................................................7

Rader, Fishman & Grauer ....................................15

Rhoades McKee..................................................11

Sachs Waldman..................................................17

Scholten Fant .....................................................18

Secrest Wardle Lynch Hampton

Truex & Morley....................................................10

Seyburn Kahn.....................................................14

Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge ..............................9

Sommers Schwartz.............................................13

Strobl & Sharp ....................................................16

Sullivan,Ward, Asher & Patton.............................12

Thrun Law Firm ..................................................17

Trott & Trott...........................................................9

Vandeveer Garzia................................................18

Varnum ................................................................7

Warner Norcross & Judd .......................................6

Williams,Williams, Rattner & Plunkett ..................18

Zausmer, Kaufman, August, Caldwell & Tayler.......15

Comparison charts

Change in firm size 2008-11...............................19

Largest firms at a glance.....................................22

Males and females at the top 20 firms.................24

Salaries for new hires at the top 20 firms.............17

Cover photo

The Upper Tahquamenon Falls

At Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Luce County, Mich.

(cc by-sa 3.0 U) By Attila Nagy | commons.wikimedia.org

Inside photos

Mute Swan Pair .............................................................6

A pair of Mute Swans at edge of river in Marshall, Mich.

(RF-LL) By Jason Barnes | www.dreamstime.com

Downtown Detroit .........................................................8

Unusual perspective of downtown Detroit through day lilies.

(RF-LL) By Jennifer Nickert | www.dreamstime.com

The Heart of the Copper Country........................10,11

Panorama of Calumet, Mich., circa 1900, from Detroit

Publishing Co. Photograph Collection. Library of Congress;

downloaded at commons.wikimedia.org

Walking on the Pier.....................................................12

View of people walking along a busy pier on LakeMichigan in South

Haven, Mich. By Barb Ver Sluis | www.publicdomainpictures.net

Houghton-Hancock Bridge........................................15

Lift bridge over Portage Lake that connects the cities of

Hancock and Houghton in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

(RF-LL) By Snehitdesign | www.dreamstime.com

Marina............................................................................16Morning view of boats moored in a bay on Lake Superior.

(RF-LL) By Snehitdesign | www.dreamstime.com

Photos are available for sharing in accordance with the

stated license, or are in the public domain. Text of licenses

can be found at: creativecommons.org/about/licenses and

www.dreamstime.com/terms#limited.

Alphabetical listing by firm name

Largest Law Firms Directory 2011 | 3

By Douglas J. Levy

In the wake of a painful, economicallychallenging 2009,manyMichigan law firmmanaging partners said they came into2010 with an attitude of being “cautiouslyoptimistic.”Based on the activity each saw through-

out the year, that appeared to have beenthe right approach.There weren’t any layoffs or practice

group dissolutions among the 63 largestlaw firms, and no new associate classesfaced deferral.Toward the year’s end,many reported pos-

itive shifts in work among once-cool practicesectors, such as real estate transactions,commercial contracts and loan originations.Yet, tremors of 2009’s angst could still

be felt.Rex E. Schlaybaugh Jr., chairman and

CEO of Dykema Gossett PLLC, toldMichi-

gan Lawyers Weekly that economic trendsstill show overall demand for legal servic-es is going to be pretty flat.“The clients’ willingness to accept pric-

ing increases will be limited, and it willput a huge pressure on law firms to runtheir business more efficiently than everbefore,” he said.Dykema was ranked fifth among the

firms on Lawyers Weekly’s 2011 list of“Largest Law Firms.” The list chron-icles activity from Jan. 1, 2010, toJan. 1, 2011, amongMichigan firmsthat have 20 or more attorneys.Not everyone viewed

2009’s challenges asa bad thing.Lawrence J.

Murphy,man-aging part-ner at No.7-ranked

Varnum LLP, said that his firm’s 2009 re-ductions in operating costs, in addition toreassessing strategic considerations fornew business development and deliveryof services, helped in 2010.“We got better at it as a result of the im-

pact of 2009,” he said. “As a general practicefirm, we are, in some ways, the

canary in the mineshaft —you can almost look in-ternally to see howthe economy is per-forming externally.”But Michael W.

Hartmann, manag-ing partner at No. 1-ranked Miller, Can-field, Paddock and

Stone, P.L.C., said thatstrategy only goes so far.“You have to match yourworkforce to the demand as

Picking upthe piecesState’s biggest firms stay

extra careful in the aftermathof a harsh economy

3 Firms reduced insize by 10 or more attorneys

2Firms increased

in size by 10 or moreattorneys

closely as possible on a long-term basis.Everyone tries to figure out how it’s going tolook two or three years out and try to planfor it,” he explained.“But the last three years in the U.S. has

shown it’s a tricky business. In this world,things change pretty quickly, and you haveto adapt pretty quickly,” Hartmann said.“Law firms have concluded that; I don’tthink you can assume what you did twoyears ago will work two years from now. Lawfirms have to adapt like clients do — andclients don’t get [much time] to adapt.”

Sectors that saw sizzleIn surveying practice sectors, it’s clear that

Michigan firms adapted to sudden-ly hot fields in 2010, even re-turning to ones that cooledoff just a few years ago.The most activity was

reported in intellectualproperty, regulatoryand restructuring mat-ters for financial institu-tions, labor and employ-ment and health care.At No. 19-ranked Howard &

Howard Attorneys, PLLC, credi-tors’ rights, bankruptcy andloan workouts were strong formost of the year.Firm president and CEO Mark

A. Davis said that such workslowed down near year’s end, asbanks that had worked throughtroubled loans and clients’ finan-cial difficulties are comingthrough to the other side.No. 2-ranked Honig-

man Miller Schwartzand Cohn LLP had a lotto celebrate in its“record year” 2010. Notonly was its real estatetax appeals group ro-bust, it also identified“up-market” areas, suchas private equity and finan-cial institutions in corporatematters.And it wasn’t just Michi-gan that felt it, said firm CEO andchairman David Foltyn.

“We’ve found that we were able to sell ourservices all around the country to businessesthat are comparing us to Chicago and NewYork firms,” he said. “By those standards, ourvalue proposition is extraordinary.”So much so, he added, that in the latest

SNL Financial rankings in terms of nation-al deals for financial institutions, Honigmanranked No. 1.The 2009 amendments to the state’s

foreclosure-by-advertisement statute —where borrowers must come up with a loanmodification plan before the lenderforecloses on a principal residence — playeda strong part in Trott &Trott P.C.moving upfive spots to rank at No. 14 on the “LargestLaw Firms” list.

“We’re having a lot of one-on-one meet-ings with borrowers to try to help themavoid foreclosure, which has been avery productive and rewarding effortfor our attorneys,” said DavidA.Trott,president and managing partner.

The firm added 17 attor-neys in 2010 because ofthe surge in that activ-ity, Trott said, addingthat coming intothe new year, “Weknew we’d havesome [additions],but we didn’t an-ticipate as manyas we received.”Dykema’s Schlay-

baugh said that thefirm’s financial institu-tions practice spent part of2010 gearing up for impli-cations of the passage ofDodd-FrankWall StreetReform and ConsumerProtection Act.“Obviously that re-

quires a huge invest-ment, and we expectthat a lot of our clientswill be dealing with howto respond to it,” he said.

“When you have any newma-jor overhaul, there will be lots of

work that will come out of it as ourclients try to figure out the landscape.”

4 | Michigan Lawyers Weekly

When businesses in Michigan are faced with verycompetitive times…you look closer to make sure every dollaris spent wisely and that there’s a reason for your investment ina particular area, and you get something out of it.”

Mark E. Morley, Secrest Wardle Lynch Hampton Truex & Morley, PC

“

4Firms debuting in this

year’s directory

Difference inaverage new-hire salary

among the 20 largest firms

$19,000compared to the 2001 edition

of “Michigan’s LargestLaw Firms”

1Firm appeared in last year’sdirectory, but was ineligablefor inclusion in this year’sdirectory for having fewer

than 20 attorneys

Schlaybaugh said that besides its automo-tive and energy sectors doing brisk business,expansion of national health care regulationhas given Dykema an uptick in activity.Craig A. Mutch, managing member at No.

15-ranked Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cum-miskey, P.L.C., also reported good numbers inthe firm’s hospital practice group, whichdeals with everything from employment toreimbursement.“The nice thing about hospitals is, they

need to be here, unlike manufacturingplants that can pick up and go to Mexico orChina,” he said. “And we’ve made a signifi-cant effort to cultivate that work.”Justin G. Klimko, president and manag-

ing shareholder at No. 9-ranked ButzelLong, reported strong activity in the firm’sbanking and restructuring, white-collar

crime and internal investigations,international antitrust litiga-tion and automotive groups.As with 2008-09, he citedslowness in the real estatemarket and an uneveneconomic landscape fortransactions as hurtingpoints for most of 2010.“The values got to the

point where people weren’twilling to make deals, and

sellers just weren’t willing tosell,” Klimko said.

Keeping a good balanceMany firms, like No. 10-ranked Bodman

PLC, had internal transitioning to balancethings out among hot and cool.“We are not so specialized here that we don’t

kind of pick up in other areas when one area isslower,” said Ralph E. McDowell, chairman ofthe firm’s executive committee. “There are sev-eral people here who do a variety of things,such as a real estate attorney whokeeps busy with foreclosures andother types of actions, andwhen that slows down willmove toward sales, merg-ers and acquisitions, andfinancing as those pick up.“You don’t have a shift

of people in and out of thereal estate group, butmore a shifting of whatthey’re working on.”That was the same thinking

for Howard & Howard; in 2010, at-torneys there who traditionally did loan doc-umentation work for banks were doing loanworkouts for them instead.Plunkett Cooney, ranked No. 8 on the list,

had general litigation attorneys steppinginto busier areas such as creditors’ rightsand insurance coverage.


