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Biographies:
Thomas G. Kienbaum
A veteran litigator with 34 years’ experience,
Mr. Kienbaum is a nationally recognized authority
in the areas of employment discrimination and
wrongful termination. He has extensive trial experience
in Michigan and beyond, having practiced before
the U.S. Supreme Court, federal trial and appellate
courts, and various state courts. He also represents
clients before federal and state administrative
agencies, as well as in traditional labor relations
matters. Mr. Kienbaum is a past president of the
State Bar of Michigan, the Metropolitan Detroit
Bar Association, and the Detroit Barristers Association.
A Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment
Lawyers, he has been featured for a number of
years in The Best Lawyers In America. In addition
to other professional activities, Mr. Kienbaum
serves on the Advisory Board of the National Employment
Law Institute. He frequently lectures on behalf
of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education
as well as the National Employment Law Institute.
In 1968, Mr. Kienbaum graduated magna cum laude
from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit,
where he was Associate Editor of that School’s
Law Review and was awarded the Order of the Coif.
He received his undergraduate degree from the
University of Michigan in 1965. Before forming
Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy & Pelton, Mr. Kienbaum
headed the labor and employment law department
of Detroit-based Dickinson Wright, P.L.L.C.
Theodore R. Opperwall
With over 25 years of experience in the field,
Mr. Opperwall specializes in representing management
in all facets of traditional labor law, including
union organizing campaigns, collective bargaining
and contract administration, and proceedings before
the National Labor Relations Board. Listed in
The Best Lawyers In America, Mr. Opperwall also
has extensive experience in wrongful discharge,
civil rights, and employee benefits litigation.
An experienced appellate attorney, he is admitted
to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and
the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
and the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Opperwall
received his law degree magna cum laude from the
University of Michigan Law School in 1979, where
he was Associate Editor of the Michigan Law Review
and a member of the Order of the Coif. He graduated
with high honors from Calvin College in 1973.
A former examiner in the Detroit Regional Office
of the NLRB and a current member of the national
and local NLRB Practice and Procedure Committees,
Mr. Opperwall has a keen understanding of unfair
labor practice and union election issues. Mr.
Opperwall frequently lectures on various labor
and employment topics. He was a contributing author
of Employment Law in Michigan: An Employer’s
Guide, published in 1997 by the Institute of Continuing
Legal Education.
Elizabeth P. Hardy
Named one of Detroit’s Most Influential
Women by Crain’s Detroit Business in 1997,
Ms. Hardy specializes in employment litigation,
preventive counseling, and appellate work. She
is considered one of Michigan’s most skilled
and respected litigators, particularly in sexual
harassment cases. Her pro-active approach has
helped many large and small businesses avoid employee
claims. Ms. Hardy frequently speaks at seminars
around the country and appears on television as
an expert on employment and civil rights issues.
She received her law degree from Wayne State University
Law School in 1984, where she was Editor-In-Chief
of the Law Review and received high honors for
her writing and legal scholarship. In 1978, she
earned her undergraduate degree from George Washington
University. From 1973 to 1981, Ms. Hardy served
as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senators Robert
P. Griffin of Michigan and Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota.
Ms. Hardy has been a member of the Wayne State
Board of Governors since 1991; she chaired the
board from 1995 to 1996 and headed the board’s
presidential search committee in 1997. She also
serves on the Karmanos Cancer Institute Executive
Committee and Board of Directors. As a co-chair
of the Judicial Selection Committee of the State
Bar of Michigan, Ms. Hardy reviews the qualifications
of candidates for judicial office and makes recommendations
on judicial appointments.
Eric J. Pelton
Mr. Pelton’s regional practice includes
representing large corporate clients in the Midwest
and Mid-Atlantic states, where he has tried, arbitrated,
and mediated numerous cases. A recognized authority
on employment and labor law in both the public
and private sectors, Mr. Pelton has conducted
many workshops and client seminars on employment
and labor law topics. Mr. Pelton is an adjunct
professor at Wayne State University Law School
where he has taught Employment Law. He is a contributing
author of Employment Law in Michigan: An Employer’s
Guide (Institute of Continuing Legal Education,
1997) and State of the Law in Michigan: Employment
and Labor Law (Institute of Continuing Legal Education,
1996), and is currently working on an authoritative
employment law text for West Publishing Co. He
has extensive experience in employment litigation,
as well as traditional labor law, grievance arbitration,
class action litigation, policy formation, and
wage and benefit issues. As an appellate advocate,
he has handled cases before the Michigan Supreme
Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth
and Seventh Circuits, and the appellate courts
of various states. Mr. Pelton holds a B.A. from
Michigan State University, as well as a Master’s
Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse
University’s Maxwell School. In 1987, he
received his law degree from Syracuse University,
where he served as Executive Editor of the Law
Review.
