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Kathleen Alessandro of Energized
Solutions LLC, Allen Park, Michigan. Founder of the firm, she has
over 30 years of practical experience managing businesses and organizations,
providing project management, business productivity, and program design
services to numerous profit and nonprofit entities. Ms. Alessandro designed
and authored the nation's first comprehensive dislocated worker retraining
and employment program, which served as both the national and international
model. She has testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment
and Productivity, the President's Commission on Employment Policy, and
the National Entrepreneurship Institute. A consultant in the development
of two documentaries ("Layoff" and the NBC White Paper, "America
Works When America Works"), Ms. Alessandro also provided technical
assistance to program staff in Canada, Europe, and Russia and to members
of the G-7 Economic Conference regarding employee training and productivity.
In addition, she is a member of the National Association of Professional
Organizers, president-elect of the National Association of Women
Business Owners-Greater Detroit Chapter, and an authorized consultant
for a select group of internationally recognized productivity programs. |
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Malita L. Barrett of Barrett & Barrett Law Offices, Detroit, Michigan, practices in the areas of criminal law and criminal appeals, family law, juvenile law, and general civil cases. A psychology graduate of the University of Michigan and a graduate of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, she is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. |
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Yvette M. Barrett of Barrett & Barrett Law Offices,
Detroit, Michigan, practices in the areas of criminal, family, juvenile,
and probate law. She practices in counseling and representing indigent
or otherwise needy clients in these areas. Ms. Barrett is a member of the
Michigan Trial Lawyers Association; the Macomb County, Recorder's Court,
Wolverine, and Detroit Metropolitan Bar Associations; the Black Women Lawyers
Association; and the Trial Lawyers Association of Wayne County Juvenile
Court. Appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve on the Michigan
Board of Audiology, Ms. Barrett chairs the Disciplinary Subcommittee 2004-2008. |
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Kimberly M. Cahill of Schoenherr Cahill & Warnez PC,
Center Line, Michigan, practices in the areas of real estate, probate,
estate planning, and family law. Ms. Cahill is the current president of
the State Bar of Michigan. She has been a State Bar commissioner since
1997 and has chaired the Member Services, Professional Standards, Justice
Initiatives, and Finance Committees. From 1999 to 2000, Ms. Cahill was
chair of the Representative Assembly, the final policy-making body of the
Bar. She also served as chair of the Bar's Access to Justice Campaign Committee
and sits on the board of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. In law practice
for more than 20 years, Ms. Cahill is also the president of Schoenherr
Developments, Inc., a property development company. She is a life-long
resident of Warren and has held many local leadership positions, including
president of the Macomb County Bar Association in 2001-2002, and is a founding
member and immediate past-president of the Macomb County Bar Foundation.
Ms. Cahill also served as president of both the Macomb region of the Women
Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM) in 1989 and the state WLAM in 1996.
She is currently treasurer of the WLAM Foundation, which promotes educational
opportunities for women lawyers and law students. Ms. Cahill has been honored
with numerous awards and accolades, including being named the Alexander
Macomb Citizen of the Year in 1998 and being listed in Crain's Detroit
Business "Top 40 Detroiters under 40" in 1997. |
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Brendan B. Chard of Chard.Net
LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. Chard is the owner of Chard.Net,
a website design, hosting, and online communications company for attorneys
and practicing professionals. |
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Dustin A. Cole of Attorneys
Master Class, Longwood, Florida. Over the last 15 years, Mr. Cole
has trained over 10,000 attorneys across the United States in how to build
more successful practices. He brings more than 35 years of experience in
every phase of marketing, advertising, public relations, and management
to his work with the legal profession. From 1985 to 1993, Mr. Cole was
president of his own firm, Public Strategies Florida, which focuses
on legal and professional marketing, and implemented successful client
development programs for law firms across Florida. In 1993, he merged his
company with Atticus, a fledgling attorney training and development organization,
becoming the company's primary trainer and workshop leader and helping
the company grow to become one of the leading legal training and development
companies in the nation. In that role, Mr. Cole conducted nearly 200 seminars
and firm retreats in 18 states and worked individually with dozens of attorneys
to help them expand their practices or deal with specific developmental
issues. In 2002, he founded his own organization, Attorneys Master Class,
to focus on supporting larger firms in increasing attorney revenues. Mr.
