Barnes & Thornburg LLP has announced the opening of an office in greater Detroit with the addition of Frank T. Mamat, a veteran management-side labor and employment attorney, who will be the attorney in charge of the office. The office is the firm’s second in Michigan, joining the Grand Rapids office, which has served clients in West Michigan and across the state for over 15 years.
The new office, located at 3000 Town Center, Suite 2440, Southfield, Michigan 48075, is Barnes & Thornburg’s 15th nationwide and establishes a more impactful presence in Southeast Michigan, home to many of the world’s largest companies and a burgeoning research, technology and innovation hub. Specifically, the Southfield office will look to grow in the areas of labor and employment, corporate, environmental, intellectual property, and litigation reflecting market forces driving economic and employment activity in the region.
“Detroit and the surrounding area have experienced an incredible economic rebirth in recent years, due in large part to the development of advanced manufacturing and engineering that supports the automotive industry and other sectors,” said Robert Stead, Grand Rapids managing partner, who will also lead the new office. “This is an opportune time to expand our presence in Michigan and attract additional talented attorneys who can build sustainable, outcome-driven partnerships with clients.”
Barnes & Thornburg’s Michigan roots run deep, as many attorneys are lifelong residents who carry the firm’s tradition of serving businesses and nonprofit organizations in communities where they work and live. Twenty-seven attorneys operate out of the Grand Rapids office, but more than 200 practitioners across the firm are engaged in client matters in other jurisdictions that originate from Michigan and span several pillar industries, including manufacturing, distribution, technology, financial services, and healthcare.
“We’ve had tremendous success channeling the resources of a sophisticated national firm when we enter new markets and open entrepreneurial offices,” said Bob Grand, firm managing partner. “This approach has been a strong selling point to lawyers who want to join our firm and who aspire to offer industry-leading clients a value-focused model. We’re excited to apply that formula in the Detroit area, the state’s largest market for legal services, as we continue to explore new ways to solve client problems efficiently while delivering high-quality results.”
About Frank T. Mamat
Mamat, previously a shareholder at Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, will join Barnes & Thornburg’s Labor and Employment Department and will focus on traditional labor law matters. This includes counseling on union avoidance and employee strikes, the negotiation of a variety of labor contracts and agreements and the management of workplace fatality matters under OSHA and MIOSHA.
“Frank is one of the deans of traditional labor law in Michigan, including being an architect of its ‘Right to Work’ law, and has represented clients in connection with a wide variety of labor matters,” said Kenneth J. Yerkes, chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Labor and Employment Department. “We’re very pleased to add his deep knowledge, vast experience and business acumen to our skilled team of Michigan labor attorneys.”
In addition to his practice, Mamat serves on numerous local and national boards. Highlights over his distinguished career include advising Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in upholding the state’s Project Labor Agreements ban and his role as head litigator in the longest running NLRB case against the United Automobile Workers union in state history. He has also represented numerous trade and business associations, hundreds of construction companies and hundreds of employers of all sizes, across the U.S. and Canada, since 1975, as well as served as an adviser to several Governors, Congressmen, and Presidents.
Mamat earned his J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law and his B.A. from the University of Rochester.
Source: www.btlaw.com