10Firms

increasedparalegals

20Firms reducedparalegals

See “Picking up the pieces” on page 20

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.150 W. Jefferson Ave., Suite 2500Detroit, MI 48226(313) 963-6420; (313) 496-7699 Faxwww.millercanfield.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 279Male/Female Partners: 118/33Male/Female Associates: 70/48Male/Female Of Counsel: 10/0Number of Paralegals: 52

Male/Female New Hires: 4/8Male/Female Promotions: 4/1Male/Female Departures: 13/9

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP2290 First National Building660 Woodward Ave.Detroit, MI 48226(313) 465-7000; (313) 465-8000 Faxwww.honigman.com


Male/Female New Hires: 18/13Male/Female Promotions: 6/8Male/Female Departures: 16/8Associates’ Starting Salary: $115,000 (includes$5,000 starting bonus)

Warner Norcross & Judd LLP111 Lyon St. NW900 Fifth Third CenterGrand Rapids, MI 49503(616) 752-2000(616) 752-2500 Faxwww.wnj.com

Founded: 1931Managing Partner:Douglas E. WagnerBranch Offices:Southfield (30); Muskegon(12); Holland (8); Lansing (3); Sterling Heights (4)

Mission Statement: To be the premier law firm inMichigan with a demonstrated reputation for providingunsurpassed service, the highest level of legal expert-ise, and the best experience for our clients.

Areas of Practice: Administrative Law; Advertisingand Marketing; Alternative Energy; Antitrust and UnfairCompetition; Appellate Practice; Automotive Industry;Banking and Finance; Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights;Broker Dealer/Investment Adviser; Business andCorporate Law; Business Startups; Class-ActionDefense; Climate Change; Closely Held Business;Concierge Medical Practices; Condominiums;Consumer Product Safety; Construction Industry;Criminal Defense; E-Commerce and Internet; EconomicIncentives; Employee Benefits; Energy; EntertainmentLaw; Environmental Law; Family Law/Divorce; Family-Owned Businesses; Financial Services; Franchise Law;Green/LEED Real Estate; Greenhouse Gas/CarbonRegulation; Government Affairs; Health Care; HealthCare Reform; HIPAA; Hospitals and Nursing Homes; ITProcurement; Immigration; Information Technology;Insurance; Intellectual Property; International Business;Labor and Employment; Life Sciences; Litigation;Lobbying; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mining; Minority-Owned Business; Oil and Gas; Physicians; Privacy andInformation Security; Probate; Product Liability; RealEstate; Records Information Management; Securities;Succession Planning; Sustainability and Climate;Sustainable Business Operations; Tax-Exempt andCharitable Organizations; Tax Planning and Litigation;Trademark and Copyrights; Trusts and Estates; Women-Owned Business; Workers’ Compensation

People to Know:Gregory E. Schmidt, Marketing Partner,(616) 752-2425, [email protected] D. Badgerow, Director of Finance,(616) 752-2277, [email protected] L. Coutchie, Director of Human Resources,(616) 752-2243, [email protected] M. Dubault, Director of Lawyer Recruitmentand Development, (616) 752-2295, [email protected]

Kevin J. Wilson, Director of Client Development,(616) 752-2224, [email protected] de Longpre, Director of Information Services,(616) 752-2463, [email protected]



Associates’ Expected Billable Hours: 1,750Associates’ Starting Salary: $100,000

Representative Clients: Amway Corp.; Borg Warner;CMS Energy Corp. and Consumers Energy Co.; DowChemical Corp.; Fifth Third Bank; Haworth, Inc; KennecottMinerals Co.; Mahle Industries, Inc.; Mercedes-BenzFinancial Services USA; Pulte Homes, Inc.; Robert BoschCorp.; Stryker Corp.; Spartan Stores, Inc.; Stryker Corp.;Spectrum Health System; Van Andel Institute; WhirlpoolCorp.; Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

Lifestyle Benefits: Adoption financial assistance andpaid leave; comprehensive health care benefits; em-ployee assistance and wellness programs; employeediscount programs; flexible work schedules, careertracks and time-off policies; military leave policy pro-viding supplemental pay and benefits; tuition reim-bursement; work/life balance referral service

Dickinson Wright PLLC500 Woodward Ave., Suite 4000Detroit MI 48226(313) 223-3500(313) 223-3598 Faxwww.dickinsonwright.com

Founded: 1878Managing Partner:William T. BurgessBranch Offices:Ann Arbor (20);Bloomfield Hills (76);Grand Rapids (17);Lansing (17); Washington, D.C. (15); Nashville, Tenn.(22); Phoenix (2); Toronto (29); Las Vegas (3)

Areas of Practice: Alternative Dispute Resolution;Antitrust; Appellate Litigation; Banking and FinancialServices; Bankruptcy; Business Criminal Defenseand Internal Investigations; Business Technology;Commercial and Business Litigation; Construction Law;Corporate; Corporate Finance; Education and SchoolLaw; Employee Benefits; Energy and Public Utilities;

BURGESS

WAGNER

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Michigan’sLARGESTLAW FIRMS

Environmental; Family and Matrimonial Law; Gaming;Immigration; Insurance Industry; Intellectual Property;International; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Mergersand Acquisitions; Municipal Law and Finance; Patent;Private Capital; Products Liability/Personal InjuryLitigation; Railroads and Transportation; Real Estate;Regulatory and Administrative Law; Securities; Taxation;Telecommunication; Trade Regulation; Trust and EstatePlanning

People to Know:Thomas G. McNeill, (313) 223-3632Francis R. Ortiz, (313) 223-3690James A. Plemmons, (313) 223-3106Michael T. Raymond, (734) 623-1663Steven G. Howell, (313) 223-3033Leslee M. Lewis, (616) 336-1042William H. Honaker, (248) 433-7381Cynthia A. Moore, (248) 433-7295



Hourly Billing Rates: Partners: $360–$575;Associates: $205–$290; Paralegals: $100–$175Associates’ Starting Salary: $100,000 (plus$5,000 signing bonus)

Representative Clients: Ford Motor Co.; MGM Mirage;AT&T; Federal Mogul; Blue Cross Blue Shield ofMichigan; University of Michigan; Magna; JPMorganChase; Kellogg Co.; Enbridge Energy Co.

Dykema Gossett PLLC400 Renaissance CenterDetroit, MI 48243(313) 568-6800; (313) 568-5440 Faxwww.dykema.com



Hourly Billing Rates: Partners: $310–$645;Associates: $235–$410; Paralegals: $125–$275

Associates’ Expected Billable Hours: 1,950Associates’ Starting Salary: $105,000 (includes$5,000 starting bonus)

Clark Hill PLC500 Woodward Ave., Suite 3500Detroit, MI 48226(313) 965-8300; (313) 965-8252 Faxwww.clarkhill.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 166Number of Paralegals: 17

Varnum LLP333 Bridge St. NWP.O. Box 352Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0352(616) 336-6000(616) 336-7000 Faxwww.varnumlaw.com

Founded: 1888Managing Partner:Lawrence J. MurphyBranch Offices: Novi (17);Kalamazoo (11); GrandHaven (3); Lansing (2)

Areas of Practice: Busi-ness; Commercial; Finan-cial; Energy; Environmental; Estate Planning; HealthCare; Higher Education; Litigation; Real Estate; Munic-ipal; Labor Law and Employment

People to Know:Lawrence J. Murphy, Managing Partner, Grand Rapids,(616) 336-6814, [email protected] Hooker, Managing Partner, Novi,(248) 567-7403, [email protected] Livingston, Managing Partner, Kalamazoo,(269) 553-3509, [email protected] Beswick, Managing Partner, Grand Haven,(616) 846-9936, [email protected] Schneidewind, Managing Partner, Lansing,(517) 482-6237, [email protected] Buquicchio, Diversity Team Chair,(616) 336-6491, [email protected]

Lawyers in Michigan: 153Male/Female Partners: 75/16Male/Female Associates: 15/12Male/Female Staff Associates: 0/2Male/Female Of Counsel: 15/0Male/Female Counsel: 14/4Number of Paralegals: 14

Male/Female New Hires: 9/3Male/Female Promotions: 4/0

Male/Female Departures: 7/4


Representative Clients: Kellogg Co.; The HuntingtonNational Bank; Citizen’s Bank; Independent Bank; FifthThird Bank; MPI Research

Lifestyle Benefits: Reimbursement for bar examreview course/bar exam; reciprocity fees for MichiganBar admittance; bar association membership fees;membership fees in professional, multicultural/genderspecific organizations; Varnum Career Growth CLE;health, life, dental and vision insurance; flexible spend-ing account; short-term disability and long-termdisability insurance; 401(k) retirement plan program;paid on-site parking; employee assistance program;free legal services for wills and trusts; alternative workpolicy; $15,000 zero-interest home loan; birth (pater-nity)/adoption leave policy; moving policy; mentoringprogram; ART advisor for each practice group; laptop;cellphone; digital dictation; personal productivityimprovement coach; health-risk assesments; healthclub benefit; access to client development tickets/events; various concierge services

Plunkett Cooney38505 Woodward Ave., Suite 2000Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304(248) 901-4000(248) 901-4040 Faxwww.plunkettcooney.com

Founded: 1913Managing Partner:Henry B. CooneyBranch Offices:Detroit (29); Flint (7);Grand Rapids (9);Kalamazoo (8); Lansing(7); Marquette (2); MountClemens (6); Petoskey (9)

Mission Statement: Plunkett Cooney is committed toproviding a wide range of the highest quality legalservices for clients across and beyond the State ofMichigan at a reasonable cost and in an atmosphere forprofessional fulfillment, economic advancement andsecurity for all employees.

Clients say they consider Plunkett Cooney to be aunique law firm because they see us as determined,distinctive and fearless whenever we undertake an as-signment on their behalf. Ours is among the most ac-complished litigation and trial firms in the Midwest, andwe have built a reputation as a leading provider of busi-ness and transactional services.Whether in the board-room or courtroom, Plunkett Cooney attorneys focus onone thing — obtaining the right result for our clients.

COONEY

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MURPHY

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As a member of the legal community, we are commit-ted to the highest ethical standards. We act with pro-fessionalism and civility in all our endeavors.We exceedour clients’ expectations for quality and service. Weshare our talents with the communities we serve and theorganizations we support. We are an equal opportunityemployer dedicated to maintaining a diverse workforce.

