Cherrin Law Group, P.C.
A politically savvy, business-oriented law firmYour Subtitle text
Our attorneys
Attorneys
Daniel Cherrin
Over the past twelve years, Daniel Cherrin has developed a unique practice that combines law, public policy and strategic communications to assist clients in achieving their business goals through legislation or regulation, while minimizing the risk to their corporate reputation. This includes a practice centered on homeland security and U.S.-Canadian relations.
Cherrin has direct experience in managing all aspects of a legislative, regulatory and litigation practice while overseeing small claims court mediations and resolving bi-national policy disputes affecting homeland security in the United States and Canada. As a lobbyist, he has mediated policy disputes between the operators of international border crossings and the Department of Homeland Security. And he has successfully created and implemented comprehensive and strategic communication plans which have enabled clients to mitigate their exposure and therefore risk to litigation.
Most recently, Daniel J. Cherrin became Detroit’s lead spokesperson and crisis manager following a tumultuous period in Detroit’s history. Cherrin helped restore the integrity back to the office of Mayor and the trust back to city government. He was appointed by Detroit’s 61st Mayor, Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr. as the Communications Director and Press Secretary for the City of Detroit in September 2008.
As Detroit’s Chief Communications Officer, Cherrin was responsible for creating and implementing strategic communications strategies for America’s 11th largest city, including the communications plans for a number of City departments, such as: the Detroit Fire Department; Municipal Parking and the Department of Public Health & Wellness. Cherrin worked closely with Detroit’s Corporation Counsel and outside attorneys on legal issues and issues with the potential for litigation, including: The Cobo Convention Center; Greektown Casino; Detroit’s reduced bond status and other budgetary issues; Chrysler’s bankruptcy and a number of other legal issues.
Cherrin often participated in tabletop exercises as it relates to potential crises and worked directly with officials from homeland security, police, fire and a number of other law enforcement agencies on coordinating communications efforts during a potential disaster or crisis.
Cherrin is now the President of North Coast Strategies, a strategic communications and public affairs firm where the law, politics and public opinion collide. He also is the principle attorney at the Cherrin Law Group, a public policy and government relations law firm. Cherrin has developed a successful track record of positive legislative accomplishments for clients around issues affecting defense, economic development, higher education, public health, health care, homeland security, and international trade.
Before establishing North Coast Strategies, Cherrin served as Vice President of Caponigro Public Relations; he was Managing Partner for a venture capital-backed public relations/ government relations firm -- Public I, and the lead federal lobbyist for the Detroit Regional Chamber. Cherrin also was a litigator and an appellate attorney in Michigan. As a litigator he represented professional service providers in insurance disputes. He also served as General Counsel to StartupNation, a multimedia start-up company, where he was responsible for preparing and participating in the negotiation of various contracts relating to radio, new media, strategic partnerships and general agreements between vendors and sponsors. He has extensive experience in legally guiding clients through various legal, political and regulatory issues, in addition to negotiating contracts and ensuring compliance with local, state and federal law.
He earned his law degree from Michigan State University, after gaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan. He is the past president of Childhelp USA, and a member of the board of the Engineering Society of Detroit and the Michigan Institute of Political Leadership (MPLP). He is a member of the Michigan Bar Association’s Committee on the Establishment of Business Courts and the Law & Media Committee. Cherrin also is a member of the Detroit Regional Chamber, Troy Chamber and Michigan Society of Association Executives. And in 2008, Cherrin was invited to become a member of the Society of Industry Leaders, which is affiliate with the S&P. In 2003, he was named in Crain’s Detroit Business “40 under 40” and was named a fellow to Michigan State University’s Michigan Political Leadership Program. Cherrin frequently appeared as a guest political analyst on Canada’s A Channel, "The Inquiry", which airs weekly in Windsor, London and Ottawa, Ontario. Cherrin is married and has three children.
Recent Speaking engagements include:
* Lobbying Laws: Vulnerability, risk and opportunity, Michigan Society of Association Executives, Lansing, Mich. (March 2008)
* Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007: What corporations and in house counsel need to know, a presentation for Ulmer Berne, Cleveland, OH (April 2008)
* Finding Advocates in Congress for Government Contractors, The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), Livonia, MI, (June, 2008)
*Advocating for Change, MICHBIO Legislative Conference, Novi, MI (November, 2008)
Recent accomplishments include:
* Secured language in the FY08 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585, House Rpt 110-477) prohibiting the Department of Defense from not only selling F-14 parts, but also “any tooling or dies used in the manufacture of such aircraft or parts.”
