Thomas H. "Tom" Howlett

Derek Brackon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Derek, who practices law in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Derek is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Attorney Neil Rockind, widely recognized as the "Rockweiler," stands as one of Michigan's premier criminal defense trial lawyers. Renowned for his fiery, quick-witted, and relentless defense style, Rockind has earned the reputation of the "go-to" attorney for challenging high-profile criminal cases. Rockind honed his trial skills during his tenure as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office from 1993 to 1997. He handled thousands of criminal cases, many culm...

Jeffrey Bussell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Jeffrey, who practices law in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jeffrey is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ms. Slaven focuses her practice on intellectual property law, particularly in the area of patents. She has significant experience in the chemical arts, especially material science and metallurgy, as well as the mechanical and electrical arts, particularly inventions related to the automotive industry. On behalf of the firm’s clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual entrepreneurs, she handles patent application preparation and prosecution, including original filings, res...

Christopher Smith is a distinguished intellectual property attorney specializing in patent litigation, IP counseling, licensing, and patent and trademark prosecution, with extensive experience representing Fortune 500 companies and startups across diverse industries. Christopher Smith is a highly regarded intellectual property attorney, recognized for his work in IP litigation, especially in patent litigation. His practice encompasses patent and trademark prosecution and the preparation of co...

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...

Rebecca Cantor is a registered patent attorney with an extensive background in patent litigation as well as trademark protection and enforcement. Rebecca serves as the Chair of Brooks Kushman's life science practice group. She concentrates her practice on intellectual property litigation, with a focus on patent litigation involving a wide range of technologies including pharmaceuticals and other life sciences technologies. Rebecca also has experience in trademark disputes, both in Federal Cou...

Richard Rattner has more than thirty years of experience in real estate law, with specialties in real estate acquisition, sale and loan transactions, land use development, zoning, and corporate law. Mr. Rattner is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. He served on the Governing Council of the Real Property Law Section (RPLS) of the State Bar of Michigan and remains an active parti...

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...

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...