Cole is a frequent keynote and guest speaker at legal organizations nationwide,
including the American Bar Association, the Commercial Law League of America,
the American Inns of Court, the Association of Legal Administrators, and
many state bar associations. |
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John J. Conway of John
J. Conway PC, Detroit, Michigan, practices in the areas of commercial
litigation and employment law. Principal attorney and owner of his firm,
he focuses his practice on employee benefits and ERISA matters,
as well as serious accident and wrongful death cases. In solo practice
since 1999, Mr. Conway previously worked for the Michigan Court of Appeals
as a prehearing attorney and for the firm of Mantese, Miller, and Mantese,
PC, as a trial attorney. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan's
Board of Commissioners and the Labor and Employment Law Section and is
chair of the Young Lawyers Section. A member of the American Bar
Association (ABA), Mr. Conway is a member of the executive council of the
Young Lawyers Division and is a past district 20 representative (Michigan).
A fellow of the American Bar Foundation, he is also a member of the ABA's
Litigation and Labor and Employment Sections, serving on several committees. |
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Randall Dean of Randall Dean Consulting & Training
LLC, East Lansing, Michigan. The top graduate from the MBA program of Michigan
State University's Eli Broad College of Business in 1997, he has been teaching
people how to be more effective time managers for 15 years. He has personally
tested his time management (TM) system in major corporate, academic, and
nonprofit settings, as well as in two small and fast-paced for-profit companies,
proving that his TM and PDA systems work. Prior to becoming a speaker and
trainer, his use of his TM system allowed him to succeed in several important
professional positions, including director of full-time MBA admissions
at MSU, market research supervisor for the prescription-to-over-the-counter
switch of Proctor & Gamble's Prilosec, and subscriber services coordinator
for ADVANCES: The Journal of Mind-Body Health at the Fetzer
Institute. He left this successful career to become a leading expert in
the field of TM and personal organization and to teach others how to be
more organized, more effective with their time, and how to lead a life
of productive purpose. An active member of the American Society for Training
and Development, he recently conducted very popular PDA training sessions
for the Ann Arbor chapter. He has delivered entertaining and informative
speaking and training programs on TM for an impressive list of organizations
and has recently authored Major Satisfiers = Major Success, a
book which details his unique system for proactive, satisfaction-centered
time and life management and personal goal attainment. |
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| Cynthia J. Deittrick of Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy & Pelton PLC, Birmingham, Michigan. She is a past president of the Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. |
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| Dawn M. Draper of Wilson & Kester PLC, Traverse City, Michigan. |
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John R. Dresser of Dresser
Dresser Haas & Caywood PC, Sturgis, Michigan, practices in the
areas of estate planning, probate and trust administration, real property,
banking, and business law. Mr. Dresser is a shareholder and president of
the firm. He is a member of the Taxation, Probate and Estate Planning,
and Business Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan and serves on the
Bar's Probate and Estate Planning council and Business Law council. He
is a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. He is also member of
the Real Property, Business Law, and Probate and Trust Law Sections of
the American Bar Association. |
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| Diane Ebersole of the State
Bar of Michigan, Lansing, Michigan. She is a
practice management advisor for the Bar's Practice
Management Resource Center. |
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Julie I. Fershtman of Zausmer
Kaufman August & Caldwell PC, Farmington Hills, Michigan, practices
in the areas of insurance coverage and defense, business litigation, sporting
and recreational liability, and equine law. She is of counsel to the firm.
A member of the State Bar of Michigan since 1986, Ms. Fershtman has also
been admitted to practice pro
hac vice in several jurisdictions across the country. She
serves on the State Bar's Board of Commissioners, is a past chair
of the State Bar's Representative Assembly and Young Lawyers Section, and
is also a trustee of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Active in the American
Bar Association (ABA), Ms. Fershtman is currently a vice-chairperson of
the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section's Animal Law Committee and
chair of its Animal Insurance Law Subcommittee. A member of the Oakland
County Bar Association, she serves on its board of directors and, in 2000,
was the youngest attorney to receive its prestigious "Professionalism
Award." Ms. Fershtman has been listed in the Who's Who in American
Law and Best’s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys,
selected by Crain's Detroit Business and the ABA's Barrister
Magazine as a "best
and brightest," and quoted on legal issues by the New York Times,
Smart Money Magazine, ESPN.com, and CBS-TV. The ABA has selected her for
the "Profiles in the Profession" section of its website, and
her emphasis on niche marketing was the subject of profiles in the first
two editions of the ABA publication Marketing Success Stories. Ms. Fershtman
is the author of two books, over 180 published articles, and a monthly
column on legal issues and has recently been approved to co-author a book
on litigation for the ABA that is expected to be published in 2008. She
