Varnum LLP

United States 2024

Metro Rankings

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General Information

Practice Areas

Individuals recognized in Best Lawyers

167

Client Comments

Year founded: 1888

This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.

Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

A full-service provider of legal counsel, Varnum has over 180 lawyers practicing in eight offices across Michigan and Naples, Florida. Our clients range from international corporations and regional companies to small and midsize businesses who want world-class attention and service at reasonable rates. Our nonprofit clients are equally diverse. We have built our reputation by helping clients identify opportunities, negotiate and close commercial transactions, and benefit from up-to-the-minute legal advice. You will find other law firms that offer a wide range of services, and you will find other firms with capable attorneys. Less common are those who will make the investment in you in order to become your trusted advisor.

Rankings

Varnum LLP is metro ranked in 39 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

Metro Rankings

Ann Arbor

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Construction Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Construction

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Select Clients

American Seating Co.
Georgia Pacific Corp.
Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA
Kellogg Company
Sauder Woodworking Company
Wilbur-Ellis Company

Highlighted Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.

Energy Law

Varnum have top-notch advice and strategy. Excellent team for our energy related needs.

James E. Byrum, President – Michigan Agri-Business Association

Real Estate Law

Varnum is an excellent firm and has a great team of real estate attorneys and paralegal. I have used them extensively for 25 years on a variety of simple and complex real estate matters.

Thomas Butcher – Grand Valley State University

Banking and Finance Law

As a banker, I appreciate the relationship I have with Varnum attorneys. They are highly responsive and their work product is generally flawless. They make even the most difficult of transactions seamless.

Kimberly Banat, Vice President – Huntington National Bank

Commercial Litigation

Varnum lawyers are dependable and easy to work with, they provide great service at a reasonable rate.

Commercial Litigation

I am an attorney and I know and have worked with many attorneys in my 32 years of practice. Ron DeWaard and Brion Doyle at Varnum are two of the finest attorneys I have had the privilege to ever work with. They both have my highest personal and professional recommendation.

Corporate Law

Harvery Koning's M&A team at Varnum is first rate. They are pro-active and anticipate issues. They have helped us close key deals under tremendous time pressure.They also are flexible in their billing and are willing to consider arrangements that are not common in the M&A space. Highly recommended.

Corporate Law

Varnum is a wonderful value. They have highly skilled, expert attorneys and their rates are highly competitive. I give the firm my highest recommendation.

Banking and Finance Law

I work with Kristen Veresh in the banking practice at Varnum. She works in the Northville/Livonia office. Kristen handles several accounts in my lending portfolio. I appreciate her intelligence, legal knowledge, organizational and communication skills, her responsiveness, and her pleasant demeanor. I work with several other law firms, in the Southeast Michigan area, but none as good as the legal services, and responsiveness, that I get from Kristen. Kristen, and I, also work to refer business back, and forth, to each other. It has been a very rewarding and long-standing relationship. I also trust Varnum to have the breadth to bring in other lawyers, within their firm, to add strength to anything that I am working on. Kristen has called upon lawyers, in other areas of her firm, on many occasions. They are all very knowledgeable, responsive, and pleasant to work with.

Real Estate Law

Varnum has an outstanding real estate practice group.

Gary Wadsworth, Account Executive Commercial Team – First American Title Insurance Company

Real Estate Law

Tom Forster at Varnumis an expert advisor. Capital markets, property transactions, mortgage debt, tenant relations. Wherever I am in the world, I only have to make one phone call to Tom. That is very comforting anytime, but especially during the challenges and obstacles of this market.

Andrew Shapack, General Counsel – Mohawk Medical Properties

Corporate Law

Exceptional service and expertise from Varnum and, in particular, Pete Roth. Steve Morren is also very adept and well versed in real estate transactions with very good responsiveness.

Dan Scheid, Chief Financial Officer – Harold Zeigler Auto Group

Banking and Finance Law

Varnum is an invaluable and trusted service provider for our business' banking, finance and transaction requirements. Mary Kay Shaver, Peter Roth and Jacob Droppers are the practice partners who we have primarily worked with and believe their experience, service excellence and legal acumen are significant influencers to our company's past, current and future successes.

