Dafter Lawyers

Tessa K. Muir is an accomplished trial attorney as a former federal prosecutor and former Army JAG officer. As an Assistant US Attorney in the Western District of Michigan, Tessa served as the lead prosecutor in hundreds of federal criminal cases and Sixth Circuit appeals. She worked closely with and trained federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on search warrants, computer investigations, and human trafficking — including the Michigan State Police, FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security, police departments, and sheriffs’ offices throughout Michigan. Now, she uses that knowledge to understand weaknesses in an investigation and areas where law enforcement...

Running a business can be incredibly challenging (and rewarding), but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. I'm an attorney, but I'm also a small business owner with an entrepreneurial spirit. I love helping small business owners and creative entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses by identifying, protecting and leveraging their intellectual property. I also help businesses with legal issues and contracts involving vendors, employees, and independent contractors.

It's tempting to DIY every aspect of your business, but doing so can actually hold you back by taking you away from what you're really good at (growing your business) and spending countless...

Tom Kuiper is an experienced litigator with proficiency in a variety of cases and forums. He practices in State district, circuit, probate, federal and appellate courts, and in arbitration and mediation settings. He represents a variety of clients, from billion-dollar corporations in commercial litigation disputes to the individual involved in a personal dispute or family breakup. He also mediates a wide variety of cases. Although the issues and forums may differ, Tom's approach remains the same: To relate to people, to communicate difficult legal concepts and information in a clear and simple manner, and to work on a personal...

EMPLOYMENT LAW. Over 35 years of experience in the field of complex employment litigation and employment law matters, including EEOC investigations, wrongful discharge, sexual harassment and discrimination claims, wage-hour violations, FMLA, ADA, defamation, breach of contract, retaliation, whistleblower and a variety of other employment-related claims.
SEVERANCE AGREEMENTS. We have successfully negotiated numerous severance agreements on behalf of employers as well as key employees in a variety of industries throughout West Michigan.
NONCOMPETE, NONSOLICITATION AGREEMENTS. We have extensive experience in the enforcement and/or defense of noncompete, nonsolicitation and other restrictive agreements.
TRADE SECRETS, CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. We also have significant expertise with preparing...

I live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. I value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, I have high standards in these regards, which I continuously strive to fulfill. I can objectively see the reality of a situation, and I’m adaptable enough to change things which aren’t working well. I am a strategist – always scanning available ideas and concepts and weighing them against my current strategy, to plan for every credible contingency. I am ready to work for you.

Rebecca L. Johnson-Ellis , a partner in the firm, has been an attorney for the past 14 years and us board certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law from the American Board of Certification. Rebecca received both her law school degree and her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University. Rebecca is admitted to practice in the courts of Michigan, the Western District of Michigan Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. Rebecca has been recognized by her peers in the Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine as a Rising Star several years in a row. Rebecca has helped thousands of individuals through the...

Michigan Criminal Defense Attorney Matthew L. Norwood is located in downtown Flint, directly across from the Genesee County local and state federal courts.

This prime location allows him to act quickly and aggressively in representing his clients’ cases. Having a statewide practice gives Mr. Norwood the opportunity to defend clients all over the state of Michigan.

Matthew’s law practice is devoted exclusively to Michigan criminal law and driver’s license restoration. Matthew has been working in mid-Michigan’s criminal court as a driver’s license attorney and a DUI lawyer since 2002. His favorite courts to practice out of is Grand Blanc and Fenton, although...

Harold Leo Emelander was raised in Newaygo, Michigan. After graduating from Newaygo High School, he attended Grand Valley State University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. He then went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2006. To further his education he then moved to Florida where he attended The University of Florida College of Law and received his LLM in Taxation in 2007. Mr. Emelander began his legal career in Miami, Florida at an accounting firm. He utilized his degree in taxation law by advising clients on individual,...

Eric Steinberg graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor in Business Administration in 2001. After graduating, he worked as a financial consultant in Chicago. Not satisfied with spending his days in the financial field, Eric turned to the law. He attended the Chicago-Kent College of Law and earned a law degree in 2006. While receiving his legal education, Eric worked in the employment discrimination law clinic at Chicago-Kent, helping victims of discrimination receive just compensation and peace of mind. Eric joined the Law Offices of Lee B. Steinberg, P.C. full time in 2006. As a member of the Michigan...