Areas of Practice:Alternative Dispute Resolution; Appellate Law; BankingLaw and Commercial Loans; Bankruptcy; BusinessLaw; Construction Law; Corporate Law; Debtor’s andCreditor’s Rights; Environmental Law; Estate Planning;Food Service and Hospitality Law; Franchise Law;General Business and Civil Practice; Government Law;Health Care; Insurance; Labor and Employment Law;Legal Malpractice; Medical Malpractice; Municipal law;Products Liability; Professional Liability; Real EstateLaw; Securities; Taxation; Telecommunications Law;Workers’ Compensation

People to Know:Henry B. Cooney President/CEO, (248) 901-4019,[email protected] G. Cowan, Business Law Department Leader,(248) 901-4029, [email protected] S. Bogren, Regional Department Leader,(269) 226-8822, [email protected] M. Jereck, Litigation Department Leader,(248) 594-6363, [email protected] G. Kamenec, Insurance Law Department Leader,(248) 901-4068, [email protected]



Representative Clients:Bandit Industries; Bank of America; Boyne USA; CharterOne Bank; Chartis; Citizen’s Insurance Co.; CompuwareCorp.; Fifth Third Bank; First American Title Co.;Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance; Home Depot; HuntingtonNational Bank; Independent Bank; Kroger Co.; LibertyMutual Insurance Co.; Macomb County; MeadowbrookInsurance Co.; Michigan Municipal League; NorthAmerican Dismantling Co.; Old Republic National TitleInsurance; PNC Bank; St. John Providence HealthSystem; The Doctor’s Co.; The Travelers Co., Inc.; ValassisCommunications; William Beaumont Hospital.

Lifestyle Benefits:Bar Association Dues Paid; Bar Review Exam Reim-bursement; Comprehensive Health Care Benefits401(K)/Retirement Defined Contribution Plan; Cell-phones/Wireless Devices; Disability/Life Insurance;Flexible Benefit Plans (Pre-Tax Savings) Medical/De-pendent; Flexible Work Schedules; Remote ComputerAccess; Wellness Programs; Employee Assistance Pro-gram; Employee Discount Programs

Butzel Long150 W. Jefferson, Suite 100Detroit, MI 48226(313) 225-7000; (313) 225-7080 Faxwww.butzel.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 143Male/Female Partners: 73/14Male/Female Associates: 22/14Male/Female Of Counsel: 18/2Number of Paralegals: 19Male/Female Promotions: 3/3

Hourly Billing Rates:Partners: $310–$590;Associates: $185–$330;Paralegals: $140–$185


Bodman PLC6th Floor at Ford Field1901 St. Antoine StreetDetroit, MI 48226(313) 259-7777; (313) 393-7579 Faxwww.bodmanllp.com




Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C.313 S. Washington SquareLansing, MI 48933(517) 371-8100(517) 371-8200 Faxwww.fosterswift.com

Founded: 1902

Managing Partner:Michael D. Sanders

Branch Offices:Farmington Hills (26)Grand Rapids (20)Holland (3)Marquette (1)

Areas of Practice:Administrative and Municipal; Banking, Finance andReal Estate; Business and Corporate; CommercialLitigation; Employment, Labor and Benefits; GeneralLitigation; Health Care; Trusts and Estates; Workers’Compensation

Lawyers in Michigan: 107Male/Female Partners: 50/13Male/Female Senior Attorneys: 12/2Male/Female Associates: 12/15Male/Female Of Counsel: 3/0Number of Paralegals: 18



Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.27777 Franklin Road, Suite 2500Southfield, MI 48034(248) 351-3000; (248) 351-3082 Faxwww.jaffelaw.com



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Plunkett Cooney continued

Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook1 Woodward Ave., Suite 2400Detroit, MI 48226(313) 965-7900; (313) 965-7403 Faxwww.kitch.com



Trott & Trott P.C.31440 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 200Farmington Hills, MI 48334(248) 594-5400; (248) 642-4573 Faxwww.trottlaw.com



Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey, P.L.C.Calder Plaza Building250 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 800Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2250(616) 831-1700; (616) 831-1701 Faxwww.millerjohnson.com

Founded: 1959Managing Partner: Craig A. MutchBranch Offices: Kalamazoo (14)

Mission Statement:Miller Johnson attorneys and staff are committed to doingchallenging legal work, using all of our skills, training, andcreativity to solve our clients’ problems through uniformlysuperior representation.We are committed to excellence.We work with our clients to achieve their success by pro-

viding timely, innovative, cost-effective legal services. Ourclients see and feel the dif-ference, whether they seekour business and corporate,employment and labor, litiga-tion or personal legal coun-sel. In every situation, weremain “down to earth” whilewe are “down to business.”

Areas of Practice:Business/Corporate Counsel; Employment and Labor;Litigation; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Automotive;Aviation; Banking and Financial Institutions; Bankruptcy;Creditors’/Debtors’ Rights; Collective Bargaining; Con-struction; Corporate Finance; Criminal Law (IncludingComplex Commercial Fraud and Embezzlement Recov-ery); Education; Elder Law and Disability Planning; Em-ployee Benefits and Executive Compensation; Employ-ment Practices Litigation; Entrepreneurial; Environmentaland Energy; ERISA Litigation; Estate Planning/Probate;Family Law; FMLA Solutions; Health Care Providers;Health Care Reform; Health Care Reimbursement; Immi-gration; Intellectual Property; International; Manufactur-ing; Media Law; Mediation; Mergers and Acquisitions;Municipal; Personal Injury; Private Equity and Finance;Products Liability; Professional Liability; Property Taxation;Real Estate; Taxation; Technology and E-Commerce; Un-fair Competition; Union Avoidance; Union-ManagementRelations; Vacation Home Planning;Wage and Hour Law;White-Collar Crime; Workers’ Compensation

People to Know:Craig A. Mutch, Managing Member, (616) 831-1735,[email protected] A. Sullivan, Administrative Member, KalamazooOffice, (269) 226-2964, [email protected]

Mark E. Rizik, Chair, Business Section,(616) 831-1744, [email protected] J. Kok, Chair, Employment & Labor Section,(616) 831-1724, [email protected] H. Lubben Chair, Litigation Section,(269) 226-2958, [email protected]

Representative Clients:Alticor, Inc.; Benteler AutomotiveCorp.; Borgess Medical Center; Bronson Methodist Hospi-tal; Dematic Corp.; Dow Corning Corp.; Gordon Food Serv-ice, Inc; Kellogg Co.; Meijer, Inc; MidMichiganMedical Cen-ter; Rettenmaier USA LP, J.; Stryker Corp.; Spartan Stores,Inc.; Spectrum Health; Spectrum Health; Steelcase, Inc.




Lifestyle Benefits: Flexible part-time arrangements;family leave above required FMLA leave (consideredper request and on a case-by-case basis); Miller John-

son In Motion (incentive program to encourage cardio-vascular exercise); club memberships including healthand athletic clubs; prescription/major medical; disabil-ity and life insurance; parking; 401(k); flexible benefitplan (pre-tax savings); dependent care plan; moving ex-penses; bar association dues paid; bar review/exampaid; employee assistance program; direct deposit; flushots (voluntary on-site vaccinations)

Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge250 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 200Grand Rapids, MI 49503(616) 774-8000; (616) 774-2461 Faxwww.shrr.com



Garan Lucow Miller P.C.1000 Woodbridge St.Detroit, MI 48207(313) 446-1530; (313) 259-0450 Faxwww.garanlucow.com

Founded: 1948Branch Offices: Grand Blanc (5); Lansing (2); GrandRapids (9); Traverse City (6); Troy (17); Port Huron (4);Marquette (3); Ann Arbor (6); Merrillville, Ind. (3)

Areas of Practice: Insurance Defense; Business andCommercial Litigation; Commercial Transportation andLogistics; Construction; Criminal; Employment Law;Family Law; Municipal Liability; Probate and Estate Plan-ning & Elder Law; Workers’ Disability & Compensation



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Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC5445 Corporate Drive, Suite 200Troy, MI 48098(248) 641-1600; (248) 641-0270 Faxwww.hdp.com


Howard & Howard Attorneys, PLLC450 W. Fourth St.Royal Oak, MI 48067(248) 645-1483(248) 645-1568 Faxwww.howardandhoward.com

Founded: 1869Managing Partner:Mark A.Davis, president and CEOBranch Offices: Ann Arbor(6); Chicago (24); Las Vegas(9); Peoria, Ill. (14)

Mission Statement:Howard & Howard’s mission is to provide quality legalservices on a timely basis and at a reasonable price.

Areas of Practice:Business and Corporate; CommercialLitigation; Construction; Creditors’ Rights; EmployeeBenefits; Environmental; Estate Planning; Probate andTrust Administration; Intellectual Property; International;Labor, Employment and Immigration; Mergers and Ac-quisitions; Real Estate; Securities and Tax

People to Know:Mark A. Davis, President and CEO, [email protected],(248) 723-0369Theodore L. Eissfeldt, Chair, Business & Corporate/Real Estate Group, [email protected], (309) 672-1483Jeffrey A. Sadowski, Chair, Intellectual PropertyGroup, [email protected] (248) 723-0423Samuel J. Haidle, Assistant Chair, Intellectual PropertyGroup, [email protected], (248) 723-0334Patrick M. McCarthy, Chair, Commercial LitigationGroup, [email protected], (734) 222-1097


Associates’ Starting Salary: $110,000

Representative Clients: AEES, Inc.; BASF Corp.;Chrysler Group L.L.C.; Dow Corning; Fifth Third Bank;KISS (the band); Konami Gaming, Inc.; Magna Mirrorsof America, Inc.; ThyssenKrupp; Sears Holding Corp.

Lifestyle Benefits: Comprehensive health care bene-fits; employee disability benefits; basic life and AD&Dbenefits; employee and dependent life benefits; em-ployee assistance program; wellness discounts

Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, P.C.101 W. Big Beaver RoadColumbia Center, 10th FloorTroy, MI 48084(248) 457-7000; (248) 457-7001 Faxwww.gmhlaw.com

Founded: 1976Managing Partners: Five-member executivecommittee and 10-member board of directors

Areas of Practice: Estate and Trust; Corporate Law;Health Care; Medical-Malpractice Defense; BusinessLitigation; Employee and Labor; Real Estate;Municipal; Family Law

People to Know:Julius H. Giarmarco, Estate Planning and ProbateTimothy J. Mullins, Litigation/Government,Municipality, Schools, UniversityWilliam H. Horton, Business LitigationWilliam H. Heritage III, Business PracticeGilbert Gugni, Family LawJoseph F. Page III, Health Care



Lifestyle Benefits: Best Health, concierge service,gym, yoga and more

Brooks Kushman P.C.1000 Town Center, 22nd FloorSouthfield, MI 48075(248) 358-4400; (248) 358-3351 Faxwww.brookskushman.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 64Male/Female Partners: 27/3Male/Female Senior Attorneys: 11/1Male/Female Associates: 14/8Male/Female Of Counsel: 0/0Number of Paralegals: 30

Secrest Wardle Lynch HamptonTruex & Morley, PC30903 Northwestern Hwy.P.O. Box 3040Farmington Hills, MI 48334-3040(248) 851-9500; (248) 851-2158 Faxwww.secrestwardle.com

Founded: 1912Managing Partners: Bruce A.Truex and Mark E. Morley

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Branch Offices: Grand Rapids (3); Lansing (2);Mount Clemens (10)

Mission Statement: Secrest Wardle: A law firmwhere competence and commitment combine everyday to exceed clients’ expectations in every way.

