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Stephen Hulst

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up."

George Herman Ruth

Key Service Areas

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Business Valuation Litigation
  • Personal Injury and No-Fault Litigation

616.233.5155

legal assistant - Madison Linton

About Stephen

How do you help businesses and individuals?

I help businesses and owners navigate their legal issues, often in the Michigan Business Courts. My experience includes representing clients in all kinds 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 specialize in cases involving business-valuation and “business divorce” issues, such as shareholder-oppression and dissenter’s rights.

My practice also focuses on representing individuals in personal injury matters, including those injured in auto accidents and as a result of negligence, as well as individuals and medical providers seeking recovery of benefits 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 in attempting to resolve their disputes, and have recovered millions of dollars for clients seeking compensation for injuries or benefits they are entitled to under insurance policies.

What sets you apart from other lawyers in your practice field?

After graduating with a business degree, I have continued building my expertise by completing courses through the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Society of Appraisers (ASA).   My clients also benefit from my overall experience with claims under the No-Fault Act as, over the past ten years, I have likely filed and settled more provider claims than nearly any other attorney in West Michigan. 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.

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

Q: What would your client say about you?

A:

 

“Stephen’s work on our behalf was absolutely phenomenal. He extensively prepared months in advance of the trial, he knew the law backwards and forwards, and his public speaking was excellent. We could tell that he really put his heart and soul into our case, and it definitely showed in the results. We recommend Stephen Hulst in the strongest possible terms.”

 

—Ariah Van Os, General Manager, Serviscreen, Inc.

 

“We found Stephen to be an outstanding communicator who kept us comfortable and informed of the legal process as it unfolded. His preparation and presentation in court was so effective that he simply outclassed the opposing attorney. He achieved this result not only in his knowledge of the law, but also in his tactics and attention to detail in jury selection. We would not hesitate to recommend him, and his team.”

 

-John and Ailene Pugno

 

Associations

State Bar of Michigan, Litigation Section Member

Grand Rapids Bar Association, Litigation Section Member

Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Michigan, Member

Legal Aid of West Michigan, Volunteer Attorney

Hillman Trial Advocacy Program, Steering Committee

Michigan State Bar Foundation, Fellow

Managing Partners Diversity Collaborative, Recruiting Committee Member

Association for Corporate Growth Western Michigan, Past Young Professionals Board Member

Bar Admission

Michigan

Illinois

U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

Awards and Recognition

Benchmark Litigation, 40 and Under

Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2014 "Up and Coming Lawyer"

Michigan Super Lawyers®, Business Litigation

Michigan Super Lawyers®, Rising Star - Business Litigation

Grand Rapids Magazine, Top Lawyer in Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury

Leading Lawyers, Law Bulletin Media, Commercial Litigation

Best Lawyers of America®, Commercial Litigation

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