John A. Carlson, Senior Partner

John A. Carlson joined the firm in 1977, after serving as a prehearing attorney and law clerk in the Michigan Court of Appeals. His broad expertise in the areas of municipal, school and other public sector law includes qualification as nationally recognized bond counsel. Mr. Carlson has also gained extensive experience in real estate transactions, the drafting of wills and trusts, and probating estates. Mr. Carlson is currently the appointed City Attorney for the City of Oak Park.

Mr. Carlson obtained his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota, where he also earned his undergraduate degree, cum laude.

AREAS OF SPECIALTY:

• Municipal Law
• School Districts
  • Special Education Law, including handling complaints and due process hearings
• Public School Academies
• Municipal and School Finance
  • Bond counsel for issuance of municipal and school district obligations and follow-up advice, including arbitrage issues.
• Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations
• Contracts and Competitive Bidding Issues
• Construction Law
  • Particularly dealing with the structuring and negotiating or bidding of contractual relationships between owners, contractors, architects, engineers, construction managers and suppliers and resolution of various claims before arbitration panels and courts.
• Probate and Estate Administration
• Real Estate
  • Transactions
  • Defense of Tax Tribunal appeals
• School Districts
  • Special Education Law, including handling complaints and due process hearings.
• Small Business and Franchise Law
• Public Employee Retirement Matters

LAW ADMISSIONS:

• Michigan
• United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
• United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

• State Bar of Michigan, Public Corporation Section
• Oakland County Bar Association
• National Association of Bond Lawyers
• Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys

EDUCATION:

• Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, University of Minnesota, 1975
• Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, University of Minnesota, 1970

LECTURER:

• Oakland University School of Education, Graduate Course on School Law 1979-1983
• Guest Lecturer 1985, Eastern Michigan University, Legal Problems of Education of The Handicapped
• Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO) , Convention on School Finance 1984
• Various In-services For Teachers and Administrators

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:

• Treasurer, Friends of the Farmington Library, Inc., 1984 to Present.