Municipal Legal Services

Advising, Counseling, and Representing Michigan Townships for More than 100 Years

Based in Kalamazoo, and now with an office in Lansing, the knowledgeable and experienced attorneys at Bauckham, Sparks, Thall, Seeber & Kaufman, P.C. have been proudly serving Michigan townships for more than 100 years. Whether it’s the day-to-day legalities of running a township, crisis management and litigation services, or proactive steps to avoid costly lawsuits, Bauckham Sparks has your township’s municipal legal needs covered.

Deep Experience Across a Broad Range of Municipal Legal Matters

With a broad range of expertise in Michigan municipal law, Bauckham Sparks attorneys have been advising and representing Michigan townships on municipal law for more than 100 years. We have extensive experience assisting townships in functioning as efficiently and effectively as possible, and are proud to offer a full range of municipal legal services including:

• Preparing, adopting, amending, and enforcing zoning ordinances
• Blight enforcement and condemnation
• Preparing and adopting a township zoning ordinance or master plan
• Contract negotiation, including sewer and water agreements
• Election law
• Human resource matters, including police, fire and emergency medical personnel
• Property tax issues, including tax appeals
• Special Assessment Districts
• Bond issues
• Utilities
• Municipal financing methods
• Municipal prosecution
• Right to Farm Act
• Medical marijuana issues

When it comes to the legal questions Michigan municipalities face every day, Bauckham Sparks has the experience and expertise to get the job done.

A Proactive Approach to Minimizing the Risk of Litigation

Every day, Michigan townships face a wide variety of complex legal issues. Without a proactive plan to minimize the risk of a lawsuit, any of these matters could quickly turn into a crisis. That’s why Bauckham Sparks attorneys work diligently to keep our clients up to date, preventing catastrophes before they occur.

Bauckham Sparks attorneys are leaders in their field, and are frequently called upon to educate our colleagues, associations and our individual clients. Our attorneys frequently offer training sessions to update townships and the Michigan Township Association on changes to Michigan municipal law. If your township would like to schedule a customized training session, contact us today at (269) 382-4500.

Litigation and Crisis Management

We work hard to prevent crises from happening, but sometimes disaster strikes. When a catastrophe occurs, you want Bauckham Sparks in your corner. With over 100 years of experience representing Michigan townships, there’s very little our attorneys haven’t seen. A full-service municipal law firm, Bauckham Sparks leverages the skills of its experienced attorneys to give your township cutting edge legal advice at an affordable rate.

Bauckham Sparks is frequently called upon to represent municipal townships in matters involving:

• Labor disputes and employment law
• Riparian rights
• Annexation and detachment proceedings
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
• First Amendment and privacy issues
• Municipal litigation and appeals
• Environmental regulation and compliance
• Tax appeals / tax issues
• Land use and zoning matters

Bauckham Sparks is one of the few law firms in Michigan that specializes in defending tax valuation cases. Our attorneys frequently represent clients before the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

Contact Bauckham, Sparks, Thall, Seeber & Kaufman, P.C. Today

The experienced and knowledgeable municipal law attorneys at Bauckham Sparks have been representing Michigan townships for more than 100 years. We offer full-service municipal law representation to townships throughout Michigan. Contact us today to discuss how we can help meet your township’s legal needs.