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Varnum Practice Teams, Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America 2022

August 26, 2021

The recently-released edition of The Best Lawyers in America® includes 83 Varnum attorneys in 44 practice areas, with eight additional attorneys named in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch and ten named “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas.

Best Lawyers® is one of the most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession. A listing in Best Lawyers® is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch is a recognition of attorneys who are earlier in their careers, in acknowledgment of their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. Recipients typically have been in practice for 5-9 years. Varnum attorneys who have earned this distinction are:

  • Paul Albarran: Commercial Litigation, Communications Law
  • Jacob A. Droppers: Corporate Law
  • Janelle G. Haggadone: Trusts and Estates
  • Herman D. Hofman: Commercial Litigation
  • Robert M. Huff: Trusts and Estates
  • Lauren E. Potocsky: Construction Law, Real Estate Law
  • Sarah L. Wixson: Construction Law, Health Care Law, Real Estate Law
  • Rebecca Wrock: Nonprofit/Charities Law, Trusts and Estates

“Lawyer of the Year” is a recognition awarded to individual lawyers with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each specialty and location. Varnum attorneys who received this additional recognition in the 2022 Best Lawyers guide are:

  • Jeffrey A. DeVree, Grand Rapids: Tax Law
  • Timothy E. Eagle, Grand Rapids: Trademark Law
  • Richard T. Hewlett, Novi: Litigation – Construction
  • Richard A. Hooker, Detroit: Labor Law – Management
  • Harvey Koning, Grand Rapids: Banking and Finance Law
  • Paul L.B. McKenney, Novi: Tax Law
  • Eric M. Nemeth, Detroit: Litigation and Controversy – Tax
  • William E. Rohn, Grand Rapids: Litigation – Construction
  • Peter A. Smit, Grand Rapids: Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Matthew D. Zimmerman, Grand Rapids: Land Use and Zoning Law

Varnum attorneys included in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022 edition are:

Ann Arbor

Christopher A. Ballard

  • Non-Profit/Charities Law
  • Trusts and Estates

Thomas W. Forster II

  • Real Estate Law

Birmingham

Thomas H. Bergh

  • Litigation – Trusts and Estates
  • Trusts and Estates

Casey Koppelman

  • Real Estate Law

Stephen Rohr

  • Trusts and Estates

Michael Romaya

  • Banking and Finance Law

Detroit

Brendan G. Best

  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Eric M. Nemeth

  • Litigation and Controversy – Tax

Maureen Rouse-Ayoub

  • Litigation – Labor and Employment

Grand Haven

Jeffrey Beswick

  • Closely-Held Companies and Family Business Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Trusts & Estates

Mark Hills

  • Commercial Litigation

Grand Rapids

Stephen P. Afendoulis

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Real Estate

Scott Alfree

  • Corporate Law
  • Health Care Law

Mark S. Allard

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – ERISA

Jonathan W. Anderson

  • Real Estate Law

Luis E. Avila

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Labor Law – Management

Kimberly Baber

  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Corporate Law

Robert A. Buchanan

  • Municipal Law

Lawrence P. Burns

  • Health Care Law

Jon M. Bylsma

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Banking & Finance
  • Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions

David T. Caldon

  • Real Estate Law

Christopher J. Caldwell

  • Trusts & Estates

Kimberly Clarke

  • Immigration Law

Timothy J. Curtin

  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Nyal D. Deems

  • Real Estate Law

Jeffrey A. DeVree

  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Litigation & Controversy – Tax
  • Tax Law

Ronald G. DeWaard

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Banking & Finance

Timothy E. Eagle

  • Trademark Law

Matthew B. Eugster

  • Environmental Law

Richard D. Fries

  • Employment Law – Management

Anthony P. Gauthier

  • Family Law

Linsey Gleason

  • Trusts & Estates

Bruce Goodman

  • Environmental Law

Charyn K. Hain

  • Commercial Litigation

William R. Hineline

  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Dirk C. Hoffius

  • Trusts & Estates

John M. Huff

  • Trusts & Estates

Scott A. Huizenga

  • Corporate Law

Kaplin S. Jones

  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Tax Law

David E. Khorey

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Labor Law – Management

Harvey Koning

  • Banking & Finance Law
  • Financial Services Regulation Law

Randall W. Kraker

  • Land Use & Zoning Law
  • Litigation – Land Use & Zoning
  • Litigation – Municipal
  • Litigation – Real Estate
  • Municipal Law
  • Real Estate Law

Thomas G. Kyros

  • Trusts & Estates
  • Litigation – Trusts & Estates

Marilyn A. Lankfer

  • Trusts & Estates

Joseph B. Levan

  • Corporate Law

Michael S. McElwee

  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Litigation – Bankruptcy

Nicholas B. Missad

  • Family Law
  • Family Law Mediation

Daniel C. Molhoek

  • Corporate Law
  • International Trade and Finance Law

Robert D. Mollhagen

  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Steven J. Morren

  • Real Estate Law

Lawrence J. Murphy

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Labor Law – Management
  • Litigation – Labor & Employment
  • Commercial Litigation

Melissa Papke

  • Real Estate Law
  • Commercial Finance Law

Laura E. Radle

  • Trusts & Estates
  • Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law

William E. Rohn

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Construction
  • Litigation – Labor & Employment

Michael J. Roth

  • Commercial Litigation

Peter G. Roth

  • Corporate Law
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Perrin Rynders

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Labor & Employment

Jeff Schad

  • Banking and Finance Law

Joan Schleef

  • Banking and Finance Law

Stephanie Setterington

  • Litigation – Labor & Employment

Mary Kay Shaver

  • Banking and Finance Law

Elizabeth Wells Skaggs

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Litigation – Labor & Employment

Peter A. Smit

  • Litigation – Banking & Finance
  • Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Litigation – Labor & Employment

Richard R. Symons

  • Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers

Fredric A. Sytsma

  • Trusts & Estates

John N. Titley

  • Corporate Law

Joseph J. Vogan

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Labor Law – Management

Bryan R. Walters

  • Commercial Litigation

John Patrick White

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Labor Law – Management

Michael G. Wooldridge

  • Corporate Law

Susan M. Wyngaarden

  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Public Finance Law

Kurt G. Yost

  • Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Matthew D. Zimmerman

  • Administrative/Regulatory Law
  • Energy Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Land Use & Zoning Law;
  • Municipal Law

Kalamazoo

John W. Allen

  • Family Law
  • Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
  • Litigation – Antitrust
  • Litigation – Banking & Finance
  • Litigation – Trusts & Estates

William A. Dornbos

  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Native American Law
  • Real Estate Law

Erika Salerno Shadowens

  • Family Law

Bonnie Y. Sawusch

  • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs

Fred L. Schubkegel

  • Corporate Law

David M. Thoms

  • Litigation – Trusts and Estates
  • Nonprofit/Charities Law
  • Tax Law
  • Trusts and Estates

Novi

Richard T. Hewlett

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction Law
  • Litigation – Construction

Richard A. Hooker

  • Employment Law – Management
  • Labor Law – Management
  • Litigation – Labor and Employment

Paul L.B. McKenney

  • Litigation & Controversy – Tax
  • Tax Law

Julia A. Perkins

  • Family Law

Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers® is based on a peer-review survey in which leading lawyers cast votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers® is considered a singular honor.

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