Class Notes

1982

Brooke Class Meyers, Mary Pat (Rosen), joined Meyers Law PLLC, as an attorney and shareholder in the firm’s Dearborn, Michigan office. She joins her husband, Jeff Meyers, in practice. She previously was an attorney/partner with Charfoos and Christensen, P.C. 1988-2019, and an attorney/shareholder with Sommers Schwarz P.C. 2019-2022. She focuses on medical malpractice and other personal injury matters. She recently received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the SBM Negligence Law Section.

1986

Sherwood Class

Poleski, Edward, announced he will be retiring from the city of Las Vegas where he has worked as the Assistant City Attorney.

1987

Champlin Class

Coviello, Nino A., was elected as a co-managing member of Saiber Attorneys at Law in Florham Park, New Jersey. He has been a member of the firm for over 20 years. He is a leader of the firm’s transactional practice. He specializes in representing public, private and closely held businesses in an array of corporate transactions, as well as individual in various tax and estate planning matters.

Menaquale, Frank P., Jr., was named a partner with Cooper Lenson, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Jan. 9, 2023. His practice areas are construction defect, personal injury, and insurance defense.

1988

Pratt Class Forbush, Audrey J., a partner with Plunkett Cooney, was re-elected to a three-year term on the firm’s board of directors. She was also re-elected to her executive board position for a one-year term as senior vice president. She is the managing partner of the firm’s Flint, Michigan, office and co-leader of Plunkett Cooney’s Governmental Law Practice Group. She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of medical and municipal liability, with particular expertise in the defense of municipalities in police liability matters. She also has extensive experience in the area of professional liability regarding physicians and hospitals.

1989

Douglass Class Millenbach, Paul, was named to the 2022 Class of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Leaders in the Law. He is a litigator and co-leader of the General and Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Foster Swift Collins & Smith in Southfield, Michigan.

1989

D. Johnson Class Powers, Linda Majeska, was appointed as the Legal Director for the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Initiative.

1990

Wilson Class

Chandler, Sarah M., retired after 32 years in private practice in the Lansing, Michigan area. She practiced in both the Eastern and Western Federal District Courts and in state courts in many areas in her general practice in Charlotte, Michigan. After retiring, Sarah moved to the warmer climate in Salisbury, North Carolina. She continues her affiliation with the Michigan Bar Association as an emeritus member of the Michigan Bar for Life. Sarah also retired from the Michigan Bar with distinction.

1991

Lawrence Class

Turetsky, Donna, of Roslyn, New York, a partner with Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP, has been elevated to co-chair of the firm’s Trusts and Estates and Elder Law groups. She concentrates her practice on trust and estate administration, elder law, estate planning, special needs planning, and guardianships. She was selected to the 2022 and 2023 editions of Best Lawyers, was honored by Blank Slate Media in 2021 as one of Nassau County’s Women of Distinction, and was named in 2016 as one of Hofstra University School of Law’s Center for Children, Families and the Law’s Top Women in the Law.

1992

Lawrence Class Drewyer, Hon. Michelle, was appointed and confirmed to judicial bench at the 2nd Circuit Court in Maui County.

Montgomery Class

Miles, Demetrice R., was named a partner with Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi, in Roseland, New Jersey, on July 25, 2022.

1993

Hooker Class

Kolasa, Mike (Michael), vice president and trust officer at The Stephenson National Bank and Trust, made a donation to The Friends of Camp Batawagama in Crystal Falls, Michigan. The funds will be used to continue the camp’s mission of providing outdoor education experiences for young people. He also made a donation to the Ishpeming Ski Club, in Ishpeming, Michigan.

1995

Bird Class

Cerio, Thomas J., has a growing practice in Syracuse, New York. The firm now has five full-time attorneys. Cerio Law Offices, PLLC provides services in the areas of municipal, business, criminal, negligence, property development and litigation. The firm hopes to expand its services to Colorado and California.

1996

Stone Class Ingber, Adam D., won a notable case in New York, where the family of Daniel Prude reached a $12 million settlement with Rochester, New York, over his 2020 death.

1997

P. Adams Class

Garibian, Christopher Leon, was named a partner at Weinberger Divorce & Family Law Group in Parsippany, New Jersey on Sept. 30, 2022. His practice area is family and matrimonial law.

1997

Fellows Class

Gannon, Sean R., has joined the firm of Chamberlain Hrdlicka as senior counsel in the firm’s Tax Controversy and Litigation practice in Atlanta, Georgia. He advises and represents taxpayers before federal, state and local taxing authorities and in state and federal courts. He has more than 20 years of experience managing federal taxation matters and litigating tax cases that appear in front of the United States Tax Court. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a tax managing director with a Chicago-based firm where he counseled clients involved in Internal Revenue Service controversies. He frequently authors articles on IRS practice and dispute resolution, and has also presented on IRS tax controversy and procedural matters.

