Jones Day to open office in Detroit

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Mar 11, 2015, 01:02 ET

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The global law firm Jones Day today announced that it will open an office in Detroit on July 1, 2015, the Firm's 17th in the U.S. and 42nd in the world.

Having recently completed its successful representation of the City of Detroit in its landmark Chapter 9 reorganization and building on years of significant representations on behalf of Detroit-area clients, Jones Day is in a unique position to utilize its global presence for the benefit of its Metro Detroit clients. The Firm's Detroit office will be a full service operation and, like all Jones Day offices, connected to more than 2400 lawyers in 19 countries serving clients as one firm worldwide.

"Detroit has always been and will continue to be one of the great cities of the United States," said Steve Brogan, Managing Partner of Jones Day. "Together with the State of Michigan, which has been critical to Detroit's emergence from bankruptcy, the city has an exciting and promising future. The contribution of corporate America, including many of our existing clients, will be essential to the rebirth of this great metropolitan area. Given our history and experience as lawyers for the great corporations of America's heartland, we are well-equipped to assist these vital efforts to rebuild the Detroit economy. We are, for example, uniquely well-suited to facilitate the growing inbound investment in the area, protect the exceptional volume of intellectual property produced by the companies of Southeast Michigan, and enable these entities to take advantage of markets across the globe, all of which is essential to the area's advancement and prosperity. We are grateful for the past opportunities that we have had in Detroit, and our move into Detroit is a statement not only of our confidence in the future of the city and of the State of Michigan, but also of our continuing commitment to a community we represented."

Timothy J. Melton, a 1987 graduate of Wayne State University Law School and former law clerk to Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich when Judge Suhrheinrich served as a District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, will serve as Partner-in-Charge of the Detroit Office. David Rutkowski will serve as the Administrative Partner, and Jeff Jones will become the Head of Litigation for the Detroit Office.

"We are very grateful for the incredible work done by all involved in the recent Chapter 9 proceedings, and the opportunities created for the Detroit community and the Firm as a result of the successful conclusion of the bankruptcy case," said Mr. Melton. "I am extremely excited to return to Detroit and privileged to have the chance to partner with the community and our clients in further expanding the business environment throughout the Metro area. We are proud to be investing in the vitality of Detroit's future and look forward to continuing to help our clients compete in the global marketplace while capitalizing on the new energy and optimism in the region. We are confident that our relentless dedication to the highest quality and seamless client service throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, will help make that happen."

Currently based in Chicago, Mr. Melton joined Jones Day in 1989 and has been involved in many high profile capital raising and M&A transactions, including a number of transactions in Michigan and for Michigan-based clients. Mr. Melton counsels a diverse range of corporations, financial institutions, and their boards of directors, focusing on finance, M&A, and governance matters. He regularly advises public and private companies on matters relating to corporate governance, stockholder activism, M&A, debt and equity tender offers, distressed debt, securities regulations, and financing strategies and alternatives. Mr. Melton also has experience representing special committees in going private transactions as well as internal investigations. He represents financial institutions as well in connection with public and private financings and various restructuring scenarios. Mr. Melton served as co-head of the Firm's Capital Markets practice for nearly 10 years, and has been recognized as a leading corporate lawyer in various publications, including being selected in 2013 as one of twelve capital markets "Client Service All-Stars" nationally by the independent BTI Consulting Group.

Mr. Rutkowski, a partner in the Firm's Business and Tort Litigation practice, is based currently in Northern California where he splits time between Jones Day's San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices. He has represented clients in a wide spectrum of disputes in courts throughout the United States, including commercial and contractual disputes, toxic torts, products liability, RICO, unfair trade practices and trade secret, trademark and copyright infringement claims. For more than a decade, Mr. Rutkowski has defended various semiconductor manufacturers against allegations relating to chemical exposures in the workplace. His practice also includes internal investigation and counseling on matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Mr. Rutkowski joined Jones Day in its Washington office in 1996. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Notre Dame Law School.

Mr. Jones has been a constant in Jones Day's substantial automotive representations over the past 20 years and has significant experience in all areas of the automotive sector. He has represented clients in class actions, multijurisdictional matters and complex litigation in over 30 states throughout the U.S., and has represented clients of the Firm in multiple class actions, including automotive manufacturers. He has tried over 35 cases to courts, juries, arbitration panels, administrative law judges, and administrative boards in different jurisdictions and forums throughout the U.S., and handled appellate proceedings through every level of state and federal courts. He has also coordinated numerous internal company investigations, including investigations relating to accounting matters, revenue recognition, and FCPA and anti-corruption issues, and assisted with training and compliance efforts arising out of the investigations. Mr. Jones joined the Firm's Columbus office in 1985 and has been named an Ohio Super Lawyer for a dozen years. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and earned his J.D. at Harvard University.

Jones Day is a global law firm with 41 offices in major centers of business and finance throughout the world. Its unique governance system fosters an unparalleled level of integration and contributes to its perennial ranking as among the best in the world in client service. Jones Day provides significant legal representation for almost half of the Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, and FT Global 500.