We're pleased to welcome a new associate attorney in our Lansing office - Ashley Higginson has joined Miller Canfield's Employment and Labor Group. She has experience working in education law, as well as real estate and land use law. She worked with Newark Public Schools and Jersey City Public Schools, assisting with board of education matters, charter and private schools, schools for students with disabilities, and matters involving the Open Public Records Act, FERPA, teacher tenure, and special education and 504 accommodations.

We're excited to introduce two new attorneys to our growing team - Anita Marinelli has joined our Intellectual Property Group in Detroit, while Nick Colvin has joined our Public Finance Group and will work out of Detroit and Lansing.

Joe Infante has been named on Grand Rapids Business Journal’s annual “40 Under 40” list for the second time. Infante, a principal attorney in Miller Canfield’s Grand Rapids office, was selected as a business leader in Grand Rapids for his excellence in the practice of law, his outstanding reputation as one of the top craft beverage lawyers nationwide, and for the significant volunteer work he does for Hospice of Michigan, for which he serves on the Foundation Board. He is also the co-chair and founder of the Hospice of Michigan’s Barley, BBQ & Beats annual fundraiser.

Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that Gregory D. DeGrazia has joined the firm as a principal attorney in the Intellectual Property Group. The announcement was made by CEO Michael McGee.

DeGrazia has nearly 20 years of experience in intellectual property law. He has focused his practice on the protection of trade secrets and intellectual property nationwide and in Asia and Europe.

A short while ago, China finally granted the Trump Organization  a trademark registration after a 10-year struggle. The timing of the announcement has fueled concern because just days before, President Trump had a phone call with Mr. Xi Jinping, China’s president.  During the call the President reportedly told Mr. Xi that he would honor the U.S.’s “One China” policy, and also wished Mr. Xi a happy Chinese New Year.

Despite speculation that the approval was a favor by the Chinese government, offered in light of President Trump’s friendliness - after some unflattering comments about China during the Presidential campaign – the timing of the trademark approval was almost certainly a coincidence. The truth is that this particular trademark was provisionally approved on Nov. 14, 2016, and the registration granted after, like any trademark approved for registration in China, it had been published for a three-month opposition period.