Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013 Gary K. August is an attorney with August Law PLLC in Troy, Michigan, where his practice focuses on Commercial Litigation, construction disputes, complex litigation, and insurance coverage matters. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the area of Commercial Litigation since 2013 based on peer-review evaluations within the legal profession.
Mr. August has represented businesses, municipalities, and public entities in significant litigation and dispute resolution matters throughout Michigan. He served as lead litigation counsel for Northwest Airlines during the construction of the multiphase $1.6 billion Edward H. McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. In a combined 17 litigated cases involving the City of Dearborn’s combined sewer overflow project, he helped defeat more than $41 million in claims against the City while also recovering more than $30 million on the City’s behalf, including a result recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as the largest reported verdict or settlement in Michigan in 2010.
Mr. August has also represented Wayne County in litigation involving its Consolidated Jail Project and negotiated and drafted the more than $500 million agreement with Bedrock involving the exchange of five County parcels and the construction of a new criminal justice facility. His litigation experience includes multimillion-dollar claims, class actions, municipal disputes, and high-profile commercial matters.
In 2025, Mr. August secured a $6.2 million arbitration award in a complex employment and corporate redemption matter. The award was recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as the largest reported arbitration award in Michigan that year.
Mr. August graduated with High Honors from Michigan State University in 1989. He earned his law degree cum laude from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1993, where he won the school’s annual moot court competition and served as Associate Note & Comment Editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. Between college and law school, he worked in Washington, D.C., for Senator Carl Levin. During law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Chief Judge Richard C. Kaufman and Judge Helene White, now of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Michigan’s Third Judicial Circuit.
After law school, Mr. August practiced with Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn before joining the firm that later became Zausmer, August & Caldwell, P.C. During his tenure there, the firm grew from approximately eight attorneys to more than 80 attorneys before his retirement from the firm in 2019.
Mr. August has received recognition from a number of legal organizations and publications throughout his career. He is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar and has been selected to Michigan Super Lawyers from 2006-2020 and 2022-present. He has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2013, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named a Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine. Michigan Lawyers Weekly recognized him as a Leader in the Law in 2011 and later honored him as a Go-To Lawyer for construction law in 2023 and 2025, as well as a Go-To Power Lawyer in 2023. Crain’s Detroit Business featured him in its 2016 special report on litigators in the region and again in 2025 as a “Notable Litigator and Trial Attorney.”
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. August has served in several public and professional leadership roles. He served as Chairperson of the Michigan Residential Builders’ and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors’ Board after appointments by Governors Jennifer Granholm and Rick Snyder, holding the chair position through 2016. He also serves as a hearing panel chairperson for the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board.
Mr. August lives in Bloomfield Township with his family’s mini goldendoodle, Woodford, who enjoys demanding a daily walk.
