Bay City Civil Rights Lawyers

Julie A. Gafkay graduated from Michigan State University in 1992 with a dual major in criminal justice and political theory. She graduated from Whittier Law School in 1995 with honors. Her first position was in Flint, Michigan focusing on civil rights and employment discrimination. In 2003, Attorney Gafkay opened her own statewide practice in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The practice's attorneys provide a general practice to the local area providing legal services in Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Business Planning, contract review, landlord/tenant issues, real estate, employment issues and other general practice areas. Attorney Gafkay has...

T.J. was born and raised in Central Michigan, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is a proud Michigander, who was raised in a blue collar family and taught from the beginning the importance of hard work and giving back to the community. T.J. is a life member of the VFW, Military Order of Purple Heart and sits on the board of directors of a local non-profit organization. Shortly after graduating high school, T.J. enlisted in the Army where he would serve for nearly 11 years, retiring as a Staff Sergeant. Some of the more notable highlights...

Growing up in Genesee County during the 1980's and 1990's really shaped my desire to work for the middle class and blue color sections of society for it was these sections that I most frequently saw receiving unfair treatment. As far back as a Freshman in high school, I remember being forced to play on substantially inferior softball fields, with uniforms that were riddled with holes, while the male students had new uniforms, pristine fields and the most up to date equipment. This unfair and illegal disparity in treatment between the genders has carried on into my adult...

Heather Brooks-Szachta earned her Juris Doctorate in 1997 from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan. This came after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan-Flint in 1992. She was licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan in 1997 and was admitted to Federal Court in 2005. Before coming to work at the Law Offices of Barry Shoults & Associates in 1999, and becoming partner in Shoults, Picard & Brooks, PLLC in 2010, she gained experience at the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, the Wayne County Neighborhood Legal Services Clinic, and a...

Nicholas Roumel is a trial lawyer with over 30 years' experience. He has an excellent record in jury and bench trials, administrative hearings, arbitrations, and appeals. His primary areas of practice are:

Employment and Civil Rights Law - Counsel and litigation in all areas of discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, First Amendment, due process and wrongful discharge; contract review; non-competes; and severance packages. Nick is the chair of the Washtenaw County Bar Association Labor & Employment Section.

Labor Law - As a former union local president, Nick is well suited to provide representation to unions and their members in arbitration, unfair labor practice...

Keeley Blanchard is a top criminal defense attorney in Michigan. She focuses her practice in the areas of defending those wrongfully accused of criminal sexual conduct, child abuse, domestic violence, assault, child pornography, and drug crimes. Her trial experience is significant, she has an excellent reputation for being aggressive, and will out-prepare any of the prosecutors she faces in court.

Tom Howlett vigorously pursues cases for people and families harmed by others' misconduct, undertaking both individual lawsuits and class actions. His primary areas of focus are professional negligence (medical malpractice and legal malpractice), catastrophic injury, civil rights (wrongful convictions), and consumer class actions.

David Nacht has tried over 2 dozen cases with his most recent victory in the spring of 2013 in federal court. His last civil jury award was in June 2012 in Muskegon County, Michigan in the case of Crosby v. Michigan Department of Corrections where he obtained a judgment of $390,000.

Mr. Nacht, the firm founder, holds degrees from Harvard College ('87) and The University of Michigan Law School ('92), where he served as an editor of the Law Review. Mr. Nacht is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, the highest rating for lawyers by lawyers, has been named a "Million Dollar...

Co-Counsel on the largest police misconduct verdict in Michigan history and the largest verdict in Michigan this year! On November 3, 2016, a jury in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a $36,600,000 against Genesee County Deputies for using excessive force against a man arrested for drunken driving. Click the link below for details. This is one of many seven figure verdicts and settlements that I have obtained for my clients in civil rights and personal injury cases. http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/06/jury-awards-36m-verdict-genesee-county-police-brutality-case/93287248/ In addition to civil...

By keeping a limited caseload, I can forge a truly personal relationship with each client, thereby strengthening the attorney-client relationship. I firmly believe that the most effective defense or for prosecuting a personal injury case can only be effectuated when there is a strong foundation of trust between attorney and client. I do everything in my power to earn that trust. A limited caseload also allows me to be aggressive, not merely encouraging my client to take the first plea offer or first settlement offer just because it would ease my workload. I have the time and resources to fully investigate...

Elizabeth Abdnour Law, PLLC fights for fair and equitable treatment in K-12 and higher education.

At the college and university level, founder and principal Liz Abdnour specializes in helping victims of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination, using her unique position as a former Title IX investigator—at Michigan State University during the Larry Nassar investigation—to guide clients through academic bureaucracy. In K-12 public school settings, Liz fights for special education students to receive the services they are due under federal law. The firm also conducts trainings, investigations, and audits of educational institutions and workplaces in these areas.

The firm accepts a limited...