S. Randall Field successfully defends a City Being Sued by Alleged Whistleblower. Following a week-long trial in Oakland Circuit Court, a unanimous jury recently returned a "no cause" verdict in favor of Randy Field's client. The alleged Whistleblower was seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages against the City, his former employer. This same plaintiff had been very successful in an earlier Whistleblower lawsuit he had brought against another former municipal employer, not represented by Johnson Rosati. Randy Field attributed the successful outcome to his client's diligence and willingness to follow a prescribed course of action when dealing with this difficult former employee.
Michael E. Rosati was a presenter at the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys Advanced Institute on April 1, 2008. Mr. Rosati spoke regarding the recovery of attorney fees in litigation in both state and federal courts.
Carol A. Rosati was a presenter at the 2008 Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority's Risk Management Workshop held in Lansing on March 6, 2008. Her topic was on Zoning - "Practical Tips for Making Defensible Choices".
Michael E. Rosati was a presenter at the Winter Conference of the State Bar of Michigan's Public Corporation Section on February 8, 2008. He chaired a panel discussion regarding "Risk Management for Police Departments" which included a psychologist expert, and a former police chief and risk manager. Marcia Howe was a Co-Chairman of the Conference.
Edward Plato was a featured speaker at the annual convention of the Michigan Municipal League in Traverse City on September 19, 2007. Ed spoke on "Protecting the Public Right of Ways" and the interplay between municipalities and utility companies in public right-of-ways.
Carol Rosati was a presenter at the annual ICLE Land Use and Development Seminar which took place on September 18, 2007. Her Topic was "Presenting a Case to a Planning Commission: A Demonstration".
Marcia Howe presented "Bulk Sales of the Property Records" at a Conference sponsored by the Michigan Association of the Register of Deeds on September 10, 2007.
James Dyer, a member of the Marshall City Council, spent 13 days in Japan as part of the Michigan Shiga Good Will Mission. The 20+ members of the Mission met with the Lt. Governor of Shiga. They also visited Koka, the Japanese Sister City to Marshall, Traverse City and DeWitt, Michigan.
Carol A. Rosati, Edward D. Plato and Patrick A. Aseltyne have been designated by the national publication "Law & Politics" as 2007 Michigan Super Lawyers. Carol A. Rosati was additionally named in the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Michigan. Super Lawyers are the top 5 percent of attorneys in the state as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics. A statewide survey is conducted of lawyers who have been in practice for more than 5 years and they are asked to nominate the best attorneys they've personally observed in action. The research department of Law & Politics then examines the background and experience of each candidate, searching for evidence of peer recognition and professional achievement. Finally, a blue ribbon panel reviews all the candidates and selects only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state to be named as Super Lawyers.
On July 25, 2007 the Macomb County Board of Commissioners announced the creation of a second Blue Ribbon Commission on Lake St. Clair. J. Russell LaBarge, Jr. was again appointed Chairperson of this 36 person commission consisting of elected and appointed officials from the counties of St. Clair, Oakland, Wayne and Macomb and the province of Ontario, academics and private interested parties. Mr. LaBarge also served as Chairperson of the first Blue Ribbon Commission on Lake St. Clair established in 1997.
Patrick Aseltyne presented "Employment Litigation - How to Avoid It and How to Deal With It" on May 30, 2007 at the May Training Session of the United County Clerks Association in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Carol Rosati presented a training workshop to the City of Sylvan Lake Zoning Board of Appeals on April 26, 2007.
James Dyer has been elected to the Marshall City Council for a four year term. He previously served the city for ten years on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Commission.
Patrick Aseltyne has been approved as a mediator for the Western District of the United States District Court. Extensive training is required to apply for approval as well as yearly updated courses for continuing service as a mediator.
Ed Plato spoke at the MAMA 21st Annual Advanced Institute held at the Lansing Center in Lansing on March 20, 2007. His topic was "After Taylor: How Will the Public Service Commission Handle ROW Relocation Cases?"
The firm was recently selected as general counsel for the Charter Township of Highland located in northwestern Oakland County.
Ed Plato has been appointed by Mayor Priebe and the Taylor City Council as Corporation Counsel for the City of Taylor, Michigan. As Corporation Counsel, he acts as legal advisor to the Mayor, the Council and all city departments, commissions and boards and prosecutes and defends all cases in which the City is a party.