Eric Lambert, CFO – Peterson Farms, Inc.

Tax Law

I used Varnum for a M&A Project. Varnum was very knowledgeable, both in tax & M&A, pro-active, firm with the Buyer and ultimately a successful transaction & legal fees that were cost effective.

Ray Easton – Granger III & Associates LLC

Litigation and Controversy - Tax

I've worked with Jeff DeVree for 20 years, 15 of those years at Varnum, mostly for tax planning, particularly for a M&A Transaction that resulted in a large tax savings. Also for company acquisitions and purchase-sale agreements, negotiations with sellers and energy sales & lease agreements. I was never concerned about having Jeff sit with me and negotiate with customer, seller or buyer.

Ray Easton – Granger III & Associates LLC

Immigration Law

Kim Clarke, of Varnum, is excellent and we have used her for many years.

Thomas Butcher – Grand Valley State University

Banking and Finance Law

Varnum is always responsive, knowledgeable, understanding and willing to go the extra mile to keep me and my customers delighted.

Michael Blackburn, Sr. Vice President – First Merchants

Corporate Law

Varnum is very responsive, understands our needs, and can bring in other attorneys when and where needed from their firm. The team is very cost-effective. I am extremely satisfied with their work. We just started an additional project with Varnum since the previous experiences have been very good.

Steve Field – RLS Interventional Corporation

Immigration Law

I have confidence in the advice Varnum provides and the work they perform.

Real Estate Law

Varnum attorneys are responsive and ready to go.

Immigration Law

We have worked with Varnum for several years on a variety immigration matters. They are the only firm we use and we have had success working with them. Kim Clarke is very knowledgeable, and has helped us through many situations. She responds very quickly and always helps us meet the required deadlines. Our employees also enjoy working with her on their cases. She is very knowledgeable on the subject and we have learned a lot from her.

Commercial Litigation

Our office has relied on the expertise of various Varnum attorneys and paralegals for a variety of projects over many years. We have always been confident that we were getting top notch representation and that our projects would be treated as priorities.

Corporate Law

Varnum's corporate team was lead counsel on four acquisitions that we closed in nine months. The Varnum team, led by Harvey Koning, was thorough, responsive, and hard-working. They were vital in executing our corporate growth strategy and they did all of their work for a low-fixed fee that helped us manage our outside legal spend. If you're looking for big city quality at medium-sized city prices, Varnum is the firm.

Employment Law - Management

Varnum is one of our best resources!

Real Estate Law

Varnum is an outstanding firm of dedicated professionals!

Gary Wadsworth, Account Executive Commercial Team – First American Title Insurance Company

Real Estate Law

Very good partner; I find Jon and his team at Varnum to be knowledgeable and responsive. They are typically mindful of budget considerations as well.

Randall Smith, General Counsel – Mercy Health Muskegon (Trinity Health)

Corporate Law

We work predominantly with Pete Roth and Steve Morren at Varnum. They are exceptional lawyers and give us the expertise and legal advice in a way that helps us run our business. They understand where and when to push an issue and when to let it go. We have worked with Varnum for over 10 years and find their professionalism and capabilities to be some of the best we've ever worked with.

Dan Scheid, Chief Financial Officer – Harold Zeigler Auto Group

Corporate Law

Varnum is great value for our legal work. Kim Baber is the best attorney I have worked with, including top tier law firms in New York and other major cities.

Ryan Roney, Chief Legal Officer – Spartan Motors

Immigration Law

Kim Clarke and Nina Thekdi at Varnum have been providing a fantastic service to our company. Every immigration petition they prepare and file is in the highest quality. They are always available and give us expert advice on any immigration topic. They respond to our questions very quickly. Overall, we are very satisfied and happy with their services.

Monika Musial, HR/Immigration Specialist – ITServeco Shared Services

Real Estate Law

I have been working with Thomas Forster and Varnum for many years now, and I can't express enough the value I place on their expertise in the legal field as it relates to Real Estate and all other facets of my business.

