Bodman LLP has a diverse client base that includes individuals and businesses in a variety of industries, with emphasis on financial services, automotive, high tech, real estate, nonprofits, health care, general manufacturing, and other sectors. National publications have ranked Bodman as one of Michigan's leaders in key practice areas and 29 of its attorneys have been selected by their peers to be included in the prestigious journal, The Best Lawyers in America.

Statement of Practice

General Civil Practice in all State and Federal Courts. Banking, Business, Civil Trial Practice, Commercial, Construction, Corporate, Employment, Franchise, Intellectual Property, Probate and Estate Planning, Real Estate, Tax, Trademark.

Clients

ATTORNEYS FOR: Accuri Instruments, Inc.
American Axle & Manufacturing
Archdiocese of Detroit
Bank of America
Bharat Forge Limited
Blue Circle America, Inc.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan
Blue Flame Propane
Booth Newspapers, Inc
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
CharterOne Bank
Cheboygan Memorial Hospital
Chrysler Corporation
Citizens Bank
City of Ann Arbor
City of Grosse Pointe Park
Comcast Cablevision
Comerica Bank
Compendia Biosciences, Inc.
CSX Transportation, Inc.
The Detroit Lions, Inc.
Detroit Medical Center
Edscha North America
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)
Financial Institutions Compliance Cooperative
Flagstar Bank F.S.B.
Ford Estates
Foster Blue Water Oil Co. Inc.
Foster Energy Services
Freudenberg-NOK
The Huntington National Bank
KeyBank National Association
Lear Corp.
Michigan Insurance Commissioner
Monroe Bank & Trust
National Archive Publishing Company
Outdoor Advertising Association of Michigan and member companies
PanEnergy Corp.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Primerica Financial Services
Pulte Homes of Michigan
Saga Communications, Inc.
Stahl's, Inc.
St. John Health System
St. Marys Cement Corporation
Techform Products Limited
Wayne County
Jervis B. Webb Company.

Address

201 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 500
Troy, MI 48084-4160, (Oakland Co.)

Phone

Phone: 248-743-6000
Fax: 248-743-6002

Website

http://www.bodmanllp.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

RESIDENT PARTNERS

Michael B. Lewiston (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, June 13, 1936; admitted to bar, 1961, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1957; J.D., with high distinction, 1960). Sigma Alpha Mu; Tau Epsilon Rho; Order of the Coif. Associate Editor, Michigan Law Review, 1958-1960. Member: Detroit Metropolitan, Oakland County, Federal and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Business Law; Corporate Law; Real Estate; Partnerships; Business Litigation.Email: Michael B. Lewiston

David W. Hipp (Partner) born Johnstown, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1950; admitted to bar, 1977, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1972); Wayne State University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1977). Notes and Comments Editor, 1976-1977, Wayne Law Review. Member: State Bar of Michigan; American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Commercial Law.Email: David W. Hipp

Thomas Van Dusen (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, June 18, 1954; admitted to bar, 1979, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1976); University of Michigan (J.D., cum laude, 1979). Member: State Bar of Michigan; American Arbitration Association. Practice Areas: Litigation; Banking Law; Commercial Law; Insurance; Personal Injury Defense.Email: Thomas Van Dusen

John C. Cashen (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, September 9, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Michigan. Education: Aquinas College (B.A., B.S., magna cum laude, 1976); University of Michigan (J.D., cum laude, 1980). Member: Oakland County and Macomb County Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Litigation; Employment Discrimination; Wrongful Termination; Personal Injury Defense.Email: John C. Cashen

David C. Stone (Partner) born Mt. Clemens, Michigan, October 24, 1947; admitted to bar, 1976, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; 1977, U.S. Tax Court. Education: Michigan State University (B.S., 1970); Detroit College of Law (J.D., 1976). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award for Federal Estate and Gift Taxation. Member: State Bar of Michigan; American Bar Association; Financial & Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit. Practice Areas: Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Corporate Law; Estate Planning; Business Law.Email: David C. Stone

Steven J. Fishman (Partner) born New York, N.Y., November 15, 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Illinois; 1972, Michigan; 1990, Indiana. Education: University of Wisconsin (B.S., 1962); Northwestern University (J.D., 1965). Member: Detroit, Oakland County, Illinois State, Indiana State, Federal and American (Member, Labor Section Committee on Development of Law under the National Labor Relations Act, 1972—) Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan (Member, Section on Labor Law). Practice Areas: Labor Law; Employment Litigation; Construction Labor Law; Discrimination Law; Employee Relations Matters.Email: Steven J. Fishman

Karen L. Piper (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, 1952; admitted to bar, 1980, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., with distinction, 1976); University of Michigan (J.D., cum laude, 1980). Member: Detroit Metropolitan, Federal and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Education; Litigation.Email: Karen L. Piper

