Butzel attorney Shanika A. Owens receives Detroit Bar Association’s Pro Bono Service Award
DETROIT, Mich. – Butzel attorney Shanika A. Owens received the Detroit Bar Association’s Pro Bono Service Award on May 1, 2024. The Award recognizes above and beyond pro bono legal service to the community. Notably, recipients also are recognized by members of the Third Circuit Court Judges and staff.
Pro Bono Award recipients are Detroit Bar members who contributed 30 hours of pro bono work by volunteering for the Detroit Legal Services Clinic, among others. They also are recognized at the annual Archer Award Gala in November.
Owens focuses her practice on helping clients navigate mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and real estate law. Her experience includes a wide range of transactions in a variety of industries.
In 2022, Owens, along with her colleagues, represented the seller in an acquisition worth over $400 million. She and the team received the 2023 Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Detroit Chapter’s M&A Deal of the Year award in recognition of their legal expertise in navigating the transaction.
Before joining the firm, Owens served as a legislative assistant to the Detroit City Council where she advised policymakers on issues including economic development, budgeting, and matters leading up to the Detroit bankruptcy. She interned with the Honorable Avern Cohn of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
More recently, Owens has been named to The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Corporate Law and Real Estate Law, 2023. She was named to the list of Michigan Lawyers Weekly Up & Coming Lawyers in 2021. She also has been named a Michigan Chronicle 40 under 40 Honoree.
Owens is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) Business Law and Young Lawyers sections. She is elected to the SBM Representative Assembly and also serves on The Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s (ICLE) Business Law Advisory Board.
Given her deep community roots and passion for service, Owens serves on the Board of Directors of Avalon Healing Center in Detroit, a non-profit organization that provides compassionate and trauma-informed care to survivors of sexual assault.
In addition, Owens is a member of the Board of Directors of Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing environmental justice for marginalized populations in Michigan.
