BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION GUIDE

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1 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION GUIDE

2 The 2017 slate of candidates is presented in alphabetical order, using the biographical data and photos submitted by the candidates. Four directors will be elected to three (3) three-year terms ending June 30, 2020, and one (1) two-year term ending June 30, The link to the online ballot will be live from May 1-15, It will be accessible from the OCBA s website at in the "Latest News" section and from Votenet Solutions website at J. Matthew Catchick Clarence M. Dass Victoria B. King Sarah E. Kuchon, Incumbent Kari L. Melkonian David S. Mendelson Ryan C. Plecha Daniel D. Quick, Incumbent What You Will Need to Vote Board of Directors Election Guide Link to electronic ballot (above) User ID and password Login directions were ed to all eligible voters in advance of the election and are also on the electronic ballot s home page. If you are not able to login or have questions about your eligibility, contact the OCBA at (248) The ballot goes live at 8:00 a.m. May 1, 2017, and closes at 5:00 p.m. on May 15. The mission of the Oakland County Bar Association is to serve the professional needs of our members, improve the justice system, and ensure the delivery of quality legal services to the public.

3 J. Matthew Catchick Clarence M. Dass J. Matthew (Matt) Catchick Jr. is the owner of Catchick Law, PC, a solo private practice in Southfield. For more than 20 years, he has concentrated his practice in family law, criminal defense and driver license restoration. He earned his diploma from The Lawrenceville School near Princeton, New Jersey, and he attended undergrad at the University of Michigan, where he was a member of the Armenian student organization. While in law school at Western New England University, he clerked for the Honorable William B. Murphy, chief judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals, and for the Honorable Dennis C. Kolenda, chief judge of the Kent County Circuit Court. He is rated 10.0 by the legal directory Avvo, and he has received the Client Satisfaction Award from the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys for the past four years in a row. Matt was recently selected to the 2017 Michigan Super Lawyers list. Matt has been a member of the OCBA for nearly 16 years. He currently serves as the chairperson for the OCBA Family Court Committee, where he helped create and plan the inaugural Family Law Camp for practitioners from Oakland and Macomb counties to compare local practice rules and procedures. He co-presented at the new OCBA U program s Practical Knowledge family law seminar, where he acted out a typical day in the life of a divorce lawyer, and he moderated a panel of judges and judicial staff for the OCBA U Court Rules family law seminar. Matt s Family Court Committee has been nominated to be the OCBA s Committee of the Year. Matt donates pro bono legal services for victims of domestic violence through Lakeshore Legal Aid and for disabled veterans through the Wounded Warrior Project. Matt is passionate about helping families who have an autistic child or autistic children living in the household, serving as an ambassador family for the Judson Center in Southfield. Matt also donates his time to the State Bar of Michigan, serving on both the Membership Committee and the Political Action Committee for the Family Law Section. Matt, his wife and two sons live in Royal Oak. His oldest son is a freshman at Royal Oak High School, and his younger son in a 7th grader at Royal Oak Middle School. In his spare time, Matt enjoys everything Disney, and all Detroit sports. Go Lions! Go Tigers! Go Wings! Go Pistons! Clarence M. Dass is founder of The Dass Law Firm in Southfield. For nearly five years, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney at the Oakland County Prosecutor s Office. There, he prosecuted thousands of crimes and quickly rose to the ranks of the Special Victims Unit. As a special prosecutor, he handled some of the most complex and serious crimes in the county, ranging from child and elder abuse to sexual assault, domestic violence and murder. Since joining the bar, Dass has dedicated himself to serving his community and the legal profession around him. He has held a leadership position on the OCBA New Lawyers Committee for nearly five years. He has served the OCBA in many other ways, including serving as a panelist in the OCBABC s of Practice seminar, co-chairing the annual Meet the Judges Party, attending numerous committee meetings, and participating in the Holiday Gala, Annual Meeting and the OCBF Signature Event every year. Dass also has served the victims of crimes on the Oakland County Coordinating Council Against Domestic Violence, the Oakland County Child Death Panel Review, and the S.A.V.E. Task Force (Serving Adults and Vulnerable Elderly). In 2010, Dass partnered with 96.3 WDVD to launch Swift Justice with Attorney Clarence Dass, a weekly, live, on-air legal education segment that informed citizens about different topics in the law. Later that year, Dass was named as One to Watch by the Chaldean News. His community and professional accomplishments were recognized in 2016, when he was named to the 27th class of Leadership Oakland, a year-long program that brings together 50 of the brightest and best leaders in Oakland County to discuss ways to improve the county and the surrounding region. He also was named to the Oakland County Executive s Elite 40 Under 40 that same year. In 2017, Dass was appointed to the Bloomfield Township Water Management Plan Committee. The committee was created to ensure that the water is safe for drinking and other consumption, evaluate the quality and quantity of pipes and other water sources to make changes for the safety of residents. Dass was appointed to the committee based on his years of prosecutorial experience, community engagement and legal acumen in municipal relations. Dass has been featured on CNN and WXYZ-TV, and in the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, the Oakland Press, and the Chaldean News. He serves as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University, where he attended college.

