James Brady Joins Dykema As Grand Rapids Office Managing Member

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of James S. Brady as Office Managing Member of the firm’s Grand Rapid office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. Brady, a former United States Attorney for the Western Judicial District of Michigan, joins Dykema from Miller Johnson where he was Chair of the Criminal Law Practice Group.

In his new role, Brady will lead the execution of Dykema’s strategic growth plan in Grand Rapids which includes a major focus on the recruitment of key lateral additions in select practice areas, including healthcare, life sciences, energy, real estate, corporate, financial institutions, environmental and litigation. As part of Dykema’s broad litigation practice, Brady will help oversee and expand the firm’s white collar defense practice.

Current Grand Rapids Office Managing Member, Brian Page, will step aside from that role which he held for seven years, to devote his attention to his firm management role as co-chair of Dykema’s national Lending practice and chair elect of the Michigan Land Title Standards Committee. Page will also focus on his commercial real estate, finance and business transactions practices.

"With Jim’s stature and reputation in West Michigan, we immediately identified him as a natural fit for the role of Office Managing Member as he will help us to propel our growth and diversification strategy moving forward," said Page.

"Jim is a very high-profile, active and well-known attorney in the West Michigan legal market and has earned a professional reputation as the go-to counsel for high-risk, high-profile litigation matters," added Rex E. Schlaybaugh, Jr., Dykema’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Adding an attorney of Jim’s pedigree reaffirms our commitment to aggressively expand our Grand Rapids office and strengthen our white collar litigation practice nationally. His proven leadership skills, prosecutorial experience and defense track record, combined with his active and long-standing civic involvement and participation, will prove invaluable as we grow the office."

National Platform, Sophisticated Practices Spur Move

Brady cited Dykema’s national platform and sophisticated practices in the areas of securities, antitrust, trade regulation and government policy (state and federal), as well as the firm’s strong industry practices serving the automotive, energy, financial services and insurance industries, as compelling points of differentiation that uniquely position Dykema in the Grand Rapids market.

"When the opportunity first emerged, I was very intrigued as Dykema has developed an impressive national platform and maintains a stellar reputation in several key practices that are in high demand," said Brady. "While the firm has developed a strong base of lawyers and clients in Grand Rapids, it has yet to fully capitalize on the many opportunities that exist here in West Michigan. I look forward to re-introducing the firm here in West Michigan and articulating its value proposition – which emphasizes quality and value – among business leaders and the legal community. It’s an exciting time to be in Grand Rapids and I’m thrilled to be entering this new chapter in my career."

A Distinguished Legal Career

Appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Brady served as U.S. Attorney for the Western Judicial District of Michigan from 1977-1981. In this role, Brady was involved in prosecuting white-collar criminal matters involving fraud, embezzlement, grand jury investigations, money laundering, and counterfeiting. He also worked extensively on white collar criminal matters in the health care, environmental, governmental agency, tax, and other arenas.

Most recently, Brady has focused his practice on the representation of various business entities, executives, medical professionals, and other individuals in criminal matters involving a wide variety of corporate, government, and individual crimes. He has significant knowledge regarding internal government processes and has worked closely with state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Attorney General’s Office, among others.

Brady is active in many professional associations, including the Michigan State Bar Foundation, where he is a Fellow, the American Inns of Court, American Trial Lawyers Association, Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, National Association of Former U.S. Attorneys, Federal Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, and the Grand Rapids Bar Association.

Brady was appointed by former Governor Jim Blanchard in 1988 to the Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University where he also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Brady currently serves on the board of the Western Michigan University Foundation and previously served as chair of the Foundation.

In 2009, Brady received the Donald R. Worsfold Distinguished Service Award from the Grand Rapids Bar Association. He was also recognized in 2009 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a "Leader in the Law" and was honored with the St. Thomas More Award by the Catholic Lawyers Association of Western Michigan in 2008.

Additionally, Brady is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, First Amendment Law, Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI Defense, Family Law, Personal Injury Litigation, White-Collar Criminal Defense, and Product Liability Litigation. He is a Michigan "Super Lawyer" for Criminal Defense and listed in Who’s Who in America.

He received a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and a B.S. from Western Michigan University.