Butzel Named to The Legal 500 US City Elite Rankings 2026
DETROIT, Mich. – Butzel has been named to The Legal 500 US City Elite Rankings 2026 list in the area of Commercial Disputes. Firm attorneys recognized in this category include: Bernard J. Fuhs, Cynthia J. Haffey, Daniel R.W. Rustmann and Bruce L. Sendek. Moreover, Butzel attorney Justin G. Klimko has been recognized in the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) category.
About Bernard J. Fuhs
Bernard (“Bernie”) Fuhs is renowned by clients and the legal community–in Michigan and across the US–as a go-to emergency litigator when a lawsuit is looming and the stakes are high. Fuhs is a nationally recognized “Bet-the-Company” litigator specializing in non-compete and trade secret matters and complex shareholder disputes. He has litigated matters or counseled clients in all 50 states. Fuhs is a Shareholder and Vice President of Butzel and serves on the firm’s Board of Directors.
About Cynthia J. Haffey
Clients across the globe have come to depend on Cynthia J. Haffey’s experience when legal action is looming. She serves as a Co-Chair of Butzel’s Automotive Industry Team and Global Automotive Coordinating Committee. She also is Co-Chair of the firm’s Alternative Fee Committee and is a member of the Mexico International Team.
Her practice is focused on commercial litigation with a specialty in automotive supply chain and intellectual property disputes. Haffey counsels and represents Fortune 500 companies and entities of all sizes. She has obtained multimillion dollar awards, verdicts, and settlements for her clients across numerous jurisdictions.
About Daniel R.W. Rustmann
For more than three decades, Daniel R.W. Rustmann has devoted his practice to helping clients solve complex business disputes, primarily in the automotive industry. He has successfully represented clients in numerous substantive areas, including product liability defense, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) warranty, and product defect/recall litigation, class action litigation, and other commercial contract litigation and arbitration. He frequently serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and court-appointed special master in resolution of automotive industry and other commercial disputes and is a regular speaker and commentator on automotive industry legal issues.
About Bruce L. Sendek
Corporations and individuals have sought the counsel of Bruce L. Sendek for more than 40 years. He is recognized for his experience in litigating complex disputes involving a wide range of corporate and commercial matters. Sendek has extensive trial and appellate experience in federal and state courts and has arbitrated and mediated numerous commercial disputes.
About Justin G. Klimko
Justin G. Klimko is one of Michigan’s leading business law practitioners, with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, finance, governance, securities law, legal opinions in business transactions and business law generally. He has received numerous awards and recognitions in these fields. He also is a leader in the development of Michigan’s business law. Klimko is a past Chair of the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section and served as President and CEO of Butzel for 13 years.
About The Legal 500
A respected legal directory, The Legal 500 Net Promoter Score (NPS®), is a data-driven, AI-optimized research platform which benchmarks, informs and connects providers and users of legal services in more than 100 countries worldwide. Each year, Legal 500 analyses confidential data from 300,000+ commercial law firm clients to benchmark law firms and lawyers by practice area; industry; jurisdiction; as well as by proprietary client satisfaction metrics, NPS®, and other qualitative and quantitative criteria.
