Sarah Harper

Melissa leads the Real Estate Practice Team, and focuses her practice on corporate and real estate matters, with an emphasis on commercial sales, acquisitions, leasing, redevelopment, and construction law. She has extensive experience in structuring primary and replacement real estate financing with banks, private investors, and joint ventures, including mezzanine and other uniquely structured secured loan facilities. Melissa offers her clients significant experience in negotiating commercial...

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...

David has served as counsel in hundreds of real estate, lending and workout transactions and matters, and is particularly experienced in the negotiation and closing of sale and lease transactions for office, retail, multifamily and health care clients. Dedicated to providing practical legal advice in a responsive way when it comes to negotiating and closing even the most complex and challenging real estate transactions, David is committed to providing a high degree of attention to detail with...

Justin M. Bratt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Justin M., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Justin M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michigan Trial Attorney William M. Azkoul specializes in personal injury law, complex commercial litigation, banking and credit union law, securities and alternative dispute resolution. Community Service Board of Elders, Calvary Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2014-2017, Chairman 2000-2013 Grand Rapids Bar Association 3Rs Program, Instructor of Civics Education Program at Ottawa Hills High School, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2014 – present Facilitative Mediator for the Dispute Resolution Ce...

Jeffrey D. DenBraber is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law and Litigation - Insurance. Jeffrey D., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jeffrey D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael J. Roth is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Michael J., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Aaron has successfully represented a wide range of clients—states, countries, Fortune 100 companies, law firms, and individuals—in cases of great significance, spanning numerous areas of law, including administrative, constitutional, contract, criminal, environmental, and tax. Specifically, he has represented clients in complex litigation at all levels of the state and federal courts, including in 13 cases on the merits at the U.S. Supreme Court, twice presenting oral argument. He...

ce Goodman practices energy law, environmental law, and construction law. His environmental expertise includes air quality permitting work, compliance counseling on air emissions, state and federal enforcement defense issues, and environmental management program development. His energy expertise includes negotiating numerous electric power sales agreements (both for wholesale sellers of energy and for retail consumers of energy) state electric rate cases, developing municipal energy tariffs, ...

Kaplin concentrates his corporate practice on advising clients regarding choice of entity and transactional tax planning; structuring tax-free reorganizations and like-kind property exchanges; setting up and advising tax-exempt and nonprofit corporations; handling IRS audits and appeals hearings; commencing and settling tax litigation; formulating and drafting tax opinions; and preparing IRS ruling requests. Kaplin negotiates and structures the following types of transactions: asset and prope...