The firm was founded by Donald E. McGinnis, Jr. in
1973, soon after he passed the Michigan Bar Exam. He prepared for his career in
law by attending the University of Colorado where he received his Bachelor of
Arts degree and the Detroit College of Law where he received his Juris Doctor
degree.
Prior to his entry into the practice of law, he served as a Circuit Court Clerk
to the Honorable Arthur E. Moore in the Oakland County Circuit Court and had the
opportunity to observe court room procedures long before he was licensed. After
he became licensed and commenced his practice, Mr. McGinnis became involved in
trial litigation involving criminal cases and family law matters.
During the building of his law firm, Mr. McGinnis donated much of his time to
many community service organizations for the benefit of the community. Having
had a philosophy that the practice of law was not for monetary gain but for the
betterment of the public’s interest and certainly for the betterment of the
legal profession. Mr. McGinnis served as an adult education teacher for the Troy
School District for in excess of 10 years. He was elected to the Troy School
Board serving for 5 years, of which 2 years he served as its President. He
oversaw multi-million dollar budgets and the formation of a fine school district
which exists in the City of Troy today.
Mr. McGinnis also became involved in Bar related activities and was elected to
the Oakland County Bar Association wherein he served for in excess of 12 years,
eventually becoming the President of the OCBA for 2005/2006. Further, he was
revered by the highest honor the OCBA bestows on one of its members, that being
the Professionalism Award which is dedicated to an attorney who goes above and
beyond the requirements in exhibiting the greatest degree of professionalism in
honor of his profession. Mr. McGinnis is AV rated by Martindale Hubbard.
He is a member of the Family Law and Criminal Law sections of the OCBA and has
handled in excess of hundreds of family law matters relating to all aspects of
the practice including but not limited to divorce, custody, support, post
judgment modifications, juvenile matters, personal protection orders and abuse
and neglect matters.
Mr. McGinnis was then elected to the State Bar Board of Commissioners. The Board
of Commissioners is the policy arm of the State Bar of Michigan and represents
the Oakland County District.
He is currently the Chairman for the Act 78 Commission for the Troy Police and
Fire Department and serves as a member of the Oakland County Community Trust, a
scholarship trust who awards scholarships to deserving students from Oakland
County schools.
Mr. McGinnis has also lectured for the Michigan Trial Lawyers for their
continuing legal education arm and has written numerous articles as it relates
to the practice of law and the standards which attorneys should follow
Mr. McGinnis has been recognized by several publications for
his contributions to the legal profession, including Super Lawyers, Crain’s
Detroit Business and dbusiness magazine.