* Secured language in the FY08 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585, House Rpt 110-477) encouraging the Defense Department to destroy any remaining F-14s and sell the resultant scrap as appropriate.
* Changed the content of legislation away from border crossings and onto the transportation and logistics environment in the state of Michigan as a result of active participation in legislative working group sessions.
*Successfully lobbied the Department of Homeland Security to add two NEXUS lanes at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel.
* Successfully lobbied Congress to include authorization language in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill directing funds to the Northern Border.
* Successfully lobbied DHS (Office of Field Operations, Trade) to delay the implementation of the Trade Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-210, 116 Stat. 933, enacted 8/6/2002, 19 U.S.C. 2071), as it relates to advance electronic cargo information and the use of the PAPS process, a mandatory release process for truck carriers at land border ports of entry, while maintaining BRASS, a line-release system for commercial goods, until DHS can implement a variation of Free and Secure Trade (FAST) at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel.
* Facilitated a public-private partnership between the Detroit Windsor Tunnel and DHS that increased capacity at the Tunnel and other land border crossings by 25%.
* Obtained $850,000 in federal funding for the Detroit Area Regional Transit Authority (DARTA), before DARTA was even established, resulting in 100 percent funding for start up costs.
* Strategically counseled the President and CEO of a financial services company and their attorney through a crisis involving ambush journalism by being proactive in creating key messages to deliver to the company’s staff, clients and vendors.
* Strategically counseled a doctor and his lawyer through a crisis involving the U.S. Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration, avoiding any negative publicity by targeting a locally respected health reporter and targeting trade publications to build grassroots support for the doctor.
* Created media strategy to assist a professional hockey player reemerge from bankruptcy on behalf of his business partner by securing a story in The Detroit News and an exclusive on WXYZ (ABC-TV).
Cherrin also has successfully placed clients in local and national media, including: BrandWeek, The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, The Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, The New York Times, Paul Harvey, The Wall Street Journal, and other media. Cherrin also appears as a regular guest and political analyst on Inquiry on CHUM Television - Channel A in London, Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario, on politics in the United States.
Daniel Cherrin
Over the past twelve years, Daniel Cherrin has developed a unique practice that combines law, public policy and strategic communications to assist clients in achieving their business goals through legislation or regulation, while minimizing the risk to their corporate reputation. This includes a practice centered on homeland security and U.S.-Canadian relations.
Cherrin has direct experience in managing all aspects of a legislative, regulatory and litigation practice while overseeing small claims court mediations and resolving bi-national policy disputes affecting homeland security in the United States and Canada. As a lobbyist, he has mediated policy disputes between the operators of international border crossings and the Department of Homeland Security. And he has successfully created and implemented comprehensive and strategic communication plans which have enabled clients to mitigate their exposure and therefore risk to litigation.
Most recently, Daniel J. Cherrin became Detroit’s lead spokesperson and crisis manager following a tumultuous period in Detroit’s history. Cherrin helped restore the integrity back to the office of Mayor and the trust back to city government. He was appointed by Detroit’s 61st Mayor, Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr. as the Communications Director and Press Secretary for the City of Detroit in September 2008.
As Detroit’s Chief Communications Officer, Cherrin was responsible for creating and implementing strategic communications strategies for America’s 11th largest city, including the communications plans for a number of City departments, such as: the Detroit Fire Department; Municipal Parking and the Department of Public Health & Wellness. Cherrin worked closely with Detroit’s Corporation Counsel and outside attorneys on legal issues and issues with the potential for litigation, including: The Cobo Convention Center; Greektown Casino; Detroit’s reduced bond status and other budgetary issues; Chrysler’s bankruptcy and a number of other legal issues.
Cherrin often participated in tabletop exercises as it relates to potential crises and worked directly with officials from homeland security, police, fire and a number of other law enforcement agencies on coordinating communications efforts during a potential disaster or crisis.
Cherrin is now the President of North Coast Strategies, a strategic communications and public affairs firm where the law, politics and public opinion collide. He also is the principle attorney at the Cherrin Law Group, a public policy and government relations law firm. Cherrin has developed a successful track record of positive legislative accomplishments for clients around issues affecting defense, economic development, higher education, public health, health care, homeland security, and international trade.
