Congratulations to CMDA Law Clerks Teneil Russell and Daniel El-Sibai on Passing their Bar Exams

Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, PLC is pleased to announce that our law clerks have passed their bar exams! A huge congratulations to Teneil Russell and Daniel El-Sibai. They will be sworn in later this year, and we are delighted that they have both accepted the Firm’s offer to continue their legal careers at CMDA.

Partners Joel Ashton, Shane Nolan, and Carol Smith first had the opportunity to meet Teneil and Daniel during the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law’s On-Campus Interviews held in August 2023. “Both Teneil and Daniel interviewed really well, and we immediately knew they would make great additions to CMDA,” Shane explains.

Teneil Russell received an American Juris Doctor degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, cum laude, and a Canadian Juris Doctor degree from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. She was enrolled in the Dual JD program, which is a rigorous course of study where courses are taught in a comparative format that exposes students to both countries’ laws simultaneously.

As a law clerk in the Firm’s Livonia office since September 2023, she assisted primarily in the areas of municipal law and insurance defense by researching and analyzing cases, assisting with preparing legal documents, conducting legal analysis, reviewing files, managing support documentation, and assisting counsel with depositions and trials.

“Teneil is extremely intelligent and has phenomenal research and writing skills. She has been a total rockstar on the projects I have given her,” Carol explains. “She has had the opportunity to assist our attorneys with litigation, including providing very salient insight during a 5-day federal trial that resulted in a no cause verdict for the Firm’s client. I am so proud to have mentored her and very much look forward to witnessing the incredible attorney she will become here at CMDA.”

While in law school, Teneil was a member of the Black Law Students Association of Canada as a 1L dual representative and vice president of communications and an OUTLaws 1L dual representative. Additionally, she participated in the G. Mennen Williams Oral Advocacy Tournament and the Windsor Law Moot Court Competition. In May 2024 she was awarded the Law School Endowed Scholarship.

Ms. Russell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in Law and Society in May 2021 from the University of York University in Toronto, Ontario. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with specialized honors, in Business Economics in May 2017 from the University of York University in Toronto, Ontario. She may be reached in our Livonia office at (734) 261-2400 or trussell@cmda-law.com.

Daniel El-Sibai received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he was a magna cum laude graduate and ranked within the top ten percent of his class.

As a law clerk in the Firm’s Livonia office since September 2023, he assisted primarily in the areas of insurance defense, police liability and sports law by conducting research, taking part in strategy sessions with litigation teams, and assisting lead counsels on depositions and trials.

“Daniel is a very sharp young man with a dynamic personality,” Partner Jim Acho explains. “He has been part of many sorts of litigated cases the firm handles and has had the unique opportunity to play a significant role in assisting the Firm with a landmark lawsuit involving more than 300 former Michigan football players vs. the NCAA, Big Ten Network, and Big Ten Conference. Ethan Vinson, Kevin Campbell, and I have been impressed with his work throughout that case. His ability to communicate well with clients is what separates him from many people his age. We think Daniel is going to be a great success in this business.”

While in law school, Daniel received a Dean’s Scholarship and was a multi-semester Dean’s List honoree. He earned CALI Book Awards in Federal Income Tax, Sales, Secured Transactions, Medical Malpractice, and Patent Law. He served as a Teaching Assistant for Secured Transactions, Cross-Border Sales, and Applied Legal Writing. He was elected 1L Vice President of the Student Bar Association and later nominated for Class Vice President. He also served as Vice President of the Disability Law Association and as Scholarship Chair for the Arab American Law Student Association. He was active in the Wolverine Bar Association and the National Arab American Bar Association and contributed to the Law-Abiding Student Podcast. He is fluent in Arabic and has limited working proficiency in French.

Mr. El-Sibai earned a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in Public Health from Wayne State University, where he was an Honors student, a Wayne State Green Scholarship recipient, and a four-year Dean’s List honoree. His capstone examined the linkage between mental health and mass-shooting violence and proposed preventative interventions. He may be reached in our Livonia office at (734) 261-2400 or delsibai@cmda-law.com.

Managing Partner Chris Schultz said, “We are proud of Teneil and Daniel. Passing the Bar is a monumental achievement that proves their remarkable intellect, resilience, and discipline. We are pleased they have chosen CMDA to begin their law practice.”