Detroit, MI (1888PressRelease)
January 25, 2008 - Recognizing this year’s top attorneys of the Michigan Bar, Michigan Lawyers Weekly recently announced its “Lawyers of the Year” for 2007. Nominated by their peers, colleagues, associates and the editorial staff of Michigan Lawyers Weekly, the following 12 attorneys are being honored with this distinction:
• James E. Brenner, Beverly Hills resident, Clark Hill PLC
• Thomas W. Cranmer, West Bloomfield resident, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.
• Patrick D. Daugherty, Troy resident, partner at Foley & Lardner LLP
• Edward B. Davison, Flint resident, Gault Davison, P.C.
• Noreen L. Slank, Huntington Woods resident, Collins, Einhorn, Farrell & Ulanoff
• Saul A. Green, Detroit resident, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.
• Michael F. Jacobson, Bloomfield Hills resident, Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
• Brian G. Shannon, Southfield resident, Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
• David M. McClorey, Livonia resident, Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office
• Michael F. Stefani, Lake Angelus resident, Stefani & Stefani
• Richard T. White, West Bloomfield resident, Auto Club Group
• Amos E. Williams, Grosse Pointe resident, Law Offices of Amos E. Williams
“Over the last year, these attorneys have made great strides for and within the legal community,” said Lynn Ingram, publisher and editor-in-chief for Michigan Lawyers Weekly. “As laws and cases become more complex, it is important to recognize the people who are making a difference for the clients they represent and contributing to the advancement of the profession.”
Lawyers of the Year are chosen based on their achievements throughout the past year, including winning important cases; involving themselves in matters raising challenging issues within the profession or community; and furthering the profession’s commitment to the rule of law and concept of justice. An editorial panel from Michigan Lawyers Weekly makes the final selection for the attorneys honored with this distinction.
James E. Brenner
James E. Brenner of Clark Hill PLC, located in Detroit, is a corporate defense attorney and head of the firm’s appellate practice department, specializing in insurance, commercial and benefits law. However, Brenner also works pro bono for the defense of death row inmates in states still utilizing the death penalty as punishment for crimes. He began his work in 1989 and has advocated for two defendants in the final stages of their respective appeals processes and had been denied adequate assistance of counsel. In a case taking 17 years to go through the appellate process, Brenner saved the man’s life by introducing important information his appointed counsel failed to present. Brenner has begun work on his third case this year.
Thomas W. Cranmer
Thomas W. Cranmer of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, P.L.C., located in Troy, is known for taking on high-profile cases, and 2007 proved to be a busy year for him. Cranmer won an acquittal in a federal, terrorism-related prosecution case involving former Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Convertino and former U.S. State Department security officer Harry R. Smith III. Cranmer also was picked as part of Southfield attorney Geoffrey Fieger’s defense dream team after Fieger and law partner Vernon R. Johnson were indicted on charges of having conspired to make illegal campaign contributions to John Edwards’ 2004 presidential campaign. He has recently taken on a case representing a former FBI and CIA agent who pleaded guilty to faking a marriage to win U.S. citizenship, a case that will keep him busy into the New Year.
Patrick D. Daugherty
Patrick D. Daugherty of Foley & Larder LLP, located in Detroit, is accustomed to working with teams of as many as 80 attorneys around the globe, planning mammoth public deals worth billions of dollars and then closing them to comply with SEC regulations. Daugherty’s most significant work this year was his leadership on the $350 million merger of Troy-based Noble International Ltd. with the laser-welding division of ArcelorMittal in London, the world’s leading steel company. Additionally, Daugherty and his team brought to the New York Stock Exchange several currency-based, exchange-traded funds, which are considered financial innovations and firsts in the world.
Edward B. Davison and Noreen L. Slank
Edward B. Davison of Gault Davison, P.C., located in Grand Blanc, and Noreen L. Slank of Collins, Einhorn, Farrell & Ulanoff, located in Southfield, paired to fight for an end to the common law discovery rule and to restore a legislatively mandated statute of limitations in a case that dated back to 1986. This case involved Margarette Eby, the former University of Michigan-Flint provost, who was raped and murdered. The crime went unsolved for 16 years until investigators used DNA evidence to convict a man. Eby’s daughter sued the man, Davison’s client, relying on the common law discovery doctrine to argue that Eby’s wrongful death claim remained active until the killer’s identity was discovered. Davison disputed the argument, stating it didn’t apply to his client. Ultimately, he and Slank got the Supreme Court to overrule the common law discovery rule, maintaining that it only governs the accrual of the statute of limitations for tort claims.