Before establishing North Coast Strategies, Cherrin served as Vice President of Caponigro Public Relations; he was Managing Partner for a venture capital-backed public relations/ government relations firm -- Public I, and the lead federal lobbyist for the Detroit Regional Chamber. Cherrin also was a litigator and an appellate attorney in Michigan. As a litigator he represented professional service providers in insurance disputes. He also served as General Counsel to StartupNation, a multimedia start-up company, where he was responsible for preparing and participating in the negotiation of various contracts relating to radio, new media, strategic partnerships and general agreements between vendors and sponsors. He has extensive experience in legally guiding clients through various legal, political and regulatory issues, in addition to negotiating contracts and ensuring compliance with local, state and federal law.
He earned his law degree from Michigan State University, after gaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan. He is the past president of Childhelp USA, and a member of the board of the Engineering Society of Detroit and the Michigan Institute of Political Leadership (MPLP). He is a member of the Michigan Bar Association’s Committee on the Establishment of Business Courts and the Law & Media Committee. Cherrin also is a member of the Detroit Regional Chamber, Troy Chamber and Michigan Society of Association Executives. And in 2008, Cherrin was invited to become a member of the Society of Industry Leaders, which is affiliate with the S&P. In 2003, he was named in Crain’s Detroit Business “40 under 40” and was named a fellow to Michigan State University’s Michigan Political Leadership Program. Cherrin frequently appeared as a guest political analyst on Canada’s A Channel, "The Inquiry", which airs weekly in Windsor, London and Ottawa, Ontario. Cherrin is married and has three children.
Recent Speaking engagements include:
* Lobbying Laws: Vulnerability, risk and opportunity, Michigan Society of Association Executives, Lansing, Mich. (March 2008)
* Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007: What corporations and in house counsel need to know, a presentation for Ulmer Berne, Cleveland, OH (April 2008)
* Finding Advocates in Congress for Government Contractors, The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), Livonia, MI, (June, 2008)
*Advocating for Change, MICHBIO Legislative Conference, Novi, MI (November, 2008)
Recent accomplishments include:
* Secured language in the FY08 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585, House Rpt 110-477) prohibiting the Department of Defense from not only selling F-14 parts, but also “any tooling or dies used in the manufacture of such aircraft or parts.”
* Secured language in the FY08 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585, House Rpt 110-477) encouraging the Defense Department to destroy any remaining F-14s and sell the resultant scrap as appropriate.
* Changed the content of legislation away from border crossings and onto the transportation and logistics environment in the state of Michigan as a result of active participation in legislative working group sessions.
*Successfully lobbied the Department of Homeland Security to add two NEXUS lanes at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel.
* Successfully lobbied Congress to include authorization language in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill directing funds to the Northern Border.
* Successfully lobbied DHS (Office of Field Operations, Trade) to delay the implementation of the Trade Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-210, 116 Stat. 933, enacted 8/6/2002, 19 U.S.C. 2071), as it relates to advance electronic cargo information and the use of the PAPS process, a mandatory release process for truck carriers at land border ports of entry, while maintaining BRASS, a line-release system for commercial goods, until DHS can implement a variation of Free and Secure Trade (FAST) at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel.
* Facilitated a public-private partnership between the Detroit Windsor Tunnel and DHS that increased capacity at the Tunnel and other land border crossings by 25%.
* Obtained $850,000 in federal funding for the Detroit Area Regional Transit Authority (DARTA), before DARTA was even established, resulting in 100 percent funding for start up costs.
* Strategically counseled the President and CEO of a financial services company and their attorney through a crisis involving ambush journalism by being proactive in creating key messages to deliver to the company’s staff, clients and vendors.
* Strategically counseled a doctor and his lawyer through a crisis involving the U.S. Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration, avoiding any negative publicity by targeting a locally respected health reporter and targeting trade publications to build grassroots support for the doctor.
* Created media strategy to assist a professional hockey player reemerge from bankruptcy on behalf of his business partner by securing a story in The Detroit News and an exclusive on WXYZ (ABC-TV).
Cherrin also has successfully placed clients in local and national media, including: BrandWeek, The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, The Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, The New York Times, Paul Harvey, The Wall Street Journal, and other media. Cherrin also appears as a regular guest and political analyst on Inquiry on CHUM Television - Channel A in London, Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario, on politics in the United States.