Yasmin J. Abdul-Karim
Ms. Abdul-Karim is a 1995 graduate of the
University of Michigan Law School, and also received
her undergraduate degree from the University of
Michigan. Following law school, she worked in
a number of labor relations capacities, dealing
with both traditional labor matters and employment
discrimination issues. She also served for a period
with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office,
where she handled a variety of contractual, counseling,
and litigation matters on behalf of agencies and
departments of the State, including land acquisition
litigation relating to the Detroit casinos. Ms.
Abdul-Karim has been involved in public service
and legal profession activities. She is currently
a member of the Council of the Labor and Employment
Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, the
governing body for the Section’s members.
She is a past member of the Judicial Review Panel
of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, and
was recently appointed by the Governor to the
Michigan Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.
A native of Paraguay, Ms. Abdul-Karim adds Spanish
and French language capabilities to the firm’s
practice.
Margaret Carroll Alli
A specialist in employment litigation and
counseling for 16 years, Ms. Alli represents corporations,
educational institutions, and health care providers
in employment law and civil rights matters. A
key aspect of Ms. Alli’s practice is training
for management on a wide range of issues, such
as sexual harassment, diversity, the Americans
with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical
Leave Act, and wage and hour requirements, including
representative actions under the federal Fair
Labor Standards Act. She has extensive experience
in developing and implementing company policies
on these subjects, as well as specialized commission
and employment agreements. Ms. Alli frequently
lectures to management groups, professional associations,
non-profit organizations, schools, universities,
and health care corporations. She has also published
articles and given radio interviews across the
country on various employment issues and management
strategies to reduce exposure to employment-related
claims. Ms. Alli received her law degree from
Wayne State University Law School magna cum
laude in 1985, and was awarded the Order of
the Coif. She graduated with high honors from
Michigan State University in 1981.
Julia Turner Baumhartl
Ms. Baumhart focuses on trial and appellate
work in federal and state courts, specializing
in employment relations and employee benefits
litigation. She has broad experience in dealing
with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office
of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
and affirmative action issues. A frequent speaker
at employment law seminars, Ms. Baumhart has published
on such issues as affirmative action and OFCCP
audits, work force reductions, an employer’s
access to workplace e-mail, and other workplace
privacy issues. Since 1997, Ms. Baumhart has been
a contributing author of Employment Law in Michigan:
An Employer’s Guide (Institute of Continuing
Legal Education). She served as Employment Litigation
Coordinator and Employee Relations Manager at
Electronic Data Systems Corporation, where she
was employed from 1977 to 1993 and dealt extensively
with the OFCCP. Ms. Baumhart holds a bachelor’s
degree in journalism from the University of Texas
at Austin. In 1993, she graduated with high honors
from the Wayne State University Law School, where
she received numerous awards for writing and scholarship,
including the Order of the Coif. After graduating
from law school, Ms. Baumhart served as a law
clerk to Judge James L. Ryan of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Robert Bruce Brown
Mr. Brown specializes in labor and employment
relations, preventive counseling, and litigation
in the state and federal courts. He has considerable
experience handling employment litigation involving
trade secrets, covenants not to compete, and whistleblower
claims, as well as discrimination claims. Mr.
Brown serves on the Employment and Labor Law Advisory
Board of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education,
to which he was appointed in 1999. A 1994 honors
graduate of Wayne State University Law School,
Mr. Brown was a Dean’s Scholar and Note and
Comment Editor of the school’s Law Review.
He received his undergraduate degree with honors
from the University of Michigan in 1981.
Thomas B. Langlas
Mr. Langlas’ practice includes litigating
on behalf of employers in both state and federal
courts, as well as representing management clients
in administrative proceedings before the EEOC,
NLRB, and other state and federal agencies. He
also provides preventive counseling to clients
regarding various types of employment actions,
policies and workplace issues. Mr. Langlas is
admitted to practice in both Michigan and Ohio,
as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit and various U.S. District Courts. Before
joining Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy & Pelton,
Mr. Langlas was an associate with the Columbus,
Ohio firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease,
L.L.P., where he was a member of that firm’s
Labor and Employment Practice Group. After receiving
his law degree in 1993 from Yale Law School, where
he was a Dean’s Fellow, he served as a law
clerk to U.S. District Judge Joseph P. Kinneary
of the Southern District of Ohio. In 1990, Mr.