Jacob Khotoveli, Managing Partner – JBL Asset Management

Employment Law - Management

Varnum always has an expert to offer sound advice and guidance for any issue we bring to them.

Jamie Huberty – II Stanley

Tax Law

I have had excellent consulting, planning and execution with Varnum when working with Tax Saving Ideas.

Ray Easton – Granger III & Associates LLC

Employment Law - Management

Varnum has guided us through my changeling labor issues across the United States, from State issues to DOL issues. We value their advice.

Greg Vander Lende, DFO – Morrison Industries, Inc.

Litigation - Labor and Employment

We have worked with Varnum on a wide variety of Labor & Employment areas, some leading to litigation. We have been extremely pleased with the expertise, guidance, and favorable outcomes achieved.

John Flack, Director of Finance – Hi-Lex Controls, Inc

Employment Law - Management

We work with Varnum's Beth Skaggs and she is phenomenal. In terms of responsiveness, she always goes above and beyond our expectations (even when she's busy with other clients or personal matters). She provides sage advice and does so in a way that is extremely respectful of our managers and high-level executives. We do not have in house legal counsel, so we rely on Beth for some of our more complicated employment and labor law matters. The value of using Beth's services far outweighs the cost associated with her time because we avoid legal fees for poorly made decisions.

Renee Burck – Adrian College

Corporate Law

Varnum provides us a wide and a comprehensive array of services and has scaled its resources to meet those needs very effectively. They are a true business partner we rely on every day.

Dave Tuit – Acrisure

Real Estate Law

It's just a pleasure doing business with the team at Varnum. They are good people, do a great job, charge fairly, show interest in our business, and look for opportunities to contribute value when they can. It's a good, strong, professional relationship and they are likable people.

Commercial Litigation

I was first introduced to Varnum when considering legal counsel for a commercial litigation matter. What I found was that the firm in general and the attorneys I worked in particular were highly competent and skilled in their practice area of the law. Most impressive was their focus on listening to the client and the effectiveness with which they communicated complex legal matters in an easily understandable manner. I have since engaged with other attorneys at the firm in different practice areas. I find all that I have worked with to have similar qualities. Without hesitation I would recommend Varnum.

Jerry Wright, VP of Business Affairs and CFO – Adrian College

Tax Law

I have worked primarily with Jeff DeVree at Varnum for the past twenty-plus years. Jeff has been a great resource from his depth of tax knowledge and experience, ingenuity, and, maybe most importantly, his open mind. Jeff always listens when I call with some idea or thought, no matter how lame-brained it may be. I'm never leery of having Jeff in front of our customers or suppliers. Jeff will work to solve the issue, not be the winner. His goals are our goals.

Ray Easton – Granger III & Associates LLC

Real Estate Law

Varnum's attorneys are thorough, intelligent, and detail-oriented with a substantial amount of experience and expertise. They set the bar quite high and reach it.

Allan Daniels – Daniels Management Co.

Labor Law - Management

We have worked extensively with Elizabeth (Beth) Skaggs at Varnum. She is phenomenal. As an HR Office of one for a campus with about 500 employees, Beth's knowledge of labor laws has been indispensable. She has assisted us with separation agreements for represented employees, grievance responses, and more. She always makes herself available even when she's traveling or working with other clients. We greatly appreciate her expertise and trust her completely.

Renee Burck – Adrian College

Employment Law - Management

We have worked extensively with Elizabeth (Beth) Skaggs at Varnum. She is phenomenal. As an HR Office of one for a campus with about 500 employees, Beth's knowledge of employment laws has been indispensable. She always makes herself available, and she is so knowledgeable and thorough. She has provided us with guidance and options on a variety of topics ranging from FMLA administration, ADA compliance, severance agreements, handling of EEOC claims, and more.

Renee Burck – Adrian College

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Varnum offers great work by great lawyers.

Corporate Law

Varnum has very broad areas of expertise to fill all our business and liability requirements. Excellent representation and results experienced.

Mark Taylor – Bradford White

Employment Law - Management

Varnum was extremely helpful in navigating labor law considering our large union workforce.