Vicki attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School with two young children.

4 Victoria B. King Victoria B. King is the judicial staff attorney for the Honorable Leo Bowman at the Oakland County Circuit Court. Vicki received her Bachelor of Arts from Hillsdale College and a Master of Science from Central Michigan University. Before attending law school, Vicki tested software applications. Vicki attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School with two young children. She graduated cum laude and earned three Certificates of Merit, the Leadership Achievement Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Vicki worked as a student ambassador, a grade appeal magistrate and a research assistant. Vicki also served as the preemption and screening editor and the managing associate editor for the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review. Vicki was a student leader for several student organizations, such as the Student Intellectual Property Law Association, Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and Weekend Student Organization. Vicki immediately joined OCBA after her admission to the State Bar of Michigan. She is a sustaining member and a 2015 Distinguished Service Award recipient. Vicki is a more-than-active member, as shown by her leadership roles on many committees: New Lawyers: chair ( ), chair-elect ( ), programs vice chair ( ), membership vice chair ( ), and director ( ) Diversity in the Legal Profession: chair ( ); Taste of Diversity mistress of ceremonies, vice chair ( ); and post-grads (law students and new lawyers) subcommittee chair ( ) Membership: membership retention subcommittee chair ( ) Criminal Law: team captain for 2015 Circuit-Probate Court Bench/Bar Conference Circuit Court Case Evaluation: vice chair ( ) Vicki also participated on several ad hoc committees and created many programs including, but not limited to, the OCBA board of directors Planning Committee; LACH- ES Editorial Board; and OCBA-U Task Force. Vicki authored nine LACHES articles, co-authored an ABA Young Lawyers article, and is a frequent speaker or panelist for OCBA and Cooley events. Additionally, she is a trustee and life fellow of the OCBF and a member of the SBM Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Vicki is married and the proud mother of three boys. In her spare time, Vicki watches her boys play water polo, soccer, basketball and baseball. Sarah E. Kuchon Incumbent Sarah E. Kuchon is a shareholder of Hohauser Kuchon, concentrating her practice on personal injury litigation. Since the beginning of her career, Sarah has been a forthright advocate for our profession. She has been active in bar associations on both the state and local levels. Sarah has been an active member of the Oakland County Bar Association since 2000, and a sustaining member since She has served on the OCBA board of directors since As an active member of the OCBA, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and the Women s Bar Association of Oakland County, and as a fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation and of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, Sarah regularly attends and supports the bar s events. She has served or continues to serve on the OCBA Circuit Court, Circuit Court Case Evaluation, Membership and Diversity committees, and on the OCBA board of directors Program Committee. Sarah served as a captain in the 2015 Circuit-Probate Court Bench/Bar Conference and is cochairing that event this year. Sarah also has served on the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan and has served as a director-at-large of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan board of directors. In addition to her bar activities, Sarah has been active in her community. She has served as a volunteer for the Capital Area Response Effort (CARE), an organization that responds to and provides resources to victims of domestic violence. Sarah volunteered for the Women s Survival Center for several years, receiving a volunteer award from that organization in She served several years on the board of directors of Homes for Autism, a statewide organization providing housing for autistic adults. She served as secretary of that board from 2006 to Sarah is a member of Michigan Association for Justice. She also has served as a volunteer for the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. Sarah and her husband, Clifford, have two daughters, Hannah, age 13; and Olivia, age 7. Sarah and her family live in Rochester Hills with their panoply of animals.

