Butzel Long’s Shanika A. Owens Named Up & Coming Lawyer by Michigan Lawyers Weekly

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Shanika A. Owens
Shanika A. Owens // Photo courtesy of Butzel Long

Butzel Long attorney Shanika A. Owens is one of 25 attorneys in the state named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2021 Class of Up & Coming Lawyers.

Honorees were evaluated based on nominations by their peers, colleagues, and associates. Recipients were selected by a committee that reviewed their professional accomplishments, commitment to mentoring, and level of community involvement.

Owens focuses her practice on business, corporate, and real estate law. She regularly informs startups and counsels business clients in corporate governance and issues surrounding governmental compliance. As part of her practice, she has presented to Wayne State University’s School of Social Work, Wayne Law classes, and potential clients.

She is also co-chair of Butzel Long’s pro bono committee, which means she suggests firm-wide policies, coordinates pro-bono projects, and encourages all attorneys to provide free legal support to clients who cannot afford it.

Prior to law school, Owens served as a legislative assistant to several members of the Detroit City Council, advising policymakers on issues around economic development and the Detroit bankruptcy.

Owens also has a history of work with community and nonprofit groups. She is a board member for Avalon Healing, a nonprofit dedicated to providing care to survivors of sexual assault, and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, a Detroit-based nonprofit that offers community education, policy support, and legal services to address environmental issues in the region.

Previously, she served as selections chair of the Detroit chapter of New Leaders Council, a national nonprofit dedicated to training the country’s next generation of progressive leaders.

Owens is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s representative assembly, a policy-making body created by the Supreme Court to improve the proportion of members who actively participate in setting policies for the Michigan bar.

She is a member of Detroit Sisters in Law, a collective of black women attorneys who gather regularly to support each other, and the African American Associates Collaborative, a group of associate attorneys dedicated to supporting attorneys of color at Detroit’s largest law firms.

Owens mentors several young attorneys and law students interested in practicing law in Detroit. She does pro-bono work advising local nonprofits and participating in the Pope Francis Legal Clinic.

She is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School and Michigan State University.

Founded in Detroit 160 years ago, Butzel Long has offices across the U.S. and worldwide. In addition to Detroit, it has Michigan offices in Bloomfield Hills, Lansing, and Ann Arbor.