Matthew J. Bailey

Practice Areas

Education

Michigan State University College of Law
East Lansing, Michigan
J.D., cum laude, 2014

Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
B.A., Business Administration, 2011

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

Family Law Attorney

Matthew is an experienced family law attorney with a background in litigation and appellate law. He counsels clients in divorce, custody, termination of parental rights and guardianship matters. He is a skillful negotiator with extensive experience mediating creative solutions for clients.

In addition to his private practice experience, Matthew formerly served the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance for Michigan State University, representing respondents under the jurisdiction of the school’s Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors. He conducted evidentiary hearings pertaining to alleged violations of sexual assault and misconduct and was retained by the Office of Institutional Equality to litigate contested claims.

Following law school, Matthew served a clerkship with the Michigan Court of Appeals for the Honorable Stephen Borrello. He  served as an extern for the Eaton County Prosecutor’s Office while earning his law degree.

Experience

Secured entry of an order awarding a change of domicile to a client escaping a toxic and potentially dangerous environment.

Successfully challenged an opposing party’s pursuit of a change of custody after years of exercising joint custody without incident.

Defended a client against a petition to terminate a guardship originating from shortly after the child’s birth and now continuing into the child’s early adolescence.

Obtained a change of custody for a client after demonstrating a resilient effort to strengthen the bond between parent and child over the course of several years.

Professional Affiliations

Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) Family Law Advisory Board Member, 2022 – present

State Bar of Michigan

Ingham County Bar Association, Family Law Section

Ingham County Young Lawyers Society

News and Insights

View More

Kevin F. Patterson

Kevin Patterson

Education

Texas A&M Commerce
Commerce, Texas
M.S. Information Technology

Texas A&M Commerce
Commerce, Texas
Bachelor of Applied Arts & Science

Director of Technology

Kevin is a solutions-driven professional with more than 20 years of law firm information technology experience. He leads the strategy and implementation of technology initiatives for the firm, improving technical operations and streamlining processes as well as leading and mentoring the firm’s technical staff.

Kevin’s experience includes serving as global portfolio manager at an international law firm, where he directed and managed the teams, business processes and functions for IT platforms and applications for 77 offices. He has additionally served as an IT manager and consultant for a boutique training and consulting organization and as regional IT manager for a national network infrastructure provider.

Certifications

Project Management Professional (PMP)

ITIL V4 Foundation Certified

DevOps Certified

CompTIA Security Infrastructure Specialist (CSIS)

News and Insights

View More

Conor J. Boland

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

University of Notre Dame Law School
Notre Dame, Indiana
J.D., magna cum laude, 2022
Notre Dame Journal of Legislation, Staff Editor

Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.
B.A., summa cum laude, 2017

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

Attorney

Conor is a member of Varnum’s Corporate Practice Team. He is experienced in a variety of matters including M&A, securities law, private equity and general corporate governance issues. He also assists with shareholder and other corporate governance disputes and is a member of the firm’s mobility team, working with autonomous and connected vehicle manufacturers, developers and operation teams.

While in law school, Conor externed for Vice Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery, which is widely recognized as the nation’s preeminent forum for resolving business law disputes. Conor also interned at the Notre Dame Community Development Clinic where he counseled organizations, including startups, on corporate governance issues, contract negotiation, and commercial transactions.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

Community Involvement

Notre Dame Club of Grand Rapids

News and Insights

View More

Alexander J. Thibodeau

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

Indiana University, Maurer School of Law
Bloomington, Indiana
J.D., 2018

Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design, Editorial Board
Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality, Notes Editor

DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
B.A.,  Political Science, 2012
A.A., Journalism, 2012

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

Data Privacy and Mobility Attorney

Alex is a member of the Data Privacy and Mobility Team, advising clients on emerging domestic and international data privacy regulations. His practice centers around the intersection of law, public policy and emerging technology through regulatory and data privacy analysis and policy. Alex also has a background in telecommunications issues, including small cell and 5G development and provider oversight.

Alex additionally represents businesses and individuals in a wide range of litigation matters including corporate, regulatory, zoning and construction matters.

While in law school, Alex served as a summer clerk for former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young. As a Stewart Fellowship recipient, he served an international fellowship in New Delhi with the Supreme Court of India. 

Honors and Recognitions

Grand Rapids Business Journal, 40 Under 40 Business Leaders, 2022

National Black Lawyers, 40 Under 40

Grand Rapids Bar Association, President’s Award, 2022

Grand Rapids Bar Association, 3-in-10 Award, 2021

Professional Affiliations

Grand Rapids Bar Association, DEI Committee Chair, 2021 – present

State Bar of Michigan, Young Lawyers Advisory Council, 2021 – present

Institute of Continuing Legal Education, New Lawyers Advisory Board, 2022 – present

Community Involvement

Grand Rapids Art Museum, Board of Trustees, 2022 – present

News and Insights

View More

Elizabeth M. Rasch

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

University of Michigan Law School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
J.D., 2022

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
B.A. summa cum laude, 2019

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan State Courts

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Attorney

Liz is a member of the Corporate Practice Team. She focuses her practice on immigration and agriculture. In her immigration practice, she handles nonimmigrant petitions, both employment- and family-based permanent residence applications, expatriation and foreign visa issues along with worker verification issues, Form I-9 audits, USICE compliance investigations and civil and criminal charges. In her agriculture work, Liz assists with all matters related to agriculture including corporate, co-op, taxation, H-2A and H-2B immigration, employment, zoning and succession. In partnership with the Michigan Farm Bureau, Liz supports the Agricultural Employment Compliance Guide, an easy-to-use guide for farm employers trying to keep up with sometimes overwhelmingly complex federal and state employment laws. In addition to providing timely updates, Liz delivers in-person employment seminars each year to agricultural employers across the state.

