Member News

Dickinson Wright is pleased to announce the election of seven new member attorneys in the firm’s Ann Arbor, Detroit and Troy offices, effective January 1, 2023.

“Congratulations to this year’s class of new members on this well-deserved honor. Each attorney brings unique and valuable qualities, perspectives, and skills that they have developed throughout their legal career. We are honored and proud of their accomplishments and thrilled that they are now members,” says Michael Hammer, CEO of Dickinson Wright.

Below is Dickinson Wright’s new member attorneys for 2023:

Juliet Boyd is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. She focuses her practice in the area of probate litigation. She is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch”. Juliet received her B.A. from Wayne State University and her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.

Deborah Germany is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. She maintains a multidisciplinary practice consisting of banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. Deborah is experienced in a variety of financing transactions and represents both borrower and banks, middle-market lenders, and non-bank lenders. She specializes in asset based lending and cash flow lending. She advises clients from the earliest stages of financial covenant structuring, due diligence, and documenting credit facilities to work outs and collecting on asset-based loans. Her clients and deals span all platforms, industries and asset types. Deborah regularly advises companies concerning mergers and acquisitions transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances. She manages the structuring, negotiations and deal flow of M&A deals across a variety of industries. In addition, she counsels private and not-for-profit corporations on the full range of governance issues, including governance structure and culture, fiduciary duties, risk oversight, conflicts of interest, board and committee structure, board leadership and governance “best practices.” She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Wolverine Bar Association, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Macomb County Bar Association, the Detroit Young Professionals, and the Detroit Economic Club – Young Leaders Section. Deborah received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.

Adam Grant is a Member in the firm’s Detroit office. His practice is devoted entirely to litigation, with emphasis in the areas of commercial litigation and real estate/landlord-tenant litigation. He also has significant experience in the areas of financial services litigation and products liability litigation. He is admitted to practice in Michigan and Illinois and has previously been recognized as a leader in his field as a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers. Adam received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Sung (Sungwook) Lee is a Member in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He has experience in various aspects of patent and trademark practices including patent and trademark application preparation, patent and trademark prosecution, and patent and trademark litigation. Further, his patent practice focuses on mechanical and electro-mechanical structures such as automotive components, power systems, semiconductors, medical devices, and office products. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch”. Sungwook received his B.S. from KAIST, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.

James Purrington is a Member in the firm’s Troy office. He is an intellectual property attorney who assists clients with patent application preparation and prosecution worldwide, including experience in the following technologies: power electronics, automotive systems and equipment including safety systems, lighting, brakes, suspension, motors and motor control techniques, electric and hybrid vehicle powertrain systems, optics and optoelectronic devices, display technologies, sensing and sensor data processing. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association. James received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and his J.D. from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Christopher Ryan is a Member in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He is a civil litigator with a special focus on the healthcare industry and co-chairs the firm’s healthcare litigation task force.  For over a decade, Chris has represented businesses, physicians, hospitals, and insurance companies in a wide range of litigation matters and in all phases of litigation.  He has assisted clients in matters of medical malpractice, licensing investigations, breach of contract, medical staff issues, billing investigations and audits (including RAC audits) and employment. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Stars and AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Christopher received his B.B.A from Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business and his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.

Alma Sobo is a Member in the firm’s Troy office.  Ms. Sobo focuses her practice in the areas of commercial and business litigation, consumer protection, municipal law, and class actions.  Ms. Sobo has represented clients through all phases of litigation, including pre-litigation dispute resolution, complex civil discovery practice, mediation, trials, appeals, and enforcement of judgment.  Ms. Sobo was selected as a Michigan Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in business litigation in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.  Ms. Sobo also received the Best Lawyers in America’s 2023 “Ones to Watch” award in commercial litigation and municipal law.  Ms. Sobo received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, cum laude, and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School, cum laude.  Ms. Sobo is fluent in Bosnian, Croatian, and Spanish.

About Dickinson Wright

Dickinson Wright is a general practice business law firm with more than 475 attorneys among more than 40 practice areas and 16 industry groups. The firm has 19 offices, including six in Michigan (Detroit, Troy, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw) and 12 other domestic offices in Austin and El Paso, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; and Washington, D.C. The firm’s Canadian office is located in Toronto.

Dickinson Wright offers our clients a distinctive combination of superb client service, exceptional quality, value for fees, industry expertise, and business acumen. As one of the few law firms with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification and one of the only firms with ISO/IEC 27701:2019 certification, Dickinson Wright has built state-of-the-art, independently-verified risk management procedures,  security controls and privacy processes for our commercial transactions. Dickinson Wright lawyers are known for delivering commercially-oriented advice on sophisticated transactions and have a remarkable record of wins in high-stakes litigation. Dickinson Wright lawyers are regularly cited for their expertise and experience by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other leading independent law firm evaluating organizations.

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