Last month, I had the incredible honor of being elected to the Michigan Court of Appeals. While I am thrilled to begin this new chapter as a judge, leaving my dream job at Ackerman & Ackerman—and the chance to work alongside my dad every day—is bittersweet. As I prepare to move on, I want to share one final farewell blog reflecting on my time here.
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Although I’ve technically worked at Ackerman & Ackerman for three years, it feels like much longer. As a child, my dad often brought us to work—far more than most parents. Some of my earliest memories are of wheeling around his Troy office in a toy “Ackerman Moders” car, using office supplies to create a game that combined pinball and baseball with my brother, watching Space Jam in the conference room, and sneaking candies from my dad’s longtime secretary, Kathy. Looking back, I’m sure I was a nuisance to the other attorneys, but as far as I know, they never complained.
Throughout my childhood, my dad often reminisced about the years he spent working with his dad to start his career. That time was cut short when, just a few years after my dad started practicing, my grandfather experienced heart issues and had to retire. I suspect that must have left my dad wanting more, and he always spoke about how much he would love for us to share a similar experience.
Despite that, my dad never pressured us to follow his path. He likes to joke that my brother and sister—now an M&A attorney at Honigman and a doctor at Henry Ford, respectively—“disappointed” him, but he’s obviously joking and is deservedly very proud of them. Still, no matter where my education and career took me, my goal was always to return to Michigan and work with my dad.
A little over three years ago, I finally got that chance, and it lived up to every childhood expectation.
For posterity, I thought I would share a few memories—some fun, some work-related, but all meaningful:
Fun memories
- “Work trips”: It took me a little while to realize this—and I’m not sure if my dad does it consciously—but he has a knack for taking out-of-town cases as an excuse for us to travel together. One of my favorites was a largely unnecessary trip to a client’s headquarters nearly four hours away—conveniently located near Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course. Over the past three years, work trips have taken us to Portland, Scottsdale, Austin, New Orleans, and Cincinnati. My dad’s favorite destination, however, is anything that requires us to pass by O’s Pub in Auburn, Michigan.
- “Firm outings”: When the law firm was just my dad and me, I jokingly called our non-work-related father-son excursions “firm outings.” Some of my favorites were trips to see one of our favorite bands, Silverada (née Mike and the Moonpies), in Dallas and Chicago (and Flint).
- Daily trips to Papa Joe’s: Almost every day, my dad and I take a break—during which we inevitably have our most productive work discussions—and walk to Papa Joe’s to pick up fruit and joke around with our favorite employee, Janice.
- A lot of laughs: One of my favorites was when, during a tense mediation, an MDOT representative said that my dad was “an expert at hitting the MDOT piñata until all of the money comes out.” My dad replied with his classic line, “I’ve been blessed with the God-given ability to divide infinity by three.”
- More laughs: Another highlight was watching my dad crack up the jury during a trial. He began his opening statement, “My wife says that English is my second language; mumbling is my first,” and then proceeded to perform what could pass as a standup routine.
- Bonding with our clients: Our cases are incredibly personal for our clients—many are forced to relocate from the homes and businesses they’ve occupied for most of their lives—and it’s impossible not to get emotionally invested. That’s especially true when your clients are as incredible as ours. Several have become lifelong friends, and I recently had the honor of sponsoring the entry of one of them into the Michigan Bar.
Work memories
- Settling our first case: Two weeks into my tenure, we secured an extremely favorable settlement for the owner of a large apartment building based on a demand letter we wrote in just a couple of days using comparable sales we obtained from a high school classmate. For a short time, I thought that was how practice worked—only to realize later it was the exception, not the rule.
- Trying my first jury trial with my dad: Preparing for my first trial was unforgettable. We covered my parents’ kitchen and living room with documents and exhibits as we prepared trial binders, examination questions, and opening and closing statements.
- Winning our first bench trial: About a year ago, my dad and I tried our first tax appeal. My dad has always avoided tax appeals, believing it’s inconsistent to argue for higher property values in eminent domain cases and lower ones in tax cases. However, when the City of Trenton—where my dad serves as the City Attorney—needed representation, we gladly took the case (and won).
- Arguing with my dad: A typical day at the firm includes at least one squabble between my dad and me. But even on the days with our biggest fights, my dad would always end by asking if I wanted to join him for dinner. We’d leave our argument at the office and spend dinner laughing and joking like nothing ever happened.
- Presenting at the American Law Institute’s Eminent Domain and Property Valuation Litigation conferences: Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with my dad at these exceptionally well-executed conferences, which brings me to…
- My dad’s speech routine: Whether my dad is addressing a jury at trial, lawyers at a conference, or guests at a wedding, he always follows the same hilarious pattern. At the outset, he earnestly promises that this time he will stick to the script. But just a few minutes in, he removes his reading glasses and veers off-topic, often diving into esoteric subjects like Blackstone’s Commentaries or the Joint Committee on Reconstruction’s plans for the 14th Amendment. Once his glasses are off, he rarely returns to the script.
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Between the lessons and laughter, the time I’ve practiced with my dad at Ackerman & Ackerman has been the most fulfilling chapter of my life. I know I will always look back on these years as a highlight—just as my dad does with the time he spent working with my grandfather. I cannot speak for my dad about his experience working with my grandfather, but for me, it’s my dad who made this experience so special.
In just over six years, the law firm my grandfather founded will celebrate its 100th anniversary. I cannot be prouder to be part of that legacy. I’m thrilled that it will continue to thrive under my dad’s leadership, alongside our talented new attorney, Robert Kuhn, who joins us following federal and state supreme court clerkships and will undoubtedly uphold our firm’s high standards.
Dad, I won’t be far. Leaving the firm to join the Court of Appeals is bittersweet, but I will forever treasure the memories we’ve made. One of the biggest comforts for me is knowing I will still work with you when we teach at Michigan State’s law school this spring. Thank you for everything.
