Andrew A. Ayar

Christopher C. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Christopher C., who practices law in Royal Oak, Michigan, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ms. Piper specializes in workplace law, education law, and litigation. She represents and counsels employers on contemporary employment law issues, such as workplace bullying; social media issues; background checks; and employee privacy; as well as traditional employment law issues such as discrimination, sexual and other forms of illegal harassment, and retaliation issues; accommodating employees with disabilities; FMLA issues; wage and hour issues; reductions-in-force, discipline and discha...

Michelle Thurber Czapski serves as Chair of Bodman's Insurance Practice Group and Co-Chair of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She has over three decades of experience representing major corporate clients in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. She has successfully represented insurance and financial service companies, automotive and other product manufacturers, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, telecommunications companies, and pharmaceutical...

Brendan G. Best is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Brendan G., who practices law in Birmingham, Michigan, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brendan G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

For over 25 years, Mr. Nixon has represented clients in successfully resolving a wide range of lawsuits, appeals and other disputes. Mr. Nixon is known for his technical excellence, analysis, and litigation strategy. Prominent companies and individuals have relied on Mr. Nixon’s precision and intellect to bring critical litigation and appeals to successful conclusion Mr. Nixon’s experience includes controversies involving construction, deed restrictions and other real estate matte...

Ms. Zelenock represents national and regional lenders, mortgage bankers and loan servicers, with emphasis on capital markets, conduit and bank financing, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily and manufactured housing lending. Ms. Zelenock has served as closing or supervising counsel for several billion dollars in commercial mortgage loans destined for securitization, including a variety of loan sizes and property types (multifamily, office, manufactured housing communities, nursing...

Christopher Maeso provides corporate and acquisition legal services for major companies across a wide range of industries including automotive, manufacturing, toy, restaurant, banking, real estate, insurance and technology. He has advised private equity funds regarding fund formation, structure and securities issues and has acted as counsel to private equity funds and buy-out companies in numerous acquisitions, restructuring, financing and divesture transactions. Mr. Maeso represents leading ...

Mark Jotanovic, a registered patent attorney, practices out of the firm’s Troy office. He focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and patent prosecution involving electrical, electro-mechanical, and software matters. He has worked in a wide range of electrical and computer technologies, including artificial intelligence (focusing on image recognition, machine learning, and neural networks), autonomous vehicles, cloud computing, smart home environments, and product desig...

Molly Mack Crandall is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law, Litigation - Intellectual Property and Trademark Law. Molly Mack, who practices law in Royal Oak, Michigan, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Molly Mack is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bill's distinctive style makes him effective as a first chair litigator and as a lead transactional lawyer. He had done both successfully for major corporations for decades. Drawing from his experience as in-house counsel, including as Chief IP Counsel for Lear Corporation, Bill offers sophisticated business judgment that is rare in private practice. His in-house experience includes service for the US Army, BASF, SC Johnson, and Detroit Diesel. As evidence of his breadth and depth, Bill has s...