Areas of Practice: Alternative Dispute Resolution; Ap-pellate; Commercial and Business Law; Construction;Drug and Medical Device; Employment; Environmentaland Toxic Tort; General Negligence; Governmental Lit-igation; Insurance Coverage; Intellectual Property/Ad-vertising Injury; Malpractice/Professional Liability; Mo-tor Vehicle Litigation; Municipal; Premises Liability;Probate/Estate Planning; Product Liability; Property,Fire and Casualty; Real Estate

People to Know:William P. Hampton, (248) 539-2826Daniel P. Makarski, Mount Clemens,(586) 465-7180Nathan J. Edmonds, Mount Clemens,(586) 465-7180Thomas J. Azoni, (248) 539-2821Mark F. Masters, (248) 539-2844Henry S. Emrich, Grand Rapids,(616) 285-0143James R. Bradley, Lansing,(517) 886-9024



Representative Clients: ACIA; AT&T; Auto-Owners; BPProducts North America; Chartis; City of Auburn Hills;City of Bloomfield Hills; City of Farmington Hills; City ofNovi; Eaton Corp.; Esurance; Frankenmuth InsuranceCo.; Hartford Insurance Co.; Michigan Insurance Co.;Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority; Pro-gressive Insurance Co.; State Farm Insurance Co.;Wyeth; Zurich North America

Lifestyle Benefits: Comprehensive health care (med-ical, dental and vision); life and disability; flexiblespending account; 401(k) and firm contributions; flextime/part time; paid vacations and holidays

Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC500 Woodward Ave., Suite 2500Detroit, MI 48226(313) 961-0200; (313) 961-0388 Faxwww.krwlaw.com


Rhoades McKee PC161 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 600Grand Rapids, MI 49503(616) 235-3500(616) 459-5102 Faxwww.rhoadesmckee.com

Founded: 1960Managing Partner:Robert C. Shaver, PresidentBranch Offices:Grand Haven (2)

Mission Statement: Our philosophy and primary goalat Rhoades McKee is to meet and exceed our clients’expectations. That is the true secret of our success. Theclients who keep coming back to us year after year knowthat we will strive to meet their high expectations, whichincludes delivering cost-effective services. This is thestandard that has set us apart from other law firms andhas given us a well-earned reputation for excellence.

Areas of Practice: Appellate Law; Business/Corporate;Bankruptcy/Creditors Rights; Health Care Law;Taxation; Con-demnation; Conservatorships; Real Estate; Environmental;Insurance Defense; Landlord Tenant/Evictions; Labor andEmployment; Personal Injury; Medical and Legal Malpractice;Commercial/Civil Litigation; Probate/Estate Planning; Fam-ily Law; Real Estate Litigation;White-Collar Crime; EmployeeBenefits; Social Security Law; Products Liability

People to Know:Thomas P. Hogan, Corporate & Business Group,(616) 233-5215, [email protected] J. Cross, Estate Planning & Administrative Group,(616) 233-5181, [email protected] R. Starck, Real Estate Group, (616) 233-5205,[email protected] M. Lichtenberg, Health Care Group,(616) 233-5163, [email protected] M. McCarthy, Litigation Services Group,(616) 233-5133, [email protected] M. Strong, Professional & Insurance DefenseGroup, (616) 233-5107, [email protected] R. Thacker, Family Law Group,(616) 233-5168, [email protected] L. Zabel, Creditors Rights & Lender LitigationGroup, (616) 233-5173, [email protected]



Associates’ Expected Billable Hours: 1,800

Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, P.C.28400 Northwestern Hwy., Third FloorSouthfield, MI 48034(248) 354-4030; (248) 354-4033 Faxwww.maddinhauser.com





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Sullivan, Ward, Asher & Patton, P.C.25800 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 1000Southfield, MI 48075(248) 746-0700(248) 746-2760 Faxwww.swappc.com

Founded: 1951Managing Partner:Anthony A. AsherBranch Offices:Chicago, Grand Rapids

Areas of Practice: Labor(ERISA, Pension & Governance); Business Planning andLicensing; General Litigation; Complex Litigation andDebtor/Creditor Rights and Remedies; Real Estate Trans-actions; Real Estate and Commercial Litigation; Medicaland Dental Malpractice; Products Liability; ConstructionLaw and Professional Liability; Taft-Hartley Fringe Ben-efit Funds; Insurance Defense; Estate Planning

People to Know:Anthony A. AsherLee C. PattonA. Stuart TompkinsScott D. FeringaGerard J. AndreeKevin J. Gleeson


Male/Female New Hires: 2/3

Representative Clients: Associated Metal Fabrica-tors & Engineers; Citizens Bank; Consumers Energy;CNA Insurance; Fidelity Bank; Iron Workers’ Local No.25; Medical Protective Co.; Michigan Education Em-ployees Mutual Insurance Co.; Nautilus Insurance;Plumbers Local No. 98; POCO, Inc.; SmithGroup, Inc.;Tetra Tech; USG Insurance Services, Inc.; University ofMichigan Hospital; Williams-Sonoma; William Beau-mont Hospital; XL Design Professional

Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones PLC900 Monroe Ave. NWGrand Rapids, MI 49503(616) 632-8000(616) 632-8002 Faxwww.mmbjlaw.com

Founded: 1951Managing Partner:William A. HornBranch Offices:Caledonia (1)

Mission Statement:Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones PLCprovides legal representation in a wide range of legal prac-tice areas to individuals, businesses and local govern-mental units.The firm’s legal services are distinguished bythe prompt, personal attention given by experienced at-torneys to each client matter; uniformly high-quality legaladvice and representation; and adherence to the higheststandards of ethics and professionalism.

Areas of Practice: Alternative Dispute Resolution; Avi-aiton; Business and Commercial; Business Reorgani-zations; Bankruptcy and Creditor; Civil Litigation; Col-leges and Universities; Commercial Lending; CriminalLaw; Employee Benefits; Energy and Natural Re-sources; Entity Formation; Environmental; Family Law;Health Care; Immigration; Labor and Employment;Mergers and Acquisitions; Municipal; Personal Injuryand Wrongful Death; Public Finance; Public Schools;Real Estate; Securities; Tax; Technology and Intellectu-al Property Law; Trust and Estates

People to Know:Daniel R. Kubiak, Business, (616) 632-8018Scott E. Dwyer, Litigation and Labor, (616) 632-8033Nathaniel R. Wolf, Immigration, (616) 632-8046Ronald M. Redick, Municipal, (616) 632-8053Daniel J. Parmeter, Real Estate, (616) 632-8020William A. Horn, Energy and Natural Resources,(616) 632-8016



Representative Clients: Ferris State University; Nes-tle Waters North America, Inc.; Macatawa Bank; ITTCorp.; Michigan Oil and Gas Association; Pioneer Gen-eral Contractors, Inc.; Morgan Stanley Smith Barney;Trendwell Energy Corp.; Grand Valley Metro Council;Grand Rapids Charter Township; Village of Caledonia

Lifestyle Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package;health club membership; flu shots; parental leave;PDAs/ cellphone program; remote access; employeeassistance program, flex-time policy; paid parking

Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman PLLC201 W. Big Beaver RoadColumbia Center, Suite 1200Troy, MI 48084(248) 740-7505; (248) 740-7501 Faxwww.hallrender.com

Founded: 1967Office Administrative Partner:Kimberly Commins-Tzoumakas

Mission Statement: Hall Render was founded onstrong personal relationships and a commitment to ex-cellence in all endeavors, ever mindful of the need forbalance in our personal and professional lives. As indi-viduals dedicated to the ethical principles of our pro-fession, our purpose is to serve our clients in lawfullyachieving their goals by providing valuable counsel ofconsistently exceptional quality. Our vision is to build onour original foundation and to continue our commitmentto health care organizations, marshaling our talents toserve every single one of our clients and each other.Our firm’s commitment to excellence is sustained bythose of us drawn to its rare covenant, and by the will-ingness of each of us to embrace that covenant and thecommon beliefs and values on which the firm wasfounded: excellence in the whole person, caring rela-tionships, loyalty, quality service, integrity and respect.

Area of Practice: Health Care



Representative Clients: St. John Providence HealthSystem; Wayne State University Physician Group;Genesys Health System; St. Mary’s of Michigan

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Sommers Schwartz, P.C.2000 Town Center, Suite 900Southfield, MI 48075(248) 355-0300; (248) 746-4001 Faxwww.sommerspc.com



Foley & Lardner LLPOne Detroit Center500 Woodward Ave., Suite 2700Detroit, MI 48226-3489(313) 234-7100; (313) 234-2800 Faxwww.foley.com




Kemp Klein Law Firm201 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 600Troy, MI 48084-4161(248) 528-1111; (248) 528-5129 Faxwww.kempklein.com





Fraser Trebilcock Davis & Dunlap, P.C.124 W. Allegan St., Suite 1000Lansing, MI 48933(517) 482-5800; (517) 482-0887 Faxwww.fraserlawfirm.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 38Male/Female Partners: 25/5Male/Female Associates: 6/1Male/Female Of Counsel: 1/0

Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner P.L.C.4301 Fashion Square Blvd.Saginaw, MI 48603(989) 498-2100; (989) 799-4666 Faxwww.bkf-law.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 37Male/Female Partners: 25/2Male/Female Associates: 7/1Male/Female Of Counsel: 1/1Number of Paralegals: 12Male/Female Departures: 5/1

Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC39533 Woodward Ave., Suite 200Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304(248) 642-3700; (248) 642-7791 Faxwww.dmms.com



Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C.33900 Schoolcraft RoadLivonia, MI 48150(734) 261-2400; (734) 261-4510 Faxwww.cmda-law.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 36Male/Female Partners: 16/2Male/Female Associates: 9/7