1999

Flannigan Class

Cerio, The Hon. Julie A., is a New York State Family Court Judge in Onondaga County. Her election marked the first time that five Onondaga County Family Court Judges are all women. She is in her fourth term as an Onondaga County Family Court Judge.

2001

Blair Jr. Class Driscoll, Brian, of New Carlisle, Ohio, was sworn in Jan. 6, 2023 to the Clark County Common Pleas Court, General Division.

2002

Chase Class Klockow, Dawn, joined the law firm of Stadler Sacks LLC, in Richfield, Wisconsin. She concentrates her practice on municipal law, public entity matters, and complex civil litigation. She is also experienced in all guardianship matters. She previously served nearly two decades as a county attorney in Dodge, Calumet, and Green Lake counties.

2004

Needham Class

Grossi, Christina, of Frankenmuth, Michigan, was named as chief legal counsel for the state’s executive office. She formerly worked for a dozen years for the Office of the Michigan Attorney General.

Stoops, Kevin J., a senior shareholder with Sommers Schwartz, P.C., in Southfield, Michigan, presented at the 3rd Annual Wage & Hour ExecuSummit, “Litigation Strategies for Handling FLSA Class Claims.” He specializes in representing employees in class action wage and hour matters. He and his partners have recovered over $125 million in unpaid wages over the last 10 years.

Williams, the Hon. Maurice, was elected to the 9th Judicial Court for Westchester County in New York.

2005

Boyles Class Haarala, John T., joined Security National Bank as Lending Counsel in Omaha, Nebraska.

Patel, The Hon. Sima, was re-elected to her position as judge on the Michigan 2nd Court of Appeals.

Scott, Kim Gourrier, was sworn in as the District Attorney for the 7th Prosecutorial District, covering Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton counties in North Carolina.

2006 Edwards Class Hall, Lisa, a shareholder with Plunkett Cooney in the firm’s Grand Rapids, Michigan, office was elected to a three-year term on the firm’s board of directors. She maintains a wide-ranging practice that includes banking law, commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, liquor licensing, municipal liability, and real estate law. Krull, Matthew, Deputy Chief of Staff and Interim General Counsel for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to the Georgia Rare Disease Advisory Council.

2006

Fitzgerald Class Flores, Jose L., joined The J.M. Smucker Co. as Senior Corporate Counsel, Investigations and Analytics. He previously worked for nine years at Allstate as an Ethics and Compliance Investigations Attorney.

2007

Brickley Class Pizzillo, Gerard, was named a partner with Genova Burns in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Feb. 1, 2023. His practice areas are corporate law and business transactions, commercial real estate and redevelopment, land use and approvals.

2009

Coleman Class Hall, Matt, (R-Comstock Township) was elected Minority Leader in the Michigan House of Representatives. He was first elected to political office in 2018.

2009

Souris Class Hendricks, Jennifer Lee, was elected as the next Daviess Family Court Judge, Division 3, 6th Judicial Circuit in Owensboro, Kentucky. She was sworn in Dec. 15, 2022.

2010

Witherell Class

Major, Matthew, was named a partner with Wilson Elser in Madison, New Jersey on Jan. 1, 2023. His practice areas are federal and state trial and appellate practice-construction defect, professional liability, and insurance coverage litigation.

Zapczynski, Jesse, was named as a shareholder at Plunket Cooney. He is a member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office and its Transportation Law Practice Group. He focuses his practice on the defense of first- and third-party auto liability, bodily injury, and uninsured/ under-insured motorist cases on behalf of national insurance companies and their policyholders. He also has significant experience working with ERISA plans and other healthcare coverage potentially affecting these matters.

2011 Chipman Class Custurea, Andreea V., was elected to partnership with Wood, Smith, Henning and Berman. She works at the firm’s Los Angeles office, where her litigation practice focuses on complex civil issues, including business litigation, wrongful death, construction defect and products liability matters. Before joining the firm, Andreea worked on both the plaintiff and defense side and her practice focused on complex catastrophic injury matters, including complex transportation issues, prosecution and defense of Business and Professions Code section 17200, actions involving intentional act matters, and defense of religious institutions.

Gartman, Christopher J., was promoted to principal at Miller Canfield in the firm’s Grand Rapids, Michigan office. He is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group and a key member of the firm’s craft beverage law practice. Tomasik, Mark, was promoted to vice president and general counsel of DP Fox Ventures, a portfolio company whose holdings include Fox Motors, the Grand Rapids Griffins AHL hockey team, Pamella Roland fashion in New York City, Cape Eleuthera Marina and Resort in the Bahamas, and others.

2012 Ellsworth Class Pixler, Sarah, works as an attorney advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Military Commissions Trial Judiciary, which is part of the Global War on Terror. She advises the Chief Judge of the Guantanamo Military Commissions, focusing on the case of the USS Cole bombing, in the areas of classified information, constitutional law, criminal law, death penalty, evidence, human rights and torture, international humanitarian law, and law of war. She now has over 10 years of federal government service.