Melissa K. Allen has served the Greater Lansing area since 1995, offering compassionate and professional estate planning services. A University of Michigan and then Thomas M. Cooley Law School graduate, she earned multiple honors, including Cum Laude distinction and top 7% of her class. Ms. Allen has been recognized with the "People's Choice Award for Favorite Attorney" seven times and frequently speaks on estate planning. Her approachable manner and expertise simplify complex issues, such as second marriages and beneficiaries with disabilities, making the process easy and rewarding for her clients.

We are a full service law firm. You can depend on us to look out for every aspect of your legal needs - business or personal, and at any stage of your life. McClintic Law Firm has been practicing law since 1913 in Isabella County and the entire state of Michigan. We provide full legal service to the community today. We are happy to serve the Mt. Pleasant area, Isabella county, Gratiot county, Clare County, Midland County, Mecosta County, and beyond. Our firm is well versed and experienced in all areas of the law, including business law, criminal law, real...

I am an attorney licensed to practice in Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota. I primarily practice in bankruptcy, foreclosure, real estate, estate planning and probate.

Originally a teacher, W. Jay Brown became a lawyer in 1998 and has been in practice in the Great Lakes Bay Region ever since. Mr. Brown graduated first in his law school class and joined Midland’s largest law firm as a litigation associate. While with the firm, Mr. Brown embarked on his litigation career and was soon promoted to member of the firm. In 2009, W. Jay Brown left the law firm to start his own practice based on his vision for the practice of law – where technology and innovation are leveraged to provide clients superior customer and...

Emily graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law Scool in 2014. Emily’s practice emphasizes in family law, including dissolutions, parenting and support issues, paternity, adoptions, and mediation. Emily regularly accepts appointments as a guardian ad litem representing the best interests of children in family law cases. Emily practice also includes general law, such as: criminal law, juvenile law, property law including land disputes and landlord tenant litigation, Wills, Power of Attorney, Emily is licensed to practice in the state of Michigan

We opened our office in Manistee, Michigan in 1995 and have been providing excellent, affordable legal services ever since. We have experienced a variety of challenges that have assisted us in developing a law practice that is particularly suited for the needs and desires of Manistee residents and visitors. We offer free initial consultations for criminal matters and personal injury cases, we only charge $100 for initial consultations for all other matters. Admitted to Practice in the State of Michigan in 1995 and Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Court in 2004. If you...

Alex grew up on the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area. He has been a public defender in Iowa, an elected prosecutor in Wyoming, and now has established a firm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan focusing exclusively on top notch state and federal criminal defense.

Michael Horowitz is a trial and appellate lawyer in Northern Michigan. He is licensed in Michigan, Alaska, and New York. He primarily practices criminal defense.

Matthew Benedict is a Traverse City native. He worked for nine years with his father, Hon. Richard L. Benedict, serving clients from all of northern Michigan. Matthew Benedict is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Thomas Cooley Law School.

I specifically practice in the fields of criminal law, property law, civil litigation, personal injury, collections and construction law, including construction liens and foreclosures. In my practice I believe that an attorney has to be overly prepared and be ready to go to trial in order to adequately represent their clients. This includes extensive legal research and investigation into all legal theories and defenses. In addition to being admitted to practice law in Michigan, I am also admitted to practice law in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the US District Court for the Western...

Brandon Hewitt is an attorney and the Chief Operating Officer at Michigan Auto Law. His top priority is ensuring the best possible client experience for everyone, from the initial consultation to the final settlement check. Brandon began his career with Michigan Auto Law as a law clerk in 2005 and he has extensive experience working at every level within the firm. Brandon is also an accomplished trial attorney, even holding the record for the largest pain and suffering jury verdict in Ottawa County history.

Brandon is a husband, father, son, and brother, and extends the same...

Renee founded WN Law in 2011 in order to provide individuals with quality, affordable legal representation. Renee focuses her practice on both criminal law and family law. In her years of practice, Renee has gained extensive knowledge on how to most effectively represent her clients in order to provide the best possible outcome.

Renee has successfully represented individuals all over the State of Michigan. In her criminal practice, Renee has represented defendants facing everything from a civil infraction to a felony charge. Renee's experience includes crimes in the arena of drug crimes, theft and property crimes, juvenile crimes, violent crimes, sex...

