Bruce Courtade is a shareholder with Rhoades McKee. Skilled in civil and commercial litigation, Bruce's practice emphasizes construction law, business disputes and state and federal laws governing fair competition. In 2010, he and his Rhoades McKee partner Paul McCarthy co-chaired a four-week jury trial which resulted in a verdict in favor of his clients for roughly $7.9 million, which was the highest reported verdict in the State in 2010 and is believed to be the highest verdict in the history of the Kent County Circuit Court.

President-Elect of the 41,500 member State Bar of Michigan, Bruce will assume the State Bar presidency in September 2012.

Bruce has lectured extensively on issues related to construction law and litigation throughout West Michigan, for groups such as the Builders Exchange of West Michigan, the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Professional Estimators, and the Grand Rapids Bar Association. 

Most recently, he has appeared as a panelist on two presentations televised by CSPAN as part of a presentation on “Ethics in Our World,” broadcast from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.

Professional and Community Associations

• State Bar of Michigan, President-Elect
• State Bar of Michigan, Past Chair of Representative Assembly
• Michigan State Bar Foundation, Fellow
• State Bar of Michigan, Litigation and Negligence Sections
• Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, Board of Directors
• Federal Bar Association of Western District of Michigan
• West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology, Board Member
• Builders Exchange of Grand Rapids, Member
• American Bar Association: Litigation Section; Tort & Insurance Practice Section and Construction Industry Forum
• Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Legislative and Public Policy Committee
• Grand Rapids Bar Association, Member
• Justice Foundation of West Michigan
• University of Michigan Advisory Board on Intercollegiate Athletics
• University of Michigan Alumni Association, Former Member, Board of Directors
• The University of Michigan Club of Grand Rapids, Former Member, Board of Directors

 Awards and Recognition

• Alumni Association of the University of Michigan Distinguished Alumni Service Award
• Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
• Martindale Hubbell Highest AV® Preeminent Rating
• Michigan’s Law and Politics, Super Lawyer, Consistently ranked since 2006
• Grand Rapids Business Journal, “Top 40 Under 40”, 1998 and 2002
• Michigan State Bar, John W. Cummiskey Award, Past Recipient

Representative Presentations

• Construction Lien Basics: Michigan’s Construction Lien Act – Introduction and Overview
• Construction Surety Bonds:  What Are They, How Do You Get Them, And What Do They Mean?  Understanding Your Rights and Duties Under Bid, Payment and Performance Bonds
• Michigan's Builders Trust Fund Act - Nuts, Bolts and Screw-ups:  How Robbing Peter to Pay Paul Can Be More Costly Than You Might Think
• Rules of the Trade:  Common Contractual Provisions to Recognize, Understand and Use in Your Construction Business

• Commercial Contracting 101: A Primer For Those Who are New to Commercial Contracting (Or Those Who are Looking to Re-Learn How to Survive in the Changing Economic Landscape)

Bar Admission

Michigan

Education

University of Michigan, Juris Doctor, 1988
University of Michigan, 1984

Email
Direct 616.233.5152
vCard
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