As a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling to uphold the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), there will be some tax effects for workers and recipients of investment income. Beginning in 2013, an additional 0.9% in Medicare taxes are assessed on wages in excess of $200,000 for single filers, and $250,000 for married, filing jointly, or $125,000 each when married and filing separately. Further, […]

Firearms:  Open Carry is Legal in Michigan  Earlier this year Nicholas Looman walked into Aderdeen Elementary School in Grand Rapids, Michigan to vote wearing his holstered pistol on his hip.  The school officials contacted the police, and Mr. Looman was arrested for bringing a firearm into a school.  Later, William Forsythe, the Kent County Prosecutor, issued a statement that Mr. Looman had done nothing illegal because he possessed a valid […]

Michigan’s Child Protection Law requires certain individuals, called mandated reporters, to report child abuse and neglect.   Mandated reporters are professionals who, in the ordinary course of their work and because they have regular contact with children, are required to report when abuse has been observed or suspected or when there has been evidence of neglect.  Examples of mandated reporters include nurses, physicians, licensed bachelor’s/master’s social workers, dentists, school administrators, school […]

Haider Kazim, a partner in the Firm’s Traverse City office, has been named by Michigan Super Lawyers & Rising Stars as one of the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state for 2012. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state receive this honor. The selections for this esteemed list are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson […]

Universities and colleges, although institutions of higher learning, must be prepared to navigate the complicated world of intellectual property, including dealing with their own trademark. A trademark is a name or symbol which identifies a product, service or institution to the general public. Trademarks, while intangible, are considered property, and the rights associated with trademarks are protected by Federal, State and common law. Generally, the first party to use a […]

CMDA is pleased to announce that Ethan Vinson, a partner in our Livonia office, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Belle Isle Conservancy. He will serve as their Vice President. The Belle Isle Conservancy’s mission is to protect, preserve, restore and enhance the natural environments, historic structures and unique character of Detroit’s Belle Isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all. Congratulations Ethan! He […]

CMDA Attorneys Obtain Significant Victory in Federal Appellate Court Timothy S. Ferrand, a partner in our Sterling Heights office, and Karen M. Daley, head of CMDA’s appellate division, recently obtained a Judgment from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Sixth Circuit) that affirmed the lower court’s dismissal (won by Mr. Ferrand in 2011) of Fourth Amendment police stop, arrest and detention claims brought against several police […]

Jim Acho, a Senior Attorney in the Firm’s Livonia office, was featured on the front page of the September 4, 2012 edition of Michigan Lawyers Weekly.  In the article, he provides insight into the upswing of concussion lawsuits he has seen lately. Please click on the link below to view the article. Concussion Lawsuits Proliferate article 

Ron Acho, a co-founder of the Firm, was the recipient of the 2012 Community Service and Dedication Award by the Chaldean American Bar Association (CABA) at a dinner on May 30.  The dinner was attended by hundreds of well-wishers and was a truly spectacular evening for everyone. The Chaldean News recently wrote a fantastic article on Ron receiving the award. The article points out that Ron has spent his entire career […]

Patrick Sturdy, an attorney in our Livonia office, has been appointed as the National Legal Counsel of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). Mr. Sturdy has been with the Firm since 2000 and concentrates his practice on corporate and business law, labor and employment, education law and franchise law. The AOH is America’s oldest Irish Catholic Fraternal Organization founded concurrently in the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania and New York City […]