has had speaking engagements on legal issues for conventions and CLE conferences
in 23 states. |
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Michael J. Fraleigh of Fraleigh
Law Firm PLLC, Southfield, Michigan. Mr. Fraleigh has also
served in the attorney general’s Health Care Fraud Division where,
in addition to criminal prosecutions, he practices civil litigation
and asset forfeiture related to the Medicaid program. Mr. Fraleigh currently
serves as general counsel to the Office of Financial and Insurance Services
(OFIS) of the Department of Consumer and Industry Services. He represent
OFIS in administrative hearings and state courts; initiates litigation
and compliance actions against health maintenance organizations, mortgage
companies, and other regulated individuals; and provides guidance on policy
and procedures for the Divisions of Financial Institutions, Insurance,
Corporations, and Securities. Mr. Fraleigh developed and implemented the
legal strategy for OFIS's rehabilitation of OmniCare Health Plan. He also
defended the creditor challenges to the rehabilitation plan. Mr. Fraleigh
is a member of the attorney general’s working group on the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and serves
as a primary resource for staff attorneys on HIPAA and privacy issues. |
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Tania E. (Dee Dee) Fuller of Fuller Law and Counseling PC, Coopersville, Michigan, practices in the areas of business entity law, mergers and acquisitions, insurance coverage analysis, estate planning, and business succession planning. Ms. Fuller is a council member of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and serves on the section's Unincorporated Enterprises Committee. She is the past chairperson of the Grand Rapids Bar Association Business and Taxation Section and is a frequent lecturer and speaker on business subjects. |
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| Denise Elaine Gau of Butzel
Long, Detroit, Michigan. A paralegal working in the firm's litigation
department, Ms. Gau has extensive experience in commercial insurance,
collections, and class actions. Since joining Butzel Long in 1997, she
has worked with the collections and litigation department. Ms. Gau is
the chair of the State Bar of Michigan's Legal Assistants Section
council and a past chairperson of the Oakland County Bar Association's
Legal Assistants Committee. She holds a bachelor of business administration
from Walsh College and a certificate of paralegal studies from Oakland
University. |
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George W. Gregory of George W. Gregory PLLC, Birmingham,
Michigan, practices in the areas of probate and estate planning, tax planning,
and business planning. A former revenue agent with the IRS, Mr. Gregory
is a frequent ICLE speaker and a former lecturer and assistant professor
at Wayne State University School of Business Administration. He has served
in all the officer positions of the State Bar of Michigan's Taxation Section
and has chaired numerous committees and functions. Mr. Gregory is on the
Probate and Estate Planning Section council and chairs the Section's Transfer
Tax Committee. He is a member of the Business Law, Probate and Estate Planning,
and Taxation Sections of the State Bar; the American Institute of CPAs;
and the Michigan Association of CPAs. Mr. Gregory has authored numerous
articles on estate planning and tax law. He is a fellow of the American
College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is listed in the Best Lawyers
in America. |
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JoAnn L. Hathaway of the State
Bar of Michigan, Lansing, Michigan. She is a practice management advisor
for the Bar's Practice
Management Resource Center. Prior to joining the State Bar of Michigan, Ms. Hathaway worked in the field of professional liability insurance, focusing on risk management for law firms and the administration and resolution of legal malpractice claims. In this capacity, she investigated and negotiated the resolution of claims and lawsuits filed against lawyers in over 20 states over a 14-year period. Additionally, Ms. Hathaway has conducted law firm risk management consultations for national reinsurance carriers. Also an experienced legal administrator, she has been a speaker at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, the Columbus Bar Association, ICLE, and the Association of Legal Administrators, with content emphasis in the areas of law firm practice and risk management, and professional liability insurance for lawyers and law firms. Ms. Hathaway carries the designation of Registered Professional Liability Underwriter and is a Certified Independent Consultant for LexisNexis Time Matters V8. |
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Barron K. Henley of Henley
March & Unger Consulting Inc., Columbus, Ohio, practices in
the area of law office automation. Mr. Henley is an attorney, a "legal
technologist," with 14 years of experience and a founding member
of Henley March & Unger Consulting, Inc. (HMU), a firm focusing on
law office automation and technology. He received his BS/BA (marketing
and economics) and JD from The Ohio State University and is a member of
the American, Ohio, and Columbus Bar Associations and the Worthington Estate
Planning council. Mr. Henley is a member of the Law Practice Management
Section and the Technology Committee of the General Practice, Solo and
Small Firm Section of the American Bar Association. Mr. Henley is also
a member of the Visioneer Legal Advisory Board and the Columbus Bar Association
Law 2010 Committee. He is the former chairperson of the Ohio State Bar
Association Law Office Automation & Technology Committee, a certified
consultant for Amicus Attorney practice management software, and a
certified consultant and Alliance Partner for HotDocs document assembly
software. Mr. Henley teaches CLE classes covering practice management,
document management, file management, server and personal computer issues,
