Legal Services

The Lansing lawyers of Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC have more than 100 years of combined experience representing municipalities, drain commissions, libraries, authorities, franchises, businesses, and public utilities. With this breadth and depth of experience and our emphasis on economical, efficient representation, our Lansing attorneys can successfully provide a variety of services to our clients, including:

• invaluable labor and employment representation from drafting human resource or handbook policies, to collective bargaining, to representation in all stages of Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs matters in the Wage and Hour Division or Michigan’s Employment Relations Commission, and basic guidance on interactions with union employees;
• skillful representation on liquor licensing matters with and before the Michigan Liquor Control Commission;
• deftly maneuver through the intellectual property law matters that arise in the business arena, with great emphasis on trademark matters;
• meticulous and complete assistance with all aspects of franchising your business and the franchise relationship, whether developing, promoting, or acquiring a franchise.
• thoughtful business planning and organization, considering the best vehicles for business expansion and growth, exit strategy planning, business mergers and acquisition, corporate finance, and development.
• unrivaled experience working with municipal law, Drain Commissioners, the impact of County Drain Commission authority and responsibility under  Michigan’s Drain Code, and the Code’s effects on all levels of local government;
• outstanding representation of electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities on all levels, from the Michigan Public Service Commission, to the administrative, circuit, and appellate courts of Michigan including energy law experience
• comprehensive knowledge base to cope with and anticipate, even the thorniest land use and zoning issues, from medical marihuana, to floodplains, variances, special use permits and basic ordinance violations and prosecutions;
• practiced and competent drafting of ballot measures, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and legal opinions on the multitude of issues facing our public employer clients;
• professional and competent representation in the various stages of litigation before civil and administrative courts, from complaint to appeal;
• well-versed and responsive assistance with the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act;
• representation with a level of attention to detail that is unmatched in the field of municipal law when presenting or defending property tax claims in Michigan’s Tax Tribunal;
• continuous monitoring of pending legislation that may affect our clients; and
• unmatched awareness of and preparation for the many potential pitfalls and successes of a variety of public bodies, from Downtown Development Authorities, Community Mental Health Authorities, Emergency Service Authorities, and Local Finance Development Authorities, to villages, cities, townships, and libraries.

We invite you to explore these legal services and the Lansing lawyers who provide them in the sidebar links or to contact us if you have any questions.