Mears Lawyers

The Buchanan Firm team represents real people injured by vehicle accidents or medical negligence. When you contact our firm, we give you a free evaluation and answer your questions. Our clients always meet with the team that handles the claim. We never pass you down to an inexperienced attorney. And we work tirelessly on your case to win, and do so at no additional cost to you. Using cutting-edge technology and legal video documentaries, we show the wrongdoers and their insurance companies they must settle the claim or risk losing at trial. Our serious injury team of attorneys and...

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...

James Dimitriou attended Michigan State University graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Social Science. Following his undergraduate work Mr. Dimitriou continued to receive his Juris Doctorate degree from Wayne State University and was quickly admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1988. Mr. Dimitriou is currently admitted to practice in all local jurisdictions as well as the United States District Court, Eastern District (1988), Western District (1992) and the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (2004). Before beginning his own practice, Mr. Dimitriou practiced as a city attorney in the Detroit area, as well...

I have a passion for defending the rights of the accused. It disgusts me how often a person is convicted in the public eye without any kind of evidence being introduced against him or her at all. Social media has allowed people to form opinions based on sound bites and not real evidence. I focus mainly on criminal defense and have been practicing since 2006. My office is in Wyoming, MI a suburb of Grand Rapids but I take cases within about an hour of here.

Ryan F. Beach earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and his juris doctorate from Wayne State University. Ryan Beach has extensive experience in consumer bankruptcy law and has represented hundreds of individuals in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases. Ryan F. Beach currently lives in Grand Rapids with his wife Sarah Sobczak Beach and their two children.

Lea Ann Sterling has been a member of the Michigan Bar since 1998. Admitted to the bar in Ohio in 1981, Mrs. Sterling practiced law in Columbus. In 1997, she began a sabbatical to write, travel, and relocate from Ohio to Michigan. Her first book, Historic Homes of Olde Towne, was released in 1999 and won the Ohio Historical Society’s Public Education and Awareness Award. Historic Cottages of Mackinac Island, released in 2001, was listed on the Michigan Governor’s List of Best Books of 2001. In March 1999, Mrs. Sterling was appointed Village of Empire Zoning Administrator where she was...

Jonathon N. Fazzola focuses his nationwide practice on representing victims and the families of victims catastrophically injured or killed as a result of hazing, gun violence, sexual assault, other violent crimes, and third-party negligence. Through his work, Mr. Fazzola has recovered tens of millions of dollars for his clients and has sought and secured enforceable concessions from institutions designed to make them better managed, safer, and more transparent about the risks they pose to the public. Notably, as lead counsel, Mr. Fazzola obtained a $6.1 million wrongful death verdict on behalf of Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver, whose son, Max,...

Bailor Bell has extensive experience representing victims and their families harmed or killed in notable cases across the nation and has achieved unprecedented results in civil cases involving mass shootings, sexual assault and abuse, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, carbon monoxide poisoning, and vehicular negligence. Before joining The Fierberg National Law Group, Mr. Bell practiced as a general civil litigation attorney for eight years. Mr. Bell has represented clients in the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Court of Claims, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the United States Court of...

John Di Giacomo is an experienced business, intellectual property, litigation, and Internet lawyer practicing in the areas of copyright, trademark, domain name disputes, e-money, e-payment systems, contracts, defamation, Internet law, Communications Decency Act §230 immunity issues, international commercial law, cybersquatting and domain name disputes, video game law, adult industry law, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), E-Sign Act, shrinkwrap, browsewrap, and clickwrap issues, computer tort claims (e.g. trespass to chattels for unauthorized entry & spamming), and other intellectual property or business law related areas. John has litigated intellectual property, business, and commercial disputes in state and federal courts across...

Mr. Smith has practiced as a trial attorney since graduating Notre Dame Law School in 1992. He has litigated cases across the country including cases from Ventura County, California to Middlesex County, New Jersey. He practices in both State and Federal courts.

In 2017, he began representing Michigan cities and counties in what has shaped up to be one of the largest pieces of litigation ever in the history of our federal court system. The majority of Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula counties retained Mr. Smith and his team to represent their interests in MDL 2804, in RE: National Prescription Opioid...

Michelle McLean received her Bachelors of Science from Cornerstone University in 2002. She later received her Juris Doctorate Cum Laude from Michigan State University College of Law in 2007. While earning her law degree, Ms. McLean served both on the Inns of Court (Lansing) and also worked as an extern for Kent Countyâs 17th Circuit Judicial Court. Prior to practicing law, Ms. Mclean worked for a national mortgage lender and has over fifteen years experience in this capacity. She worked as an underwriter, collector, manager, and finally as an account executive. By combining her...

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...

Matthew Sakkas graduated from Clark University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) in 1988. While an undergraduate he completed a General Course of Study at the London School of Economics from 1986 to 1987. He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1991 and passed the New York State Bar exam the same year. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1992. He is also admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York and the Second Circuit of Court Appeals.