Mark Taylor – Bradford White

Corporate Law

Pete Roth of Varnum is great to work with. He knows how to manage transactions and cut through the challenges. He also does a great job balancing our needs and knows when I will handle details and when he needs to step in.

Dan Scheid, Chief Financial Officer – Harold Zeigler Auto Group

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Varnum is very knowledgeable regarding all aspects of Employee Benefits, including very helpful insights regarding some of the most technical areas of IRS and DOL regulations.

Michael Koppenol, Director of Employee Benefits – Herman Miller

Banking and Finance Law

The Varnum team does a great job!

William (Brad) Kessel, President and CEO – Independent Bank

Corporate Law

We have worked with Varnum extensively over the last few years on all legal matters associated with our business, both nationally and internationally. And we have found the firm to be excellent in understanding, expertise and responsiveness. Mike Wooldridge has been an exceptional partner and has provided best-in-class legal support on all occasion. I have found him to be an expert on legal and tax-related matters and very commercially-minded and responsive. I highly recommend Mike and the firm Varnum.

Adam Francis – Sun Bum

Litigation - Construction

Varnum has deep expertise and provides excellent service in construction litigation matters. I highly recommend this firm.

Gloria Hage, General Counsel – Eastern Michigan University

Employment Law - Management

The lawyers at Varnum are extremely knowledgeable and connected with the judges at both the state and federal level. Varnum is our go-to law firm in Michigan for all litigation matters. They are extremely professional and efficient. I would highly recommend this firm for large scale litigation matters.

John Burgess, Senior Counsel - Litigation – Georgia-Pacific LLC

Energy Law

Varnum brings a thorough, detailed and comprehensive apporach to our issues. They have enabled us to change policy to benefit our members!

James E. Byrum, President – Michigan Agri-Business Association

Banking and Finance Law

Peter Roth and Michael Romaya are the two most professional, client-focused and knowledgeable attorneys in the State of Michigan.

Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

I have worked with the Varnum law firm for 14 years and have always received outstanding service from Mr. Richard Symons and his colleagues. I would highly recommended Varnum to any organization in need of legal representation for Workers' Compensation.

Banking and Finance Law

Varnum has been very attentive and willing to adjust fees. They did some direct work with our internal legal on building template of loan documents to distribute to approve outside counsel. Most all of our participations and "club" deals have been done by this firm.

Leo Kujawa – Flagstar Bank

Commercial Litigation

Varnum has a strong litigation group. I would highly recommend them for your litigation needs. They are responsive, effective and offer wise counsel in difficult situations.

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

I have personally used Varnum as our benefit attorneys for over 18 years. Varnum attorneys are excellent in understanding and responding to our needs and are proactive in assuring that our benefit plans are kept in compliance.

Timothy Oeschger, VP Human Resouces – Matcor Automotive

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Very knowledgeable.

Real Estate Law

I have always been pleased with our dealings with Varnum.

Banking and Finance Law

Varnum is great at anticipating our needs in advance. They also keep us up to date on potential opportunities.

Banking and Finance Law

Varnum is the best firm in Town. Mike Romaya is a tremendous attorney.

Corporate Law

Varnum is a strong firm with expertise in corporate matters.

Employment Law - Management

Varnum attorneys John Patrick White and Elizabeth Skaggs are very knowledgeable, always prompt in providing answers, and most importantly, they help the "layman" understand all options.

Labor Law - Management

Varnum attorneys John Patrick White and Elizabeth Skaggs are very knowledgeable, always prompt in providing answers, and most importantly, they help the "layman" understand all options.

Employment Law - Management

I have worked with Dave Khorey at Varnum for more than 30 years. He is the consummate professional: knowledgeable, responsive, realistic, and at a reasonable cost.

Real Estate Law

Varnum has capable, honest, and efficient real estate lawyers.

Robert Kuras – Homestead Resort

Employment Law - Management

Varnum offers very practical advice.

Employment Law - Management

We have used Varnum for a variety of employment related matters throughout the Midwest. The process and results always meet my expectation.