Kari L. Melkonian David S. Mendelson Kari L. Melkonian is a partner at the law firm of Collins Einhorn Farrell PC, specializing in the defense of general liability claims.

5 Kari L. Melkonian David S. Mendelson Kari L. Melkonian is a partner at the law firm of Collins Einhorn Farrell PC, specializing in the defense of general liability claims. She focuses on personal injury, premises liability, tort, negligence and construction defect claims. Prior to joining Collins Einhorn Farrell PC, Kari worked in the Oakland County Circuit Court for nearly two decades, during which she served as a court clerk for the Honorable Barry M. Grant and the Honorable Linda S. Hallmark, and as a judicial staff attorney for the Honorable Martha D. Anderson. Ms. Melkonian has been an active member of the Oakland County Bar Association for many years. She is the present chair of the Circuit Court Committee and past chair and vice chair of the Criminal Law Committee, where she was responsible for organizing the Criminal Brown Bag Lecture Series. In addition, Ms. Melkonian has served on the Nominating Committee; the Family Court Committee; the New Lawyers Committee; the Energy, Sustainability and Environmental Law Committee; the Inns of Court, the Mentor Program and is a sustaining member of the OCBA and a fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation. She also has spoken on a number of topics at various OCBA CLE seminars. Ms. Melkonian is involved in other bar and legal activities, including the Association of Defense Trial Counsel, the Defense Research Institute, the Women s Bar Association and the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, where she serves as a Social Media Committee co-chair. She also has made multiple appearances on Practical Law. Ms. Melkonian has been active in other community and charitable activities, including various animal rescue organizations, and as a speaker to volunteers of the Women s Survival Center regarding the Personal Protection Order process. She also participates every year as a volunteer in the University of Detroit High School Mock Trial Team program, and has volunteered as a judge in various high school, college and law school mock trial competitions. Additionally, she is an adjunct faculty instructor at Baker College of Auburn Hills teaching research and writing, and family law courses to students in the paralegal program. Ms. Melkonian is a lifelong Oakland County resident. She is a graduate of Oakland University and University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She lives in Waterford and has two rescue beagles, Gunner and Khloe. I am a Birmingham attorney who concentrates my law practice in the area of complex commercial litigation, business litigation and family law. I have regularly been recognized in both Best Lawyers in America and the Michigan edition of Super Lawyers for both commercial litigation and family law. In 2012, I was recognized as one of Michigan s Top 100 Lawyers and in 2014, as a result of my work on complex marital estates, I was recognized as the Lawyer of the Year for the Detroit area in family law. In 2016, I was named a Lawyer of the Year, selected by peer recognition. I have received the highest AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell for 14 consecutive years. In 2007, I also was inducted into the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, where I served as treasurer and currently serve as secretary. I have obtained multiple-million-dollar jury verdicts, successfully represented many clients, and have appeared on various news programs, including 20/20, discussing trial successes. In July 2009, I helped obtain a $300,000,000 verdict for one of my clients, representing the seventh-largest verdict in the country as referenced by VerdictSearch in its Top 100 Verdicts of That matter was settled in 2010 for $500,000,000. My participation in divorce actions between high-networth individuals draws on the skills and experiences I ve developed in my commercial litigation practice. As with commercial litigation, many of these divorce actions concern multiple millions of dollars in assets. The result depends on complex financial investigation and analysis. I attended the University of Florida, earning my Bachelor of Science degree (finance) in 1989 and Juris Doctorate, with honors, in I was admitted to the Florida bar that same year and admitted to the Michigan bar in I also am a past chair of the Oakland County Bar Association s Circuit Court Committee, a member of various state bar committees, and have lectured extensively on a wide variety of topics including trial strategies, substantive legal issues, administrative law and technology in the courtroom. I currently reside in Bloomfield Hills with my wife, Laura, and two children.

