Byron Patton

Nyal is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group. He focuses his practice on conveyance and lease transactions, land use approvals for various development projects including shopping centers, resorts, residential subdivisions, marinas and commercial projects, construction and permanent lending, on behalf of lenders and borrowers and real estate investment trusts. He has unique municipal experience having served as a member of the East Grand Rapids City Commission and Chairperson of its Pla...

Mr. Smith practices primarily in the areas of employment law, civil litigation, contracts, business and corporate law, construction law, federal government contracts, and postal law. He has unique expertise in federal sector employment law and represents employees of federal agencies in many forums. Mr. Smith has extensive litigation experience in these areas and has appeared before federal district courts, courts of appeal, bankruptcy courts, boards of contract appeal, the Equal Employment O...

Peter helps businesses and individuals respond to legal problems that typically arise in transactions for real and/or personal property, including the sale, leasing, financing, or development of real property or business assets. In addition, he helps lenders and commercial borrowers utilize financial transactions to structure real property and business financing. Peter has also assisted many businesses, including financial institutions, in a variety of litigation and loan work-out matters.

Nathan D. Plantinga has been practicing law since 1997 and is the chair of the firm's employment and labor section. He enjoys a busy counseling practice for union and nonunion clients, advising employers on the full spectrum of employment matters, including civil rights charges, difficult medical leave issues, employee discipline and discharge, wage and hour, and unemployment. Mr. Plantinga also specializes in traditional labor work involving collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, unfair ...

Ryan P. Duffy is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Aviation Law and Litigation - Health Care. Ryan P., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brandon Hewitt is an attorney and the Chief Operating Officer at Michigan Auto Law in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His top priority is making the legal process as simple and straightforward as possible for injury victims. With a determination to compassionately serve his clients and treat them as he would his own family, he focuses on personal injury law, working with people injured in car, truck and motorcycle accidents, among others. Brandon began his career with Michigan Auto Law as a law clerk...

Ron has accumulated a vast amount of first chair trial experience. As an Assistant United States Attorney in Miami for seven years, he tried several large criminal cases. In his final year as a federal prosecutor, he served as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ron’s broad trial and litigation skills allow him to represent clients in diverse types of disputes in nearly any locale in the country. Since joining Varnum, Ron has tried and litigate...

Chris works intimately with clients and their advisors to create estate plans that enable families to plan for today as well as for future generations. Chris regularly prepares sophisticated estate plans, emphasizing probate avoidance, estate tax planning, and business succession planning. In addition, Chris has an emphasis on helping families with cottage succession planning. Chris's practice also includes a significant focus on post-death planning and estate and trust administration. Chris ...

Andrew Blum focuses his practice in complex business litigation, particularly eminent domain and land use litigation, oil and gas rights disputes, business fraud/tort cases, and material supply agreement disputes in the automotive industry. Before joining Bodman in May 2024, Andrew was a Principal with a large Michigan-based business law firm where he served as Resident Director of the Grand Rapids office. Andrew has represented both landowners and condemning authorities in eminent domain cas...

John H. Gretzinger graduated from Michigan State University in 1971 and served as a Naval Officer from 1972 through 1975. After completion of his military service, he attended Detroit College of Law, was Managing Editor of the Detroit College of Law Review and received the Charles H. King Award for the highest scholastic proficiency in his 1978 graduating class. John is a specialist in labor and employment law, including collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitrations, Act 312 inte...