Saul A. Green
Saul A. Green of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C., located in Detroit, fought to bring down a discriminating landlord and helped recover the largest settlement in Michigan history for a fair housing rental discrimination case. In Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit v. General Properties Company, et al., Green alleged the company and one of its owners engaged in a pattern of discrimination against prospective black tenants, instructing several management companies to find reasons not to offer them apartments. The almost three-year case settled in August. As a result, more than 20 people turned away from one apartment complex throughout several years will share $330,000 of the $725,000 settlement.
Michael F. Jacobson and Brian G. Shannon
Michael F. Jacobson and Brian G. Shannon of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C., located in Southfield, worked collaboratively to return the oversight of residential homebuilders to the proper authorities stemming from a misapplication of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA). Through the successful use of a bypass motion, these attorneys moved their case directly from the Oakland County Circuit Court to the Michigan Supreme Court, where the 2000 decision to include residential homebuilders within the definition of “trade or commerce” under the MCPA was overruled. This decision puts an end to the misuse of MCPA claims on straightforward contract or warranty disputes.
David M. McClorey
David M. McClorey of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, a champion for elders’ rights and preventing elder abuse, brought down an independent contractor, who swindled more than $1 million from unknowing seniors, in a massive reverse mortgage fraud case in 2007. McClorey was able to charge the defendant for crimes against six victims, yielding a sentence above guidelines. Though planning to retire in March 2008, McClorey served in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office for 21 years and had been serving as the principal attorney of the Wayne County Elder Abuse Unit since being appointed in January 2004.
Michael F. Stefani
Michael F. Stefani of Stefani & Stefani, located in Royal Oak, is a former law enforcement officer who specializes in Whistleblower cases and took on one of the most contentious cases in Detroit’s history, the high-profile Brown, et al. v. City of Detroit, et al. In this highly publicized case, Stefani sought to prove that his clients had been unlawfully retaliated against for investigating and reporting wrongdoing within the ranks of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s security detail. Stefani was able to use his expertise in the Whistleblower Protection Act and his experiences in law enforcement to secure a multimillion-dollar jury verdict, as well as a post-settlement verdict for his clients.
Richard T. White
Richard T. White of Auto Club Group (ACG), located in Dearborn, made his mark in Washington, D.C., in 2007 by stressing the importance of attorney-client privilege. White addressed the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security on March 8, regarding the “McNulty Memorandums Effect on the Right to Counsel in Corporate Investigations and the Attorney-Client.” This memorandum revised internal policies on charging corporations with federal crimes, rather than, or in addition to, individuals within the corporation. Speaking on behalf of the Association of Corporate Counsel, in his testimony, White explained that the focus should be on preventing the government from furthering the damage to innocent companies, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders who may be targeted by the government for prosecution. Subsequently, the Client Privilege Act of 2007, which was already submitted to the Senate, but not yet introduced to the House, has yet to be acted on.
Amos E. Williams
Amos E. Williams of Law Offices of Amos E. Williams, located in Detroit, made a name for himself in 2007 with a significant win before the Michigan Supreme Court. In March, the former Detroit police officer and Vietnam veteran urged the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse the Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in Haynes v. Neshewat. In the case, the plaintiff, Dr. Gregory Haynes, alleged that because of his race, he wasn’t afforded the same staff privileges at Oakwood Hospital, and Williams won him a settlement. Although the trial court denied summary disposition, the Michigan Court of Appeals granted interlocutory leave and reversed the decision, citing that Haynes’ claims were not within the scope of ELCRA, which protects only members of the public. The Michigan Supreme Court disagreed and reversed the appellate ruling. In another large win in 2007, Williams convinced a Wayne County Circuit Court jury to award $1.9 million to Robert Shaw, Ecorse’s former police chief who had accused the city of age discrimination and not paying him his correct pension.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly
Michigan Lawyers Weekly, founded in 1986, is the premier weekly publication for the legal profession in the state of Michigan. The publication is written for attorneys, judges and all those within the legal profession in the state and is used as a tool to enlighten those within the legal profession of changes to the law and court rules. Additionally, Michigan Lawyers Weekly covers notable verdicts and settlements, discipline matters, and all other news vital to members of Michigan’s legal community. Michigan Lawyers Weekly is available online at http://www.milawyersweekly.com.
