Farmington Hills Resident Daniel H. Minkus is the Recipient of the 8th Annual Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award

(September 16, 2013, Detroit) –Daniel H. Minkus has been named the recipient of the 8th Annual Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award by the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section.  

Minkus, a Farmington Hills resident, is a member with Clark Hill PLC in Birmingham. Although he never had the opportunity to take a class taught by Schulman at Wayne State University School of Law, Minkus knows what a great honor it is to be associated with the name of the former Wayne State professor.

“He is a legend and I am extremely honored to be associated with him and this award,” said Minkus, a 1985 J.D. cum laude graduate of Wayne State Law School. “I am humbled to be named with all the great leaders who have received this award.”

Minkus practices in the Corporate Practice Group at Clark Hill and concentrates in the areas of business and real estate, advising and counseling clients with respect to a wide range of matters. He will be presented the Schulman Award during the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section’s annual meeting on September 26.

A long-time member of the Section, Minkus is a past Chairman and served on the Council from 1994-2001. He has been the Chairman of the Section’s Unincorporated Enterprises Committee since 1991 and has been active in the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He has served as the Director of Training for the Section’s Business Boot Camp.

Minkus also has been regularly recognized as one of a handful of top Tier One M&A lawyers by Chambers USA, as a top lawyer by The Best Lawyers in Michigan and has been interviewed by the media as an expert in Michigan business law throughout his career.  

Minkus has authored several articles, and lectures frequently, on a variety of business topics and is a contributing author to the book Michigan Contract Law and Michigan Business Formbook.

“I have truly enjoyed working with Dan over the years and am always delighted when I learn that he will be involved in a deal,” said Bodman PLC Member and past Section Chair Timothy R. Damschroder. “Dan soundly advocates for his clients’ position while living by the golden rule and excellent results are shown for him and his clients. 

“Dan is a top tier and extremely well respected M&A and corporate lawyer in Michigan,” Damschroder added.

As a strong advocate of the Section, Minkus believes that the role of business lawyers today is as important as ever to have a positive impact on business in Michigan.

“We’re the ones who look for ways to ensure there is more predictability with business laws in Michigan and that rulings are consistent so we can be better practitioners,” Minkus said. “The Section in particular is a great way for business lawyers to make a difference whether it is helping to push legislation that will help Michigan be more competitive in the business arena or to help our elected officials and community leaders interpret laws that have a positive impact.

“We train other lawyers, judges and business leaders,” Minkus added. “The Section helps us to stay connected with current issues and other lawyers in our industry. Personally I have consulted with many smart people in the Section which has helped me in my practice.”

Past Schulman Award recipient Martin Oetting (2006) encouraged Minkus to join the Section early in his career and served as a professional mentor to Minkus throughout his career.

Minkus also has been very active in the local community serving in his 22nd year on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Humane Society (Chairman 1989 –1998); he is the former State Sports Director for Soccer for Michigan Special Olympics; he is a past member of the Board of Directors of Leadership Oakland (President 1998-1999), an organization which fosters community leadership and involvement; and he has served as a member of volunteer committees for United Way Community Services in Detroit.

The Outstanding Business Lawyer Award was named after Prof. Stephen Schulman, who taught several business law courses during a lengthy tenure at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. Schulman received the Donald H. Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching and was chosen by the student body as the school’s Professor of the Year several times. Schulman also was instrumental in the drafting of much of Michigan’s corporate law that still is in place today.

The Business Law Section established the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award in 2006, to be presented annually. The award honors Michigan business lawyers who consistently exemplify the characteristics the Business Law Section seeks to foster and facilitate: the highest quality of professionalism, the highest quality of practice, and an unwavering dedication to service, ethical conduct, and collegiality within the practice of law.

Past recipients of the Schulman Award include Cy Moscow, Oetting, Hugh Makens and James Bruno in 2006; Charlie McCallum and Verne Hampton in 2007; G. Ann Baker in 2008; Justin Klimko in 2009; Alex DeYonker in 2010; James Cambridge in 2011 and Jeffrey Ammon in 2012.   

About the Business Law Section:

The Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan provides education, information and analysis about issues of concern through meetings, seminars, its website, public service programs and publication of a professional journal. Visit www.michbar.org for more information. 

About Stephen H. Schulman:

Schulman had a significant impact on the lives and careers of thousands of students during his tenure at Wayne State University Law School. There he taught courses in corporations, business planning, administrative law and more. In addition to receiving the Donald H. Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching, his students selected him multiple times as the school’s Professor of the Year. Schulman served as faculty advisor and regular contributor to The Wayne Law Review for several decades and was co-reporter for the Business Law Section’s Subcommittee on the Revision of the Michigan Business Corporation Act (MCBA). Schulman passed away in 2000.