Battle Creek Lawyers

For the past 30 years, Mike Cunningham has been enormously successful in representing injured plaintiffs in medical malpractice, auto accident, and premises liability matters, obtaining many verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million. He has also pursued cases with similar outcomes in other states including California, Ohio, and Illinois.

Outside of the office, Mike’s hobbies include playing guitar and golf.

Arvin Pearlman is nationally known for the successful outcomes he has obtained on behalf of railroad workers who are injured or killed in the course of their employment. Since concentrating his practice on Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) litigation in 1979, Arvin has tried numerous personal injury cases before judges and juries across the United States, many with multi-million dollar awards. FELA cases arise from many types of railroad workplace negligence including unsafe work environments, exposure to harmful substances and occupational illness, faulty equipment, and off-site injuries. He is designated legal counsel for the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen in...

Jay Yasso, a senior shareholder with Sommers Schwartz, focuses his practice on medical malpractice, automobile negligence, and personal injury. He has litigated, mediated and facilitated numerous multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of injured victims for over twenty years, and his experience and expertise allows him to sit on mediation panels in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb County Circuit Courts.

In addition, for the last 23 years, Jay’s professional practice has also focused on representing individuals and businesses in the entertainment industry, including representing record companies, recording artists, music and film producers, production companies, artist managers, agents, songwriters, music publishers, models and modeling...

Lance Young is a senior shareholder at Sommers Schwartz, P.C., and co-chairs the firm’s Complex Litigation Department. For almost twenty years, Lance has successfully represented investors, employees, consumers, and other injured parties in high-profile class actions and multidistrict proceedings involving violations of federal and state securities, antitrust, wage and hour, and consumer protection laws. His current cases include the nationally publicized In Re Auto Parts Antitrust Litigation and multi-state Real Estate Transfer Tax litigation, along with several vehicle defect cases pending against major auto manufacturers. He also co-manages and supports the firm’s busy Fair Labor Standards Act practice

Established in 1982, Keenan & Austin, P.C. is a firm of Attorneys/Lawyers located in Redford Township, Michigan; serving Wayne and Oakland counties. Attorneys, Jan Keenan and John J. Keenan, graduated from the University of Michigan (undergrad), and the University of Detroit - Mercy School of Law. Both are dedicated members of the Redford community, serving the Township in many capacities over the years as Coaches and Sponsors of Little League and RTJAA teams, serving on the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Downtown Development Authority, and Parks Commission, on Citizens Input Boards, and in various leadership positions with St. Valentine...

I have been practicing law in Metro Detroit since 1993. My expertise is in civil litigation. I am in courts all over the tri-county area a few times each week. I am well versed in law and procedure and we can make a comprehensive strategy that will get you the best resolution possible for your difficult situation.

Tracy M. Clark is a bankruptcy attorney with the Michigan law firm of Steinberg Shapiro & Clark. Ms. Clark has been practicing bankruptcy law since 1999 in the areas of debtor and creditor rights. Ms. Clark enjoys developing solutions to the legal problems faced by financially distressed individuals and businesses and, when necessary, litigating those issues at the trial and appellate levels. Ms. Clark believes that every client deserves her full attention and takes pride in personally meeting with all of her clients and handling her cases from beginning to end. Using this approach, Ms. Clark has successfully guided numerous...

Robert graduated from Western Michigan's Thomas M. Cooley Law School Cum Laude in 2016. He has devoted his practice to personal bankruptcy since then. We help people get control of their financial life with free case evaluations, free consultations, and easy payment plans.

Evan has always shown tremendous dedication and empathy for his clients and the catastrophic issues they face. His rapid trajectory to partner is due to his hard work, excellent handling of cases and high praise from his clients. His leadership at the firm and his quick and enthusiastic handling of responsibilities have led him to be named a Partner in 2021. He handles complex cases including those heading to trial. He has experience in a wide range of personal injury cases including medical malpractice, sex abuse and harassment, auto and trucking cases. Evan is a committed attorney who fights and succeeds...

For over 30 years, the Hamo Law Firm has provided excellent counsel specializing in negotiation and litigation of wrongful death, serious injuries, and matters involving personal or business disagreements. Getting the results their clients want is why the Hamo Law Firm is consistently referred clients by other attorneys. “The best accomplishments are the success stories we achieve for our clients,” says attorney George Hamo. “We are committed to turn the tables in favor of our clients, and we truly care about them.” The Hamo Law Firm is dedicated to see that clients receive proper compensation and works passionately...

Amir practices Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, VA Planning, Probate, Estate Planning, and Business Transactions. He has an extensive background of helping the elderly through his family-owned Licensed Assisted Living Homes. At Serenity Assisted Living, Amir assisted the elderly in their medical needs. Now, he hopes to help even more elderly in their legal and planning needs.

PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY
Lawyer for West Michigan Injury Victims in Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon County
Attorney John D. Tallman is a Grand Rapids native and has been serving personal injury clients throughout West Michigan for almost 40 years. Throughout his legal career, he has handled a wide variety of cases involving car, truck, and motorcycle crashes, construction site accidents, defective products, and more. He understands the unique challenges associated with different kinds of cases, and he has achieved results for his clients through both settlements and trials.

If you or a family member has been injured in an accident due to someone else’s...

Noah S. Hurwitz is a trusted advisor and advocate for clients looking to remain on the right side of the law. Mr. Hurwitz utilizes his experience as a former partner of a national law firm and in-house counsel for America's largest mortgage lender to counsel businesses and employees on a vast array of employment law issues. Mr. Hurwitz regularly advises on employment agreements, restrictive covenants, discrimination, whistleblowing, misappropriation of trade secrets, risk management, wage and hour law, handbook policies, and employee benefits. He is also a seasoned litigator in state and federal courts throughout Michigan and has...

I began my legal career working for the Workers Compensation Appellate Commission, a body of judges appointed by the governor to hear workers compensation appeals. While working at the commission I gained valuable insight into what proofs are required to win all types of litigated workers compensation cases. This valuable knowledge gives me the edge when representing my clients. From the Appellate Commission I went to work for a prominent insurance defense firm in Grand Rapids, MI., defending big business from claims submitted by everyday hardworking Michigan employees. Not happy with what I saw, I left...

Anne Buckleitner puts her more than 30 years in government and law to work for clients in the areas of civil rights, employment law, criminal defense, facilitative mediation and neutral workplace investigations. She litigates in both federal and state courts. Anne is an accomplished litigator and counselor, an experienced problem solver, and a strong advocate. Through negotiation, litigation, and mediation, Anne identifies and obtains the best possible results for her clients. Anne makes good communication with her clients a priority.

Anne was born and raised in St. Joseph, Michigan. She spent the first chapter of her career working for the federal...

Melanie grew up in Dexter, graduating in 1996. She attended Western Michigan University for undergrad (1996-1999), majoring in political science-public law and then Michigan State University for Law School (2000-2003). After graduation and passing the bar exam she began her law practice in Grand Rapids at RizzoBryan. For the first 5 years, she practiced in the areas of both insurance defense and family law. Melanie moved back to South east Michigan and practiced primarily family law with Harris and Literski (Brighton) for over 12 years. She is a certified trained mediator. She opened MKS...

Tom Sinas is a trial lawyer who has spent his career serving the public and advocating for the injured. As a partner at Sinas Dramis Law Firm, he manages the firm’s downtown Grand Rapids office and is dedicated to serving his home community of West Michigan. While Tom’s expertise is far-reaching, he focuses his practice primarily on personal injury and wrongful death litigation, auto negligence cases, and Michigan auto no-fault law. In particular, he helps ensure individuals involved in Grand Rapids car accidents are on a level playing field with the insurance companies on the other side of a case. Over...

Geoffrey has been practicing law in western Michigan now — and previously in the Detroit metro area (and beyond) — since 2005. In that time, he has consulted thousands of clients, and took part in many bankruptcy cases (both Chapter 7 and 13) for individuals and small businesses and helped numerous individuals and small businesses with all their legal needs. In addition, Geoff has volunteered at Freedom House Detroit practicing immigration and asylum law, teaches test preparation classes, and tutors students for standardized tests. Geoff grew up on a dairy farm in western Michigan — in his free time he enjoys...

Christopher J. Rabideau practices workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, and Child SSI law. A cum laude graduate of the Indiana University School of Law, Mr. Rabideau also holds a B.A. with honors from Michigan State University, and is admitted to the courts of the state of Michigan.

Besides being a well-regarded trial lawyer, Mr. Rabideau has a long history of providing legal education seminars to labor unions and other organizations.

He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the Michigan Association for Justice, and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives. He is the...

I pride myself in communicating well with clients and always keeping their familes' best interests in mind.

- Act as general counsel/legal adviser to a variety of service and manufacturing businesses, including M&A, supply agreements, real estate leases and purchase agreements, employment policies/handbooks, contracts, financing documentation, terms and conditions, privacy notices, and compliance/governance documents.
- Represent businesses in complex commercial litigation, such as inter business disputes, contract disputes, shareholder/member conflicts, and employment matters.
- Aggressively assist individuals in contract disputes, real estate transactions/disputes, high conflict divorce matters and sales representative litigation.
- Very experienced in all forms of ADR, including Collaborative Divorce.
- Handle all matters with honesty, integrity and discretion.

S. Christopher Hunter is the founding member of Hunter Law Offices, PLLC. Prior to opening his own practice, Mr. Hunter was an associate attorney with Garrison Lawhouse, PC in Dearborn, Michigan, served as a staff attorney at the Elder Law and Advocacy Center, and most recently managed and supervised the Great Lakes Legal – Elder Law Division’s reduced-fee program. Mr. Hunter focuses his practice in the areas of Elder Law, Long Term Care Planning, Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts, Guardianship/Conservatorships, and Social Security Disability. Mr. Hunter graduated from the University of Maine School of Law with a...

