Michael D. Cummings

Monica Labe is a senior member of the firm and was the Practice Department Manager of the firm's Real Estate, Environmental and Energy practices from 2008-2011. She is currently a member of the firm's Management Group, serving as Deputy CEO in Charge of Practice Management and Business Development and Marketing and the prior four years, she oversaw the Finance, Accounting and Human Resources departments for the firm. Ms. Labe has extensive experience representing large multi-national corporat...

With a unique background in construction management and finance, Mr. Chioini’s primary practice focuses on representing construction companies, businesses, and families in a wide array of matters ranging from contract review to arbitration and litigation to complex divorce matters. During the serious downturn of the economy in Michigan in 2008, Mr. Chioini was successful in assisting his clients in shoring up and defending their accounts receivables through the implementation of liens a...

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...

Nationally recognized trial attorney John Joseph (J.J.) Conway has legally navigated the complexities of disability, employee health benefits, and ERISA law since 1999. Founding J.J. Conway Law on the principle of helping people secure the employee benefits rightfully owed to them, Conway has recovered more than $100 million for his clients and won landmark class-action lawsuits in favor of families and retirees. Among his focus areas, Conway is a trailblazer in advocating for children’...

Mr. Stearns is a Member in Dickinson Wright’s Troy and Saginaw offices and Chair of the Patent Prosecution Practice Group. He has over 25 years of experience in the legal industry, particularly in the area of patents. Mr. Stearns maintains a very active patent practice with clients in the automotive industry as well as medical device, pharmaceutical and light rail. He handles all aspects of patent law, including preparing and filing original applications, responses, appeals, reexaminati...

William Altman practices in the areas of labor, employment, and benefits litigation on behalf of private and public sector employers. He has extensive experience representing employers in cases involving anti-discrimination laws, whistle-blower and retaliation actions, ERISA actions, non-competition agreements, trade secrets, fiduciary duty actions, and class actions. William defends employers in state and federal courts and before state and federal agencies. He has particular experience defe...

Eric is a partner and leads the firm's Tax Planning, Compliance and Litigation Practice Team. He has extensive experience in tax law with a focus on all aspects of related civil and criminal law, as well as complex financial investigative and litigation matters. Through a collaborative and proactive process he has achieved exceptional results, including multiple discontinued or "dropped" investigations, litigation victories and, where appropriate, effective sentencing advocacy resulting in mu...

Erin Pawlowski focuses her practice on complex corporate transactions. She has a diverse M&A practice and serves as outside general counsel for businesses in a variety of industries and stages of growth. Erin represents private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, venture capital funds, strategic buyers and sellers, and other privately held businesses. As a part of her M&A practice, Erin advises both buyers and sellers in complex domestic and cross-border transactions of all types an...

Mark Peters provides experienced, insightful and effective corporate and business law counsel to both public and private company clients in a variety of industries. Mark’s areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, including international transactions; securities regulation and compliance; commercial contracts; corporate governance compliance; and general counsel services. He is a member of Bodman’s Business Practice Group and Automotive and Industrial Team. Mark has suc...

Mr. Cashen represents employers in all aspects of employment law and related litigation. He served as chairperson of Bodman's Workplace Law Practice Group for ten years. Mr. Cashen assists clients facing charges of discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, Whistleblowers’ Act violations and similar claims in federal and state courts, administrative proceedings and arbitration hearings. He has conducted numerous trials and arbitrations in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Wiscons...