remote access, mobile lawyering, scanning and imaging, legal paper reduction
strategies, electronic case filing, Word, Excel, Outlook, WordPerfect,
HotDocs document assembly, Adobe Acrobat, building malpractice avoidance
systems through the use of technology, and many other topics. Mr. Henley
is a frequent continuing legal education speaker on legal-specific technology
issues throughout the United States for state and local bar associations
and CLE providers, including the Ohio State Bar Association, Indiana Continuing
Legal Education Forum, the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Michigan,
and many others. HMU's services include document assembly systems (HotDocs),
legal time/billing and accounting (PCLaw), practice management (Amicus
Attorney), paper reduction systems (scanners, OmniPage Pro, PaperPort),
database report writing (Crystal Reports), trial presentation and litigation
support (Sanction, Case Map, Time Map), WordPerfect to Word Conversions,
legal-specific software training (Amicus Attorney, Corel WordPerfect, Dragon
voice recognition systems, general computer training for lawyers, HotDocs,
Internet and e-mail, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint,
Microsoft Word, PCLaw Pro, and PaperPort and OmniPage Pro), plus hardware
and network installation, integration and ongoing support. |
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| Linda S. Jevahirian of Legal Search & Management Inc., Farmington, Michigan. A paralegal, she is the founder and president of the firm, which has been helping lawyers identify and hire temporary and permanent legal assistants since 1989. An affiliate of the State Bar of Michigan, she chairs the Public Relations Committee of the Legal Assistants Section. |
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Blaine B. Johnson, Jr. of Blaine B. Johnson, Jr. PC, Jackson,
Michigan, practices in the area of family law. An AV-rated attorney, he
limits his practice to complex divorce cases. Mr. Johnson is a member of
the Family Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan and the American Bar
Association and an active participant on the State Bar's Family Law Section
online discussion group. A member of ICLE's Family Law Advisory Board,
he has served on the planning committee for all six of ICLE's Annual Family
Law Institutes, where he has also been a moderator and presenter. Mr. Johnson
is a frequent lecturer on family law and law practice management for the
State Bar of Michigan at the Upper Michigan Legal Institute, for the Family
Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and for ICLE. He is also assisting
with curriculum design and planning for ICLE's Family Law Certificate Program. |
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Shelley A. Kester, of Wilson & Kester PLC, Traverse
City, Michigan, practices in all aspects of family law, guardianship law, criminal law, and mediation. Prior to establishing the firm Wilson & Kester, P.L.C. with Patrick J. Wilson, she was employed by Running, Wise, Wilson, Ford & Phillips, PLC, between 1992 and 1997. A member of the State Bar of Michigan, Ms. Kester has served on the State Bar's Special Committee on Domestic Violence and the Criminal Jurisprudence and Practice Committees. Ms. Kester is a member of the Board of Governors of the Grand Traverse-Antrim-Leelanau County Bar Association and a past member of its Judicial Liaison Committee, Domestic Relations Subcommittee, and ADR Committees. An SCAO trained facilitative mediator, Ms. Kester has received specific mediation training in domestic relations and collaborative mediation. A frequent commentator and speaker for ICLE, Ms. Kester has also served as a litigation instruction at Northwestern Michigan College for the legal assistant/paralegal program. Ms. Kester is a past member of the State Bar of California, and was recently recognized by the Traverse City Business News in June 2007 as one of the top criminal law attorneys by the readership. |
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Dr. Joseph Koob of difficultpeople.org,
Saline, Michigan. Founder and president of both Metacoach LLC and difficultpeople.org,
Dr. Koob is one of the foremost authorities on understanding and working
with difficult people and difficult situations. His experience includes
many years as a college educator, counselor, business trainer, motivational
speaker, and personal coach of executives. Dr. Koob has done an extensive
study of the difficult people literature and business-change literature
that have served as the foundation for 14 books centered in helping people
deal with difficult people, stressful situations, and negativity. His works
include Understanding and Working with Difficult People; Me!
A Difficult Person; Succeeding with Difficult Coworkers;
Succeeding with Difficult Bosses; Leaders Managing Change;
Honoring Life and Work: 99 Words for Leaders to Live By; his award-winning
book, A Perfect Day: Guide for a Better Life, and others.
Dr. Koob is currently working on Managing Difficult Employees,
and his book, Caring for Difficult Patients: A Guide for Nursing
Professionals, will
be out in February. |
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Dr. Konnie G. Kustron of Eastern Michigan University School
of Technology Studies, Ypsilanti, Michigan, practices in the area of cyberspace
law. Dr. Kustron is an associate professor of the Legal Assistant Program.
She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Advocates Bar Association,
and the American Association for Paralegal Education. Professor Kustron
is also the author of "Integrating the Internet into a Legal Research
Program" published in the Journal for Paralegal Education; "Searching
the World Wide Web," published in the Journal for Records Managers
and Administrators; and several book and software reviews printed
in the
Legal Information Alert. She is also a frequent speaker, both
locally and nationally, for the Association for Records Managers and Administrators.
