Professional Mission Statement
My professional mission is to deliver the highest level of legal services to my clients in an efficient and cost-effective manner. I do this by living the values below each and every day I practice law:
I am passionate. I love what I do, and do it with conviction.
I am creative. I approach legal matters with creativity, and am willing to blaze new trails where it suits my client's needs.
I am tenacious. I have built a reputation as a fighter who tirelessly represents his clients' interests, both in and out of court.
I am accessible. In order to be an effective advisor, I maintain open lines of communication with my clients, taking time to explain every step of the legal process.
I am effective. My clients come to me with repeat business because I have helped them achieve their goals.
Professional Background
After growing up in South Lyon, Michigan, I worked my way through college, graduating summa cum laude with an A.B.A. in Business Administration from Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, Michigan. From there, I transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan on a full academic scholarship, and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology. After completing my undergraduate education, I attended law school at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan. There, I was a Senior Articles Editor for the Wayne Law Review and published two legal articles while pursuing my studies. I graduated first in my class, summa cum laude, and was admitted to the Order of the Coif, an honorary scholastic society that recognizes law students who attain a high degree of scholarship.
Education
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor, 2005
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
B.A., Psychology, 2002
OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A.B.A., Business, 2000
Bar Admissions
State Bar of Michigan
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Professional Experience
Following law school, I earned a prestigious judicial clerkship to the Honorable Ronald L. Gilman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Memphis, Tennessee. There, I was exposed to a variety of areas of law and gained valuable experience in the inner workings of our nation's appellate courts.
From my clerkship, I returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I worked for a Midwest-based law firm with more than 350 attorneys. After a number of years of working alongside some of the best and brightest lawyers in the state, I decided that I could deliver more value to my clients by providing the same high level of legal services in a more cost-effective manner. So, in 2009, I founded the Law Office of Joseph M. West, P.C. I have handled hundreds of transactional and litigation matters in the 10+ years I have been an attorney.
Professional Associations
Real Property Law Section
Business Law Section
Agricultural Law Section