Dan Artaev is a senior attorney at Fausone Bohn LLP in Northville, specializing in business law. He protects his clients’ interests through litigation in both state and federal court, as well as through carefully structured corporate and transactional work. Additionally, he has a particular interest in the emerging business of eSports, and provides advice to Michigan-based professionals, teams, and companies.
After graduating summa cum laude from the Michigan State University College of Law, Artaev started out his legal career with the Labor Division of the Michigan Office of the Attorney General. He next went into private practice and spent five years litigating a variety of commercial disputes with a local boutique firm.
In 2017, Artaev joined Fausone Bohn’s business law team, and has since worked with a variety of metro Detroit businesses on all kinds of legal disputes, as well as significant buy-sell transactions.
He and his wife Jessica and their son Alexander live in Farmington Hills. When not at the office or with his family, Artaev is at the gym training for his next triathlon race. He is also an avid gamer, musician, and sci-fi/fantasy book enthusiast.
By Jo Mathis
Legal News
What inspired you to enter the legal field?
It happened backwards for me. I decided to try law school because of the flexibility that a law degree can provide and the fact it is useful in many different career paths. Then I took my first contracts and torts classes in Year One, and was absolutely enthralled by the history and logic of the law. It was then quite clear that law school was the right choice for me.
When you were considering law school, what was Plan B?
I was considering pursuing a Ph.D. in economics, with a goal to either teach at the collegiate level, or to work for the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, or the Federal Reserve.
What is your proudest moment as a lawyer?
Most recently it was when I successfully negotiated a license reinstatement for a local nurse. She was terrified that the state of Michigan was going to take away her license, but I helped her negotiate a solution that worked for everyone. After the hearing, she gave me a hug and she and her husband were both extremely thankful that she could go back to work. It was a humbling moment, and a good reminder that people trust lawyers to defend some of the most important things in their lives.
What would surprise people about your job?
How different each day can be. One day I’m at hearings in Wayne County and Washtenaw County in the same day. The next I travel to Livingston County to obtain a special land use permit from a Zoning Board of Appeals. The next day I’m in the office, doing legal research on Internet defamation and drafting discovery. It’s never boring, that’s for sure.
Favorite local hangouts?
Marvin’s Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills. I love arcades and can easily spend hours playing pinball. I was even one of the high scores on the Medieval Madness machine last summer.
Favorite websites?
Does my own blog qualify? I spend a lot of time writing articles for www.artaevatlaw.com.
What was always written on your grade school report card?
I was consistently an A and A- student. I had great motivation from the local Family Video, where they gave away free rentals for each A on a report card in the summers.
What is your happiest childhood memory?
I played cello in the high school orchestra, and in 2002, our orchestra toured Canada for 10 days. We played concerts in Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City, and it was a really special experience to be “on tour.”
What do you wish someone would invent?
A teleportation device—I like to visit different places, but not like the actual travelling. Also, how great would it be to avoid Detroit traffic on your commute?
What has been your favorite year?
2018—my son was born. And I also finished grueling physical therapy to recover from a torn Achilles tendon and started doing triathlons again.
Favorite stamp on your passport?
I have a weird stamp from the Windsor-Detroit tunnel. I have crossed between Detroit and Canada many times, but got my passport stamped only once. It was strange, especially because 99 percent of the time I spend less than a minute talking to the border agent before they waive me through.
When you look back into the past, what do you miss most?
Nothing. I don’t look back because every day is a new adventure and you can only control things going forward, not looking back.
If you could have witnessed any event in history, what would it be?
The meteor that led to the dinosaur extinction—obviously, I’d prefer to witness it from a safe distance in space.
What were you doing in your last selfie?
I took a picture of my son and me when I was putting him on the slide at the park. He is the world’s most active baby and loves slides the most!
How does the fact you’re fluent in Russian impact your work?
I was born in Moscow, and my family immigrated to the United States when I was 8 years old. So Russian is my first language, English my second. Russian has not really impacted my work, except a couple of times I was able to translate business documents for some clients. There is not a lot of demand for Russian-speaking attorneys in the business sector here in Michigan, but nevertheless it’s a skill I have in case there is a need.
What’s something you changed your mind about recently?
Competitive running. Even as I started doing triathlons, I hated the running aspect because it was physically difficult and boring. However, I changed my training approach to running this past year, lost weight, and improved significantly. Now I find running relaxing (instead of boring) and am even doing half-marathons with my wife!
What is one thing you would like to learn to do?
I’d like to learn how to write fiction. I really enjoy reading fiction, and I write technical/legal briefs and memos every day. But I have never been able to write any sort of fictional work, even though I think it would be really fun to do so.
What is the best advice you’ve received?
Take at least 30 minutes each day to focus on yourself. Self-care is a critical component of mental health, and if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to be able to take care of others.
What purchase of $50 or less has positively affected your life?
I bought my son a plastic basketball hoop that sits in our living room. He’s obsessed with basketball and the first thing he does every morning is shoot baskets. It’s awesome to see him enjoying something so much, and he improves every single day!
What are you looking forward to?
Next year’s triathlon season. It’s always fun to take what you learned during the past year and apply it to getting faster next season. The same principles apply to law: You learn a lot from doing, and it’s rewarding to apply your experience to solving future problems.
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