Top best W Lawyers in Traverse City | 48 available

No stranger to competition and hard work, Matt Cross is dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for the clients he represents. In the years since he entered the practice, Matt has amassed an impressive amount of experience in entertainment law and civil litigation. To him, every case poses a unique problem, and it’s up to him to devote whatever time and effort is needed to find an answer and secure an optimal result. Advocacy is his passion, and he has committed substantial energy to developing his strong written advocacy talents in particular. Matt attributes his rock-solid work ethic to the values instilled in him while growing up in a blue-collar household. Proud of and grateful for his upbringing, he trained and worked as a fireman right out of high school, played varsity baseball in college, and graduated from Ferris State University with Magna Cum Laude honors. He then launched a career in the music industry in New York City before later returning to Michigan to attend law school at Wayne State University. There, he took advantage of various law firm and public interest clerkships and served as associate editor for the Journal of Law in Society on his way to earning his Juris Doctor in 2013.

It's not your job to worry about insurance issues after an injury.  That's why you hire an attorney who cares about you and takes care of the legal things so you can focus on getting better.  You are not a paycheck, you are a person.  An insurance company is not a person and we fight to make them pay.

I grew up in the southwest Michigan community of Zeeland.  After graduating from Zeeland High School I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point.  I graduated with a degree in Economics, and I commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army.  I graduated from various military schools including Airborne School, Air Assault School, and the world famous Ranger School.  I was stationed in Georgia, Alaska, Michigan, and Colorado.  I am an Afghanistan Combat Veteran, and I was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and Bronze Star Medal for my wartime service.. After returning from Afghanistan I attended Michigan Statue University College of Law where I was a King Scholar.  I received numerous academic awards during law school including multiple Jurisprudence awards (top performing student in the class).  I graduated summa cum laude.. Following law school I served as a Judge Advocate (JAG) in the United States Army at Fort Carson in Colorado.  I served as an Attorney for the 4th Infantry Division, ensuring regulatory compliance and prosecuting military crimes.. In December of 2018 I relocated to Traverse City, Michigan to continue my law practice.  I have a variety of legal experience and now focus my practice on Elder Law., which encompasses multiple topics including Medicaid and estate planning.  I am the founder of Grand Traverse Elder Law, and focus on providing client-centric advice to seniors and their families.

Hon. Holly T. Bird. Hon. Bird graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 1987.  She attended Michigan State University, where she graduated with a B.A. in art and social science.  In 1999, Hon. Bird graduated from DePaul University College of Law, where she served as the Native American Representative and President of the Latino Law Students Association.. After law school, Hon. Bird served as a Hearing Officer for Chicago Public Schools, presiding over matters concerning the educational welfare and discipline of children and teachers.  Hon. Bird was appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem for the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office in 2000, where she represented over 230 children in the abuse/neglect system.  From there, Hon. Bird went into private practice, representing clients in matters of family, criminal, traffic, civil, estate planning, real estate, and juvenile law.  Hon. Bird also served as Vice-President of the Native American Foster Parents Association.  Most notably, however, Hon. Bird founded and served as Vice-President, President, and President-Emeritus of the Illinois Native American Bar Association, and is credited for using her advocacy to remove offensive sports mascots from several Illinois schools.  Hon. Bird has authored the publications: “Jumping Through Hoops: Traditional Healers and the Indian Health Care Act,” (1999) and “Making the Cross-Cultural Case; Educating the Judge about Race, Religion, and Ethnicity” (2004).  Additionally, Hon. Bird has provided trainings on Native American Law and culture to the Illinois State Prosecutor’s Office, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services, the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office, and the Interfaith Council for Social Justice.  Hon. Bird was featured in the Illinois Department of Labor’s March 2000 “Highlights of the Progress of Women and Minorities in the Workforce.”. In 2003, Hon. Bird moved back to Northern Michigan and began working for the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor’s Office on juvenile and misdemeanor cases. In 2008, Hon. Bird was appointed as an Acting Chief Judge / Associate Judge for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, where she served until 2011.  In 2010, Hon. Bird was appointed to serve as an Associate Supreme Court Judge for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians.  Currently, Hon. Bird maintains a private practice in Traverse City, concentrating in matters of Native American, family, juvenile, criminal, civil, traffic, real estate, probate, employment and business law.  In addition, Hon. Bird is a certified Mediator, Peacemaker, and serves as a pro-tem Appellate Judge for various Tribes. In 2013, Hon. Bird was awarded the prestigious American Arbitration Association’s 2013 Higginbotham Fellowship.  In her spare time, Hon. Bird teaches criminal justice classes for the University of Phoenix.  Hon. Bird has served as a board member and mentor for the Grand Traverse Area Children’s Garden; and volunteers for the Leelanau Children’s Center and the Pathfinder School.  Further, Hon. Bird was appointed to serve on the American Indian Law Committee of the Michigan State Bar and served on the State Supreme Court’s Court Rules Committee with respect to the Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act.  She is also the Vice-President of the Northern Michigan Cultural Center, an organization dedicated to bringing people of various cultures together in Traverse City.. Hon. Bird is descended from the Yaqui/Apache/Tarascan/San Felipe Pueblo tribes and the English Isles.  She resides in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband and three children.

Deborah Rysso is actively involved in the northern Michigan community.  She served as the 2012-2013 President of the Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim Bar Association.  She is currently on the board of the Grand Traverse Pavilions Foundation.  For several years Ms. Rysso wrote a quarterly column on legal issues for baby boomers in the Traverse City Record Eagle.  She was named a Rising Star by Michigan SuperLawyers in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.  Just recently, she was named one of the leading estate planning lawyers in Traverse City by the Traverse City Business News.  She is a member of the Bay Area Senior Advocates and formerly served on the local Parkinsons Support Board.

Barry D. Adler is the principal and founding member of Adler Firm, PLLC. A Michigan local who graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor before he attended the Wayne State University School of Law, Mr. Adler is committed to helping as many injured individuals throughout the state as possible. His focuses his work on workers’ compensation, personal injury, Social Security Disability, and ERISA class actions. With more than 40 years of legal experience, he’s helped countless individuals who have been injured or suffered a disability at work or in some other accident and has recovered billions in damages. He’s authored the workers’ compensation section of the Michigan Lawyers Manual and is a member of the American Association of Justice, among other organizations.