Elizabeth M. Rasch

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

University of Michigan Law School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
J.D., 2022

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
B.A. summa cum laude, 2019

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan State Courts

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Immigration and Agriculture Attorney

Liz is a member of the Corporate Practice Team. She focuses her practice on immigration and agriculture. In her immigration practice, she handles nonimmigrant petitions, both employment- and family-based permanent residence applications, expatriation and foreign visa issues along with worker verification issues, Form I-9 audits, USICE compliance investigations and civil and criminal charges. In her agriculture work, Liz assists with all matters related to agriculture including corporate, co-op, taxation, H-2A and H-2B immigration, employment, zoning and succession. In partnership with the Michigan Farm Bureau, Liz supports the Agricultural Employment Compliance Guide, an easy-to-use guide for farm employers trying to keep up with sometimes overwhelmingly complex federal and state employment laws. In addition to providing timely updates, Liz delivers in-person employment seminars each year to agricultural employers across the state.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

American Agricultural Law Association

American Immigration Lawyers Association

National Council of Agricultural Employers

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Lindsae N. Badgerow

Education

Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan
B.S., Legal Studies with minor in Criminal Justice, 2007

Director of Legal Recruiting and Professional Development

Lindsae is a recruiting and human resource professional with more than ten years of experience in the legal industry, including at AmLaw 100 and professional legal recruiting firms. She has extensive experience managing and facilitating all aspects of the lateral attorney and law student recruitment and hiring process.

In her role, Lindsae is responsible for all lateral attorney recruiting and retention efforts across Varnum’s eight offices as well as managing the firm’s attorney professional development initiatives. She is also responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s law student hiring process and leading the firm’s summer associate program.

Lindsae is a member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and has served in various leadership roles for the organization, most recently serving as a Regional Representative for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Prior to entering the recruiting profession, Lindsae spent time as a litigation paralegal.

Professional Affiliations

National Association for Law Placement, Regional Representative for Mid-Atlantic Region, 2021-2023; Recruiting Section Chair, 2020-2021

Legal Recruitment Administrators of Philadelphia, 2014-2022

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Amy L. Baddley

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

Vanderbilt Law School
Nashville, Tennessee
J.D., 2022
Vanderbilt Law Review, Articles Editor
Order of the Coif

Bethel University
Mishawaka, Indiana
B.A., English, 2014

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Data Privacy Attorney

Amy is a sophisticated data privacy attorney, specializing in the advanced mobility industry. Certified with CIPP/US credentials, she designs and implements comprehensive privacy compliance programs for companies of all sizes. Her expertise extends to advising major autonomous, electric, and connected vehicle companies on privacy matters, and navigating byzantine regulatory requirements to facilitate the development of innovative mobility ventures.

Amy also brings significant practical experience to the table, having served as lead privacy counsel during her secondment at a prominent electric vehicle manufacturer. In this capacity, she played a crucial role in shaping the organization’s privacy landscape and adeptly identified privacy implications in new business ventures.

In addition to her contributions in privacy and mobility, Amy provides advisory services in healthcare regulatory matters, focusing on entity organization, practitioner licensure, and HIPAA compliance.

Prior to law school, Amy served as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives where she drafted a law that was enacted by President Obama in 2016 and advised on transportation, healthcare, tax, and budget legislation. She also worked in government relations on behalf of a cloud-based healthcare technology company in Boston, Massachusetts, on matters relating to data privacy and interoperability. She served as a summer associate at the American Enterprise Institute and interned at the U.S. Department of State.

Certifications

CIPP/US, certified information privacy professional 2022 – present

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

International Association of Privacy Professionals

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Michael A. Stroup

Practice Areas

Education

Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Bloomington, Indiana
J.D., 2019
Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, Notes Editor

Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan
B.S., summa cum laude, 2016

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Real Estate Attorney

Mike is a member of Varnum’s Real Estate Practice Team. He assists clients with real estate sales and acquisitions, development, leasing, and construction matters related to commercial, industrial and residential properties. In addition, he has broad experience advising closely-held businesses on entity formation, succession planning, transactions, and tax matters.