Thomas J. Tallerico (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, October 24, 1946; admitted to bar, 1974, Michigan; 1976, District of Columbia. Education: Sacred Heart Seminary College (B.A., cum laude, 1968); University of Michigan (J.D., cum laude, 1973); La Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City. Phi Delta Phi (Clerk, 1972-1973). Attorney-Adviser, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State, 1973-1976. Special Assistant Attorney General, Michigan, 1983—. Member: Detroit Metropolitan, Oakland County (Member, Circuit Court Committee), American (Member, Forum on Franchising) and International Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan; Michigan State Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Securities Litigation; Antitrust Law; Franchise Law; Professional Liability; International Law; Business Arbitration.Email: Thomas J. Tallerico

Gary D. Reeves (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, March 15, 1954; admitted to bar, 1983, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (B.S., 1976; J.D., cum laude, 1983). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Procedure, 1982; Bronze Key Award. Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1984. Prehearing Attorney, Michigan Court of Appeals, 1985-1986. Clerk to the Honorable Chief Justice Dorothy Comstock Riley, 1986-1988. Member: Oakland County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Litigation; Construction Law; Real Estate Litigation; Alternative Dispute Resolution.Email: Gary D. Reeves

Leon M. Schurgin (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, July 14, 1941; admitted to bar, 1968, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; 1971, U.S. Tax Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit; 1986, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Michigan (B.B.A., 1964); Wayne State University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1968; LL.M., 1976). Certified Public Accountant, Michigan, 1971. Member: Oakland County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan; Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. Practice Areas: Taxation; Real Estate.

James J. Vlasic (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, September 5, 1951; admitted to bar, 1978, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; 1979, Florida. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1973); Thomas M. Cooley Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1978); Wayne State University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1986). Phi Alpha Delta. Member: State Bar of Michigan; The Florida Bar; American Bar Association (Member, Sections on: Business Law; Litigation). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law.

David B. Walters (Partner) born Traverse City, Michigan, March 13, 1959; admitted to bar, 1984, Michigan. Education: Central Michigan University (B.S., cum laude, 1981); University of Detroit (J.D., 1984). Member: Oakland County (Member, Employee Benefits Committee) and American (Member, Employee Benefits Committee) Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Employee Benefits Law; Business Planning; Estate Planning.Email: David B. Walters

Sol M. Friedman (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, April 6, 1943; admitted to bar, 1968, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (LL.B., 1968); New York University (LL.M., 1969). Robert S. Marx Scholar. Director of Operations, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, 1974-1977. Member: State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Banking; Finance; Real Estate; Affordable Housing; Commercial Law; Municipal Finance.Email: Sol M. Friedman

Wendy L. Zabriskie (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan; admitted to bar, 1992, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1986); Wayne State University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1991). Member: State Bar of Michigan; American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Commercial and Real Estate Finance; Real Estate Law; Corporate Law; Business Law; Mergers and Acquisitions.Email: Wendy L. Zabriskie

Andrew Z. Spilkin (Partner) born Royal Oak, Michigan, August 21, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.B.A., 1992; J.D., 1995). Member: State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Banking; Construction Law.Email: Andrew Z. Spilkin

Courtland W. Anderson (Partner) born Dearborn Heights, Michigan, July 13, 1966; admitted to bar, 1992, Illinois; 1996, Michigan. Education: Baylor University (B.B.A., 1988); University of Illinois (J.D., 1992). Member: Washtenaw County Bar Association (Co-Chair, Intellectual Property Section); State Bar of Illinois; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Commercial Litigation.Email: Courtland W. Anderson

Christopher P. Mazzoli (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, February 26, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., with distinction, 1991; J.D., 1994). Member: Oakland County Bar Association; State Bar of Michigan. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Law; Litigation.Email: Christopher P. Mazzoli

Gene P. Bowen (Partner) born Stanford, California, February 9, 1972; admitted to bar, 1997, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1994; J.D., magna cum laude, 1997). Delta Theta Phi; Order of the Coif. Assistant Editor, Wayne Law Review, 1995-1996. Senior Articles Editor, 1996-1997. Member: Oakland County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Corporate Law; Business Law; Real Estate.Email: Gene P. Bowen

J. Adam Behrendt (Partner) born Farmington Hills, Michigan, July 16, 1973; admitted to bar, 1998, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1994); University of Illinois (J.D., 1998). Member: State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Intellectual Property Litigation.Email: J. Adam Behrendt

Maureen Rouse-Ayoub (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, January 14, 1961; admitted to bar, 1992, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Education: Madonna University (B.S., 1988); Michigan State University Detroit College of Law (J.D., 1992). Member: Macomb County, Oakland County, Wayne County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Labor Law; Employee Relations Matters; Employment Litigation.

