Effective Advocates • Trusted Counselors

Celebrating 140 Years of Legal Service

in Grand Rapids

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Wheeler Upham Lobby and Front Desk

Personalized Service

Wheeler Upham has been providing effective, efficient legal counsel for over 139 years. Our attorneys have backgrounds and expertise in virtually every area of the law, enabling us to continue a strong tradition of providing our clients the advantages of a full-service law firm.
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Offices

Our attorneys are leaders in the courtroom, boardroom, classroom, community and profession. Two of our founding attorneys served as federal judges, and several others have held seats on the local bench. Seven Wheeler Upham attorneys have served as President of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. One of our colleagues was elected President of the State Bar of Michigan.
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Locally based in West Michigan

Based in downtown Grand Rapids, our offices are adjacent to the Kent County and City Hall buildings. We are conveniently located just steps from the county, state and federal courthouses.Read More

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Wheeler Upham is a full service law firm

Our lawyers have expertise ranging from business and corporate law to estate planning and administration, from employment law to product liability defense, from personal injury to creditor’s rights. We have experts in the Postal Service, real estate law, insurance law, alternative dispute resolution and mediation, tax exempt and non-profit organizations, ecclesiastical law, litigation, and family law, and we can provide local counsel for out-of-town attorneys.
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Catherine M. Sullivan - Resume

Bar Admissions

  • Michigan, 1987
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 1987
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1997


Education

  • JD, University of Toledo College of Law, 1987
  • BSBA, Aquinas College, 1984, Cum Laude


Professional Associations

  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Grand Rapids Bar Association


Employment History

  • Private Practice, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007-Present
  • Schenk, Boncher & Rypma, PC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989-2007
  • Sawyer & Thieme, PC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1987-1989

Gary A. Maximiuk - Resume

Bar Admissions
  • Michigan, 1976
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1976
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1991
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 1992

 

Education
  • JD, Wayne State University, 1976                 
  • BA, University of Michigan, 1972

 

Professional Associations
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Grand Rapids Bar Association

 

Publications

 

Employment History
  • Wheeler Upham, P.C., 1988-Present
  • Harvey, Kruse, Westen & Milan, P.C., 1975-1988

James M. Shade - Resume

Bar Admissions

  • Michigan, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 1982


Education

  • JD, University of Michigan, 1981, Cum Laude                 
  • BA, Calvin College, 1971


Professional Associations

  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Grand Rapids Bar Association


Employment History

  • Wheeler Upham, P.C., Grand Rapids, MI, 1993-Present
  • Bergstrom, Quinn & Oole, P.C., Grand Rapids, Michigan,  1982-1993
  • Production Manager, The Composing Room of Michigan, Inc., 1971-1977

Glenn L. Smith - Resume

Bar Admissions

  • Michigan, 1989
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1990
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1990
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2002
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2009
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2009
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2013


Other Tribunals

  • Merit System Protections Board (MSPB)
  • The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  • U.S. Department of Labor’s Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board
  • U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)
  • U.S. Postal Service Judicial Officer
  • The U.S. Postal Service Board of Contracts Appeal (PSBCA)
  • U.S. Office of Personnel Management
  • Michigan Employment Security Board of Review
  • Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency
    Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR)


Education

  • JD, University of Michigan, 1989                 
  • BA, University of Michigan, 1985


Professional Associations

  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Grand Rapids Bar Associations
  • Labor and Employment Law Section (Past Chair)


Employment History

  • Wheeler Upham, P.C., 2002-Present
  • United States Postal Service, Atlanta Field Office, Staff Attorney, Atlanta, GA, 1991-2002
  • United States Postal Service, General Administrative Law Division, Washington, DC, Staff Attorney, 1989-1991

Awards

  • Recognized by Best Lawyer’s in America in the category of Employment Law


Publications