Deep Roots- Mick Falahee continues family's legal legacy

By Sheila Pursglove Legal News The apple didn't fall far from the legal tree for attorney Mick Falahee. Falahee, a trial attorney with White & Hotchkiss in Jackson, definitely had the law in his gene pool. His grandfather, Charles J. Falahee, was a Jackson County probate judge and circuit judge, and his father, Charles J. Falahee Jr., was a Jackson County district judge. So although Falahee once dreamed of becoming a professional athlete, and played basketball, baseball and soccer at Jackson's Lumen Christi High School, he soon realized a pro sports career was not in the cards. "I think growing up in a family with a long legal employment history in Jackson County led me in the direction of a legal career," he says. "Although my father was a judge, he never pressured me to go into the legal field - it was just something I decided to do on my own." The Jackson native attended Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business, and took a summer class in statistics at Jackson Community College after his freshman year at WMU. After graduating cum laude from WMU in 2002, he attended the West Virginia University College of Law where he was selected to be a member of the Moot Court Board. He completed his last year of law school as a visiting student at Wayne State University. "I had the unique experience of attending two law schools - WVU for two years and Wayne for one year," he says. "Both schools did a great job of preparing me for practice and I enjoyed my time at each school. I'll always be a big West Virginia Mountaineers fan - although it's difficult to do that in Big Ten country! "I enjoyed the urban atmosphere at Wayne State and the diversity associated with going to school in Detroit. I was also impressed with Wayne State's curriculum and teaching staff." Falahee spent summers clerking in the Jackson County Prosecutor's office and clerked at the Stillman Law Office in West Bloomfield during his year at WSU. "My clerkships prepared me well for entering a general practice law firm because I was able to experience both criminal and civil law in each clerkship, respectively," he says. After passing the Michigan bar exam, he was hired as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County and worked there until he was hired as an associate with White & Hotchkiss in 2006. "The great thing about being a trial attorney is that I'm not stuck behind a desk every day," he says. "I generally spend about half - and perhaps a little more than half - of every week in the courtroom. As such, I have a good weekly balance of court time and office time. "Also, being a trial attorney allows me to meet and connect with a diverse group of people from the community." A member of the American Bar Association, Michigan Bar Association, and Jackson County Bar Association, where he has served as treasurer, Falahee has successfully tried numerous civil and criminal cases, and also represents several local businesses and townships. He emphasizes his practice on criminal defense of misdemeanors and felonies; family law, including divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, and adoption; residential and commercial landlord/tenant law; collection work for numerous credit unions, landlords, businesses, and other creditors; personal injury representation of victims; municipal representation of numerous townships in Jackson County; and driver's license restoration for individuals who have lost their privilege to drive. He also serves as a volunteer for the WMU Alumni Association, has volunteered with Jackson County Habitat for Humanity, and is a board member of the Jackson Exchange Club, one of more than 800 clubs and nearly 28,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. This all-volunteer, national service organization is for men and women who want to serve their community, develop leadership skills and enjoy new friendships A friend referred Falahee to the Jackson Exchange Club about 5 years ago, and he has been a member ever since, serving three separate one-year terms as a board member. For the past 4 years he has been chairman of the Exchange's annual golf outing, and is heading this year's outing on June 3 at Hankerd Hills Golf Course. "Exchange Club's purpose is to raise funds for, and to help in the prevention of, child abuse and neglect," he says. "We try to concentrate our efforts on child abuse prevention in Jackson County." Falahee has previously been a volunteer with Jackson County Habitat for Humanity. "When I was on the board of the local bar association, we organized an "all-attorney" group to help in the construction of two homes in the city of Jackson," he says. "It was a fun experience and I think we had about 20 local attorneys volunteer their time." In his spare time, Falahee enjoys golfing, and plays in a summer and fall golf league. His other passion is skiing, and he recently enjoyed a ski weekend in Colorado. He and his wife Jessica, who share their Jackson home with Pudge, a 5-year-old Rottweiler, and Maggs, a 2-year-old Puggle, are expecting their first child in August. Falahee enjoys Jackson for many reasons, he says, including proximity to family; low cost of living; good healthcare at Allegiance Health; good public safety; reasonable traffic; and outdoor activities and opportunities such as golf courses, Falling Waters Trail, Cascades Park, Ella Sharp Park, and more. "And last but not least, the good people -most of the best, smart, and caring people I have met in my life are from Jackson or currently live or work here." Published: Mon, Apr 4, 2011

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