Male/Female Of Counsel: 2/0Number of Paralegals: 4


Kotz, Sangster, Wysocki and Berg, P.C.400 Renaissance Center, Suite 3400Detroit, MI 48243(313) 259-8300(313) 259-1451 Faxwww.kotzsangster.com

Founded: 1978Managing Partner:Gregory L. Wysocki, CEOBranch Offices: Birming-ham (2); Grand Rapids (2);Lake Orion (2); Niles (2)

Areas of Practice: Business Restructing; Corporate;Employment/Labor; Environmental; Estate Plan-ning/Tax; Family Law; Financial Services; Health Care;Insurance; Commercial Litigation; Construction Litiga-tion; Specialty Litigation; Martime/Recreation Boating;Mergers and Acquisitions; Real Estate

People to Know:Jeffrey M. Sangster, Construction Litigation,[email protected], (313) 259-8655Robert B. Goldi, Financial Services,[email protected], (313) 259-8598Timothy J. Ryan, Employment/Labor,[email protected], (616) 940-0240Dennis K. Egan, Commercial Litigation,[email protected], (313) 259-8784Gregory L. Wysocki, Mergers/Acquisitions,[email protected], (313) 259-8580Keith J. Soltis, Health Care,[email protected], (248) 646-1051




Representative Clients: BMT Aerospace USA, Inc.;The Salvation Army; Peerless Steel Co.; Virginia TileCo.; Griswold Machine & Engineering, Inc.; SkanskaUSA Building; Limbach Co.; L.S. Brinker Co.; DetroitEconomic Growth Group; Charter County of Wayne

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Harvey Kruse, P.C.1050 Wilshire Drive, Suite 320Troy, MI 48084-1526(248) 649-7800; (248) 649-2316 Faxwww.harveykruse.com



Seyburn Kahn2000 Town Center, Suite 1500Southfield, MI 48075(248) 353-7620(248) 353-3727 Faxwww.seyburn.com

Founded: 1978Managing Partners:Bruce S. Kahn, Michael N.Santeufemia

Areas of Practice: Corporateand Business Planning; Com-mercial and Business Litiga-tion (All State and FederalCourts); Mergers and Acquisi-tions; Bankruptcy and CreditorPlanning; Corporate Finance;Probate; Estate and Succes-sion Planning; Trusts; TaxPlanning and Tax Controver-sies; Real Estate Structuring,Development, Exchanges,Purchases and Sales; Zoning;Computer and Technology Li-censing; Sports and Entertainment; Securities; Bankingand Financial Services; Governmental Regulation; Re-ceiverships; Employee Benefits; Health Care; Franchise

People to Know:Bruce S. Kahn and Michael N. Santeufemia, CorporateBruce H. Seyburn, TaxationJoel H. Serlin, Litigation

Barry R. Bess, Estate PlanningMark S. Cohn, Real Estate




Representative Clients: HoMedics, Inc.; PlastipakPackaging, Inc.; Golden Optical Corp.; Fifth Third Bank;Absopure Water Co.; Contractors Steel Co.; GlobalTechnologies; Guardian Alarm Co.; Highland Compa-nies; Klochko Equipment Rental Co.; Huntington Bank;Marubeni America Corp.

Lifestyle Benefits: Seyburn Kahn offers a comprehen-sive benefits package to all full-time employees. Thispackage includes health, dental, life, disability and long-term care insurance. The firm also offers a pre-tax flex-ible spending account, including medical reimburse-ment and dependent care accounts and a 401(k) plan.

Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins & Borsos, P.C.8225 Moorsbridge RoadPortage, MI 49024P.O. Box 4010Kalamazoo, MI 49003-4010(269) 324-3000; (269) 324-3010 Faxwww.kreisenderle.com


Law Weathers800 Bridgewater Place333 Bridge St. NWGrand Rapids, MI 49504(616) 459-1171; (616) 732-1740 Faxwww.lawweathers.com




Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker, P.L.L.C.211 W. Fort St., 15th FloorDetroit, MI 48226(313) 965-9725(313) 965-2493 Faxwww.bsdd.com

Founded: 1968Managing Partner:Sharon M.Woods

Mission Statement:Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker,P.L.L.C. is in its fourth decade of providing imaginativelegal services to metropolitan Detroit and a national andinternational clientele. The firm’s clients come fromevery corner of the business community, from emerg-ing startups to the largest corporations, from families tomunicipal and state government.We have one goal: tofind practical, creative, efficient solutions for our clients.We put matters under direct control of experienced at-torneys, not filtered through layers of associates andparalegals.We have avoided unrestrained expansion infavor of maintaining a close-knit working group. Wetake pride in responding rapidly to our clients’ needs,with fast turnaround. And, of course, we are committedto the highest standards of excellence. That is why ma-jor law firms often turn to us when they have legal prob-lems of their own. We have successfully representedseven of the largest law firms in Michigan — whichsays a lot about our reputation and record of success.

Areas of Practice:Business and Commercial Litigation;High-Stakes and “Bet the Company” Litigation; Con-struction Litigation; Officer and Director liaBility; Insur-ance Coverage; Professional Liability Litigation; Real Es-tate Litigation; Employment and Discrimination; Antitrustand Trade Regulation; Business Torts; Breach of Contract;Corporate, LLC and Partnership Disputes; Gaming law;Intellectual Property; Negligence and Products LiabilityDefense; Unfair Competition; Class-Action Defense Liti-gation; Real Estate Transactions; Lender Representation;Developer Representation; Commercial Leasing; Acqui-sitions and Sales; Condemnation; Construction Con-tracts; Environmental; Financing Formation of Real EstateVentures; Foreclosures or Other Remedies Leasing; SiteDevelopment; Tax Assessments; Work-Outs; Zoning;Business Counseling; Entity Formation; Structuring andNegotiating Business Transactions; Business Acquisi-tions and Sales; Employer Counseling; Corporate Gover-nance and Ethics; Employment Benefits and ExecutiveCompensation; Commercial Transactions; Corporate,Partnership and Limited Liability Company Law; Mergersand Acquisitions; Legislative and Government Relations;Labor and Employment Law; Health Care; Immigrationand Naturalization; Internal Investigations; Taxation; Es-tate Planning and Probate Estate and Trust Planning;Charitable Planning; Business and Succession Planning;Estate and Trust Administration; Guardianships and Con-servatorships; Fiduciary and Beneficiary Representation;Tax Planning and Representation; Estate, Gift and Gen-

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eration-Skipping Transfer Tax; Business and Personal In-come Tax; tax-Exempt Organizations; State and FederalTax Controversy; Retirement and Pension Planning.

People to Know:Eugene Driker, Founding Partner, [email protected] M.Woods, Managing Partner and Chair,Litigation Group, [email protected] Barris, Chair, Real Estate Group,[email protected] Share, Chair, Business Law Group,[email protected] E. Kass, Chair, Tax and Estate Planning Group,[email protected]




Representative Clients:AmerUs Annuity Group; Arbore-tum Properties, LLC; Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.; Atlas AutoLeasing; Auto Club InsuranceAssociation of Michigan; Avi-va USA Corp.; Bayview Loan Servicing, LLC; BendersonManagement Services, LLP; Buffalo Bills, Inc.; Burton-Katzman Companies; Burton-Share Management; CapitalOne Bank, NA; Charter One, a division of RBS Citizens, NA;Citizens Bank, N.A.; City of Detroit; CMS Energy, Inc.; CMSGeneration, Co.; Community Improvement Group, LLC;Consumers Energy; County of Wayne, Michigan; DairyFresh Foods; Darany Big Boy Restaurants; The DetroitMetro Convention and Visitors Bureau; Dexter Co.; DowChemical Company; Endodontics, P.C.; Financial IndustryRegulatory Authority (FINRA); The Fund for Cancer Re-search; General Electric Co.; General Motors Co., LLC; TheGood Bread Company of Michigan, LLC; Guardsmark,LLC; Harry Slatkin Builders, Inc.; The Harvard Drug Group,LLC; Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc.; Henry Ford HealthSystem; The Huntington National Bank; IDV Solutions,LLC; The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit; JP-Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.; KGI Automotive Systems, Inc.;Koenig Fuel & Supply Co.; The Kojaian Companies; LegalAid and Defender Association, Inc.; L&W Engineering Co.;Midwest Health Plan; Minkin-Chandler Corp.; McCoigHoldings; National Amusements, Inc.; National Fuel GasDistribution Corp.; NYX, Inc.; Olympic Steel Co.; Peri-odontics, PLLC; Premier Health Care Management, Inc.;Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Enterprises, Inc.; RBS Citizens, NA;RBS Asset Finance, Inc.; State of Michigan; SobelCo.;Standard Construction, Inc.; Superb Homes, Inc.; TennecoAutomotive, Inc.; ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, Inc.; Tow-ers Watson & Co.; United States Steel Corp.; VerizonWireless; ViridisWaste Control, OLC;Wayne County AirportAuthority; Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; West Bloomfield Con-valescent and Nursing Center, Inc.;Wolverine Equities/TheStaubach Companies; Woodward Hills Nursing Center

Lifestyle Benefits: Life, disability, prescription/majormedical, health and dental insurance benefits; 401(k)plan and firm contribution; employer-paid parking; paidvacation and holidays; bar association dues paid

Collins, Einhorn, Farrell & Ulanoff, P.C.4000 Town Center, Suite 909Southfield, MI 48075(248) 355-4141; (248) 355-2277 Faxwww.ceflawyers.com



Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar, P.C.39395 W. 12 Mile Road, Suite 200Farmington Hills, MI 48331(248) 489-8600; (248) 489-4156 Faxwww.couzens.com



Rader, Fishman & Grauer PLLC39533 Woodward Ave.Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304(248) 594-0600; (248) 594-0610 Faxwww.raderfishman.com



Hourly Billing Rates:Partners: $275–$550; Associates: $130–$250;Paralegals: $100–$150

Associates’ Expected Billable Hours: 1,700-2,000Associates’ Starting Salary: $125,000 (plus signingbonus)

Hertz Schram PC1760 S. Telegraph Road, Suite 300Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302(248) 335-5000; (248) 335-3346 Faxwww.hertzschram.com



Hourly Billing Rates:Partners: $325; Associates: $265; Paralegals: $125

Associates’ Expected Billable Hours: 1,800-2,000

Zausmer, Kaufman,August, Caldwell & Tayler, P.C.31700 Middlebelt Road, Suite 150Farmington Hills, MI 48334(248) 851-4111; (248) 851-0100 Faxwww.zkact.com



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Strobl & Sharp, P.C.300 E. Long Lake Road, Suite 200Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304(248) 540-2300; (248) 645-2690 Faxwww.stroblpc.com

Founded: 1989Managing Partner:Thomas J. Strobl

Mission Statement: Strobl& Sharp, P.C. provides expe-rienced legal counsel tobusinesses, units of govern-ment and individual clients.Whether in corporate or per-sonal matters, civil litigation or commercial and regu-latory legal services, experience matters. Our clientsbenefit from the counsel of seasoned, tested attorneyswho serve with a single purpose— to achieve the bestpossible legal results for our clients.

