Butzel Long adds attorneys specializing in White Collar Criminal Defense, Family Law and Labor and Employment Law
DETROIT, Mich. – Butzel Long is expanding once again with the addition of three new attorneys Joshua J. Chinsky, Mark E. Crane and Michael R. Griffie.
Chinsky, an associate, specializes in White Collar Criminal Defense and is based in the firm’s Detroit office. Crane, a shareholder, focuses his practice in Family Law and is based in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. Griffie, an associate, specializes in Labor and Employment Law and is based in the Detroit office.
“We welcome Josh, Mark and Michael as we continue to grow our team to meet our clients’ needs,” said Justin G. Klimko, President and Managing Shareholder, Butzel Long.
Joshua J. Chinsky
Chinsky also focuses his practice on Aerospace and Defense industry matters.
Prior to joining Butzel Long, Chinsky served as Corporate Counsel and Deputy Director, Studies and Analyses, for a Washington, D.C. area consulting company. He also served in the United States Marine Corps as a judge advocate. While on active duty, he prosecuted contested jury trials and served as a legal advisor to commanders, service members, and dependents. He continues to serve as a judge advocate in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Chinsky is a graduate of the Duke University School of Law, where he received the Bidlake Award for legal writing and was an editor of Law and Contemporary Problems. He also received his BA from the University of Michigan, graduating with highest distinction and Phi Beta Kappa.
He is admitted to practice in the states of Michigan and Georgia, and before United States Courts-Martial.
Mark E. Crane
Crane has more than 23 years of experience in Family Law. For the past 12 years, he has been the principal of his own firm.
His primary practice areas include family law, divorce, paternity and custody litigation, commercial and general civil litigation, real estate litigation, tax litigation and appeals.
Crane is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (J.D, 1993. cum laude), where he was Managing Editor (1992-93) and an Associate Editor (1991-92) of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform.
He attended the Detroit College of Law for two years, where he earned American Jurisprudence Awards in Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law and Agency and Partnership. He also received honors in Research, Writing and Advocacy; finished first in the First Year Moot Court Competition; and, was awarded the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company Award for receiving the highest grade point average in his class.
Crane earned a B.A. in Economics from The University of Michigan in 1987.
He is a sustaining member of the Oakland County Bar Association, and past chair of the OCBA's Family Court Committee. He also is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (Family Law Section), American Bar Association and a Fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation. He is a Case Evaluator for the Oakland County Circuit and District Courts and routinely appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem in the Oakland County Probate Court. He has provided pro bono legal representation through the Women's Survival Center, Oakland-Livingston Legal Aid and the Family Law Assistance Project.
Crane is admitted to practice in the courts of the State of Michigan and in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He carries a rating of “AV Preeminent” through the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating organization. He is certified as a Divorce and Family Law Mediator and as a Collaborative Divorce Attorney. He is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan. He is a founding member of The Commons, a metro-Detroit collaborative practice group comprised of attorneys, mediators, financial advisors, divorce coaches and mental health professionals.
He previously served on the Orion Township Board of Trustees, Orion Township Planning Commission, Orion Township Zoning Board of Appeals, and on the Boards of the North Oakland Transportation Authority and the Paint Creek Trailways Commission.
Michael R. Griffie
Griffie also practices in the areas of commercial litigation, and higher education law.
He joined Butzel Long with a decade of experience in school leadership, most recently serving as principal of the highly regarded Hamtramck Academy. As principal, he managed school operations and oversaw a $6.6 million budget.
In November, 2014, Griffie received the Michigan Chronicle’s 40 under 40 award for his service in education leadership.
His community involvement has included serving on the Wayne County Ethics Board (2016) where he was appointed by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
Griffie is a graduate of Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School (J.D., 2014) and Wayne State University (B.A., English 2005, M.A., Teaching 2007) where he served as captain of the football team (2004).
