JERRY M. ELLIS is a shareholder of the firm. He was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1968 and the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan in 1968. In 1972, he was admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University in 1965 and attended Detroit College of Law and received his J.D. in 1968. Mr. Ellis is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association; Section on Corporation, Banking and Business Law of the American Bar Association; Debtor-Creditor Law Committee of the State Bar of Michigan; and the Bankruptcy Section of the Federal Bar Association. He is also a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Jerry Ellis is a frequent speaker on topics such as: Assisting the Troubled Business; Chapter 11 as a Business Planning Tool; Dealing with a Chapter 11 Debtor; Discharging Taxes in Bankruptcy; ERISA Plans & Bankruptcy Exemptions; and Protecting Assets From Creditors. Mr. Ellis has served as Chairman and Board Member of the Farmington Hills Parks & Recreation Commission and the Farmington Hills Ice Arena Committee. He was Vice Chairman of the Finance Section of the Farmington Hills Year 2000 Committee. Mr. Ellis has served as a Councilperson on the Farmington Hills City Council since 1996, and was Mayor Pro Tem in 2000 and 2004. He was elected Mayor of the City of Farmington Hills in 2007 and re-elected in 2009. He is Chairman of the Southwest Oakland Cable Commission and is a former Board Member of the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority. He served on the 47th District Court Facilities Committee, and has been a Board Member of Hebrew Free Loan Association since 2002. Mr. Ellis received the Farmington Area Jaycees 1990 Distinguished Citizen of the year award and was named as one of the Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit - 2010 in the November/December 2009 edition of dbusiness, Detroit’s Premier Business Journal. He was recognized in the areas of bankruptcy, creditors rights, and litigation. His primary concentration areas include Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights, Commercial Law, Corporate Law and Litigation. Email to: Jerry.Ellis@Couzens.com