Michael J. Distel

Contact Information

miked@bolhouselaw.com
Telephone: (616) 531-7711
Fax: (616) 531-7757

Legal Assistant

Maureen Johnson
maureenj@bolhouselaw.com

Practice Description and Experience

Commercial and Civil Litigation. Mike represents financial institutions and businesses in negotiating and resolving business contract disputes, collection of past due debts, commercial loan workouts, and secured transactions. Mike has successfully collected millions of dollars of funds for his various clients and has negotiated creative payments schedules on behalf of numerous business clients. Mike focuses on obtaining cost effective and positive results for all clients. Whenever possible, Mike strives to resolve the dispute before a dispute reaches litigation. If litigation is unavoidable, Mike has represented his clients in hundreds of lawsuits and has successfully obtained results for his clients all the way through trial.

Mike also has extensive experience as both a plaintiff and defense attorney in all civil litigation matters including real estate disputes, employment law disputes, and personal injury. Mike is approved counsel for several insurance companies involved in defense of personal injury claims and has defended lawyers in West Michigan involved in legal and professional negligence claims.

Workers’ Compensation and Employment Law. Mike represents business clients and employers in defense of workers’ compensation claims and various employment related issues. Mike has assisted employers in unemployment benefit disputes and in response to Michigan Department of Civil Rights complaints. Mike also negotiates employment agreements and/or employment separation agreements on behalf of both employers and employees, and has assisted individuals and businesses with non-competition agreements.

Education

Juris Doctorate from University of Detroit, School of Law – 1990
     Law Review Case and Comment Editor
Bachelor of Arts, International Relations, Michigan State University, James Madison College – 1985

Court and Bar Associations

All Michigan State Courts
U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
Federal Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Federal Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan
Grand Rapids Bar Association
Michigan Bar Association
American Bar Association