Todd joined BSD&D in 1996, having practiced in Chicago since 1990. He became a member of BSD&D in 1999. He has chaired the firm's Ethics Committee since January 2000. His practice covers a wide range of commercial and business litigation. Todd has tried jury and bench trials in trade secret, federal tax, commodities brokerage, advertising discrimination, complex contract, and employment cases, some of which involved the defense of multi-million dollar claims. He is an experienced litigator in federal, state, appellate, bankruptcy and probate courts. Todd has strong commercial litigation experience in actions involving business torts, complex contracts, non-competition agreements, telecommunications, antitrust, securities class actions, environmental, fraud, trade secrets, real estate bankruptcy, partnership, joint venture and shareholder disputes, insurance, legal malpractice, attorney grievances, roofing, commodities futures, fiduciary duties, advertising discrimination, civil rights, will contests, bailor-bailee liability, indemnification and successor liability.

Representative Cases

Federal tax case concerning the depreciation of natural gas pipelines.

Defend wireless carriers in telecommunication reseller, class and other actions.

Numerous trade secret/noncompete agreement cases for a variety of clients involving diverse technologies and businesses.

Several antitrust actions.

Numerous complex bankruptcy cases involving lifting of the automatic stay to foreclose property, fraudulent transfers, avoidance of transfers, and lease rejection damages.

Numerous complicated contract and business tort cases involving varied legal theories and subject matters.

Education and Awards

Ohio State University College of Law (Juris Doctor 1990)
American Jurisprudence Award (1990) - International Moot Court
University of Detroit International Law Program, London, England(1989)
University of Michigan, 1986, B.A. in Organizational and Industrial Psychology

Publications and Presentations

Faculty, Intellectual Property Litigation in State Court, 2008 Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Sping Seminar (March 2008).

Speaker, Protecting Trade Secrets When Former Employees Work for Competitors in Michigan, and Overview of the Federal Economic Espionage Act, Oakland County Bar Association, in-house counsel meeting, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (May 17, 2001).

Faculty, Using and Enforcing Intellectual Property Agreements, Non-Competition Agreements, and Other Restrictive Covenants to Secure Ownership of Corporate Assets, Lorman Education Services Seminar, Detroit, Michigan (October 11, 2000).

Faculty, Covenants Not to Compete in Michigan, Lorman Education Services Seminar, Detroit, Michigan (October 22, 1999).

To Litigate Or Not To LitigateThese Are The Questions, State Bar of Michigan, Litigation Newsletter, page 17, Summer 1999.

State Bar of Michigan Intellectual Property Law Section, Litigation to Protect Trade Secrets When Former Employees Work for Competitors, prepared by Eugene Driker and Todd R. Mendel, March 23, 1998.

Get It Right, Get It Written. Write Makes Might as a Defense Against Lawsuit Alleging Fraud, Crain's Detroit Business, E-5, January 12, 1998.

10 Ways to Protect Key Business Information, Crain's Small Business, Vol. 5, No. 8, August 1997.

American Arbitration Association

Member of Commercial Panel of Neutral Arbitrators (since 2002)

Case Evaluator
Circuit Court of Oakland County, Michigan
Circuit Court of Wayne County, Michigan

General Civil Case Mediator
40-hour training by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Ann Arbor, Michigan (October 2007).

Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation (since 2002)

Fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation (since 2007)

Bar Admissions

State Bars of Michigan and Illinois; United States Supreme Court; United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Sixth Circuits; United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and Northern District of Illinois, and Trial Bar of the Northern District of Illinois.

Civic Organizations

American Jewish Committee--Detroit Chapter