WMU-Cooley Law School Benchmark Winter 2018 - Special Tribute Edition

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Class Notes 2008

2009

2011

2014

Adams Class

Coleman Class

Wilkins Class

Livingston Class

Genovich, Laura J., of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, has been named a 2018 Rising Star in Bankruptcy: Business by Michigan Super Lawyers magazine. She was also selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2019 edition in Bankruptcy and CreditorDebtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization.

Benikov, Alexander, is a criminal and DUI defense lawyer with Benikov Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been listed as a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rated Lawyer, a Phoenix Magazine Top Lawyer, a Super Lawyers Rising Star and as part of the Academy of Defense Attorneys Top 10 in Arizona. He also has a new podcast that has been #15 on the I-Tunes Top 200 for culture and society, called Crime Inc.

Flores, Victor, is an assistant city attorney with the city of Plano, Texas. He also recently won a statewide election to serve as the presidentelect for the State Bar of Texas - Texas Young Lawyers Association. He will be sworn in as president next year, representing 28,000-plus Texas Young Lawyers.

2010

Cortez, Efren, was selected as city attorney for Hobbs, New Mexico. He started with the city in 2013 as a staff attorney. In that capacity, he served as a special assistant district attorney for the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, prosecuting felony narcotics cases. He was promoted to assistant city attorney in 2015, and later as deputy city attorney in 2017.

Hayes, Diamond, was selected for the Equal Justice Works Disaster Recovery Legal Corps, a two-year fellowship program that places 18 lawyers in Texas and three lawyers in Florida, where they work with established nonprofit legal services organizations to serve the highestneed communities in disasteraffected areas. She has been assigned to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Inc. (HVL), where she works on the Hurricane Harvey Recovery Project, focusing on providing legal assistance to clients on disaster-related issues including landlord-tenant matters, insurance or other consumer disputes, and document recovery.

Kavanagh Class Davidson, Syeda F., was elected to a two-year term on the Oakland County Bar Association Board of Directors. 2009

Souris Class Kirkwood, Erica, was recognized by the National Bar Association as one of its “40 Under 40 Best Advocate” honorees. The awards recognize the nation’s top 40 lawyers under age 40 who exemplify a broad range of high achievement in the legal field, including advocacy, innovation, vision, leadership and overall legal and community involvement.

Riley Class Griffin, Patrick S., welcomed a son, Stephen Ararat, on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. He joins big brother, Alexander. Kulas-Dominguez, Peter M., senior counsel at Warner Norcross & Judd, was named a top young professional, receiving the 3-in10 Award from the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Bar Association. The award is given to lawyers who are in their first 10 years of practice and have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement, superb public service, and have made significant contributions to the legal profession. Scott, Patricia J., of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, has been named a 2018 Rising Star in Civil Litigation: Plaintiff.

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Witherell Class Nattler, Gerlinde (Linda), a shareholder in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, office of Brinks Gilson & Lione, was included in Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Women in the Law Class of 2018. Nattler focuses her intellectual property law practice on patent prosecution, opinion work, and IP portfolio management, with a particular emphasis on the areas of mechanics, electronics, hydraulics and computerized processes. She is chair of Brinks’ Germany task force and co-chair of the green tech practice group, and is an active member of various other practice groups.

Woodward Class Burrell, Aaron V., was elected to a three-year term on the Oakland County Bar Association Board of Directors.

Woodbridge Class Gonzalez, Jessica, who has operated her own law firm for over three years, was elected to represent House District 104 in the Texas legislature.

2012

Ellsworth Class

Schoonover, Yanitza Del Valle, joined the law firm of Kelley Kronenberg in its Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office. She focuses her practice on family and marital law, estate planning, probate and guardianship, and commercial litigation. 2013

Johnson Class Hamor, Robert A., of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, has been named a 2018 Rising Star in Real Estate.

Marshall Class Beaufort, Kara S., has joined Scarinci Hollenbeck in the firm’s Lyndhurst, New Jersey office. She focuses her practice on public law and education law. She previously was an assistant prosecutor for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in Newark, New Jersey.

2015

McLean Class Mollien, Charles, of Wyoming, Michigan, was appointed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to the Michigan Board of Pharmacy. He is the director of pharmacy compliance and a privacy officer for Meijer. He previously worked for Spectrum Health System – Priority Health as a clinical pharmacy specialist. 2017

Burger Class Lake, Sheila, is an attorney with Grove & Cintron, P.A., in Largo, Florida. She specializes in community association law. She also practices in all areas of real estate, civil litigation cases, trusts, and probate.


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