- Legal Team
James R. Brown concentrates his law practice in municipal law and real property law. He represents many townships, villages, cities and other municipal bodies throughout West Michigan and elsewhere in the state.
His law practice has a particular emphasis in the representation of townships, and he serves as general counsel for a large number of townships in Kent County and in surrounding counties.
Jim is also an experienced township official, having served for 25 years as chairperson of the Grand Rapids Township Planning Commission. He also served for 20 years as chairperson of the Board of Zoning Appeals of Grand Rapids Township. He is an active member of the Michigan Townships Association and has written and lectured extensively on legal matters affecting townships, villages and public authorities.
A significant portion of his practice involves zoning and other land use matters. He has drafted zoning ordinances for many local governments in Michigan, and his articles on zoning and real property law have appeared in the Michigan Planning and Zoning News, the Michigan Real Property Review, and other publications. He is also active in representing district libraries and other types of libraries established by local governments.
Jim also has an extensive real property law practice, and has been active at the state level as an officer of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He served for several years as a member of the Council of the Section. He is a former chairperson of the Real Property Law Section, and been a member of the State Bar Land Title Standards Committee for more than 25 years, and is a former chairperson of that committee.
Jim has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1990, and was named by Best Lawyers as Grand Rapids' Municipal Lawyer of the Year. He is a member of the Michigan Association of Township Attorneys, the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys, the Michigan Society of Planning Officials, the American Planning Association, the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the Michigan State Bar Foundation, among other professional organizations.
He is an elected member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and has served as a member of several public land use organizations, including the Citizens Committee on Downtown Grand Rapids Zoning.
Jim is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. His recent publications include articles involving the Michigan Land Division Act, Transfer of Development Rights, the Freedom of Information Act and cases on exclusionary zoning.
Areas of Practice
Local Government Proceedings
Zoning and Land Use Planning
Local Ordinances
Public Authorities
Municipal Financing
Real Property Transactions
District Libraries, Township Libraries
Bar Admissions
Michigan, 1965
Education
The University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
J.D.
Albion College, Albion, Michigan
A.B.
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
Honors and Awards
Selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America since 1987, and was named by Best Lawyers as Grand Rapids' 2013 Municipal Lawyer of the Year and as Grand Rapids' 2014 Real Estate Lawyer of the Year
Selected for inclusion in Grand Rapids Magazine's 2019, 2020 and 2021 Top Lawyers
Selected for inclusion in Michigan Super Lawyers
Selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2014 Leader in the Law
Professional Associations and Memberships
Grand Rapids Charter Township Planning Commission
Chairman, 1975-2000
Grand Rapids Charter Township Board of Zoning Appeals
Chairman, 1975-1995
State Bar of Michigan, Land Title Standards Committee
Chairman, 1995-1998
American College of Real Estate Lawyers
Member, Land Use Regulation Committee
State Bar of Michigan, Real Property Law Section
Chairman, 1991-1992
State Bar of Michigan, Real Property Law Section
Council Member, 1984-1992
Michigan Association of Township Attorneys
Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys
National Association of Bond Lawyers
Michigan Society of Planning Officials
American Planning Association
Lawyer Locator
Type the first characters of a lawyer's name. Click their name to view contact information and an option for additional details.
