Butzel Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America® 2025

DETROIT, Mich. – Seventy-eight Butzel attorneys have been chosen by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 (copyright 2025 by Woodward/White, Inc. of Augusta, GA). Moreover, 17 firm attorneys have been named to Best Lawyers in America® 2025 Ones to Watch. In addition, seven attorneys have been named “Lawyer of the Year.”

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys cast votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

“Lawyer of the Year”

The following firm attorneys have been named “Lawyer of the Year” – Jennifer E. Consiglio (Business Organizations – including LLCs and Partnerships) – Troy; George B. Donnini (Criminal Defense: White-Collar) – Troy; W. Patrick Dreisig (Corporate Governance Law) – Troy; Justin G. Klimko (Securities/ Capital Markets Law) – Detroit; Bushra A. Malik (Immigration Law) – Troy; Reginald A. Pacis (Immigration Law) – Detroit; and James J. Urban (Construction Law) – Lansing.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch

The following Butzel attorneys have been named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch: PK Chakrabarti (Intellectual Property Law) – Washington, D.C.; Steven Eatherly (Commercial Litigation) – Detroit; Jonathan L. Kirkland (Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions) – Troy; Garett Koger (Commercial Litigation) – Lansing; Joseph Kuzmiak (Commercial Litigation) – Detroit; Nicholas Nahat (Litigation – Labor and Employment) – Troy; Sarah Nirenberg (Labor and Employment -Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment – Troy; Shanika A. Owens (Corporate Law and Real Estate Law) Detroit; Blake Padget (Labor and Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment) – Troy; James J. Pierce (Commercial Litigation) – Detroit; Quendale G. Simmons (Commercial Litigation) – Detroit; Ivonne M. Soler (Family Law) – Detroit; Blaine A. Veldhuis (Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment Law – Management – Troy; and Barrett Young (Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation) – Detroit.

Butzel - Ann Arbor Office

• Jennifer A. Dukarski: Litigation – Health Care, Privacy and Data Security Law
• Mark Jane: Litigation – ERISA, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• George E. Kuehn: Corporate Law
• Lynn McGuire: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Terrence J. Miglio: Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Mark T. Nelson: Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Claudia Rast: CleanTech Law, Corporate Law, Environmental Law, Information Technology Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Privacy and Data Security Law
• Diane M. Soubly: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – ERISA
• Robert B. Stevenson: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Litigation – ERISA
• James E. Wynne: Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Butzel - Detroit Office

• Geaneen Arends: Real Estate Law
• Frederick Berg: Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation, Real Estate Law
• James C. Bruno: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, International Mergers and Acquisitions, International Trade and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Rebecca S. Davies: Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Arthur Dudley II: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Darius Dynkowski: Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Real Estate Law
• Eric J. Flessland: Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
• Bernard J. Fuhs: Commercial Litigation
• Cynthia J. Haffey: Commercial Litigation
• John P. Hancock, Jr.: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Justin G. Klimko: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/ Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
• Phillip C. Korovesis: Commercial Litigation, Mediation
• Mark R. Lezotte: Health Care Law, Tax Law
• Clara DeMatteis Mager: Immigration Law
•  Paul Mersino: Commercial Litigation
• Brett Miller: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management 
• Donald B. Miller: Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Reginald A. Pacis: Immigration Law
• James S. Rosenfeld: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Daniel R.W. Rustmann: Commercial Litigation, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Bruce L. Sendek: Commercial Litigation
• Nicholas J. Stasevich: Corporate Law, International Trade and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• John C. Valenti: Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Kurtis T. Wilder: Appellate Practice, Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, Mediation, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Butzel - Grand Rapids Office

• Michael L. Gutierrez: Commercial Litigation
• Daniel Hatch: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction
• Lee T. Silver: Arbitration, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Mediation, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Butzel - Lansing Office

• Brian P. Morley: Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Health Care Law
• James J. Urban: Construction Law, Litigation – Construction

Butzel – Troy office

• Linda J. Armstrong: Immigration Law
• D. Scott Brinkmann: Real Estate Law
• Barbara E. Buchanan: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Jennifer E. Consiglio: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Michael C. Decker: Litigation – Construction
• David J. DeVine: Commercial Litigation
• Carey A. DeWitt: Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Trade Secrets Law
• George B. Donnini: Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• W. Patrick Dreisig: Banking and Finance Law, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Damien DuMouchel: Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• David F. DuMouchel: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Health Care Law
• Geoffrey S. Gallinger: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
• Debra A. Geroux: Commercial Litigation, Electronic Discovery and Information Management Law, Health Care Law, Litigation – Health Care
• Amy L. Glenn: Trusts and Estates
• Beth S. Gotthelf: Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental
• David W. Hipp: Real Estate Law
• Robert A. Hudson: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Laura Johnson: Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law
• Susan L. Johnson: Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental
• Thomas A. Kabel: Real Estate Law
• Sheldon H. Klein: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Antitrust
• William J. Kliffel: Commercial Litigation, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Bushra A. Malik: Immigration Law
• Daniel J. McCarthy: Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Mediation
• Max J. Newman: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
• Scott T. Patterson: Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment 
• Robert P. Perry: Trusts and Estates
• Steven R. Pohl: Corporate Law
• R. Peter Prokop: Corporate Law, Tax Law
• Thomas B. Radom: Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
• Richard E. Rassel: Commercial Litigation
• Joseph Richotte: Appellate Practice
• Craig S. Schwartz: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Robert H. Schwartz: Health Care Law, Litigation – Health Care
• David W. Sommerfeld: Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
• Daniel B. Tukel: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Roxana Zaha: Real Estate Law