The Varnum law firm, headquartered in Birmingham, has elected several attorneys as partners. They are Seth B. Arthur, Elliott M. Berlin, Kathleen A. Cieslik, Christopher M. George, Yvonne K. George, Janelle G. Haggadone, and Lauren E. Potocsky.
“We are pleased to welcome these exceptional practitioners to the partnership,” says Jon Bylsma, chair of Varnum. “Competition for legal talent is intense and we are gratified that they have chosen Varnum for their career home.”
Cieslik is a member of the estate planning team focused on all aspects of pre-death estate planning and post-death estate administration for a wide range of individuals and multi-generational families.
She creates customized estate plans designed to mitigate tax liabilities, and frequently advises families on matters including business succession, family cottages, and charitable giving. She also represents individual and corporate fiduciaries and handles both routine and contested matters in probate court. Cieslik is based in the Birmingham office.
Potocsky is a member of the real estate practice team. Based in the Novi office, she regularly counsels clients on the acquisition, financing, sale and leasing of commercial property, including medical office buildings, retail shopping centers, and office and industrial buildings. Her clients range from large, multimillion dollar companies to startup entrepreneurs and she represents both landlords and tenants, buyers, and sellers.
Berlin is a member of the corporate practice team. His practice includes a heavy focus on mergers and acquisitions, lending transactions, commercial real estate transactions and a variety of other commercial transactions. He works with businesses of all sizes, private equity firms, financial institutions, and economic development organizations. Berlin is based in the Kalamazoo office.
Arthur is a member of Varnum’s environmental, natural resources, and renewable energy team. Based in Grand Rapids, he is experienced in general environmental law, environmental compliance matters, and environmental enforcement actions. Arthur also represents renewable energy developers on wind and solar energy projects.
Christopher George is a member of the corporate practice team, based in Grand Rapids. His practice focuses on business and transactional work including an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and other commercial transactions. George also advises clients on day-to-day business matters, including corporate governance issues.
Yvonne George is a member of the corporate practice team. She focuses on a variety of corporate matters, including immigration and healthcare. She assists immigration clients with nonimmigrant petitions and employment and family-based permanent residence petitions. She also assists physicians and health care entities on a variety of issues, including corporate structure and regulatory compliance. George is based in the Grand Rapids office.
Haggadone is a member of the estate planning team. She provides a full range of estate planning and settlement services, including the preparation of basic or complex estate plans, tax planning, business succession planning, cottage planning, charitable gift planning, prenuptial agreements, and estate and trust administration services. Haggadone is based in Grand Rapids.