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Joshua D. Beard
Joshua D. Beard
- 616-632-8043
- jbeard@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Aviation, Civil Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, Environmental, Municipal, Tax
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- Elizabeth K. Bransdorfer
Elizabeth K. Bransdorfer
- 616-632-8029
- ebransdorfer@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Civil Litigation, Colleges & Universities, Custody, Divorce, Family Law, Public Schools
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- James R. Brown
James R. Brown
- 616-632-8031
- jbrown@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Municipal, Real Estate
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- Daniel J. Broxup
Daniel J. Broxup
- 616-632-8059
- dbroxup@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Securities
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- Nikole L. Canute
Nikole L. Canute
- 616-632-8049
- ncanute@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, Labor & Employment, Securities
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- Dominic T. Clolinger
Dominic T. Clolinger
- 616-632-8045
- dclolinger@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Municipal, Technology & Intellectual Property Law
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- John M. DeVries
John M. DeVries
- 616-632-8012
- jdevries@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, Environmental
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- Douglas A. Donnell
Douglas A. Donnell
- 616-632-8035
- ddonnell@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Civil Litigation, Environmental, Municipal
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- Scott E. Dwyer
Scott E. Dwyer
- 616-632-8033
- sdwyer@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Aviation, Business & Commercial, Civil Litigation, Colleges & Universities, Entity Formation, Health Care, Labor & Employment, Mergers & Acquisitions, Municipal, Public Schools, Technology & Intellectual Property Law
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- Bradley A. Fowler
Bradley A. Fowler
- 616-632-8086
- bfowler@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Municipal, Real Estate
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- Fredric N. Goldberg
Fredric N. Goldberg
- 616-632-8010
- fgoldberg@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Colleges & Universities, Entity Formation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities, Technology & Intellectual Property Law
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- John H. Gretzinger
John H. Gretzinger
- 616-632-8027
- jgretzinger@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Labor & Employment, Municipal, Public Schools
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- Michael C. Haines
Michael C. Haines
- 616-632-8013
- mhaines@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Energy & Natural Resources
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- Alexander P. Henderson
Alexander P. Henderson
- 231-723-8333
- ahenderson@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Municipal, Real Estate
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- William A. Horn
William A. Horn
- 616-632-8016
- whorn@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, Environmental, Municipal, Tax
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- Neil P. Jansen
Neil P. Jansen
- 616-632-8052
- njansen@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Environmental, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates
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- Daniel R. Kubiak
Daniel R. Kubiak
- 616-632-8018
- dkubiak@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Bankruptcy & Creditor Rights, Business & Commercial, Commercial Lending, Entity Formation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate
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- Kimberly M. Large
Kimberly M. Large
- 616-632-8024
- klarge@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Custody, Divorce, Family Law, Labor & Employment, Trusts & Estates
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- David S. Lefere
David S. Lefere
- 616-632-8000
- dlefere@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Commercial Lending, Entity Formation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate, Tax, Trusts & Estates
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- Ross A. Leisman
Ross A. Leisman
- 616-632-8017
- rleisman@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Automobile Accidents, Business & Commercial, Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Municipal, Personal Injury & Wrongful Death, Real Estate
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- Christopher D. Matthysse
Christopher D. Matthysse
- 616-632-8042
- cmatthysse@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Trusts & Estates
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- Mark E. Nettleton
Mark E. Nettleton
- 616-632-8048
- mnettleton@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Municipal, Public Finance, Tax
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- Jennifer A. Puplava
Jennifer A. Puplava
- 616-632-8050
- jpuplava@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Civil Litigation, Technology & Intellectual Property Law
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- Ronald M. Redick
Ronald M. Redick
- 616-632-8053
- rredick@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Environmental, Municipal, Real Estate
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- George V. Saylor
George V. Saylor
- 231-723-8333
- gsaylor@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Municipal, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates
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- James F. Scales
James F. Scales
- 616-632-8047
- jscales@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Municipal, Real Estate, Tax, Trusts & Estates
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- Curtis L. Underwood
Curtis L. Underwood
- 616-632-8021
- cunderwood@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates
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- Mark A. Van Allsburg
Mark A. Van Allsburg
- 616-632-8039
- mvanallsburg@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Energy & Natural Resources, Municipal, Real Estate
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- James K. White
James K. White
- 616-632-8034
- jwhite@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Municipal, Public Finance, Tax
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- Richard M. Wilson
Richard M. Wilson
- 231-723-8333
- rwilson@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Environmental, Health Care, Municipal, Real Estate
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- Nathaniel R. Wolf
Nathaniel R. Wolf
- 616-632-8046
- nwolf@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business & Commercial, Civil Litigation, Colleges & Universities, Immigration, Labor & Employment, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities
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- Benjamin A. Zainea
Benjamin A. Zainea
- 616-632-8019
- bzainea@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Business & Commercial, Commercial Lending, Entity Formation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate, Tax, Technology & Intellectual Property Law, Trusts & Estates
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- Kathryn M. Zoller
Kathryn M. Zoller
- 616-632-8044
- kzoller@mikameyers.com
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Area of Practice:
Civil Litigation, Municipal
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