GRAND RAPIDS — Matthew W. Bower, Dennis M. Devaney, and Richard P. Manczak have been elected partners at Varnum in the firm’s Novi office.
Bower, of Bloomfield Hills, is a business and corporate attorney with a focus on general business, contracts, transactions, employment and private equity. He has a particular emphasis in representing technology, Internet and software startup to mid-sized companies and works extensively with advising startup companies. He also practices intellectual property law, specifically copyright, publishing and licensing. In addition to his practice, Bower serves on the boards of Creative Many (formerly ArtServe) and Michigan Youth Arts Association.
He earned is Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and his juris doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York.
Devaney, of Commerce Township, is a labor and employment attorney, representing clients in labor and employment disputes, litigation and regulatory matters. He also counsels clients on international trade issues and was actively involved in significant trade initiatives including WTO and NAFTA. He is a former member of the National Labor Relations Board and commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in history and a Master of Arts in political science from the University of Maryland and his juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Manczak is a corporate and transactional business attorney with extensive experience in all major areas of corporate, business and commercial law. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, complex business transactions, venture capital and private equity finance, and startup and early state companies. In addition to his corporate practice, Manczak formerly served as general counsel to a consolidated group of more than 80 privately-held companies. Manczak is a resident of Ann Arbor where he serves as a board member and secretary on both the Great Lakes Literary Arts Council and Michigan Sustainable Energy Coalition and is a member and volunteer for the Huron River Watershed Council.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in social science and his MBA from Michigan State University. He recieved his juris doctor from the University of Denver College of Law.