Dr. Kustron is the recipient of the EMU College of Technology Outstanding
Faculty Award and a Josephine Nevins Keal Fellowship. She was also chosen
as a Research, Teaching, and Learning Fellow at EMU. Dr. Kustron has served
on the council of the Law Practice Management Section of the State Bar
of Michigan. |
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Donald B. Levitt, PhD, of Levitt
Consulting Inc., Ann
Arbor, Michigan. A licensed psychologist and member of the American Psychological
Association, Mr. Levitt is an organizational and family business consultant,
providing guidance for companies in the areas of leadership development,
team development, strategic planning, and operational efficiency. Before
establishing Levitt Consulting Inc. in 1998, he served in management roles
at Ford Motor Company and Owens Corning for 14 years. Mr. Levitt's combined
background in psychology and management allows him to provide expertise
to family-owned businesses in the areas of family relationships, communication
and conflict, developing the next generation, succession planning, and
ownership development. While he has consulted successfully with major corporations
such as Pfizer, Sprint, Deloitte and Touche, Bechtel, and Masco, his special
interest is in family-owned and closely-held businesses. A graduate of
the Human Resource Executive Program at the University of Michigan Business
School, Mr. Levitt has been awarded the Certificate in Family Business
Advising from the Family Firm Institute. |
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Elizabeth Welch Lykins of Ryan & Lykins PC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, practices in the areas of labor law and employment law. A member of the firm, she holds a law degree from Ohio State University, where she served as research editor for the Ohio State University Law
Journal. Ms. Lykins is a member of the Louisville and Kentucky Bar Associations, as well as the State Bar of Michigan. She is the secretary of the board of directors of the Home and Building Association of Greater Grand Rapids. |
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John D. Mabley of Smith & Mabley PC, Farmington Hills,
Michigan, practices in the areas of probate and estate planning and will
and trust litigation. He is a former chair of the Probate and Estate
Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Mr. Mabley is also a fellow
of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He has written several
articles for the Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Journal and lectures
often for ICLE. |
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Michele C. Marquardt of DeMent and Marquardt PLC, Kalamazoo, Michigan, practices in the areas of estate planning and business succession planning. She is one of two originating members of the estate planning firm. Ms. Marquardt is a member of the Real Property Law, Probate and Estate Planning, and Business Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association. She is also a member of the Kalamazoo County Bar Association. Ms. Marquardt has taught at Nazareth College and Davenport College and is an adjunct professor of estate planning at Western Michigan University. She is a frequent speaker for ICLE seminars on estate planning. |
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E. Thomas McCarthy, Jr. of Halpert
Weston Wuori & Sawusch PC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, practices
in the areas of personal injury, employment law, professional liability,
commercial litigation, and criminal law with emphasis on trial
practice and mediation. Mr. McCarthy is a fellow of the American College
of Trial Lawyers and an advocate member of the American Board of Trial
Advocates. In addition to his trial practice, Mr. McCarthy has worked as
a facilitative mediator since 1989. He serves as a mediator in litigated
and nonlitigated cases through court-annexed programs and by private arrangement.
Mr. McCarthy received his training as a mediator through programs at Harvard
Law School, the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan, and the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Michigan. He was certified as
a facilitative mediator by the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan
in 1989 and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
in 1995. Mr. McCarthy is also a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation,
a member of the Jury Representation Committee of the Grand Rapids Bar Association,
and a member of the ADR Plan Oversight Committee of the Kent County Circuit
Court. |
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Randy Arden Musbach of Musbach & Ritter, Chelsea,
Michigan, practices in the areas of no-fault insurance law and neurolaw.
He represents individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, spinal
cord injuries, and other catastrophic injuries. Mr. Musbach is the chairperson
of the Washtenaw County Trial Court Case Evaluation Committee and a past
chair of the State Bar of Michigan District G Character and Fitness
Committee. In 2003, he received the Outstanding Attorney Award from the
Washtenaw County Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Musbach has served as president
of the Washtenaw County Bar Association and co-chairperson of the Washtenaw
County Trial Court Judiciary Committee. He is a member of the Washtenaw
County Trial Lawyers Association, the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association
(past member, executive committee), and the American Association for Justice.
Mr. Musbach has lectured extensively on the Michigan No-Fault Insurance
Act, the use of computers in the practice of law, and representation of
individuals with traumatic brain injuries. |
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| Marcia L. Proctor of Proctor
Legal Consulting PLLC,
Dansville, Michigan, practices in the area of ethics and professional responsibility.
