Miller Canfield to Relocate its Kalamazoo Office
The law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. announced on June 30 that it will be the principal tenant of a new office building at the corner of Rose and South streets in downtown Kalamazoo, scheduled to be completed in 2008. The building will be built by Greenleaf Holdings, LLC and named The Miller Canfield Building. The law firm will occupy 29,600 square feet on the top two floors.
“Moving into this new office building will allow us to continue to expand in the Kalamazoo market as part of the firm’s overall strategic vision,” said head of the Kalamazoo office. “Our current building was built by the law firm Brown, Colman & DeMent in 1981 and was expanded in 1984 when that firm merged with Miller Canfield. At that time, we had only 18 lawyers. Today we have 36 lawyers and 35 staff members and we look forward to the future.”
In addition to its established corporate and securities practice, Miller Canfield is well-known in the areas of real estate, banking, intellectual property, bankruptcy, litigation, labor, tax, health law, and corporate discovery management services.
“The practice of law for our attorneys has become global. We see it every day as lawyers in our Kalamazoo office work throughout the state and nation--and with lawyers in our Windsor or Poland offices,” said Thomas W. Linn, CEO of Miller Canfield. “Technology permits us to provide services to clients anywhere in the world, yet the personal connection between lawyer and client remains the most valuable ingredient to establishing long-term relationships. The new building will enable us to bring together all of our Kalamazoo lawyers into one facility. The facility will be a platform to serve clients in Michigan and also serve clients of the firm's Naples, Florida office and clients located in Boston, Massachusetts.”
Linn added, “Remaining downtown, within easy access of clients, courts, many businesses and cultural institutions demonstrates Miller Canfield’s commitment to the Kalamazoo area, and to the continued vitality of its downtown.”
The Kalamazoo office was founded in 1941 by Eric V. Brown, Sr. (1914-2002). He was joined in practice in 1954 by Robert D. Colman. Eric V. (“Ric”) Brown, Jr. became associated with the firm in 1965 and is a principal in the Kalamazoo office.
Brown commented, “Our collective thanks to Bill Johnston of Greenleaf Holdings for his enthusiasm for economic growth in West Michigan. It is wonderful to have a new, first-class office building constructed in downtown Kalamazoo.”
The 350-attorney law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. was established in Detroit in 1852 and has offices in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Howell, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Monroe, Saginaw, and Troy, Michigan. Other offices are located in New York City, Naples and Pensacola, Florida, Windsor, Ontario, and in Gdynia, Warsaw, and Wroclaw, Poland.