Areas of Practice:Alternative Dispute Resolution; Banking;Bankruptcy; Creditors Rights; Corporate; Employment Law;Environmental Law; Estate Planning; Family Law; HealthCare; Insurance Litigation; Labor and Employment; Litiga-tion; Real Estate; Taxation;Workers’ Compensation Defense

People to Know:Thomas J. Strobl, (248) 540-2300Lynn M. Brimer, (248) 540-2300Philip A. Grashoff, (248) 540-5800Brian J. McCullough, (248) 540-2300Elaine A. Parson, (248) 540-2300




Representative Clients: Accident Fund Co.; Bortz

Health Care Facilities; Bay Harbor Golf Club, Inc.; BoyneUSA, Inc.; Citizens Bank; Diageo North America, Inc.;Eaton Corp.; Flat Rock Metal, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline, PLC;HudBay Minerals, Inc.; Independent Bank; MichiganHeart Group; New Center Stamping, Inc.; Republic Serv-ices, Inc.; TCF Bank; TDM International; The SherwinWilliams Co.; Tooling Manufacturing & Technology Asso-ciation; Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; UnaSource Health

Lifestyle Benefits: Life, disability, health and dental;medical and child care reimbursement; health savingsaccount; 401(k) and firm contribution; paid vacation,personal days and holidays

Barnes & Thornburg LLP171 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 1000Grand Rapids, MI 49503(616) 742-3930; (616) 742-3999 Faxwww.btlaw.com


Lipson, Neilson, Cole, Seltzer & Garin, P.C.3910 Telegraph Road, Suite 200Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302(248) 593-5000; (248) 593-5040 Faxwww.lipsonneilson.com



Hourly Billing Rates: Partners: $225–345;Associates: $185; Paralegals: $105

Associates’ minimum billable hours: 1,850Associates’ Starting Salary: Varies

Michael Morse P.C.25657 Southfield RoadSouthfield, MI 48075(248) 350-9050; (248) 350-2640 Faxwww.michigan-auto-attorney.com

Founded: 1995Managing Partner:Michael J. MorseBranch Offices:Warren (6)

Mission Statement:At Michael Morse P.C.,we pride ourselves onaggressive representationof victims of auto, truck,motorcycle and pedestrianaccidents. Using our expertise in Michigan No-Faultauto law, our goal is to maximize recovery for each andevery client. Throughout this process we strive to maketheir lives better. To that end, in 2010, we recoveredmore than $44 million in settlements for both first- andthird-party auto cases. We believe this is a testamentnot only to our excellent reputation, but to the strengthof our team of more than 70 legal professionals,including 26 attorneys.

Areas of Practice: Automobile, Truck and MotorcycleAccidents for Plaintiffs Only (About 50 Percent Third-Party and 50 Percent PIP/No-Fault Benefits)

People to Know:Michael Morse, CEO, [email protected] Nachazel, COO, [email protected] Sackett, Office Manager, [email protected] Mendelson, Attorney in Charge of All Litigation,[email protected] Scheinder,Attorney in Charge of All Pre-Suit Cases,[email protected] Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer/BusinessDevelopment, [email protected]

Lawyers in Michigan: 26Male/Female Partners: 1/0Male/Female Associates: 18/7

MORSE

AUTOACCIDENT

CLAIMCENTER

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

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37

STROBL


Male/Female Of Counsel: 0/0Number of Paralegals: 18


Associates’ Starting Salary: Base salary plus incen-tives, bonuses and share in referal fees

Lifestyle Benefits: Monthly Employee Massages;Weekly Bagels; Weekly Lunches; Quarterly All-Employ-ee Events, Including Softball Games, Picnics, SportingEvents, Dinners, Cooking School, Boating and Bowling;Jackets and Shirts

Sachs Waldman, P.C.1000 Farmer St.Detroit, MI 48226(313) 965-3464; (313) 965-4602 Faxwww.sachswaldman.com



Thrun Law Firm, P.C.2900 West Road, Suite 400East Lansing, MI 48823-6386(517) 484-8000; (517) 484-0041 Faxwww.thrunlaw.com


Berry Moorman P.C.535 Griswold St., Suite 1900Detroit, MI 48226(313) 496-1200; (313) 496-1300 Faxwww.berrymoorman.com



Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis & Gotting, P.C.124 W. Allegan St., Suite 700Lansing, MI 48933(517) 482-2400; (517) 853-8671 Faxwww.loomislaw.com



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Salaries for new hiresat the top 20 firmsFirm 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Miller Canfield $100,000* $100,000* N/R N/R N/R

Honigman $125,000** $125,000** $125,000** $115,000** $115,000**

Warner Norcross $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000

Dickinson Wright $100,000† $100,000† $100,000† $100,000† $100,000†

Dykema $105,000** $105,000** $105,000** $105,000** $105,000**

Clark Hill N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Varnum N/R N/R N/R N/R $100,000

Plunkett Cooney N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Butzel Long $105,000 $110,000 $110,000 $110,000 $110,000

Bodman $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 $105,000

Foster Swift $85,000† $100,000†† $100,000†† $100,000†† $90,000

Jaffe N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Kitch N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Trott & Trott N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Miller Johnson $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000

Smith Haughey N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Garan Lucow N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Harness Dickey N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Howard & Howard $95,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $110,000

Giarmarco Mullins N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

* plus $5,000 ** includes $5,000 starting bonus † plus $5,000 signing bonus †† inlcudes $10,000 bonus

O’Reilly Rancilio P.C.12900 Hall Road, Suite 350Sterling Heights, MI 48313(586) 726-1000; (586) 726-1560 Faxwww.orlaw.com


Hourly Billing Rates:Partners: $225–$300;Associates: $160–$200;Paralegals: $60–$110

Vandeveer Garzia, P.C.1450 W. Long Lake Road, Suite 100Troy, MI 48098(248) 312-2800; (248) 267-1242 Faxwww.vgpclaw.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 23Male/Female Partners: 13/2Male/Female Associates: 5/3Number of Paralegals: 5


Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett, P.C.380 N. Old Woodward Ave., Suite 300Birmingham, MI 48009(248) 642-0333; (248) 642-0856 Faxwww.wwrplaw.com



Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick, PC350 S. Main St., Suite 400Ann Arbor MI 48104-2131(734) 761-9000; (734) 761-9001 Faxwww.cmplaw.com



Dean & Fulkerson, P.C.801 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 500Troy, MI 48084(248) 362-1300; (248) 362-1358 Faxwww.dflaw.com



Parmenter O’Toole601 Terrace St.Muskegon, MI 49440(231) 722-1621; (231) 722-7866 Faxwww.parmenterlaw.com



Hourly Billing Rates:Partners: $200–$290;Associates: $125–$195;Paralegals: $75-$140

Pepper Hamilton LLP100 Renaissance Center, Suite 3600Detroit, MI 48243(313) 259-7110; (313) 259-7926 Faxwww.pepperlaw.com




Scholten Fant100 N. Third St., P.O. Box 454Grand Haven, MI 49417-0454(616) 842-3030; (616) 846-6621 Faxwww.scholtenfant.com



Hourly Billing Rates: Partners: $220 (average);Associates: $180 (average); Paralegals: $75 (average)

Associates’ Expected Billable Hours: 1,800Associates’ Starting Salary: Negotiable

Abbott, Nicholson, Quilter,Esshaki & Youngblood, P.C.300 River Place, Suite 3000Detroit, MI 48207(313) 566-2500; (313) 566-2502 Faxwww.abbottnicholson.com

Lawyers in Michigan: 20Male/Female Partners: 11/1Male/Female Associates: 1/2Male/Female Of Counsel: 4/1Number of Paralegals: 3Male/Female Departures: 1/1

Hourly Billing Rates: Partners: $350; Associates:$200; Paralegals: $130


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MICHIGAN’S ONLINE SOURCEwww.milawyersweekly.comFOR THE LATEST LEGAL NEWS

Firm 2008 2009 2010 2011 Change (2010–11)

Miller Canfield 321 314 304 279 –25Honigman 232 237 223 228 +5Warner Norcross 198 213 219 219 0Dickinson Wright 232 221 220 218 –2Dykema 221 215 200 180 –20Clark Hill 170 155 156 166 +10Varnum 159 155 153 153 0Plunkett Cooney 142 141 149 150 +1Butzel Long 210 202 171 143 –28Bodman 139 145 140 138 –2Foster Swift 92 96 100 107 +7Jaffe 100 100 104 103 –1Kitch 103 99 98 96 –2Trott & Trott 66 69 74 91 +17Miller Johnson 94 93 94 90 –4Smith Haughey 85 90 89 89 0Garan Lucow 97 89 90 87 –3Harness Dickey 76 82 77 76 –1Howard & Howard 76 77 79 73 –6Giarmarco Mullins 69 70 71 70 –1Brooks Kushman 50 60 63 64 +1Secrest Wardle 63 67 64 64 0Kerr Russell 58 60 56 57 +1Rhoades McKee 54 54 52 51 –1Maddin Hauser 51 52 47 50 +3Sullivan Ward 42 42 41 46 +5Mika Meyers 45 45 44 43 –1Hall Render N/R N/R N/R 40 N/ASommers Schwartz 52 47 42 40 –2Foley & Lardner 39 41 35 39 +4Kemp Klein 38 39 38 39 +1Fraser Trebilcock 42 50 43 38 –5Braun Kendrick 43 42 43 37 –6Dawda Mann 36 38 38 37 –1Cummings McClorey 40 38 36 36 0Kotz Sangster N/R 26 30 35 +5Harvey Kruse 33 34 34 34 0Seyburn Kahn 38 40 36 34 –2Kreis Enderle 25 28 29 32 +3Law Weathers 30 32 31 32 +1Barris Sott 32 34 33 31 –2Collins Einhorn 28 28 29 31 +2Couzens Lansky 32 30 30 31 +1Rader Fishman 31 30 33 31 –2Hertz Schram 24 33 31 30 –1Zausmer Kaufman N/R N/R 28 30 +2Strobl & Sharp 24 26 25 28 +3Barnes & Thornburg N/R N/R N/R 26 N/ALipson Neilson N/R N/R 22 26 –1Michael Morse N/R N/R N/R 26 N/ASachs Waldman 25 25 26 25 –1Thrun 31 30 27 25 –3Berry Moorman 24 23 21 23 +2Loomis N/R 22 N/R 23 N/AO’Reilly Rancilio 27 26 25 23 –2Vandeveer Garzia 21 22 23 23 0Williams Williams 23 23 25 23 –2Conlin McKenney 22 23 22 22 0Dean & Fulkerson 24 24 22 22 0Parmenter O’Toole 23 23 22 22 0Pepper Hamilton 32 30 27 22 –5Scholten Fant N/R N/R N/R 21 N/AAbbott Nicholson N/R 23 23 20 –3