Mr. Sakkas began...

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...

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...

A former prosecutor, Jennifer Weise brings over a decade of trial experience to Grabel & Associates. With experience working in two prosecutor’s offices, she is a seasoned trial attorney with knowledge in all areas of criminal defense. She has also prosecuted hundreds of Criminal Sexual Conduct cases which gives her the ability to fight for her current clients while anticipating the prosecution’s next move. Former prosecutors bring the ability to “think as the other side” to their client’s defense strategy, which is why Jennifer Weise is such an asset to Grabel & Associates. She excels at client communication, enjoys trial...

All attorneys go to trial, but there are a select few who truly live for it. William McCririe is proud to be one of those few. He thoroughly enjoys preparing for trial: reading and connecting with jurors, selecting the right experts, crafting succinct and probing witness questions and taking any necessary steps to make clients comfortable with the process. It is not unusual to find Bill McCririe meeting with clients and their families evenings and weekends before and during trial; he fights like it’s his own life on the line. Bill McCririe served as a Livingston County prosecutor for over...

Sara MacGregor joined Grabel & Associates in 2015 with a passion for criminal defense. She was born in Arizona but raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where she has lived ever since. Sara is invaluable to Grabel & Associates for her relationships and experience with the courts in the U.P. She attended Manistique High School and graduated summa cum laude from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Pre-Law and a minor in Communications and Chemistry. Sara is a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School and passed the bar in 2014.

Sara MacGregor is ready to defend those charged with criminal...

Licensed in 2014, Ravi Gurumurthy has been an associate at Grabel & Associates for several years. He has experience in the aggressive defense of those charged with criminal sexual conduct, violent crimes, theft and drug charges and juvenile offenses.

Timothy Doman joined Grabel & Associates in 2016 after leaving his position as a Pre-Hearing Attorney with the Michigan Court of Appeals to follow his passion and interest in criminal law. He believes criminal law is fascinating and was eager to join Grabel & Associates due to our exclusive focus on criminal defense and criminal appeals. Tim Doman’s vast experience working at the Michigan Court of Appeals allows him to quickly and accurately research relevant issues to a client’s criminal defense or appeal and craft well written, comprehensive legal briefs, memos and arguments. His unique background working for both the...

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.

When it comes to winning driver’s license restoration cases, Ms. Mast knows that attention to detail and organization is critical. Success depends, in part, on having all the paperwork correctly filled out and submitted timely. Ms. Mast communicates with her clients every step to ensure they understand what is needed and how to prepare documents for the best chance of success. She will fight tirelessly and aggressively to ensure that her clients’ driver’s license privileges are restored. Ms. Mast prides herself on her history of winning driver’s license restoration cases and satisfactory outcomes in criminal cases for her clients. Born and...

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...

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...

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...

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.

For over 30 years Jim Austin has been providing quality legal services, counseling and care to individual and business clients throughout Michigan with business, general civil and transportation matters. Jim practices regularly in courts throughout the State of Michigan. With Corcoran Austin, PC, he has offices in Alden, Traverse City and Charlevoix. He has argued cases before the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court of Appeals, Federal District Courts and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He represents wrecker and towing companies throughout Michigan and sits on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Towing Association. He has represented truckers and trucking companies...

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.

Jon Tomaso has years of experience as an attorney, practicing in the areas of family law and criminal law. Along with his associates at Sterling Law and ADAM (American Divorce Association for Men), the attorneys seek for their clients dignity and fairness and for all they seek social justice in a biased system. Sterling Law attorneys care for their clients by totally dedicating themselves to their cases, by giving guidance and answering questions in a timely effective way, and by being well-prepared in court. They take their clients' cases to heart and pursue their goals with the talent and...

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...

Kathryn attended Central Michigan University and graduated with a B.S., majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Legal Studies. After graduating from CMU, Kathryn attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School and graduated cum laude with a concentration in Litigation. While at Cooley, Kathryn was awarded multiple certificates of merit for her academic performance. Kathryn focuses her practice on Criminal Defense and Family Law and Estate Planning. Ms. Bolinger is knowledgeable in all areas of divorce, property settlement, and alimony. Ms. Bolinger also handles all issues relating to child custody, parenting time, child support, adoptions, and grandparent's...

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.

John Bursch (www.burschlaw.com) represents Fortune 500 companies, governments, top public officials, and industry associations in high-profile cases, primarily on appeal. John has argued 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases since 2011 and 34 state supreme court cases, including 32 cases argued in the Michigan Supreme Court. John has successfully litigated hundreds of matters around the country, including six with more than $1 billion at stake. Recent matters include:

-Securing a 6th Circuit victory reinstating a multi-million-dollar commercial case on behalf of 5-hour ENERGY®
-A Michigan Court of Appeals ruling vindicating a Certificate of Need for DTE Energy's billion-dollar, natural-gas plant
-Obtaining a win...

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...