Black River Municipal Lawyers

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...

Raised in Michigan and Florida, Attorney Powers maintains her private practice of law in Petoskey, Michigan, a resort community nestled along Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay. However, she handles matters throughout the State of Michigan and often works with out-of-state counsel. Attorney Powers practices in the areas of real property law, appellate law, business law, estate planning and probate and trust administration, and municipal law. Ms. Powers served as City Attorney for the City of Petoskey for several years and also wrote, implemented, and coordinated the Paralegal Program for North Central Michigan College, an associate degree program,...

Dane Carey primarily represents businesses and individuals in litigation and legal disputes. Dane’s practice focuses on general civil litigation, commercial litigation, property litigation, shareholder and employment disputes, and real estate and water (riparian) law. He has significant experience in matters involving businesses, property, civil rights claims, and other complex civil matters. He represents clients throughout Michigan and in state and federal courts, as well as in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court.

About half of my practice consists of local government representation. The remainder is real estate, estate planning, probate, collections and general business matters. We strive to provide prompt and professional services with personal attention and care.

Robert Gavin is the Senior Associate at Shifman & Carlson, P.C. He has been practicing law since 2008, and was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2015, 2018, and 2019. He was also listed by DBusiness Magazine as a Top Lawyer in the Metro Detroit Area for Public Finance Law in both 2014, 2017, and 2018.

Rob brings a wide variety of skills and a diverse background to bear for his clients, including his experience with contract negotiation, employee issues, construction issues. Rob's undergraduate degree is in engineering, which has also been useful to clients during construction issues and in...

James Wendt graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2007. While at Eastern Michigan, James was recognized as “Most Outstanding Junior Class Business Student” as well as “Most Outstanding Senior Class Business Student.” Thereafter, he attended Wayne State University Law School, where he graduated in the top 15% of his class and received honors for his work in legal research and writing. Prior to joining the Mike Morse Law Firm in January of 2012, he maintained a private practice, serving clients in the areas of domestic litigation and criminal defense. In his free time, James enjoys...

After graduating law school, I went to work for the Wayne County (Detroit) Public Defenders' Office. I tried every imaginable case: murder, carjacking, armed robbery, assault cases, theft cases, a disinterment case (!)--all with not guilty verdicts each time. Naturally, I negotiated many plea agreements with the prosecutors' office and the Court. These plea agreements were outstanding. My clients are set apart. I work with them on their cases, I work with them on their personal matters and I give them my devoted time.
Now, after over 25 years of criminal defense practice, I have...

H. Nathan Resnick is the proud founding member of Resnick Law and continues to act as the managing partner. He concentrates his legal practice in complex commercial litigation, real estate, and corporate law.Nathan Resnick wears many hats while he manages the law firm and practices law. He also acts as a trustee to several trusts and manages commercial and residential properties.

Mr. Wright is general counsel to numerous corporations both in the United States and abroad, advising senior management regarding general corporate affairs, finance, business planning and the resolution of business disputes.
Mr. Wright is often called upon to negotiate complex business and legal issues, including the purchase or sale of a client company or its assets, and the resolution of contentious disputes between clients and suppliers, competitors, or government regulators. Mr. Wright frequently lectures to lawyers and business executives on the topics of international business transactions, enforcement of commercial agreements, and business financing.
Mr. Wright is a member of the American Bar...

I am a shareholder at Rhoades McKee, P.C. I help individuals and businesses facing real estate disputes, land development challenges, condemnation, real estate transactions and construction matters achieve their objectives through a defined and realistic strategy. I can provide a detailed understanding of the emerging legal issues in green building and the LEED rating system. I am the only attorney in West Michigan that has achieved the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) designation through the United States Green Building Council, and an environmental certification from Green Advantage®. I understand the issues faced by those individuals and businesses in the real...

David Foy has 30 years of experience representing private, nonprofit and municipal employers in all areas of employment law. He has successfully defended employers against claims asserting breach of contract, wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment and retaliation (age, disability, sex, national origin, race and religion), wage and hour and whistleblower violations. Mr. Foy represents employers before federal and state courts and administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Labor, Michigan Wage and Hour Division, National Labor Relations Board and Michigan Employment Relations Commission. He also represents employers in matters involving enforcement...

Beginning his law career in 2005, Kevin is a Partner with McGraw Morris where he heads the firm’s Municipal Law section. He focuses his practice in municipal litigation and municipal law, with an emphasis in government contracts, planning and zoning, tax increment financing, property law, and utility law. He started his municipal career working for the Floyd County Ambulance Service in Iowa and as a reserve officer for the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department. He later became a full-time police officer with the cities of Bowman, North Dakota, Nora Springs, Iowa, and Leon, Iowa. He also worked undercover...

Associate Attorney

Over 20 years actively practicing law in Southern Michigan. I was a partner at a large law firm for several years, but now I operate my own small firm. Because of that, we have significantly reduced overhead compared to large law firms. This means we can provide clients with the highest quality legal services at a lower expense.