Changes in firm size 2008-11

Managing partner Henry B. Cooney saidthe firm was struggling a bit with workers’compensation, but added “that’s really a func-tion because our work force is shrinking; as astate and as a region in southeast Michigan,there are fewer workers for fewer claims.”Mark E.Morley, managing attorney at No.

21-ranked SecrestWardle Lynch HamptonTruex & Morley, PC, said its municipalpractice was up, as was litigation inemployment and fraud.Tort law cas-es were still cool, such as premisesliability, based on recent MichiganSupreme Court decisions andchanges to the high court itself.In terms of geographic expansion,

WilliamT. Burgess, CEO at No.3-ranked DickinsonWrightPLLC, reported thatgrowth in IP and gam-ing law in Las Vegasprompted the firm toopen an office there.It also merged withAylesworth LLP tomake its Torontooutpost, which waspreviously limited tosmall gaming and cor-porate law matters, afull-service office.Bodman added an affiliate

office in Dallas, with three attorneysin banking, real estate and litigation. It alsoaffiliated with a California firm to allow fora banking practice — and presence — on theWest Coast.Butzel Long, meanwhile, pulled out of the

Florida market. Klimko said it vacated itsPalm Beach and Boca Raton offices becauseadditional investment was being asked of theaffiliated law firm there, “and we decided thatthat just wasn’t part of our business strategy.”Its New York City office was at risk, too,

he added.“We had the right strategy at sort of the

wrong time; we implemented it just as themarket was turning south,” Klimko said.“But we’re still committed to that office, andhave done restructuring there … and it’sstarting to show us profit.”

Mostly stable rostersOnly a handful of firms on the list had

double-digit growth and reductions in num-ber of attorneys compared to 2009’s numbers.Schlaybaugh said Dykema’s reporting 20

fewer attorneys in 2010 was based on bothattrition — such as retirement and change

of job — and a general slow-down in hiring that start-ed in 2009. He addedthat the firm did nothave to defer its fallclass of associatesas it did in 2009because of a slow-down in work.Miller Canfield’s

Hartmann said thatwhile attrition did fac-

tor into his firm’s 25-few-er-attorneys figure for 2010,he explained that the firmemployed a more careful as-sessment for this year’ssurvey as to what it consid-ered a full-time attorney.“We sure didn’t lay off

25 people,” he said. “Therewere no programmed layoffslast year at all.”Most notable has been Butzel

Long’s 28-attorney decline reportedat the end of the 2010 calendar year.

It’s not the first time the firm has posted sucha decrease; over a four-year period, ButzelLong’s ranks have thinned by 67 attorneys.“Any law firm is going to have some out-

ward flow of attorneys for personal reasons,etc.,” Klimko explained, “and the thing weweren’t really doing over the last couple ofyears was aggressively replacing them.“There’s been a pretty significant amount of

rationalization, if you will, of attorney sizes”nationally, and Butzel Long was no exception.No. 3-ranked Warner Norcross & Judd

LLP’s figures were steady, staying at thesame 219 as the year prior. But managingpartner Douglas E. Wagner said that therewas a difference: more lateral recruitment.“There are advantages to that,” he said,

“the principal one being you can react tomarket conditions more quickly. When

you’re hiring a law student, you’re projectingout two or three years as to what your needsare going to be, but in a lateral market, youcan fill a need within a few months.”Foltyn at Honigman said that sometimes

the talent can come before the need, as 20lateral lawyers — many of whomcame from out of state — wereadded to the firm in 2010.“Our philosophy has al-

ways been, if someone top-notch becomes available,we want them, becauseyou don’t get top lawyersevery day who want tolive in Michigan,” he said.And John J. Hern Jr.,

CEO at No. 6-ranked ClarkHill PLC, said that client-dri-ven needs in the firm’s IP, corpo-rate, automotive, government and public af-fairs groups accounted for a 10-attorneyincrease over 2009.

New science of billingCollecting among large Michigan firms

wasn’t as much an ordeal in 2010 as it wasthe year before, but alternative billingarrangements were still prominent.Citing national statistics, Cooney at Plun-

kett Cooney said it’s common for 15 to 20percent of clients to opt for them.“With some clients, it’s a good business de-

velopment tool, because it goes back to thesame thing with budgets — clients wantmore predictability with their legal expens-es,” he said.That’s not to say it’s always easy to im-

plement.Despite Honigman taking strong action

in investing time and money in developing aproject management support system, Foltynlamented, “I think most CEOs and generalcounsel would tell you, people are still tryingto figure out alternative fees. Clients arestill trying to figure out how it works, andlawyers are still far behind in project man-aging and predictability.”With many clients still feeling the effects of

a harsh economic time, Robert C. Shaver, pres-ident at No. 23-ranked Rhoades McKee PC,said it’s necessary for firms to do their best.


You have tomatch your workforce to the demand as closelyas possible on a long-term basis.…But the last three years inthe U.S. has shown it’s a tricky business. In this world, thingschange pretty quickly, and you have to adapt pretty quickly.”

Michael W. Hartmann, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.

“

Firms with20 or moreattorneys

63

73-27Average male-to-female

ratio for the top 20largest law firms

PICKING UP THE PIECES continued from page 5

1,839billable hoursAverage expectedof associates

Besides making plans for, say, one client’sbilling to not exceed a certain amount permonth, he said his firm has employed use ofblended fees, where the hourly rate is re-duced but a success fee is “backloaded.”“If there’s a concession of sorts on the one

hand with a backloaded success fee, the goal isnot just to produce a bill at a later date that’sless for the client,” Shaver said. “We’re trying

to be rewarded and be compensated forthe services we’ve performed.”

Other firms took hardstances, such as not advanc-ing as many costs, or imple-menting policies on howmuch clients could run upreceivables before the firmwould turn off the services.Then there’s the D-word.“At the end of the day,” said

Howard & Howard’s Davis,“what clients [say] most is, ‘Gimme

a discount.’ ‘What’s your hourly rate?Gimme a discount.’ ‘The more volume I giveyou, the more discount I want.’”That’s been difficult for his firm,Davis said,

because in 2010 it already had a low hourlyrate compared to other firms.“What will be interesting is,

now that these clients arestarting to do tremendous-ly well again, are they go-ing to go away from ‘Iwant the discount,’ or isthis going to be a fact oflife on a going-forwardbasis? I’m really curiousto see how this plays out.”Clark Hill’s Hern, who re-

ported that demand for alter-native billing arrange-

ments grew substantially for thefirm in 2010, agreed.

“There’s probably goodreason to think that con-stant pressure on priceand fees will continue, Ithink, [because] clientshave become more so-phisticated purchasers,”he said.

Value and cost controlOnce billing arrangements

are made, it’s a matter of coming upwith what’s expected from the firm — andit’s not always what the firm itself expects.Murphy at Varnum said one thing that’s

been apparent in the past few years “is thatclients are increasingly demanding thattheir law firms provide value as defined bythe clients, not as defined by their lawyers.”Cooney said it could just be a matter of

moving a case or a transaction along in a time-ly manner. Other times, he added, it’s a clientasking for a budget, the firm giving the client

a projection on what the matter going to cost,then bringing it in at or below budget.“Five, 10 years ago,” Cooney said, “the idea

of having a litigation or transactional budgetdidn’t exist, at least not very much. It certain-ly exists today, and we see that quite a bit.”He added that such measures will be “part

and parcel” of what lawyers need to do inmaintaining business.However,Morley at SecrestWardle said it

can prove to be a positive, making a largefirm stronger.“It requires us to be good stewards of our

time, our dollars and the staff we assign todifferent cases,” he said. “[B]usiness is allabout change … and we’ve always looked atchange as an opportunity to distinguish our-selves from the crowd.”Yet, there still can be pitfalls.Miller Johnson’s Mutch said a common

billing arrangement is an extension — a re-quest that’s a fine line for a large firm to walk.“There are so many factors that go in,” he

said. “If you have a client who pays theirbills on a regular basis and in a timely fash-ion versus one who pays at the end of theyear, just the time delay is a discount in andof itself. You have to make a lot of decisionsas to whether it makes sense and how reli-able they are, because we need a constantflow of money to pay our bills.”Mutch added that the percentage a firm

collects goes down significantly every 30days and “if you get to 120 days or more,you’re looking at a 30-40 percent chanceyou’re going to collect on that.”And that affects a firm’s own cost control.Besides postponing expansion of its office

space, Rhoades McKee’s Shaver said his firmlooked aggressively at its health insurancebenefits, and restructured them to accom-modate the law firm’s needs.“We really securitize all of our business

decisions … but we haven’t been thrifty,” hesaid. “We’re not cutting corners, because thatstuff comes back to bite you.”Burgess at Dickinson Wright noted that

his firm was very vigilant in terms of healthcare costs, but it was effectively carryingthrough their cost-control strategy that hadbeen established in the prior two years.“So for us, it was staying the course.”

