Colin Darke

Ms. Aref represents financial institutions in commercial lending transactions, including the structuring, negotiating and documenting of loan transactions, including syndicated loans, bilateral loans, subordinated loans and participations. She also has experience assisting corporate clients, including private equity firms, with borrowing and re-financing transactions, including secured and unsecured credit facilities, asset-based lending facilities, leveraged lending facilities, mezzanine fin...

Acts as outside general counsel for employment matters, both with respect to counseling and litigation, for multiple employers with operations in Michigan and throughout the United States and in varied fields, including but not limited to, automotive, health care, public and private education, professional and consulting services, Information Technology services, and advertising. Work includes acting as general counsel for employment and litigation matters for foreign companies operating in t...

Lawrence (Larry) J. Buckfire is the managing partner and lead trial attorney at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. The Michigan personal injury law firm has six attorneys who specialize in serious injury, accident, and medical malpractice cases. The firm represents clients throughout the State of Michigan, and has offices in both Southfield and Ann Arbor. Lawrence earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1986 and his juris doctor degree from Wayne State Unive...

Mr. Burgess currently serves as Dickinson Wright’s Chairman. From 2010 through 2018, Mr. Burgess served as Dickinson Wright’s Chief Executive Officer, overseeing all aspects of the Firm’s professional and business operations, strategic planning, client relations and business expansion. For more than 20 years, served as counsel to secured lenders (including banks, insurance companies, lending syndicates, administrative agents, collateral agents and loan servicers) in all aspe...

Mr. Bakst represents clients in the areas of creditors' rights, bankruptcy, reorganization, and insolvency. He regularly represents secured and unsecured creditors, debtors, trustees, and creditors' committees in loan workout and other negotiations and in state and federal courts. Upon graduation from Wayne State University Law School, Mr. Bakst clerked for a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. He is a former two-term board member of the Detroit Chapter of the Turnarou...

Scott R. Torpey is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Scott R., who practices law in Southfield, Michigan, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ms. Hickey represents lenders in loan originations. Her practice encompasses secured transactions, loan workouts, and counseling lenders on lender liability and loan structure issues. Ms. Hickey’s practice also includes middle market lending, asset based loans, healthcare, educational institution and religious organization financing, international lending, captive insurance financing, private lending, real estate financing, multi-rate, multi-currency loans and facilities, agented and sy...

Thomas J. Rheaume, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Thomas J., who practices law in Detroit, Michigan, has been recognized since 2026. 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.

Ms. Brouwer practices exclusively in labor and employment law, with particular experience in the defense of lawsuits against employers, including claims of race, age, religion, national origin, gender and disability discrimination, harassment and retaliation, as well as FLSA, FMLA and non-competition suits. She also provides harassment training and conducts discrimination and harassment investigations for employers. She has extensive experience in appearing before administrative agencies, inc...

John Lawrence has extensive experience in banking, financial services, and corporate finance, with particular emphases on government regulation of financial institutions, and on domestic and international commercial lending. He counsels depository institutions and holding companies on governmental regulation of their structure, activities and transactions, including mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions, and formation of U.S. and foreign subsidiaries. He also advises financial in...