Mary Massaron Ross, a partner of Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms, was recently named one of the most influential attorneys in the state by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MLW).

“I’m honored to be recognized by the editorial staff at Michigan Lawyers Weekly,” said Massaron Ross, Plunkett Cooney’s Appellate Law Practice Group Leader. “To be included among so many accomplished attorneys and judges is truly humbling.”

Celebrating its 25^th anniversary covering the state’s legal community, MLW’s editorial staff compiled a list of attorneys they deemed as the most influential in Michigan since the first issue of MLW rolled off the presses in 1986. From the thousands of attorneys covered, Massaron Ross, a member of the Plunkett Cooney’s Board of Directors, was highlighted along with 21 others, including such notables as former Michigan Supreme Court justices Clifford Taylor, Maura Corrigan and Dennis Archer, former Michigan governors Jennifer Granholm and John Engler and federal district court Judge Damon Keith.

In the feature article, titled: “Leading the Way,” which is included on page three of the July 11 issue of MLW, Massaron Ross is mentioned by Justice Taylor as an attorney who has been “tremendously influential in the practice of law in Michigan, particularly in the area of torts.” Fellow appellate attorney Mark Bendure added that Massaron Ross is an important member of the legal publication’s list because of her “involvement in so many significant cases decided by the state’s appellate courts.”  

The article goes on to point out that Massaron Ross has served as lead attorney in over 100 appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and was the lead appellate attorney in the landmark condemnation law case County of Wayne v Hathcock, which overturned Poletown v Detroit. The article also highlights that her precedent-setting appeals in Robinson v Detroit and Pohutski v City of Allen Park expanded governmental immunity for public law defendants.

Massaron Ross, who previously served as a law clerk to former Michigan Supreme Court Associate Justice Patricia J. Boyle, practices in Plunkett Cooney’s Detroit office. One of the firm’s top appellate attorneys, Massaron Ross has over 50 published opinions to her credit.

The Best Lawyers in America^® has honored Massaron Ross with its “Best Lawyer” title for five consecutive years. Michigan Super Lawyers magazine has also honored Massaron Ross for four consecutive years and included her among its top 100 Michigan attorneys and its top 50 women lawyers in the state. Her other significant honors include membership in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and designation by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2008 “Lawyer of the Year.” She currently serves as the first vice president of DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar and will become the organization’s president in 2012.

Massaron Ross serves as First Chair of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society Advocates Guild, Co-Chair of the Michigan Appellate Bench Bar Conference Foundation, Chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Appellate Practice Section and Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, the five-member committee that oversees preparation of ABA briefs for filing in state and federal appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Plunkett Cooney is one of the few Midwest law firms with a dedicated team of appellate attorneys, who routinely handle cutting-edge appeals involving issues of first impression and seek to reverse adverse judgments. In addition to representation before state and federal appellate courts, the firm’s appellate attorneys provide a broad range of specialized services, including counsel during trial designed to optimally position cases for possible appeal.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney employs approximately 160 attorneys in nine Michigan cities, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. The firm, which provides a range of transactional and litigation services, has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms.

For more information about the selection of Mary Massaron Ross as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly “influential attorney,” contact Plunkett Cooney’s Practice Development Manager John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008; jcornwell@plunkettcooney.com.

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