James J. Steffel

Susan has extensive experience in the public finance area. She has served as bond counsel to the State of Michigan, its departments and authorities, as well as to many cities, counties, villages, townships, school districts, district libraries, other public authorities and Indian tribes. In addition to serving as bond counsel, Susan has also served as underwriter’s counsel, bank counsel, tax counsel and obligor’s counsel for numerous tax-exempt financings, including governmental o...

Jeff chairs Varnum's employee benefits practice group. He has 25 years of experience working with employers, executives and third-party administrators on a wide range of employee benefit, executive compensation and individual retirement matters, including plan design, plan administration, benefit plan disputes and tax planning for retirement. He also helps solve complex tax issues in business and investment transactions, especially those involving pass-through entities and oil and gas activit...

Richard (Dick) E. Hillary, II, is a member of Miller Johnson and has been practicing law since 1996. He is a commercial litigator. Mr. Hillary represents a wide variety of business entities and individuals; including hospitals, physician groups, large and small corporations, and individuals in all facets of litigation. Before joining Miller Johnson, Mr. Hillary served as law clerk for the Honorable William B. Murphy of the Michigan Court of Appeals. Health Care Reimbursement Mr. Hillary couns...

Jeff’s practice is focused on financing transactions, from tax-exempt and taxable bond issues to commercial loans. He has served as bond counsel to State of Michigan departments and agencies as well as to local bond issuers. Jeff also represents letter of credit providers and underwriters in bond transactions.

Nicholas S. Laue is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Construction. Nicholas S., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicholas S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

James K. White has specialized in municipal finance since his graduation from Northwestern University Law School in 1976. He has served as bond counsel for numerous Michigan townships, villages, cities, counties and public authorities. Born in Jackson, Michigan, and raised in Grand Rapids, he is a magna cum laude graduate of Albion College. Jim has assisted clients with all aspects of financing public capital improvement and infrastructure projects including public buildings, roads, sanitary ...

Rick is a partner in the Kalamazoo office. Since 1981, he has represented employers exclusively in solving labor and employment law problems in the workplace. He devotes most of his time to advising employers about how to avoid workplace crises, comply with state and federal labor and employment laws and regulations, and prevent litigation. He has significant experience counseling employers on how to stay union-free, and routinely works with clients in the application and enforcement of colle...

Floyd Gates heads Bodman’s Grand Rapids office. He is an experienced litigation, banking and corporate attorney. He has represented financial institutions throughout the country in connection with workout and related litigation along with the investigation of complex fraud schemes involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claims. Floyd has also handled significant real estate related litigation including representing numerous owners, contractors and suppliers in connection with multi...

Fredric N. Goldberg practices in the area of corporate and business law, with an emphasis in transactional practice, and in the area of college and university law. In addition, he has developed substantive expertise in the field of water law and the law of natural resources generally. He was recently recognized in the 2010 Best Lawyers publication for his water law expertise. Fred is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He received his bachelor's degree ...

Art has extensive experience in condemnation (eminent domain), real estate and zoning matters, including the litigation of dozens of significant cases. He has represented clients in Michigan District and Circuit Courts, Federal District Courts, the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Learn more on the firm website.