Warner Norcross + Judd LLP today announced eight of its attorneys have been named partners.
The new partners practice in a variety of areas, from corporate and real estate law to litigation and real estate law. They are from offices across the firm’s statewide footprint, including Grand Rapids, Southfield, Macomb County and Kalamazoo.
“Warner is delighted to welcome these eight exceptional attorneys into our partnership,” said Douglas A. Dozeman, managing partner of Warner. “Each brings a unique perspective and strong skill set to our firm, allowing them to provide business and legal counsel that deliver exceptional results. We look forward to their continued success as strong advocates for our clients and our firm.”
The new partners include:
- Matthew M. Crowe, who focuses his practice on complex corporate matters, joint ventures, acquisitions, divestitures, contracts and commercial finance transactions for a broad range of clients. He was named to Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Stars list and is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Grand Rapids Bar Association. He serves on a committee of the Association for Corporate Growth Western Michigan. Crowe holds a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude from Western Michigan University and a law degree cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.
- Roquia K. Draper, whose practice is focused on family law with an emphasis in divorce proceedings, child custody cases, litigation and dispute resolution. Draper has been named to Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Stars list since 2015, as well as Michigan Super Lawyers Top Women Super Lawyers list in 2018. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Grand Rapids Bar Association and Wayne County Family Law Bar Association. She serves as vice president of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. She holds a bachelor of science degree magna cum laude from Wayne State University and a law degree magna cum laude from Wayne Law.
- Rachel J. Foster, who focuses her practice on real estate transactions, including construction contracts, condominiums and foreclosures, low-income housing tax credits and real estate acquisitions and sales. She is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Illinois and State Bar of Michigan, where she also serves as co-chair for the Commercial Development, Ownership and Finance Committee of the Real Property Law Section. She is also a member of the Kalamazoo County Bar Association. Foster serves on the board of the Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity, on a committee for the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors® and as a campaign cabinet member of the Kalamazoo County Humane Society. She holds a bachelor of science degree from WMU and her law degree with honors from the Chicago Kent College of Law – Illinois Institute of Technology.
- C. Ryan Grondzik, who focuses his practice on employment litigation, including representing employers in federal court on issues related to race and sex discrimination, disability discrimination, and harassment. Grondzik also specializes in conducting pre-litigation internal workplace investigations into allegations of discriminatory or harassing behavior. He has been recognized on the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star list since 2016 and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Grand Rapids Bar Association, as well as serving on a committee for the Federal Bar Association. Grondzik also serves on the board of directors for Ottawa County’s Head Start program. He holds a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude from Saginaw Valley State University and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
- Laura A. Jeltema, who counsels high net worth individuals, families and family offices on trust and estate administration as well as tax and fundamental estate planning, tax planning, wealth preservation and family business and succession planning. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. She is a member of the West Michigan Estate Planning Counsel and serves on the board of Widowed Persons Service of Grand Rapids and a committee for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. She holds a bachelor of science degree summa cum laude from WMU and a law degree from the American University Washington College of Law magna cum laude.
- Dennis W. Loughlin, who focuses his practice on creditors’ rights, restructuring and insolvency, as well as serving as general counsel for corporate entities. He was named to the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star list and is a member of the Federal Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Macomb County Bar Association, as well as the American Bankruptcy Institute and Turnaround Management Association. He is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club and serves on its membership development committee. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy.
- David W. MacDonald, who counsels clients on business formations, mergers and acquisitions, purchases and sales of real estate, leasing of commercial, industrial and retail property, as well as condominium and loan documentation. He serves on the board of the McLaren Macomb Healthcare Foundation. He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Macomb County Bar Association and Oakland County Bar Association. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the College of Law at DePaul University in Chicago.
- Joseph R. Owens, whose practice is focused on trust and estate planning, tax planning and business succession planning, as well as general business law. He has been named to the Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star list since 2013 and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Macomb County Bar Association and Macomb County Probate Bar. He is also a member of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Macomb County. He holds a bachelor of arts degree cum laude from Oakland University and a law degree from Wayne Law.
About Warner
By providing discerning and proactive legal advice, Warner Norcross + Judd LLP builds a better partnership with our clients. An AmLaw 200 firm, we’re one of Michigan’s largest law firms focused on providing the best legal solutions and exceptional client service to organizations throughout the world. Connect with us on wnj.com, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
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