Michael L. Bevins
Shareholder
Phone: 616.842.3030
Fax: 616.846.6621
Email: mbevins@scholtenfant.com
Legal Assistant:
Mary Hardy
Practice Areas:
School Law
Areas of emphasis/expertise:
Michael practices in the area of School Law, primarily in matters
dealing with special education.
Bar Memberships:
State Bar of Michigan
Ottawa County Bar Association
Education:
Northern Michigan University (Bachelor of Science, 1981)
Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Juris Doctor, cum laude, 1985)
Professional Activities:
Michael is a frequent lecturer on special education law, a member
of the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education, Michigan
and National Association of School Boards-Council of School Attorneys, and
serves as a Board member of the Michigan Council of School Attorneys.
Background:
Prior to becoming an attorney, Michael spent eight years as a
social worker in the Community Mental Health System, first
with the Marquette-Alger Community Mental Health Center working with emotionally
impaired children in a residential setting and later with the Clinton-Eaton-Ingham
Community Mental Health Center working in a day-treatment program with chronically
mentally ill adults. Michael worked for two years with the
Michigan Court of Appeals as a clerk and Court Officer. Upon graduation
from law school in 1985, Michael worked with Michigan Protection and Advocacy
Service practicing exclusively in the area of special education law representing
students and parents. When he left Michigan Protection and Advocacy, Michael
was engaged in a general solo practice from 1986 until 1995, which included
criminal law, family law, personal injury and plaintiff medical malpractice,
juvenile and special education law. From 1995 until joining Scholten Fant
in 2004, Michael exclusively represented school districts in the area of
school law with a primary emphasis in the area of special education. Michael
has represented districts in administrative hearings and administrative
appeals, as well as in state trial and appellate courts, federal district
court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Personal:
A “yooper” at heart, Michael grew up in Marquette in Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior. His daughter, Brie, recently
moved from Marquette to the Lower Peninsula to reside in the “big city” (Grand
Rapids). Michigan’s west coast is the perfect place for Michael, since
he loves the water and spends his free time on his boat, fishing,
tending to his saltwater aquarium or scuba diving.