Satisfying conclusionsAnd it appeared that the course would be

changing again — or, more specifically, re-turning a bit to what was seen in the yearsprior to the 2008 economic meltdown.“We’re seeing some signs of [economic

resurgence] through our clients and the typeof work we’re getting,” said Varnum’s Mur-phy. “Even as we get into 2011, there seemsto be a softening in bankruptcy and work-outs, and the type and nature of the corpo-rate work suggests more deals are beingstruck or loans are being made. That is agood thing.”Wagner said there was a reversal of sorts

forWarner Norcross.He said that 2009 foundthe firm extremely busy with auto suppliersin the first half of the year, then slower in thetail end. But 2010 was mostly flat in the firstthree quarters, until things ramped up in thefourth quarter in mergers and acquisitions,real estate and commercial lending — fieldsthat were devastated in 2008-09.Dickinson Wright’s Burgess saw some

hope, too, in that “transactions in Michiganwere slower for a portion of 2010, but re-bounded quite nicely.”Morley at Secrest Wardle said that 2010

was a good test for any large-firm attorneyin terms of the business of law.“When businesses in Michigan are faced

with very competitive times, you maybe looka little harder [at the bottom line] than youdo when things are seemingly going tremen-dously in the upward mode,” he said. “Youlook closer to make sure every dollar is spentwisely and that there’s a reason for your in-vestment in a particular area, and you getsomething out of it.“I think you’re more careful about con-

stantly reviewing and evaluating whethercertain systems you have in place are work-ing,” Morley added. “We did that, and I thinkit enabled us to control where we were fi-nancially, and also take advantage of themodest but encouraging uptick in business.”Being cautiously optimistic didn’t hurt

either.

If you would like to comment on this story,please contact Douglas J. Levy at (248) 865-3107 or [email protected].


Averageaddition ofattorneys

4

Averagereduction of

attorneys

5

1Firm withmore femalethan maleattorneys

Five, 10 years ago, the idea of having a litigation ortransactional budget didn’t exist, at least not very much.It certainly exists today, and we see that quite a bit.”

Henry B. Cooney, Plunkett Cooney“


Miller Canfield 279 118/33 70/48 10/0 52 4/8 4/1 13/9

Honigman 228 136/41 19/17 10/5 29 18/13 6/8 16/8

Warner Norcross 219 99/16 38/32 32/2 31 7/6 9/2 6/5

Dickinson Wright 218 99/25 35/31 23/5 23 9/3 4/1 7/7

Dykema 180 88/24 33/22 8/5 15 4/4 4/0 16/10

Clark Hill 166 N/R N/R N/R 17 N/R N/R N/R

Varnum 153 75/16 15/14 29/4 14 9/3 4/0 7/4

Plunkett Cooney 150 66/18 35/28 3/0 18 4/7 0/1 5/3

Butzel Long 143 73/14 22/14 18/2 19 N/R 3/3 N/R

Bodman 138 69/24 17/17 9/2 15 6/4 1/4 4/5

Foster Swift 107 50/13 24/17 3/0 18 5/8 2/2 3/2

Jaffe 103 60/19 11/9 3/1 14 3/2 4/0 4/2

Kitch 96 33/18 22/19 4/0 12 4/1 5/5 N/R

Trott & Trott 91 4/4 36/45 2/0 321 11/19 0/2 9/8

Miller Johnson 90 52/11 12/9 6/0 18 4/6 3/2 5/4

Smith Haughey 89 53/10 6/6 11/3 12 3/5 3/0 4/3

Garan Lucow 87 48/13 10/11 4/1 7 1/0 2/2 2/2

Harness Dickey 76 42/5 21/7 1/0 5 N/R N/R N/R

Howard & Howard 73 44/8 11/6 3/1 12 N/R N/R N/R

Giarmarco Mullins 70 30/4 23/10 3/0 2 4/2 2/2 2/2

Brooks Kushman 64 27/3 25/9 0/0 30 N/R N/R N/R

Secrest Wardle 64 37/11 10/3 2/1 4 6/1 3/1 3/2

Kerr Russell 57 31/2 20/2 2/0 5 N/R N/R N/R

Rhoades McKee 51 32/7 4/4 4/0 6 1/0 1/0 2/0

Maddin Hauser 50 31/6 7/6 0/0 6 3/1 2/1 0/0

Sullivan Ward 46 24/7 11/4 0/0 4 2/3 N/R N/R

Mika Meyers 43 26/3 2/3 9/0 4 2/0 1/0 N/R

Hall Render 40 13/6 9/12 0/0 0 4/12 1/1 0/3

Sommers Schwartz 40 20/2 3/3 12/0 8 1/0 0/0 0/0

Foley & Lardner 39 15/2 9/9 4/0 2 1/5 1/0 1/1

Kemp Klein 39 20/4 3/6 6/0 6 0/1 0/0 0/1

Fraser Trebilcock 38 25/5 6/1 1/0 N/R N/R N/R N/R

Largest firms at a glanceLawyers M/F M/F M/F M/F M/F M/F

Firm in Michigan Partners Associates Of Counsel Paralegals New Hires Promotions Departures


Braun Kendrick 37 25/2 7/1 1/1 12 N/R N/R 5/1

Dawda Mann 37 20/5 6/4 2/0 5 2/1 0/1 2/0

Cummings McClorey 36 16/2 9/7 2/0 4 0/1 0/0 0/0

Kotz Sangster 35 6/0 25/4 0/0 4 2/1 1/0 1/1

Harvey Kruse 34 17/0 9/6 1/1 10 1/0 0/0 0/1

Seyburn Kahn 34 19/4 5/3 1/2 6 1/0 0/0 2/0

Kreis Enderle 32 18/2 6/5 1/0 7 N/R N/R N/R

Law Weathers 32 19/2 5/2 4/0 4 1/2 0/0 1/2

Barris Sott 31 16/5 3/4 2/1 5 0/0 0/0 0/0

Collins Einhorn 31 8/6 6/8 3/0 5 1/2 0/1 1/0

Couzens Lansky 31 13/3 7/3 4/1 5 1/0 1/0 N/R

Rader Fishman 31 12/6 5/5 3/0 10 0/1 1/0 3/0

Hertz Schram 30 15/3 4/5 3/0 5 1/0 0/0 0/0

Zausmer Kaufman 30 5/4 10/8 3/0 8 3/5 0/2 3/4

Strobl & Sharp 28 18/3 4/1 2/0 3 4/1 1/0 3/0

Barnes & Thornburg 26 17/1 2/3 2/1 3 N/R N/R N/R

Lipson Neilson 26 11/3 3/4 5/0 4 0/2 0/1 1/0

Michael Morse 26 1/0 18/7 0/0 18 7/4 5/2 1/1

Sachs Waldman 25 9/4 3/1 6/2 3 2/0 1/0 0/2

Thrun 25 14/5 3/2 1/0 0 N/R N/R N/R

Berry Moorman 23 8/1 7/3 4/0 3 1/0 0/1 0/0

Loomis 23 12/3 2/3 3/0 6 1/2 0/1 0/1

O’Reilly Rancilio 23 14/1 3/3 2/0 8 N/R N/R N/R

Vandeveer Garzia 23 13/2 5/3 N/R 5 2/1 1/0 1/1

Williams Williams 23 17/0 1/3 2/0 2 1/1 1/1 1/0

Conlin McKenney 22 17/3 0/0 2/0 1 0/0 0/0 0/0

Dean & Fulkerson 22 16/1 0/0 5/0 2 1/0 0/0 1/0

Parmenter O’Toole 22 11/2 3/3 3/0 10 0/0 0/0 0/0

Pepper Hamilton 22 7/3 5/4 3/0 4 0/0 1/0 2/2

Scholten Fant 21 10/1 10/0 0/0 13 0/0 0/0 1/0

Abbott Nicholson 20 11/1 1/2 4/1 3 N/R N/R 1/1

Lawyers M/F M/F M/F M/F M/F M/FFirm in Michigan Partners Associates Of Counsel Paralegals New Hires Promotions Departures


Males and females at the top 20 firmsFirm Attorneys Partners Associates Of Counsel Total

Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female

Miller Canfield 279 118 33 70 48 10 0 198 8178% 22% 59% 41% 100% 0% 71% 29%

Honigman 228 136 41 19 17 10 5 165 6377% 23% 53% 47% 67% 33% 72% 28%

Warner Norcross 219 99 16 38 32 32 2 169 5086% 14% 54% 46% 94% 6% 77% 23%

Dickinson Wright 218 99 25 35 31 23 5 157 6180% 20% 53% 47% 82% 18% 72% 28%

Dykema 180 88 24 33 22 8 5 129 5179% 21% 60% 40% 62% 38% 72% 28%

Clark Hill 166 N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R N/RN/R N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R N/R

Varnum 153 75 16 15 14 29 4 119 3482% 18% 52% 48% 88% 12% 78% 22%

Plunkett Cooney 150 66 18 35 28 3 0 104 4679% 21% 56% 44% 100% 0% 69% 31%

Butzel Long 143 73 14 22 14 18 2 113 3084% 16% 61% 39% 90% 10% 79% 21%

Bodman 138 69 24 17 17 9 2 95 4374% 26% 50% 50% 82% 18% 69% 31%

Foster Swift 107 50 13 24 17 3 0 77 3079% 21% 59% 41% 100% 0% 72% 28%

Jaffe 103 60 19 11 9 3 1 74 2976% 24% 55% 45% 75% 25% 72% 28%

Kitch 96 33 18 22 19 4 0 59 3765% 35% 54% 46% 100% 0% 61% 39%

Trott & Trott 91 4 4 36 45 2 0 42 4950% 50% 44% 56% 100% 0% 46% 54%

Miller Johnson 90 52 11 12 9 6 0 70 2083% 17% 57% 43% 100% 0% 78% 22%

Smith Haughey 89 53 10 6 6 11 3 70 1984% 16% 50% 50% 79% 21% 79% 21%

Garan Lucow 87 48 13 10 11 4 1 62 2579% 21% 48% 52% 80% 20% 71% 29%

Harness Dickey 76 42 5 21 7 1 0 64 1289% 11% 75% 25% 100% 0% 84% 16%

Howard & Howard 73 44 8 11 6 3 1 58 1585% 15% 65% 35% 75% 25% 79% 21%

Giarmarco Mullins 70 30 4 23 10 3 0 56 1488% 12% 70% 30% 100% 0% 80% 20%

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Largest Law Firms 2011 - Michigan Lawyers Weekly

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Transcript of Largest Law Firms 2011 - Michigan Lawyers Weekly