Prior to joining Varnum, Mike worked for a real estate law boutique in Grand Rapids where he assisted clients in both transactional and litigation real estate matters. While in law school, Mike completed internships with Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and a global asset management company in Seoul, Korea.

Professional Affiliations

 State Bar of Michigan

Community Involvement

Legal Aid of Western Michigan – Eviction Diversion Program, volunteer

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Emerging Leaders Series, 2021

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Neil E. Youngdahl

Practice Areas

Clerkships

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Honorable Richard Allen Griffin

United States District Court for
the Eastern District of Michigan,
Honorable Sean F. Cox

Education

University of Michigan Law School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
J.D., 2017
Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, Articles Editor

Alma College
Alma, Michigan
B.A. summa cum laude, 2015

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Litigation Attorney

Neil Youngdahl is a litigation attorney who focuses on commercial disputes, appeals, and cases in federal court. As a former federal law clerk at both the trial and appellate level, Neil assisted his judges in resolving hundreds of cases, ranging from months-long criminal RICO trials, to multimillion-dollar trademark disputes, to petitions for judicial review of agency action that raised significant constitutional questions. This experience provided Neil with unique insight into how judges decide cases. Neil now uses this knowledge to advocate for his clients and to guide them through all aspects of litigation.

Neil specializes in appeals, and regularly represents clients at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Michigan Court of Appeals. On appeal, Neil has argued questions of first impression regarding the proper interpretation of federal and state statutes, multimillion-dollar commercial disputes, and labor disputes involving federal agencies and multi-employer pension funds. Neil often takes his appeals without having handled the underlying proceedings, which allows him to offer a fresh perspective on the case, along with his expertise on appellate procedure and advocacy.

Neil also maintains an active labor practice, with a specific emphasis on representing construction companies who have been sued by multi-employer fringe-benefit funds for alleged unpaid contributions. Neil has reached favorable resolutions for his clients in these cases. Neil’s labor practice also includes litigating petitions for judicial review of orders issued by the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”).

Neil graduated from Alma College, summa cum laude, and from the University of Michigan Law School.  After graduating law school, Neil clerked for the Honorable Sean F. Cox of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (2018-2020) and for the Honorable Richard Allen Griffin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (2020-2022). During law school, Neil interned for the Honorable Robert Holmes Bell of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan and for the Honorable Joan Larsen of the Michigan Supreme Court. He also served as an Articles Editor of the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law.

Neil is the Chair of the Young Lawyers Section of the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Michigan. Neil also mentors students at Alma College who are interested in pursuing a career in law.

Experience

As lead appellate counsel, obtained injunctive relief from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in favor of plaintiff seeking to recover its stolen Van Gogh painting.

Obtained dismissal of a multi-employer pension fund’s claim for unpaid contributions, along with a six-figure settlement from the fund in favor of a construction company.

Obtained dismissal of civil RICO claims against a municipality.

Professional Affiliations

 State Bar of Michigan

 

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Jessica E. Visser

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

University of Toledo College of Law
Toledo, Ohio
J.D., cum laude, 2012

University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
B.S., Paralegal Studies, summa cum laude, 2009

Bar Admissions

Michigan
Ohio

 

Corporate and Higher Education Attorney

Jessica is a member of the Corporate Practice Team and co-chair of the firm’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Practice. As former associate general counsel for a major university, Jessica regularly negotiated significant contracts including spearheading the disposition and lease of university property and supporting a multimillion-dollar concession agreement for the university’s parking system. She counseled the university athletic department on NIL matters, NCAA compliance, and strategic negotiation of coach contracts. She is experienced in Title IX and disability matters, including a variety of other student-related issues. 

