Stephen O. Schultz
Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC
4151 Okemos Road
Okemos, Michigan 48864
Direct: (517) 381-3151
Fax: (517) 381-3171
sschultz@fsblawyers.com
Okemos lawyer Stephen O. Schultz is a founding partner of the Lansing law firm. For over thirty years, he has dedicated himself to the representation of municipalities across the state of Michigan and to protecting the interests of employers in both the private and public sectors. He has been recognized by the national publication, “The Best Lawyers in America,” as an expert labor attorney in the representation of employers in labor and employment law and he is also listed in the publication “Michigan Super Lawyers” as an expert in the field of Labor and Employment Law. He holds the highest rating available from the Martindale-Hubble Law Directory.
Steve’s practice has focused on the representation of municipalities in a wide range of matters including those arising under the Home Rule Cities or township enabling statutes, the Open Meetings Act, the Freedom of Information Act, Michigan’s Public Employment Relations Act, the Downtown Development Authority Act and myriad other statutes applicable to municipalities across the state. Over the years, and currently, you will find Steve serving as a City Attorney, Township Attorney, Library Attorney, and counsel to counties, DDAs and other specialized authorities from the Sault to St. Joseph to the Detroit area, throughout Lansing and Okemos. He is a committed advocate for the interests of municipalities and a firm believer in the benefits of local control of local concerns.
In representing employers as a labor attorney, Steve is heavily involved in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and in the defense of employers in civil rights, unfair labor practice, and contract claims. He is regularly found appearing before the National Labor Relations Board, the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, and numerous arbitrators on behalf of his clients. He has bargained collective bargaining agreements with virtually every labor organization representing employees in Michigan including the UAW, the Teamsters, AFSCME, the OPEIU, and the organizations representing police and firefighters across the state. As to these latter organizations, he is well versed in the unique procedures and vagaries of Act 312 as it relates to the contracts for Police and firefighter bargaining units.
Steve is a frequent speaker and writer on topics of interest to employers and municipalities. Several times each year, you will find him presenting seminar sessions on a wide variety of topics relevant to employers in both the private and public sectors, and to cities, townships, counties, downtown development and other special authorities and public libraries. Over the years, Steve has served as the Chair of the governing council of the Public Corporation Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and Editor of the “Public Corporation Law Quarterly.” He has also served as an instructor of Local Government Administrative Law for the Masters of Public Administration Program at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and authored dozens of articles and contributed to publications for many years on a wide range of topics.
Steve was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1978 after attending Wayne State University Law School. Prior to attending Wayne State, Mr. Schultz received a Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University and a Masters of Arts concentrating in Public Administration from Michigan State University.
Steve, and his charming wife, Jane, love spending their spare time with their three sons. When he finds a moment, though, he also enjoys a round of golf or roaring downhill on a pair of skis.