Langlas graduated summa cum laude from Miami University
of Ohio.
Shannon V. Loverich
Before joining Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy &
Pelton in January 2001, Ms. Loverich was an employment
litigation attorney at Ford Motor Company, where
she represented the company and its employees
in state and federal courts. Her assignments also
included counseling on human resource matters
and developing a transition plan for Ford’s
Bahia, Brazil facility. Ms. Loverich’s practice
areas with the firm include employment litigation
and preventive counseling for clients, including
employment policies and civil rights issues, as
well as compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and other
workplace statutes. She graduated cum laude from
the University of Michigan Law School in 1995.
A 1991 honors graduate of Michigan State University,
Ms. Loverich received her undergraduate degree
in Materials and Logistics Management. She practices
in the firm's Detroit office.
Victor G. Marrocco
Before becoming Of Counsel to Kienbaum Opperwall
Hardy & Pelton in October 2000, Mr. Marrocco
was Team Leader of the Employment and Labor Litigation
Group in Ford Motor Company’s Office of the
General Counsel, where he had worked since 1977.
His areas of expertise include employment litigation
and preventive counseling for employers. He also
has extensive experience as an arbitrator, facilitator,
and mediator, having served as a special mediator
in numerous cases. From 1972 to 1977, Mr. Marrocco
was Principal Assistant Corporation Counsel for
the City of Detroit and served as General Counsel
to the Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority
and the Detroit Civil Service Commission. Mr.
Marrocco is a member of the State Bar of Michigan
Judicial Selection Committee, which makes recommendations
to the Governor regarding candidates for judicial
appointments. He also serves on the Wolverine
Bar Association Judicial Selection Committee and
the Circuit Court Bench-Bar Committee of the Metropolitan
Detroit Bar Association. Mr. Marrocco received
his law degree from the Detroit College of Law
at Michigan State University and his undergraduate
degree from Wayne State University. A frequent
speaker at employment law seminars, Mr. Marrocco
is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment
Lawyers and the Michigan State Bar Foundation.
Noel D. Massie
Mr. Massie represents clients in a broad range
of employment law issues, including wrongful discharge,
discrimination, employee benefits, and defamation.
While all of the firm’s attorneys are experienced
in these areas, Mr. Massie has developed an in-depth
specialty in appellate practice and the law governing
alternative dispute resolution. He received his
undergraduate degree with honors from Michigan
State University in 1970. After graduating cum
laude from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1978, he served as a law clerk to Justice Charles
L. Levin of the Michigan Supreme Court.
Kelvin W. Scott
Before joining Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy &
Pelton in December 1999, Mr. Scott served as an
Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S.
Department of Justice since August 1994. He was
also cross-designated as a Special Assistant Wayne
County Prosecutor. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, Mr. Scott was a partner in the Detroit-based
law firm of Dickinson Wright, P.L.L.C., where
he practiced commercial and employment litigation.
With a special expertise in corporate investigations,
Mr. Scott’s areas of practice include civil
litigation, employment relations, and white collar
crime. He is also well versed in security and
privacy issues raised by workplace technology,
such as e-mail monitoring software. Mr. Scott
is a past president of the Michigan Chapter of
the National Black Prosecutors Association and
the Wolverine Bar Association. In 1997, he was
designated a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar
Foundation. Mr. Scott received the Distinguished
Service Award in 1994 for his work as a director
of the Detroit Barristers Association, an organization
for young lawyers within the Metropolitan Detroit
Bar Association. He received his law degree from
Georgetown University Law Center in 1987 and his
undergraduate degree from Michigan State University
in 1984.
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An
increasingly complex employment and labor environment
demands prompt, practical legal counseling. Kienbaum
Opperwall Hardy & Pelton specializes in guiding
employers through the challenges of the contemporary
workplace. From wrongful discharge claims to traditional
union-management matters to preventive advice,
our attorneys are all skilled in representing
management's interests and perspectives. Our firm
draws on its attorneys' individual talents and
wide-ranging experiences in the employment and
labor field to deliver large-firm effectiveness
at small-firm cost. In addition to competitive
hourly rates, our firm derives other efficiencies
which are passed on to our clients from our
specialized boutique practice. We represent a
number of employers on a regional or national
basis.