Carol Rosati was a speaker at the MTA Annual Conference, Legal Institute for Township Attorneys, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center on Tuesday, January 23, 2007. Her topic was: Damages Lawsuits and Land Use Disputes: The Principle Defenses.
Michael Rosati and Laura Amtsbuechler presented a one day workshop entitled Computer Research and Records on January 12, 2007at Detroit College of Law at MSU in East Lansing. Topics include Legal Research on the Internet as well as Electronic Record Retention, Disclosure and Discovery.
Carol Rosati has been appointed to the Charter Township of Bloomfield Zoning Board of Appeal as an Alternate Member.
The firm was recently selected as general counsel for the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority. The Authority is one of the largest in the State. It serves Oakland County by providing mental health services to adults with serious mental illness, children with emotional disturbances and persons with developmental disabilities.
Carol Rosati and Ed Plato have been designated by the national publication "Law & Politics" as 2006 Michigan Super Lawyers.
Marcia Howe was a panel member for a discussion entitled "Litigators and Appellate Attorneys: Partners, Not Adversaries" on September 14, 2006 at the annual meeting of the State Bar of Michigan in Ypsilanti. The program was presented jointly by the Litigation Section and the Appellate Practice Section on the working relationship between litigators and appellate lawyers, including preservation of error and record protection for appeal.
The firm was recently named to the 2006 Pro Bono Circle of Excellence for its contributions of attorney time and financial aid for legal services to low-income individuals and families.
At the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys Summer Conference on Mackinac Island, Carol A. Rosati was named 2006 Distinguished Municipal Attorney. The award will be presented to her in September by the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys at the annual Michigan Municipal League conference.
The Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA) has received a first place award in the pool category from the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) for their DVD resource, “Anatomy of a Lawsuit”. The DVD is an hour-long resource which explains steps of the litigation process to lay people to give them an idea of what to expect if they ever become a party to a lawsuit. Three attorneys from the firm appeared in the video. Michael Rosati appeared on the DVD as moderator, Christopher Johnson played the role of one of the defense lawyers in the presentation, and Laura Amtsbuechler appeared in the video playing the role of one of the plaintiff's counsel. The award was presented to the MMRMA at the annual meeting of PRIMA in Las Vegas on June 11, 2006.
The firm was recently selected as general counsel for the Michigan Universities Self-Insurance Corporation (M.U.S.I.C.) MUSIC is a self-insurance pool for eleven public universities in the state.
The Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys Summer Conference was held June 23-24 on Mackinaw Island. Laura Amtsbuechler and Michael Rosati participated in a panel discussion of sexual harassment, retaliation and electronic discovery in employment cases.
Russell LaBarge moderated a meeting of the Macomb County Water Quality Board with federal, state and local officials as well as environmental groups in attendance to discuss progress on Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations.
Christopher Johnson and Carlito Young presented a seminar on the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act to officials in Bay County on May 9, 2006. The seminar included an overview on responding to FOIA requests and complying with the Open Meetings Act.
Michael Rosati and Christopher Johnson presented "Anatomy of a Lawsuit" in Sault Ste. Marie on May 24, 2006.
Laura Amtsbuechler, Michael Rosati and Carlito Young have published an article in the Public Corporation Law Quarterly, Spring 2006 edition, entitled "Electronic Data Discovery In Litigation, and Why You Need To Prepare Now ".
Carol Rosati has recently published an article in the Public Corporation Law Quarterly, Winter 2005 edition, entitled "Williamson County, Paragon and San Remo Hotel: The Current Status of the Ripeness Doctrine".
Michael Rosati presented "Anatomy of a Lawsuit" to a group of county officials on March 24, 2006 in Lansing.
Carol Rosati moderated a seminar entitled "Hot Topics in Municipal Law Practice" in Troy on February 16, 2006. Sponsored by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, topics include First Amendment Issues, Municipal Employment, Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Acts, Qualified Immunity Defense and Eminent Domain. Michael Rosati presented the section dealing with current developments involving the Qualified Immunity Defense.
Johnson Rosati is pleased to announce that Rebekah W. Page has joined the firm. She is a 2005 cum laude graduate of Tulane University Law School where she was associate editor of the Tulane Law Review. She was the recipient of several awards for academic and writing excellence and studied in the Netherlands. Ms. Page practices in the areas of municipal law, civil rights and employment law. She works in the Farmington Hills office.