DETROIT – Butzel, one of the leading law firms in Michigan, has chosen Lori Thomas Simoncic as its new Chief Operating Officer.
Butzel, founded in Detroit in 1854 and with offices located in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Troy and Southwest, Mich.; New York, NY; and, Washington, D.C., also named Edward M. Przybylo Director of Operations and Dana Burleigh Director of Human Resources.
Simoncic is celebrating 24 years with Butzel. She has served in the roles of Chief Human Resources Officer and Director of Human Resources, among other positions within the Human Resources Department.
She is “deeply engaged” in the planning and execution of all aspects of Butzel’s strategic plan to achieve the firm’s vision and short- and long-term growth objectives and all facets of the firm’s operations, Butzel officials said in a release.
Simoncic is a strong advocate of employee wellness and providing connections and growth opportunities. She is a member of numerous firm committees. Simoncic also is Chair of the firm’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Compliance Committee and is a member of Butzel’s AI Task Force.
She is active in the community and has served as an Advisory Board Member at Midnight Golf Program, an organization dedicated to equipping young adults to succeed in college, in their careers, and beyond, through the discipline of golf. She also supports Folds of Honor, an organization that helps dependents of fallen military heroes through scholarships and other support and is an American Dunes Founder.
Simoncic earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a masters degree from Ball State University. She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA).
Edward M. Przybylo leads Butzel’s operations functions in 10 office locations throughout the country. He has concentrated his career in operations and account management within the legal, manufacturing, commercial, and automotive sectors.
For more than two decades, Przybylo’s focus has been in the legal industry. His expertise includes deployment of new technology, asset management, client relations, change management, leadership development, contract negotiations, and process improvement.
Przybylo earned a Bachelor of Computer Information Technology and Security, Networking from Baker College. He is a member of the firm’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Compliance and Technology Committees.
Dana Burleigh has an extensive human resources background. She joined Butzel in 2022 as a human resources manager. Prior to joining Butzel, she was an office manager for a local law firm. She manages Butzel’s legal support teams; coordinates employee recognition programs, analyzes compensation and monitors the firm’s performance management program. Burleigh assists in organizational training and development efforts for legal support staff including skills assessments and program development in coordination with the technical training specialist. Burleigh earned a degree in Business Administration and Management from Macomb Community College.