I am Xavier E. Prather, a skilled and versatile lawyer with a current focus on entertainment, sports, and family law through my practice, LawyerLike, PLLC. Before establishing my law practice, I spent several years as an attorney at a top 200 law firm. I am currently barred in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Stephanie began her legal career learning the “behind the scenes” of trial work by working for judges in Kent and Allegan Counties. In those positions, Stephanie was able to observe numerous jury trials and talk with jurors after trial. This invaluable experience awarded her a wealth of knowledge known to few. Stephanie has dedicated her practice to professional negligence, including medical, legal and accounting malpractice, for over ten years. She began her practice as a defense attorney – defending doctors, hospitals, nurses and lawyers when they were sued. That experience provided additional “behind the scenes” knowledge of...

Robert O. Chessman focuses his work on automobile accidents, personal injuries, wrongful death, and medical and professional malpractice. He also works as a state-certified mediator to resolve disputes in civil cases of all types. Mr. Chessman graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and holds a cum laude degree from Harvard University.

Mr. Chessman is a past president of the Muskegon County Bar Association, and is a member of the Michigan State Bar Association and the Michigan Association for Justice.

Before joining McCroskey Law, Mr. Chessman spent three and one-half years in the Peace Corps, in Togo, West Africa. He also...

Estate Planning and Elder Law is not an area for a “generalist.” Your quality of life and your life’s work is more important than that. It is important to work with a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA). The CELA designation is the GOLD STANDARD in estate planning and elder law. The clients that we work with value the peace of mind, that their goals are being met with the absolute latest in legal strategies to protect assets and preserve quality of life and care. These are only available when working with a Certified...

Attorney Steven R. Simkins has been licensed by the State Bar of Michigan since 2003, and he is a member of the Criminal Law, Family Law, and General Practice sections. Mr. Simkins is admitted to practice in all Michigan state courts as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. He also serves as a court-appointed attorney in the Kent County Circuit Court for Juvenile Delinquency cases and family neglect cases. Mr. Simkins provides aggressive, personalized representation in the following areas: Criminal...

The Law Office of John D. Harrington, PLLC is a Tax Controversy firm that offers its clients outstanding legal representation with a personal touch. We offer the following services to resolve tax problems: Offers in Compromise, Installment Agreements, Currently Non-Collectible Status, Tax Levy/Garnishment Releases; Tax Lien Releases, Audit Representation, Tax Return Preparation, Bankruptcy, and Business Entity Formation. If you currently have a tax problem, come see us for a free consultation. At the free consultation, we will devise an in-depth resolution plan for you. You need an attorney when you have a tax problem with the IRS, or...

John Karafa has represented corporate and individual clients in federal and state courts throughout Michigan for 40 years. John’s advocacy is fueled by his seasoned trial experience, professional energy, and focused determination to assist clients with their objectives, in both trial and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Whether presenting for his clients orally or through the written word, John makes sure their voices are heard, and their concerns are expressed. At Tabono Law, John’s practice focuses on divorce, custody, and parenting time in state courts, and criminal defense in both state and federal courts. John earned his Juris Doctor degree from...

James Fett earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1986. He has devoted his career to helping those who are the victims of workplace discrimination and harassment. Early in his career, he made a name for himself by winning the first ever sexual harassment trial aired on CourtTV. Ever since then, he has been taking on high profile cases and making some of Michigan’s largest employers pay for violating his clients’ rights. James was named One of the Ten Most Outstanding Attorneys of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, awarded Lawyer of the Year by the Washtenaw...

Gary T. Neal specializes in the areas of workers' compensation, Social Security, and unemployment benefits. Mr. Neal received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin. He also graduated from Michigan State University with high honors, receiving a B.A. in criminal justice.

Mr. Neal is a dedicated advocate for his injured and disabled clients. He also has been a guest lecturer at many labor union and disability advocacy events, focusing on both workers' compensation and Social Security law.

He is a member of the Michigan Association for Justice and the Muskegon County Bar Association. He also coaches the North Muskegon High School...

Graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Criminal Justice.
Graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Was member of the Dean's List. Studied abroad in Australia and New Zealand.
Paralegal for The Law Office of Craig A. Jenison (6 years)
Prior Litigation Support Analyst for Varnum (2 years)
Prior internship with Ottawa County Prosecutor's Office: assisted prosecution with a cold case murder trial
Prior internship with Kent County Prosecutor's Office Juvenile Division
Established and ran her own law office following graduation for six months before accepting a position as Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Oceana...

Originally from Muskegon, Jacob studied economics at the University of Michigan and law at the University of Minnesota. Now, he practices law, focusing on business and real estate transactions, with the experienced attorneys at the Norton Shores based firm Gielow Groom Terpstra & McEvoy.