People

Michigan’s largest law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP has announced that Alex Plakas has joined the firm as a partner in the Private Equity Practice Group. Plakas, who joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, will be based in Honigman’s Chicago office, which was recently acquired as part of a strategic growth plan aimed at better serving clients and expanding the firm’s national reach. He is one of nine partners who have come on board at Honigman from Am Law 100 firms this year, and he will play an essential role in helping the firm to grow in the private equity space.

“Expanding our presence in Chicago by adding the finest legal talent is a top priority,” said David Foltyn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honigman. “Alex’s stellar experience in middle-market private equity transactions strengthens a practice that has already gained national recognition, and is a sign of Honigman’s commitment to the strategic growth of the Chicago office.”

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) has appointed personal injury attorney, Antonio M. Romanucci, as Chair of the Police Misconduct Litigation group, effective July  12, 2015. Mr. Romanucci also serves as Chair-Elect of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group and was elected to a three year term as one of AAJ’s PAC Trustees this year. Founding partner and principal at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Mr. Romanucci has been an active member of AAJ for nearly 20 and has served leadership positions since July 2007.  

“I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Police Misconduct Litigation group for AAJ, as well as serve other meaningful leadership roles for the organization,” said Mr. Romanucci. “The use of unlawful, excessive force by police officers currently taking place across our country is a rampant concern. I am looking forward to collaborating with other like-minded attorneys and individuals in my new role, to tackle this issue head-on.”

This past month in Montreal, Canada, at the AAJ annual conference, Mr. Romanucci spoke to the Police Misconduct Litigation Group and Civil Rights Section on the topic of "Overcoming Juror Bias in Police Misconduct Cases". His July 13th presentation focused on key issues involving implicit bias and methods to deselect jurors with bias in favor of police officers and trial strategies to contain jurors with bias who make it onto juries.   

BNY Mellon, a global leader in investment management and investment services, has appointed Nancy E. Anderson as senior wealth director serving BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s greater Chicago market and Midwest. She reports to Regional President Michael DiMedio.

Previously employed as a senior private wealth advisor by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management in Minnesota, Anderson will be based in Chicago.

“Nancy’s stature in the region, her substantial experience, professional credentials and long track record of client service brings additional depth and expertise to our Midwestern wealth management team,” DiMedio said.

During her time at U.S. Trust, she led a team of professionals in the areas of trust administration, investment management, philanthropic planning, banking and wealth strategies. Before that, she held senior leadership roles at U.S. Bank Private Client Reserve, Citigroup Global Wealth Management, and Merrill Lynch Trust Company.

Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in business and finance from the University of Minnesota and a juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn. She is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) and an Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA). Anderson serves on the boards of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the William Mitchell College of Law. She is also a member of the Financial Planning Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers, the Illinois State Bar Association, the National LGBT Bar Association, and the National Society for Hispanic Professionals.

Charles W. "Bill" King, longtime Edwardsville attorney, died August 5, 2015 at 12:18 am.

Mr. King was born September 27, 1934 in Mt. Carmel, Wabash County, IL to Dorothy (Steckler) King and Charles Grover King, spending the first years of his life on his maternal grandparents' farm, then moving with his parents during the World War II years to Nashville, TN.

He graduated from Father Ryan High School in Nashville and was then admitted to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. He spoke of his days in Nashville, holding many jobs including working as a laborer-assistant "dynamite man," blasting rock for sewer construction, and selling souvenirs at the Grand Ole Opry, then held in the Ryman Auditorium, seeing all the great performers of that era and once performing as Tom Sawyer in a playhouse production with the late Mrs. Sarah Cannon, widely known as "Minnie Pearl," who Mr. King remembered as "a lovely person".

At Notre Dame, Mr. King was the Wing Commander of the 300 Unit Air Force ROTC and received an award from the American Legion. He worked his way through Notre Dame, primarily as a promotional writer and member of the production crew at the CBS-TV affiliate in South Bend, WSBT-TV.