Her private practice concentrates on risk management and professional responsibility
services for law firms. Ms. Proctor also serves as general counsel at Butzel
Long and has had a varied career in public, corporate, and association
settings. She formerly served as director of the American Bar Association
Center for Professional Responsibility and as general counsel for the State
Bar of Michigan. Ms. Proctor has served as adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent
College of Law, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and the University of Detroit
Mercy School of Law. A frequent speaker on professional responsibility
matters, Ms. Proctor has authored over 100 articles on related topics,
has drafted numerous model rules and standards for lawyers and judges,
and is a contributing author to ICLE's Attorney Fee Agreements in Michigan (2006). |
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Larry Rice of Rice Amundsen & Caperton LLPC, Memphis,
Tennessee, practices in the area of family law. Mr. Rice is certified as
a family law trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and
certified as a family law specialist by the Tennessee Board of Specialization.
Mr. Rice has lectured at six American Bar Association conventions. He has
lectured to lawyers in Tennessee, New York, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi,
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Louisiana, New Jersey, Missouri,
North Carolina, Nevada, Washington, Massachusetts, Alabama, California,
Ohio, and Canada on many occasions on topics from law office management
to ethics to trial practice. He authored Divorce Practice in Tennessee,
The Effective Ethical Lawyer, and The Complete Guide to
Divorce Practice: Forms and Procedures for Lawyers. He served on
the editorial board of the Matrimonial Strategist and has contributed
articles on trial tactics, AIDS, and other topics. He was the founding
chairperson of the Divorce and Family Law Section of the Memphis Bar Association
and co-founder of the Family Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.
Mr. Rice has been listed in Who's Who in American Law, Who's
Who in the World, and Best Lawyers in America. He is
a partner at the firm. |
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Richard A. Roane of Richard
A. Roane PLLC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, practices in the areas of
family law including domestic relations litigation and mediation. For 17
years, Mr. Roane has focused his practice on divorce, nonmarital
domestic relationships, child custody and support, complex business valuation
and distribution, and pre- and postnuptial agreements. He is a trained
mediator and coach for domestic relations mediation training and serves
as a mediator on a private as well as a court-appointed basis. He is also
a member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Michigan. Mr. Roane is a
member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, having been active on its Pro
Bono Committee,
Domestic Relations Mediation Project Committee, and Divorce Settlement
Week Projects, and is a past chair of its Family Law Section. He
is a recipient of the Grand Rapids Bar Association's Michael S. Barnes
Pro Bono Award (1995). Mr. Roane is a member of the State Bar of Michigan
Family Law Section (two-term council member), the ABA Family Law Section,
the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and the ICLE Family Law Advisory
Board, serving on many committees and as a frequent lecturer. He also lectures
frequently for ICLE and the Michigan Family Court Forum (organizing committee)
on family law issues. Mr. Roane is also a co-editor of Michigan Family
Law, 6th ed (ICLE 2004). |
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Vincent A. Romano of Attorney Services
Marketing, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. Mr. Romano is the president of
the firm, a full-service legal marketing company. He is a 1975 graduate
of the Detroit College of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the
Law Review. His legal practice has included solo practice, as well as mid-sized
and small firm experience. Mr. Romano launched Attorney Services Marketing
in 1991. His clients include solos and firms of all sizes. A member of
the State Bar of Michigan's Representative Assembly, Mr. Romano is also
the current chair of the Law Practice Management Section. |
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| William Alan Roy of Roy Schecter & Vocht
PC, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, practices in the areas of employment, commercial,
real estate, and negligence law. Mr. Roy has been a member of the General
Practice Section council since 1983 and has served as chair, chair
elect, treasurer, and secretary. He was a member of the Committee on Arbitration
and Alternative Dispute Resolution from 1983 to 1986 and helped organize
the Dispute Resolution Center in Ann Arbor. He is a member of the Michigan
Trial Lawyers Association, the Wayne County Mediation Tribunal Association,
and the Attorney Discipline Board (as a hearing panelist). He served as
a hearing officer at the 46th District Court from 1981 to 1992. He is the
author of "Class Action Practice, " in the General Practitioner February
2001 and "Financial Advice for the General Client," in
the General Practitioner June 1995 and is co-author of "International
Dispute Resolution," in the General Practitioner November
1986. His book reviews include "Hate Crimes Law," in the General
Practitioner March 1994 and "Section 1983 Litigation in State Courts," in
the General Practitioner June 1994. Mr. Roy is listed in Who's
Who in American Law. |
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Harold G. Schuitmaker of Schuitmaker
Cooper Schuitmaker & Cypher PC, Paw Paw, Michigan, practices
in the areas of estate planning and probate, municipal law, corporations,
and real estate. A member of the State Bar of Michigan, Mr. Schuitmaker
is a member and secretary of its Probate and Estate Planning Section council
and a member of the Probate Court Rules and Probate Forms committees. He
serves as the Van Buren County Public Administrator and formerly served
for 10 years on the State Board of Medicine. Mr. Schuitmaker is also a
member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys and the Kalamazoo
and Van Buren County Bar Associations. A past president of the Rotary District
Foundation, he also serves in numerous civic and charitable organizations
and is a member of the Chemical Bank Community Board of Directors in Kalamazoo.
