Brian R. Watkins

Timothy R. Damschroder is the co-chair of the Business Practice Group. He specializes in middle market M&A transactions (typically ranging from $30 million to $1 billion) and corporate finance. He has substantial experience serving as outside general counsel to automotive, industrial and technology companies. He manages many major client accounts with responsibility for quality control, staffing, workflow, and overall client satisfaction. His middle market activities involve companies in ...

Mr. Manley is a member of the Banking, Business, and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practice groups. He represents clients in a variety of general business transactions and in matters involving corporate governance, commercial contractual issues, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and debt and equity financing. Most recently, Mr. Manley practiced in the New York office of a global law firm where he focused on complex financial transactions. In that role, he worked with comme...

Jennifer Oertel provides strategic business advice and practical legal guidance to a broad range of tax-exempt organizations. She has an extensive business law background in securities, private equity, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate governance, which she leverages to further the business interests of her tax-exempt clients and the investors who support them. Jennifer’s clients include impact funds, individual impact investors, social enterprises, family and corporate foundati...

Shalini Nangia is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Shalini, who practices law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shalini is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Joanne B. Faycurry is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation and Controversy - Tax. Joanne B., who practices law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joanne B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John S. Artz, a partner with Dickinson Wright PLLC has more than twenty-five years of experience and practices in all areas of intellectual property litigation. He also has extensive experience with the acquisition, management, and prosecution of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret assets. He serves and has served as lead counsel for many companies in federal courts across the country, including the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. John also has served as lead counsel in 25+ IPRs ...

Colleen Shevnock has extensive experience as counsel to banks and other institutional lenders in commercial lending matters. She is accomplished in the negotiation and documentation of all types of loan transactions, from single-bank middle market credit facilities to lead counsel to agent bank in multibank, syndicated credit facilities, including secured and unsecured credits, leveraged buyouts, construction lending, foreign currency facilities and letters of credit. Ms. Shevnock has served ...

Suzanne Sukkar is a U.S. Business Immigration Attorney whose practice focuses on global workforce mobility, employment-based sponsorship and visa matters, immigration audit and compliance for corporate and individual clients across a vast array of industries. Suzanne renders expert strategic and tactical counsel to a broad clientele base including visa matters for client’s employees at all levels of the corporate organizational structure, from the highest level executives, to the entry-...

Thomas J. Vitale is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law and Litigation - Real Estate. Thomas J., who practices law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Paul’s practice focuses upon representation of business and individual taxpayers in federal tax planning as well as in controversies at administrative levels and the tax court and before federal courts. Paul has served as a past Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Tax Program at Walsh College and is also a committee chair and frequent speaker at the American Bar Association Taxation Committee meetings. He is a regular contributor to the Michigan Business Law Journal on tax matters. Paul i...