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Bodman PLC Admits Four New Members

By: Bodman PLC

02/10/20

Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that Donovan S. Asmar, Julia C. Massaro, Joseph R. Morrison, Jr., and Christine L. Phillips have been admitted as members of the firm.

Phillips was previously a senior attorney and Asmar, Massaro, and Morrison were previously senior associates with Bodman.

Asmar practices in Bodman’s Troy office and is a member of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate, and Insurance practice groups. He represents clients involved in complex commercial litigation matters. Before joining Bodman, Asmar clerked for Justice Mary Beth Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Asmar serves on the board of directors of the Notre Dame Club of Detroit. He has been recognized in DBusiness Top Lawyers 2020 under Appellate Law and in Michigan Rising Stars 2019 under Business Litigation. Michigan Lawyers Weekly selected him as a member of its 2019 class of “Up and Coming Lawyers.” He was the 2016 recipient of the Detroit Bar Association Pro Bono Award for exemplary pro bono service.

Massaro practices in the Detroit office and is a member of the High Net Worth and Exempt Organizations and Impact Investing practice groups. Her clients include high net worth individuals and a broad range of nonprofit organizations including family foundations, public charities, religious organizations, and other tax-exempt and charitable organizations. She advises high net worth clients on estate planning and on gift and income tax matters. She also advises high net worth clients on estate administration, real estate transactions, and business planning. She counsels nonprofit organizations on securing and retaining exempt status, corporate governance issues, and compliance issues.

Massaro has a degree in Art History. Before becoming an attorney, she worked for a prominent New York gallery where she researched and archived more than 500 works of art. She also conducted extensive research on the artists and the current market with her findings ultimately influencing the gallery’s purchasing and pricing decisions.

Morrison practices in Bodman’s Ann Arbor office and is a member of the Business, Emerging Companies and Venture Capital, Data Privacy and Security, and Intellectual Property practice groups. He represents venture-backable and traditional high-growth companies in an outside general counsel capacity. He also represents high net worth individuals who invest in or actively manage angel or alternative investments.

Morrison is active in the Ann Arbor startup community and often guest lectures at the University of Michigan. He was listed as one of the Michigan Rising Stars for corporate law in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Phillips practices in Bodman’s Detroit office and is a member of the Banking Practice Group. She represents lenders in the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of real estate and general commercial loans. She also has experience representing for-profit and non-profit project owners and developers and lenders in real estate finance matters and in general real estate law, including matters involving 1031 exchanges, leases, acquisitions, and sales of industrial, commercial, and multi-family residential properties.

Her diverse background includes experience working as a real estate sales agent and as an in-house attorney for a commercial development company where she handled a wide range of real estate transactions, conducted real estate due diligence, coordinated closings, and collaborated with outside counsel on construction and corporate litigation matters. Phillips also worked as an in-house attorney for a publicly-traded Fortune 500 company focusing on regulatory compliance and employment matters.

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