Mr. Schuitmaker is a level II certified assessing officer with the State
Assessor Board and holds a certificate of completion for the Probate and
Estate Planning Certificate Program cosponsored by ICLE and the Probate
and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan. A frequent lecturer
for ICLE, he is also a regular contributor to the Michigan Probate
and Estate Planning Journal. |
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Rebecca Simkins Seslar of Barris
Sott Denn & Driker PLLC, Detroit, Michigan. Focusing her practice
on labor and employment law, she practices in state and federal courts
and before various administrative agencies. Prior to joining Barris, Sott,
Ms. Seslar worked at the Bloomfield Hills office of Butzel Long. She currently
serves as secretary of the Law Practice Management Section of the State
Bar of Michigan and sits on the board of directors for the Northville Chamber
of Commerce. Ms. Seslar has taught law practice management at Michigan
State College of Law since 1994 and currently teaches law office management
at Thomas M. Cooley Law School as an adjunct faculty member. She frequently
speaks on topics related to employment and labor law and related issues
to various groups and entities. |
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William A. Shaheen, Jr. of Shaheen Law Firm, Flint, Michigan,
practices in the areas of probate and estate planning, commercial transactions,
and business law, including entity formations. Mr. Shaheen is a member
and past president of the Flint Estate Planning council. He is a member
of the Taxation, Business Law, Probate and Estate Planning, and Real Property
Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan and the Genesee County Bar Association.
Mr. Shaheen, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and recipient
of master of laws in taxation from Wayne State University, is a frequent
lecturer on estate planning and related topics, including buy-and-sell
agreements and entity formations. Mr. Shaheen serves as a member of ICLE's
Business Law Advisory Board. He is a contributor to ICLE publications,
including Michigan Business Formbook (2nd ed 2001 & Supps)
and Advising Closely Held Businesses in Michigan (2000 & Supps)
and wrote ICLE's How-To Kit: Transfer a Liquor License. |
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Elizabeth A. Silverman of Elizabeth A. Silverman PC, Farmington
Hills, Michigan, practices in the areas of business litigation, contracts,
collections, and domestic relations. A member of the State Bar of Michigan,
Ms. Silverman has twice been chair of the General Practice Section and
is currently serving on the section council. She is also a member of the
Women's Bar Association, which is the Oakland County Region of the Women
Lawyers Association of Michigan, and is a past chair of its Women's Issues
Committee. Ms. Silverman is a graduate of Wayne State University Law
School. |
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Danielle A. Smith of Gornbein Fletcher & Smith
PLLC, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. |
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Victoria L. Targosz of Rainmaker
Consultants Inc., Southfield, Michigan. She is a graduate of Oakland
University's paralegal program, certified in 1994, and the University of
Detroit Mercy School of Law. Ms. Targosz was formerly the legal administrator
of the retail consumer division for the firm of Muller Muller Richmond
Harms Meyers & Sgroi PC, creating her position with the firm in 1989
and developing the unit into a 22-member staff. In the 10 years she was
with the firm, she was directly involved in the development and operational
management of the department as well as developing a national bankruptcy
and litigation network from the ground level. In 1999, Ms. Targosz started
the consulting firm of Rainmaker Consultants, Inc., joining forces with
the law practice of Lori J. Frank PC and serving as the firm's legal administrator,
thus combining her skills as an administrator, paralegal, and marketer
to aid in the firm's practice. A member of the Legal Assistants Section
of the State Bar of Michigan, she is doing collection consulting nationwide
for Rainmaker. A frequent lecturer on a variety of collection topics, Ms.
Targosz is the co-author of Michigan Collection Law for Creditors (1989).
