Miller Canfield Elects Nine New Principals
The law firm of Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that the following people have been elected principals of the firm.
Ann Arbor, Michigan office:
Lisa C. Hagan, from associate to principal. Hagan is a member of the Public Finance Group. She serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel or borrower’s counsel on a broad range of tax-exempt bond financings, with an emphasis on hospitals and healthcare systems, single-family and multi-family housing, exempt facilities, and private colleges/universities. She has structured a large variety of transactions including current and advanced refundings, traditional fixed rate financings, and variable and multi-modal structures involving various forms of liquidity and credit support. She received her LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center (2003), her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law (2002) and her B.A. from Michigan State University.
Kimberly L. Scott, from associate to principal. Scott is a member of the Litigation and Trial Group. She specializes in intellectual property; antitrust law; sports, media and entertainment law; and commercial contract and tort litigation. She also handles complex commercial litigation, and specializes in e-discovery strategy. She was on the legal team that achieved the 8th largest verdict in the nation in 2009, representing Valassis Communications, Inc. in its legal battle with News America, Inc. and obtaining a $300 million jury verdict after an eight-week trial, with all claims being settled for $500 million in favor of her client. She was named an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2009. She was named a “Rising Star” in intellectual property litigation by Michigan Super Lawyers in 2012. She received her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School (2006) and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Detroit, Michigan office:
Shawn N. Hopper, from associate to principal. Hopper is a member of the Financial Institutions and Transactions Group. He specializes in drafting and negotiation of commercial loan documentation, especially asset-based financing. He also has experience in syndicated loan transactions and credit enhancement facilities for variable rate bond issues, such as commercial letters of credit and standby bond purchase agreements. He received his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School (2006) and his BBA from Western Michigan University.
Brian M. Schwartz, from associate to principal. Schwartz is a member of the Employment and Labor Group. He represents management in various aspects of labor and employment counseling and litigation. His practice focuses on defending class-action lawsuits involving retiree health benefit disputes and employment discrimination. He also has been involved in defending race, gender and disability discrimination claims as well as whistleblower, retaliation and Family Medical Leave Act claims. He was named an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly in 2012. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School (2005) and his B.S. from Cornell University.
Joseph G. Vernon, from associate to principal. Vernon is a member of the Litigation and Trial Group and leads its Sports and Entertainment Section. His litigation practice focuses on all aspects of commercial law. He has litigated complex disputes involving commercial transactions, intellectual property rights, business torts, automotive supply contracts, dealer/sales representative relationships, non-competition agreements and both product and premises liability issues. His work in the sports and entertainment field is comprehensive and includes the representation of professional athletes in the negotiation of their contracts, advising athletes and entertainers about their intellectual property rights and litigating disputes relating to same, and drafting and revising industry specific agreements. He is certified as a contract advisor by the National Football League Players Association and the Canadian Football League Players Association. He received his LL.B. from the University of Windsor School of Law (2005), his J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy Law School (2005) and his BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.
Lansing, Michigan office:
Paul M. Collins, from associate to principal. Collins is a member of the Energy, Environmental and Regulatory Group. He counsels clients in a variety of environmental and regulatory areas including permitting, compliance, enforcement, utility ratemaking, and other administrative proceedings, litigation, appeals and citizen/third-party complaints. He served as the primary author of many of Michigan's air permit regulations. He received his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School (2006) and his B.S. from Michigan State University.
Scott R. Eldridge, from associate to principal. Eldridge is a member of the Employment and Labor Group. His practice focuses on employment litigation defense and compliance matters involving discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower claims, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA), the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He also handles governmental, election law, and commercial litigation matters before state and federal courts and administrative tribunals. In 2011, he received the Lansing Community Newspapers’ People’s Choice Award, “Favorite Lawyer.” He received his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law (2003) and his B.A. from Alma College.
G. Alan Wallace, from senior attorney to principal. Wallace is a member of the Real Estate Group. He has an extensive background in real estate transactions, governmental litigation and representing municipal governments relative to new economic development, rehabilitation projects, and collection of tax revenues. In addition, he has experience in numerous licensing and regulatory matters involving the state of Michigan. He received his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School (2005) and his B.A. from Freed-Hardeman University.
Kalamazoo, Michigan office:
Paul D. Hudson, from senior attorney to principal. Hudson is a member of the Litigation and Trial Group. He specializes in complex commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense, with an emphasis on federal and state appeals. He currently holds a leadership position on the American Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee, and has briefed and argued appeals in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Michigan Court of Appeals. Prior to joining Miller Canfield, Hudson served as a law clerk for Sixth Circuit Judge Raymond M. Kethledge. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (2006) and his B.A. from Cornell University.