Michael Newman, Director-Employee Relations; Senior Corporate Counsel – Univar USA

Environmental Law

We rely on Varnum for nearly everything we do. Their representation is always accurate and thorough.

Bill Mast – Visser Brothers

Environmental Law

The representation from Varnum has been professional, prompt and fair. The firm's approach to my company's legal issues has been carried out with the correct balance of financial stewardship with environmental responsibility taken into consideration. They have offered other services in addition to services upon initial hire, which have added to my organization's environmental knowledge base much value to the price we have paid Varnum for their services.

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Varnum is in my opinion the best in the state. They are a well-rounded firm with many facets of expertise to the benefit of their clients. I have worked with them for over 15 years and they have provided our company and myself with great service and advise that has allowed our company to grow and give excellent service to our customers.

Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Varnum has done an excellent job representing my company in product liability litigation, as well as in litigation related to dealer disputes and warranty. They do outstanding work and are very responsive. They perform in a very cost-effective manner. I'd recommend Varnum to anyone.

Energy Law

Varnum lawyers are truly concerned with how our business is doing and proactively make recommendations for us to consider.

Dave Prouty – HTI (Heat Treat International)

Banking and Finance Law

Varnum is very professional and handles our business with integrity. Their ability to understand our issues and develop solutions is excellent. They are very pragmatic and timely with answers and comments. I am often called on by other firms for our corporate work, and I turn down such offers. That is the best form of flattery I can offer the Varnum Law firm.

Grant Smith – Clarkston Financial Corporation

Labor Law - Management

Varnum has continued to meet and/or exceed our expectations throughout the years with what sometimes seems to be limitless knowledge presented in the most timely and professional manner possible. Varnum leadership maintains an unsurpassed level of integrity which seems to somehow trickle down through the entire organization, setting the bar high for other firms to model.

Joshua Porter, Director of Operations – B&B Trucking

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Varnum is an excellent law firm to work with.

Timothy Oeschger, VP Human Resouces – Matcor Automotive

Rankings

Metro Rankings

Ann Arbor

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Construction Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Construction

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 2 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 2 for Family Law Mediation

Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 2 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax

Tier 3 for Family Law

Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management

Grand Rapids

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)

Tier 1 for Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 1 for Environmental Law

Tier 1 for Family Law

Tier 1 for Health Care Law

Tier 1 for Labor Law - Management

Tier 1 for Land Use and Zoning Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 1 for Litigation - ERISA

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Litigation - Municipal

Tier 1 for Litigation - Real Estate

Tier 1 for Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Tier 1 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax

Tier 1 for Municipal Law

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 1 for Trusts and Estates

Tier 2 for Commercial Finance Law

Tier 2 for Financial Services Regulation Law

Tier 2 for Immigration Law

Tier 2 for International Trade and Finance Law

Tier 2 for Litigation - Bankruptcy

Tier 2 for Litigation - Construction

Tier 2 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 2 for Litigation - Land Use and Zoning

Tier 2 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 2 for Public Finance Law

Tier 2 for Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

Tier 3 for Family Law Mediation

Tier 3 for Trademark Law

Kalamazoo

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Family Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 2 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 2 for Trusts and Estates

Troy

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 1 for Trusts and Estates

Tier 2 for Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Tier 2 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.

Agriculture Law
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Commercial Litigation
Communications Law
Corporate Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law - Management
Energy Law
Energy Regulatory Law
Environmental Law
Family Law
Financial Services Regulation Law
Health Care Law
Immigration Law
International Trade and Finance Law
Labor Law - Management
Land Use and Zoning Law
Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
Litigation - Antitrust
Litigation - Banking and Finance
Litigation - Bankruptcy
Litigation - Construction
Litigation - ERISA
Litigation - Intellectual Property
Litigation - Labor and Employment
Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
Litigation - Municipal
Litigation - Real Estate
Litigation - Securities
Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Mergers & Acquisitions
Municipal Law
Native American Law
Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Public Finance Law
Real Estate Law
Tax Law
Trademark Law
Trusts and Estates
Water Law
Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^®

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