Erik S. Prater (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, May 22, 1973; admitted to bar, 1998, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1995); Wayne State University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1998). Member: State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Real Estate Secured Lending; Real Property.Email: Erik S. Prater

Edward A. Frankfort (Partner) born Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1992); University of Toledo (J.D., 1995). Member: Macomb County, Oakland County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Construction Law.Email: Edward A. Frankfort

Daniel J. Canine (Partner) born Royal Oak, Michigan, September 17, 1973; admitted to bar, 2000, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., with honors, 1995); University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 2000). Member: State Bar of Michigan; Risk Management Association. Practice Areas: Commercial Banking; Business Law; Commercial Real Estate Finance.Email: Daniel J. Canine

Cheryl A. Fulop (Partner) born 1964; admitted to bar, 1999, Ohio; 2000, Michigan. Education: Bowling Green State University (B.F.A., 1988); University of Toledo (J.D., 1999). Order of the Coif. Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Business Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions.Email: Cheryl A. Fulop

Andrea M. DeFrain (Partner) born Minneapolis, Minnesota; admitted to bar, 1981, Michigan. Education: Wellesley College (B.A., with honors, 1978); Washington University (J.D., 1981). Member: State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Trusts and Estates; Retirement Planning; Probate.Email: Andrea M. DeFrain

Brian C. Summerfield (Partner) admitted to bar, 1997, Michigan; 2001, New York. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1993); University of Minnesota (J.D., cum laude, 1997). Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Brian C. Summerfield

Mark W. Peters (Partner) born Topeka, Kansas, October 6, 1958; admitted to bar, 1993, Michigan. Education: University of Kansas (B.M.E., 1981); Southern Methodist University (M.B.A., 1988; M.A., 1988); Wayne State University (J.D., cum laude, 1993). Order of the Coif. Editor-in-Chief, The Wayne Law Review, 1992-1993. Member: Detroit Metropolitan and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Securities.Email: Mark W. Peters

RESIDENT COUNSEL

Walter O. Koch (Counsel) born Cleveland, Ohio, July 5, 1925; admitted to bar, 1949, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (A.B., 1947; LL.B., 1949). Member: Detroit Metropolitan, Oakland County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate; Trust and Estate Litigation; Construction Law.Email: Walter O. Koch

Sally Lee Foley (Counsel) born August 23, 1948; admitted to bar, 1973, Michigan; 1975, District of Columbia. Education: Indiana University (A.B., 1970); Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1973). Member: American and International Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan; Women Lawyers' Association of Michigan; International Trademark Association; International Franchise Association; National Association of Women Lawyers. (Resident). Practice Areas: Franchise Law; Trademark Law; Intellectual Property; Copyright Law.Email: Sally Lee Foley

Kenneth R. Lango (Counsel) born Detroit, Michigan, September 3, 1938; admitted to bar, 1964, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (A.B., 1960; J.D., 1963). Member: Oakland County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Securities; Probate; Estate Planning.Email: Kenneth R. Lango

Lena Agree (Counsel) born Royal Oak, Michigan, March 17, 1971; admitted to bar, 1996, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Education: University of Wisconsin, Madison (1989-1992); Oakland University (B.A., 1993); Wayne State University (J.D., 1993). Member: Oakland County Bar Association; State Bar of Michigan (Tax and Real Property Sections). Practice Areas: Real Estate; Business Transactions; Tax.Email: Lena Agree

RESIDENT ASSOCIATES

Malgorzata Stella (Associate) born Poland, January 12, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., 1998); Wayne State University Law School (J.D., 2002). Member: State Bar of Michigan. Languages: Polish. Practice Areas: Banking Law; Real Property.Email: Malgorzata Stella

Ryann O'Boyle Bunch (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., with high honors, 2000); University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004). Member: State Bar of Michigan; Saint Clair County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Banking Law; Real Property Law.Email: Ryann O'Boyle Bunch

Michelle A. Carter (Associate) born Detroit, Michigan; admitted to bar, 2002, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; 2006, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1999); Rutgers University Law School (J.D., 2002). Member: Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association; Wolverine Bar Association; American Bar Association; National Bar Association. Practice Areas: Litigation; Labor and Employment.Email: Michelle A. Carter

Jonathan P. Burleigh (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, Michigan. Education: The American University (B.A., 1992); University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2007). Member: State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Business Law.Email: Jonathan P. Burleigh

Aaron D. Graves (Associate) born Munising, Michigan, 1973; admitted to bar, 1999, Illinois; 2004, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1995); Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1999). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment.Email: Aaron D. Graves

Alexis J. Schostak (Associate) born 1979; admitted to bar, 2004, Pennsylvania. (Not admitted in Michigan). Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., cum laude, 2000); Emory University School of Law (J.D., with honors, 2004). Practice Areas: Business Law.