My practice is concentrated in four principal areas: consumer rights, lender liability, estate planning, and probate litigation. In the field of consumer rights, I have represented individuals and classes in litigation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. Most frequently my clients are individuals or businesses pursuing or defending their legal rights against banks, financial institutions, mortgage servicers and other large corporations. Westbrook Law PLLC also provides services to clients in the areas of estate planning and probate and trust administration...

David has practiced law in the Michigan for over 24 years. He joined the firm of Donald E. McGinnis, Jr., J.D., P.C. in September 1999. Prior to his admission to the State Bar of Michigan, he attended both Michigan State University and Elmira College, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. David then went on to attend the Detroit College of Law where he graduated Magna Cum Laude earning his Juris Doctorate degree. David has concentrated his practice in the broad spectrum of felony and misdemeanor criminal defense law and specializes in driver's license restoration. David has amassed great expertise and...

Mark Carlson attended Defiance College where he competed in track and field for three years, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. He then went on to attend Thomas M. Cooley Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 2010. Mark has been a licensed member of the Michigan Bar Association since 2012. Mark was a sole practitioner focusing on criminal law from 2012 until 2022, when he joined the Mike Morse Law Firm. In his spare time, Mark enjoys spending time with his family, friends, and dogs. He is also a big fan of movies...

Matthew I. Paletz is the Chief Executive Officer of Paletz Law. He oversees all operations of the Firm, as well as its future trajectory and growth. As CEO, he promotes the core values and spirit behind Paletz Law, and fosters its innovative culture. Matthew is also responsible for the financial and capital management of the Firm, and heads all marketing and promotional efforts. He strives to consistently ensure that the needs of his clients are met while being a leading advocate and supporter of legislative efforts on behalf of the real estate industry.

Matthew practices in the area of general civil...

From working in big law to opening his own practice, Sean has represented the intellectual property needs (e.g., patents, copyrights, and trademarks) of clients large and small for nearly a decade. He has drafted applications and performed opinion work for numerous large clients, such as IBM, Applied Materials, Toyota, Nvidia, Air Liquide, CareFusion, and Western Digital, as well as smaller clients and institutional clients. He has experience drafting and prosecuting applications for a broad variety of technologies including nanotechnology, automotive, artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacture, photolithography/maskless lithography, plasma physics, magnetic hard drive architecture, analog automation, bionic implants, bionics, chemistry, medical devices,...

Attorney Matthew Van Steenkiste is committed to excellence. Mr. Van Steenkiste offers creative and practical solutions to complicated legal issues. Mr. Van Steenkiste offers a plethora of experience. In just the past year alone, Mr. Van Steenkiste has made over 200 court appearances in various District and Circuit Courts including the counties of Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, and Lapeer. Many attorneys do not make this many court appearances in their career. The law offices of Garmo & Kiste have a proven record of success throughout the entire state of Michigan including but not limited to the counties of...

Kristen Robinson concentrates her practice in domestic relations litigation. She also has the capability to assist clients who desire to settle their cases on the terms that work for their respective families, rather than allowing the court process to dictate the important decisions in their lives. In addition to representing clients as an advocate, Kristen is a trained neutral mediator, chosen by other lawyers and appointed by the court to assist other parties in settling their family law matters. Kristen represents clients who have cases in Oakland County, Macomb County and Wayne County. She was elected by her peers...

Darren K. Legato is a dedicated Personal Injury Attorney at Serafini, Michalowski, Derkacz & Associates. His practice areas include Personal Injury, Premises Liability, and General Litigation. Prior experience defending insurance companies, has afforded Darren with unique and valuable legal insight. He is dedicated to providing aggressive advocacy, always focusing on the outcomes that his clients need and deserve.

Darren received his B.A. from Michigan State University. In 2012, he earned his J.D. from Florida International University College of Law. He is admitted to practice in the State of Florida, State of Michigan, and the United Stated District Court for the Eastern...

Matthew’s practice focuses on all aspects of both criminal defense and family law, including divorce, child custody and support issues, paternity, parenting time disputes and spousal support modifications. Specifically, Matthew ‘s talents are best utilized in high conflict family situations for professionals, especially cases involving mental health and substance abuse issues, dealing with narcissistic personality disorders and special needs children. Matthew is a proud Howell High School graduate and is a lifelong resident of Livingston County. Matthew is the recipient of: American Institute of Legal Advocates “Rising Star 2019” award, and the “Top Ranking Attorney” award for both 2020 and 2021 from...