Within her NIL practice, Jessica regularly drafts and negotiates agreements related to NIL marketing, licensing, promotional engagements and ambassador agreements on behalf of brands, NIL collectives, companies and individual boosters. She has provided education and training programs on the formation of NIL collectives at the university level as well as training on university NIL compliance in general.

Jessica formerly served the U.S. Department of Defense as a contracting officer, negotiating multimillion-dollar contract actions with major aircraft manufacturers. She represented the U.S. Air Force in contract work involving the procurement of innovative weapon and surveillance systems.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

Ohio State Bar Association

 

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Katherine M. Szymanski

Practice Areas

Education

Valparaiso University School of Law
Valparaiso, Indiana
J.D., 2013

Aquinas College
Grand Rapids, Michigan
B.A., cum laude, 2010

Bar Admissions

Michigan


Estate Planning Attorney

Katie is a member of the Estate Planning Team. She has significant experience in estate settlement and trust administration matters. She has additional experience working with individuals and families through ongoing estate, tax, and wealth transfer planning for current and future generations. She understands that every client situation is unique, and she strives to help each client reach their goals through specific and tailored estate plans.

Katie’s background also includes review of tax compliance forms and non-traditional asset planning including strategies for real estate, and closely-held business interests. She previously served as a trust officer for a regional accounting firm and holds a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA®) designation.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan, Probate and Estate Planning Section

Western Michigan Estate Planning Council – Board of Directors, Next Gen Committee

Community Involvement

USA Gymnastics Judge, 2010 – Present

Michigan NAWGJ, Board of Directors, 2023

Spartan Nash YMCA, Board of Directors, 2016-2021

Presentations

Special Issues with Estate Planning, ICLE, 2023

Estate Planning for Athletes: Top Tips in Ten Minutes, ICLE, 2023

Drafting for Administrative Efficiency, Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Journal, Summer 2022

Institute of Continuing Legal Education Speaker, 2019

The Notice Trap: Qualified Trust Beneficiaries of Irrevocable Trusts, 2022

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Cathy M. Greer

Practice Areas

Industries

Litigation Paralegal

Cathy works with the Litigation and Trial Services Team and has extensive experience in all aspects of complex commercial litigation matters. She focuses her attention on the implementation of litigation support technology throughout the litigation process including electronic discovery, complex document management and trial presentation/assistance.

Cathy’s experience includes assisting with various elements of case workup such as investigation, research, discovery and exhibits. In addition, she prepares court pleadings such as interrogatories, discovery responses, answers to complaints, motions and briefs. She has extensive legal and technical research experience including preparation of research memoranda.

Professional Affiliations

Grand Rapids Bar Association, Legal Assistant Section

State Bar of Michigan, Legal Assistant Section

Spectrum Health Oncology, PFAC board member

Notary Public

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Maryanne S. Poll

Practice Areas

Education

Davenport University
Grand Rapids, Michigan
B.S., Paralegal Studies, 2012

 

Paralegal

Maryanne serves as a real estate paralegal working on matters with attorneys within several practice groups. She prepares a wide variety of real estate related documents and is involved with title work and survey matters. Maryanne also has experience with litigation related matters such as drafting pleadings, discovery, and offering general litigation assistance.

Community Involvement

 Lakewood Youth Football Board of Directors, Treasurer

 

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Lauren M. Parker

Practice Areas

Education

University of Wisconsin Law School
Madison, Wisconsin
J.D., cum laude, 2021
Wisconsin Law Review, Managing Editor

Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Honors College
B.A., magna cum laude, Finance, 2018

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Wisconsin

Corporate Attorney

Lauren is a member of Varnum’s Business and Corporate Team, where her focus is in business and transactional work with a strong emphasis on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, and other commercial transactions. Lauren has experience advising clients on the legal aspects of day-to-day business issues and a wide variety of other matters, with particular expertise in securities law matters and corporate governance issues. Her client experience ranges from early stage startups to mature, publicly-held businesses of all sizes.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

State Bar of Wisconsin

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