Butzel Elects Shareholders

DETROIT, Mich. – Four Butzel attorneys have been elected shareholders. Shanika A. Owens, Blake C. Padget and Blaine A. Veldhuis are newly elected shareholders. Notably, Regan K. Dahle rejoined the firm as a shareholder.

Shanika A. Owens

Owens, based in Butzel’s Detroit office, focuses her practice on helping clients navigate mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and real estate law. Her experience includes a wide range of transactions in a variety of industries.

In 2022, Owens, along with her colleagues, represented the seller in an acquisition worth over $400 million. She and the team received the 2023 Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Detroit Chapter’s M&A Deal of the Year award in recognition of their legal expertise in navigating the transaction.

Blake C. Padget

Based in Butzel’s Troy office, Padget concentrates his practice on labor and employment law. He is part of Butzel’s employment litigation team defending employers in cases involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination. He also has significant experience counseling clients on employment law issues such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) interactive process and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. In addition to spending several years in private practice, Blake has experience working in-house on labor and employment matters for one of Detroit’s largest employers.

Padget has helped counsel clients on rapidly developing employee issues such as employee complaints and discipline. He has responded to charges from administrative agencies, including the EEOC, MDCR, and NLRB. 

Blaine A. Veldhuis

Veldhuis, based in Butzel’s Troy office, focuses his practice on defending wage and hour claims, discrimination claims, sexual harassment claims, whistleblower claims, commercial litigation, and general employment litigation. He regularly counsels employers in employee relations and discipline and discharge matters, and also assists employers in drafting employment policies and in complying with the federal and state employment laws. Veldhuis also focuses on the defense of complex ERISA litigation and single plaintiff ERISA cases.

Veldhuis has significant experience representing defendants and respondents in administrative and governmental investigations, including Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor audits, and investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Regan K. Dahle

Based in the firm’s Ann Arbor office, Dahle focuses her practice in the areas of employment law and labor relations. She counsels and defends employers in arbitrations, unfair labor practice and representational proceedings, and employment-related litigation including sexual and racial harassment, age, gender and racial discrimination, wage and hour, breach of contract, and intentional tort litigation.

She has practiced extensively in federal and state courts and before various administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, National Labor Relations Board, and Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.