Ryan C. Plecha Ryan C. Plecha is senior counsel at Kostopoulos Rodriguez, PLLC. Ryan s practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation, specifically those matters that are unique and novel.

6 Ryan C. Plecha Ryan C. Plecha is senior counsel at Kostopoulos Rodriguez, PLLC. Ryan s practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation, specifically those matters that are unique and novel. In his eight-year career, Ryan has served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Gerald R. Rosen and the Honorable Justice Robert Young; formed and operated Plecha Legal, PLLC; was an associate at Hyman Lippitt, PC.; and a partner at Lippitt O'Keefe Gornbein, PLLC. Ryan has been recognized as a Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyers ( ), named an Up and Coming Lawyer by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (2014), selected as a Top Young Lawyer by DBusiness magazine (2015), selected as recipient of the Barristers President s Award by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association (2015), is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and was recognized as a member of the 2015 class of Crain s Detroit Business 40 Under 40. Ryan is an active member of the Oakland County Bar Association, and is currently serving his second term in the OCBA Inns of Court and his first term as a barrister. Ryan also has prepared a how-to guide for young OCBA members desiring to set up their own practices. As a member of the SBM YLS Executive Council, Ryan has been part of planning many Young Lawyers Summits and many other networking and educational events. Ryan was on the host committee that held the first-ever ABA YLD conference in the city of Detroit. Through that role he was tasked with securing speakers, planning events and raising sponsorships for the event. Ryan was recognized as a Star of the Quarter by the SBM YLS for his role in the conference. In addition, Ryan also is active in the State Bar of Michigan. Ryan currently serves as a Character and Fitness District Committee member and Court Rule Review Sub- Committee member. Outside of his legal activities, Ryan supports the Detroit Institute of Arts, WAG s Animal Rescue and is an avid tennis player on multiple United States Tennis Association leagues. Ryan is a magna cum laude graduate of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a cum laude graduate from Kalamazoo College with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Daniel D. Quick Incumbent Daniel D. Quick has served on the OCBA board of directors since He is a trial attorney with Dickinson Wright PLLC in Troy. Over his career, Dan has been recognized by the OCBA for his commitment and contributions, having received both the OCBA s Distinguished Service Award and the Frances R. Avadenka Community Service Award. Dan s contributions to the OCBA include having served as chair of the Circuit Court and CLE committees and having developed new programs for the OCBA consistent with its mission, including the popular May It Please the Court presentation, the OCCC ombudsman program, and a mock trial exercise for elementary students in which more than 1,300 children have participated. Dan is committed to the practice of law in Michigan and nationally, and has served in leadership positions in the American Bar Association (currently as chair of the Trial Practice Committee), State Bar (including as chair of the Representative Assembly, ), Federal Bar Association (past committee chair and executive board member), Oakland County Bar Foundation (president, ) and Inns of Court (executive committee). Dan has been consistently ranked as a top attorney by Chambers, The Best Lawyers in America, DBusiness, IP Stars and Super Lawyers. A frequent author and speaker on issues as diverse as civil procedure, international arbitration, copyright litigation, trial practice, trade secrets, non-competes and shareholder litigation, Dan is also co-author of Michigan Business Torts (ICLE) and Trade Secrets: Protection and Remedies (BNA).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION GUIDE

2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION GUIDE The 2018 slate of candidates is presented in alphabetical order, using the biographical data and photos submitted by the candidates. Six (6) directors will be elected.