Michigan Government Solutions
Foley’s Michigan Government Solutions Team has the experience and connections necessary to provide you with creative and responsive counsel on local, state, and federal government matters. Our Government Solutions attorneys have both industry and government experience and are able to bring that perspective and insight to help you reach your goals. With a solid presence both in Lansing, home of the state government, and in Detroit, the state’s largest city, economic heart, and home of Foley’s Michigan office, we provide a valuable link between our clients and the state capital.
Furthermore, we provide a full spectrum of public affairs services, combining comprehensive counsel with legislative tracking, lobbying, procurement, and election law to support your Michigan-related policy goals and needs.
Administrative and Legislative Lobbying Services
We go beyond having a “hired gun” speak with state officials. Our Michigan team has registered lobbyists Lynn Gandhi, Steve Hilfinger, and Rob Nederhood who work directly to raise your profile and influence. Our lobbying services are wide-ranging and include administrative, regulatory, and legislative lobbying, such as:
- State-level lobbying and regulatory and administrative lobbying with numerous Michigan agencies, including Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)
- Strategic counseling on which legislative and regulatory issues to tackle, the best approach to lobbying, and maintaining positive relations with the legislative and executive branches of government
- Advice and tactics for overcoming bureaucratic hurdles
- Advocacy strategies for legislators, the governor’s office, and regulators regarding legislation, rules, or other matters
- Assistance in drafting language for legislation, amendments, and testimony for legislative or regulatory hearings
- Relevant administrative lobbying experience for today’s key issues, including cannabis regulation
Michigan Procurement Services
Procurement counseling on strategic business opportunities with the state and other public agencies can help open the right doors in an effort to maximize opportunities related to potential state contracts. We offer government procurement and contracting counsel such as:
- Monitoring public agencies for potential RFP and bid opportunities
- Gathering intelligence on pending proposals from state legislators and administration officials
- Bid preparation assistance
- Negotiation of government contracts
- Bid protests
Michigan State and Local Tax Services
The Michigan team has Partners with particular focus on state and local tax services:
- Lynn Gandhi is well-known for her engagement on Michigan tax policy initiatives affecting both businesses and individuals. She has lead legislative and administrative changes to benefit business entities and their owners. Lynn advises her clients on sophisticated multistate tax planning, audits, appeals, and legislative and policy initiatives across multiple industry platforms. Lynn is particularly well-versed in the wide array of Michigan taxes and unclaimed property laws.
- Jason Conti focuses on controversy tax law, including property tax appeals, and on Michigan real estate tax policy, including tracking of property and real estate tax regulations. He has over 20 years of experience handling complex, highstakes property tax appeal litigation. Jason has obtained numerous verdicts, settlements, dismissals, and published court decisions in favor of his clients, including over $50 million in property tax refunds for his property owner clients.
Michigan Attorney General Counsel
Foley’s Michigan State Attorneys General team is led by Jennifer Belveal, who also heads Foley’s Government Enforcement, Defense, and Investigations in Detroit. The Michigan AG team is part of a larger coordinated team of AG practitioners at Foley who cover all fifty states, and, as such, is familiar with many of the issues being pursued or defended by State Attorneys General on a national basis, including cases in which the Michigan AG has joined.
Unlike most other AG practitioner groups who attempt to cover the country from an office in Washington, D.C., our team’s AG counselors are located in Michigan, right where you need us to be. We provide a combination of multi-disciplinary practices, including sophisticated investigation, litigation, and crisis management skills. Foley’s State AG team has decades of experience addressing matters originating across the spectrum state agencies. Our State AG lawyers know the state players and processes and are armed with Foley’s broad-base of subject matter expertise to back them up.