Trent J. Taylor

Jeffrey A. Michael is a partner in the firm's Grand Rapids, Michigan, office, and a member of the Intellectual Property and Technology Departments, as well as the Nanotechnology Practice Group. Jeffrey serves corporate and individual clients by obtaining intellectual property protection in the United States and foreign countries and concentrates this portion of his practice primarily in the areas of electrical, electro-mechanical, mechanical, and computer-related inventions. He also counsels ...

Charyn K. Hain is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Charyn K., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charyn K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David T. Caldon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law, Municipal Law and Real Estate Law. David T., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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 ...

Robert D. Wolford is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee and has been practicing law since 2001. He is a corporate lawyer who represents automotive suppliers and other manufacturers ranging from publicly traded to closely held as well as nonprofit. He has significant experience in mergers and acquisitions as well as workouts and bankruptcy. Mr. Wolford serves as the Legal Counsel to several groups including the Economic Club of Grand Rapids. He is one of the founders of the West...

Dave’s “client-centered” practice involves a variety of labor and employment issues. He provides practical and confidential ongoing advice and consulting on a number of sensitive and complex labor and employment matters, from problem employee situations to multi-facility collective bargaining negotiations. His representative clients include diverse industries (such as automotive, printing, transportation and hospitals) throughout the nation.

Eric concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate and business transactions with environmental implications, regulatory counseling, brownfield redevelopment, remediation planning and implementation, underground storage tank cleanups, insurance claims and cost recovery. With a wealth of experience in litigation, Eric has a unique perspective on transactional work. He has litigated matters in state and federal courts and understands the role of advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolut...

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...

Steve Afendoulis is a partner and past chairman of the trial practice group. He is a trial and appellate advocate with a focus in the areas of complex commercial; partnership, shareholder and LLC disputes; personal injury; real estate; and trademark and unfair competition. He is a certified facilitative mediator and is trained in advanced alternative dispute resolution.

Lauretta K. Murphy is a Member of the firm and has been practicing law since 1988. Her practice areas include elder law and disability planning, and probate and estate planning. She knows how to explain things in plain English and puts people at ease even in complex estate planning or elder law situations. She recently edited Advising the Older Client or Client with A Disability for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Wills and Trusts Trust and Estate administration Estate and gift ...