She was listed in the 1999 International Who's Who of Professional
and Business Women. |
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Tyrone C. Tartt of AT&T
Inc., Troy, Michigan, practices in the areas of litigation and intellectual
property. Mr. Tartt is a general attorney for the company, assigned to
its Yellow Pages and yellowpages.com lines of business. He focuses his
nationwide practice in the areas of litigation, intellectual property,
corporate governance, and the developing area of Internet law. Mr. Tartt
is a member of the Litigation and Intellectual Property Law Sections of
both the State Bar of Michigan and the American Bar Association. He has
also served as a mediator and settlement facilitator for the tri-county
courts, a council member of the Computer Law Section of the State Bar,
a board member of The American Corporate Counsel Association-Michigan
Chapter, an adjunct professor of Internet law at the University of Detroit
Mercy Law School, and a presenter for ICLE. Mr. Tartt is additionally appointed
as a private mediator in commercial and Internet-based disputes. He currently
serves on ICLE's Technology Advisory Board as well as the board of directors
for Botsford General Hospital. |
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| Kay Taylor of 30th
Circuit Court, Ingham County, Lansing, Michigan. She is the chief
deputy court clerk. |
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| Charlene M. Tope of Probate Support Specialists LLC, St. Clair Shores, Michigan. |
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Charles R. Toy of Farhat & Story
PC, Lansing, Michigan, practices in the areas of church law, environmental
and natural resources law, criminal and commercial litigation, and estate
planning. A partner in the firm, he has also served as a contract administrative
law judge for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality since 1986.
Mr. Toy serves on the State Bar of Michigan's Representative Assembly and
Board of Commissioners and is the commissioner liaison to the Environmental
Law Section and the Libraries, Legal Research, and Legal Publications Committee.
He is a past chair of the Environmental Law Section council, now
serving on the council ex officio. Mr. Toy was elected to a three-year
term on the board of directors of the Ingham County Bar Association. A
summa cum laude graduate of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1981, he
has served the law school as adjunct faculty since 1989. |
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Cynthia L. Umphrey of Kemp
Klein Law Firm,
Troy, Michigan, practices in the areas of business planning and transactions
and estate planning and postdeath administration. A shareholder and director
of the firm, she established an exit planning practice group for the firm.
Ms. Umphrey assists owners of closely held businesses in transferring their
companies to their employees, family members, or outsiders. The Detroit
Legal News, the Oakland Legal Press, and Bottom
Line Business Publications have published many of her articles, which are
written on topics within her areas of expertise. A member of the State
Bar District I Character and Fitness Committee, Ms. Umphrey is also a frequent
lecturer for ICLE, Lorman Education Services, the National Business Institute,
and other organizations. |
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| Laurie Velzen of Richard A.
Roane PLLC, Grand Rapids, Michigan. |
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Joan P. Vestrand is an attorney with Thomas M. Cooley
Law School, Rochester, Michigan. She was named assistant dean of the Oakland
University Campus effective August 2004. Ms. Vestrand is the chairperson
of the Department of Professional Responsibility and teaches professional
responsibility and civil procedure. She revamped the course on professional
responsibility and was integral to the implementation of the law school's
2002 Professionalism Plan. Ms. Vestrand is the director of the Office of
Law School Advocate and a member of the Honor Council, the Department Council,
the Curriculum Committee, the Professional Development Coordination Council,
the Honor Code Re-write Committee, and the Skills Committee. She is a member
of the Oakland County Bar Association Professionalism Committee, a fellow
of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, a member of the State Bar of Michigan,
a past chair of its Law Practice Management Section, a fellow of
the Michigan Bar Foundation, and a member of the American Bar Association.
She is also a member of the Center for Professional Responsibility, the
Professional Responsibility Counselors, the Oakland County Inns of Court,
and Scribes, the American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects. She has
written many articles and presented for various professional associations
on ethics and other topics. |
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Vicki Voisin, ACP of Running
Wise & Ford, Charlevoix, Michigan. With more than 25
years of experience in the career field, Ms. Voisin has earned her certified
legal assistant and advanced paralegal specialist/real estate
designations from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA).
She is a nationally recognized author and speaker on issues related to
ethics and to the legal assistant/paralegal profession. Ms. Voisin is the
creator and presenter of "EthicsBasics," a unique program dedicated
to raising awareness of ethical concerns by legal professionals and corporate
employees. A member of the State Bar of Michigan's Legal Assistants Section
since the section was established in 1990, she is a past chair, a
contributor to the section's journal, and the year 2000 recipient of the
section's Mentor's Award. Ms. Voisin has been an active member of NALA
since 1984 and has served the association as a past president, vice-president,
treasurer, and in various other leadership positions on a variety of committees
and was the 2004 recipient of the President's Award. A member of the Legal
Assistants Association of Michigan since 1980 and a former secretary,
NALA liaison, and region director, she was the 1997 recipient of the Affiliates
Award and in the year 2000 the first recipient of the Legal Assistant of
the Year Award, an annual award which, in her honor, has been renamed the
Vicki Voisin Legal Assistant of the Year Award. She currently serves on
the NALA webcast faculty teaching ethics and on the Lake Superior State
University's advisory board for the Legal Studies Program. |
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| Lynn M. Wade of 3rd Circuit
Court, Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan. |
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| Stacy L. Westra of 17th Circuit
Court, Kent County, Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is the chief deputy court
clerk. |
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