Key Service Areas
- Commercial Litigation
- Business Valuation Litigation
- Personal Injury and No-Fault Litigation
legal assistant - Madison Crowell
Grand Rapids Location
55 Campau Avenue NW, Suite 300
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
Hastings Location
607 N. Broadway, Suite A
Hastings, MI 49058
Holland Location
11377 James Street
Holland, Michigan 49422
About Stephen
How do you help businesses and individuals?
As a trial attorney experienced in all aspects of litigation, my practice focuses on the following areas:
Personal Injury: I represent individuals injured in auto accidents and as a result of negligence, including those suffering catastrophic and life-changing injuries, as well as families with wrongful death claims. My experience includes helping individuals and their families recover millions of dollars as a result of injuries sustained in all manner of circumstances, including auto accidents, trucking accidents, airplane crashes, large commercial vehicle accidents, and premises liability claims.
No-Fault Law: I represent medical providers, including home-care agencies, therapists, case managers, other providers, and accident victims and their families seeking recovery under Michigan’s No-Fault Act. I have extensive experience helping individuals and providers work with insurance companies, adjustors, and the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association and have recovered millions of dollars for clients seeking compensation for injuries or benefits they are entitled to under insurance policies.
Commercial Litigation: I help businesses and their owners in a variety of business-related disputes, including those involving breach of contract, conversion and embezzlement, fraud, sales commissions, and breach of fiduciary duty. As part of my business-litigation practice, I also specialize in complex cases involving business-valuation and “business divorce” issues, such as shareholder-oppression and dissenter’s rights.
What sets you apart from other lawyers in your practice field?
My experience with both the No-Fault Act as well as personal injury claims allows me to provide comprehensive representation to my clients who are not only dealing with the pain, suffering, and limitations from their injuries but also often find themselves overwhelmed by medical bills and issues. My clients also benefit from my overall experience as, over the past fifteen years, I have likely filed and resolved more provider claims than any other attorney in West Michigan and have been heavily involved in litigating claims since no-fault reform in 2019. Finally, I also have had the privilege of representing many people who have suffered injuries due to another’s negligence and understand the importance of being able to communicate the true extent of a client’s damages. My experience includes trying a case to a jury in one of the most conservative counties in the state and obtaining a verdict and judgment that was more than three times what the insurance company offered to my clients.
I also believe my undergraduate degree in business and further coursework through the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) helps me analyze and evaluate damages in the business claims I handle.
What did you learn in your first year of practice that you still utilize today?
Preparation is key. I learned this early in my career from working with some great litigators at our firm. They didn’t just show up to court and, on the spot, present a winning argument. Instead, the end product – whether it was a written brief, an oral argument, or an opening statement at trial – was effective because of the effort that went into preparing for it.
Education
Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2006
Hope College, B.A., Business Management, summa cum laude, 2003
