News Center

On September 30, 2024, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a property tax exemption for church retreat property in Woodside Bible Church v. Township of Forester, COA No. 366944. The Court of Appeals ruled that the property,…

Bodman’s Pete Cummings and Melissa Chapman authored an article in the State Bar of Michigan’s IPLS Proceedings publication. The article discusses the Federal Circuit overruling the longstanding Rosen-Durling test for evaluating the obviousness of design patents and the future implications…

Bodman’s John David Gardiner and Cameron D. Ritsema published an article on the FTC final ruling regarding the ban of a vast majority of noncompete agreements for nearly all workers of for-profit employers in the U.S. in the August 2024…

In November 2023, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a new General Compliance Program Guide (GCPG) which seeks to clarify its existing voluntary compliance program by updating information and making that information more easily accessible to health care entities.…

We often focus on the impact of grant dollars. Investments also make an impact, positive or negative – whether or not that impact is intentional. We know that advocacy is another incredibly important opportunity and resource in your toolbox that…

Bodman’s David W. Barton has published an article on Michigan’s Financial Exploitation Prevention Act in the Fall 2022 issue of the Michigan Business Law Journal. Click here for a PDF copy of David’s article.

NCAA Student-Athletes (“SAs”) and companies around the country should recognize the extraordinary potential that exists in the market now that SAs control the rights of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). Still, the biggest issue in capitalizing on this potential…

In a policy reversal many years in the making, the NCAA now allows student-athletes (“SAs”) to benefit from the use of their name, image, and “likeness,” such as their nickname or voice (“NIL”). The policy change includes not just current…

Gregory G. Gamalski of Bodman’s Real Estate Practice Group has published a new article, “The ABCs of CBD and Hemp: A Primer,” in the Spring/Summer 2021 edition of Michigan Real Property Review.  Click here for a PDF copy of Greg’s article.

If you know music, you know Van Halen. The Hall of Fame rock band turned out several hit singles and was known for their virtuoso guitar riffs, great hair, lavish lifestyles, and a penchant for M&M candies. That’s right, M&Ms.…

Gregory G. Gamalski of Bodman’s Real Estate Practice Group has published a comprehensive review of real estate and cannabis under Michigan law in the February 2020 issue of the Michigan Bar Journal. Click here for a PDF copy of Greg’s…

Congratulations to Bodman’s Michelle Thurber Czapski, who recently concluded a two-year term as chair of the Defense Research Institute’s 1,600-member Commercial Litigation Committee. Czapski is a long-time leader of the Committee, also having served for two years as vice chair…

Purchase agreements, whether in the form of asset, stock, merger, or other similar agreements (each generically referred to as an “Agreement”) are typically heavily negotiated documents derived from many hours of discussions, diligence, and negotiation among sophisticated parties and their…

Donovan Asmar and Thomas Rheaume, Jr., members of Bodman PLC’s commercial litigation and appellate practice groups published an article in the State Court Docket Watch: 2018 Edition presented by The Federalist Society. Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution v. Secretary of State…

On December 28, 2018, the Michigan Legislature passed Senate Bill No. 671 amending the  Marketable Record Title Act, Act 200 of 1945 (MTA). Once a lame duck long shot, PA 572 becomes effective March 29, 2019. While brief, PA 572…

Scams seem to overrun the internet. Most scams, like selling counterfeit goods or phishing (fake emails used to obtain private information), try to confuse your customers. This makes sense. Why would an internet outlaw pick a fight with you, the seasoned…

Originally published in The Business Suit, the newsletter of the Commercial Litigation Committee of the Defense Research Institute (DRI), vol. 21, no. 4 (August 15, 2017) With the proliferation of electronic discovery and the large volume of documents gathered for…

On August 3, thirteen Bodman PLC attorneys and summer associates teamed up with Detroit-based nonprofit Life Remodeled to lend a helping hand in a Detroit neighborhood. The Bodman crew was assigned to the neighborhood surrounding Osborn High School with a…

As the price of agricultural land soars in Michigan, it pays, or at least saves, to review the qualified agricultural property exemption. To read more of Gregory J. Gamalski’s co-authored article in the June/July 2017 issue of Laches, an Oakland…

A team of Bodman PLC attorneys led by Pro Bono Counsel Kimberly Paulson recently obtained clemency for the firm’s client – a man serving life in prison. Melvin grew up in a bad neighborhood and ran with the wrong crowd,…

Recently, Bodman Chairman Ralph E. McDowell was quoted in a National Law Journal article about the resurgence of the city of Detroit and its effect on local law firms. To read the article on the National Law Journal website, please…

Bodman's Enterprise Procurement Group focuses on drafting and negotiating its business clients' agreements with virtually every kind of vendor — from human resources service contracts to sponsorship deals to armored delivery work — lifting the grunt work from in-house counsel and giving companies a solid budget and cost certainty from which to work.

Through Bodman's Pro Bono Program, attorneys from our Intellectual Property practice helped nonprofit organization Forgotten Harvest create a trademark license to brand/co-brand local food products — similar to Paul Newman's "Newman's Own" model — that allows local food companies to partner with the nonprofit and sell their products with Forgotten Harvest's logo. A portion of each sale will go to Forgotten Harvest.

Bodman is pleased to announce that the nationally recognized publication Super Lawyers selected Bodman as one of only two law firms nationally to receive its 2013 Pro Bono Award. An article profiling the Firm’s Pro Bono work appears in a…

For every $1.00 the business owner adds to his net worth, the IRS takes its share in estate taxes, currently 35% but increasing to 55% in 2013 under current law. Proper planning today can save the family millions of dollars in the future. This article gives an overview of several strategies that Bodman's wealth management lawyers are currently discussing with its business owner clients.