Clark Hill Attorneys Ed Hammond and John Hern Elected to Clark Hill Executive Committee

DETROIT, MI

– Clark Hill attorneys Ed Hammond and John Hern were elected to the executive committee of Clark Hill PLC, effective January 1, 2010. Clark Hill’s executive committee is made up of five members. Hammond and Hern will serve three year terms.

Ed Hammond

is a member of the Oakland County and American Bar Associations (taxation and business law sections), and the State Bar of Michigan (taxation section). His practice primarily involves employee benefits and executive compensation. It includes drafting, implementing, analyzing and terminating defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution, profit sharing and 401(k) plans, as well as Section 403(b) plans (tax sheltered annuities). Ed also develops, designs, and implements non-qualified deferred compensation plans, 457 plans, stock option plans and other incentive plans. Clients also seek his assistance with welfare plan, cafeteria plan and fringe benefit plan design, implementation and compliance. Ed advises clients regarding Department of Labor, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and Internal Revenue Service audits, and also advises clients regarding Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service correction programs, including correction program submissions and negotiation of closing agreements. He has substantial experience dealing with client benefits issues in bankruptcy and with the interrelationship of federal bankruptcy law and ERISA. In addition to all Michigan Courts, Ed is admitted to practice before the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Ed has lectured and published articles on various compensation and benefits topics. He lives in Beverly Hills, Michigan, with his wife, Anne, and their children.

John Hern

serves as Clark Hill’s Chief Executive Officer. In addition, John’s practice involves advising corporations of all sizes, public and private, on a wide range of issues such as incorporation, financing, leasing, contracting, mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts. He has been involved in multi-million dollar corporate mergers and acquisitions with manufacturing, service and financial organizations. His participation has included virtually every aspect of these transactions from the negotiation and structuring to the closing. In the securities area, John has been involved with both private offerings of securities and public offerings. In this area, he has extensive experience dealing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, he has been involved with many of the ongoing compliance requirements imposed by the securities laws, such as preparing Form 10 Ks, proxy statements, annual reports and monitoring insider trading. John has broad experience advising the closely held corporation and its officers, directors and shareholders, including issues relating to incorporation, dissolution, tax advice, shareholder agreements, and employment and compensation agreements. Further, he has dealt with minority shareholder rights. John has substantial expertise regarding non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants. He has traveled abroad to provide advice regarding antitrust issues and has advised clients regarding the application of U.S., as well as E.C. antitrust laws in a variety of contexts, including business combinations and exclusive supply and distribution arrangements. He also has significant experience in forming joint ventures and strategic alliances, and has employed the limited liability company for these and other purposes. John also routinely advises a variety of clients regarding the protection of technology. His intellectual property practice includes regular dealings with the Patent and the Trademark Office in connection with the processing of trademark and servicemark registrations, security instruments and assignments of trademarks. He has also developed expertise in the area of trade secrets, confidentiality agreements, ownership and transfer of proprietary information and developments and related legal fields.