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

American Agricultural Law Association

American Immigration Lawyers Association

National Council of Agricultural Employers

News and Insights

View More

Lindsae N. Badgerow

Education

Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan
B.S., Legal Studies with minor in Criminal Justice, 2007

Director of Legal Recruiting and Professional Development

Lindsae is a recruiting and human resource professional with more than ten years of experience in the legal industry, including at AmLaw 100 and professional legal recruiting firms. She has extensive experience managing and facilitating all aspects of the lateral attorney and law student recruitment and hiring process.

In her role, Lindsae is responsible for all lateral attorney recruiting and retention efforts across Varnum’s eight offices as well as managing the firm’s attorney professional development initiatives. She is also responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s law student hiring process and leading the firm’s summer associate program.

Lindsae is a member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and has served in various leadership roles for the organization, most recently serving as a Regional Representative for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Prior to entering the recruiting profession, Lindsae spent time as a litigation paralegal.

Professional Affiliations

National Association for Law Placement, Regional Representative for Mid-Atlantic Region, 2021-2023; Recruiting Section Chair, 2020-2021

Legal Recruitment Administrators of Philadelphia, 2014-2022

News and Insights

View More

Amy L. Baddley

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

Vanderbilt Law School
Nashville, Tennessee
J.D., 2022
Vanderbilt Law Review, Articles Editor
Order of the Coif

Bethel University
Mishawaka, Indiana
B.A., English, 2014

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Attorney

Amy is an associate with the Data Privacy and Mobility teams. A CIPP/US certified information privacy professional, she analyzes clients’ compliance with newly-effective consumer data privacy laws, advises on regulatory requirements for electric and automated vehicle companies, and helps integrate data privacy provisions into client contracts. Amy is a skilled researcher and author of a recent journal article on data breach preparation, response, and recovery.

Amy has additional experience in matters involving antitrust liability, breaches of contract, and intellectual property liability.

Prior to law school, Amy served as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives where she drafted a law that was enacted by President Obama in 2016 and advised on healthcare, tax, budget, and transportation legislation. She also worked in government relations on behalf of a cloud-based healthcare technology company in Boston, Massachusetts, on matters relating to federal data privacy and interoperability. She served as a summer associate at the American Enterprise Institute, and interned at the U.S. Department of State.

Certifications

CIPP/US, certified information privacy professional 2022 – present

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Michigan

International Association of Privacy Professionals

News and Insights

View More

Michael A. Stroup

Practice Areas

Education

Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Bloomington, Indiana
J.D., 2019
Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, Notes Editor

Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan
B.S., summa cum laude, 2016

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Real Estate Attorney

Mike is a member of Varnum’s Real Estate Practice Team. He assists clients with real estate sales and acquisitions, development, leasing, and construction matters related to commercial, industrial and residential properties. In addition, he has broad experience advising closely-held businesses on entity formation, succession planning, transactions, and tax matters.

Prior to joining Varnum, Mike worked for a real estate law boutique in Grand Rapids where he assisted clients in both transactional and litigation real estate matters. While in law school, Mike completed internships with Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and a global asset management company in Seoul, Korea.

Professional Affiliations

 State Bar of Michigan

Community Involvement

Legal Aid of Western Michigan – Eviction Diversion Program, volunteer

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Emerging Leaders Series, 2021

News and Insights

View More

Neil E. Youngdahl

Practice Areas

Clerkships

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Honorable Richard Allen Griffin

United States District Court for
the Eastern District of Michigan,
Honorable Sean F. Cox

Education

University of Michigan Law School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
J.D., 2017
Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, Articles Editor

Alma College
Alma, Michigan
B.A. summa cum laude, 2015

Bar Admissions

Michigan

Court Admissions

All Michigan state courts

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Litigation Attorney

Neil is a member of the firm’s litigation group.  Before joining Varnum, Neil clerked for the Hon. Sean F. Cox on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and for the Hon. Richard Allen Griffin on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  During his clerkships, Neil worked on hundreds of civil and criminal cases, gaining experience on the full spectrum of cases that come before a federal court.

During law school, Neil interned for the Hon. Robert Holmes Bell on the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan and for the Hon. Joan Larsen on the Michigan Supreme Court. This experience has provided Neil with unique insight into both of Michigan’s federal district courts and the state’s highest court.

Professional Affiliations

 State Bar of Michigan

 

News and Insights

View More

Jessica E. Visser

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

University of Toledo College of Law
Toledo, Ohio
J.D., cum laude, 2012

University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
B.S., Paralegal Studies, summa cum laude, 2009

Bar Admissions

Michigan
Ohio

 

Corporate Attorney

Jessica is a member of the Corporate Practice Team and co-chair of the firm’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Practice. As former associate general counsel for a major university, Jessica regularly negotiated significant contracts including spearheading the disposition and lease of university property and supporting a multimillion-dollar concession agreement for the university’s parking system. She counseled the university athletic department on NIL matters, NCAA compliance, and strategic negotiation of coach contracts. She is experienced in Title IX and disability matters, including a variety of other student-related issues. 

Jessica also formerly served the U.S. Department of Defense as a contracting officer, negotiating multimillion-dollar contract actions with major aircraft manufacturers. She represented the U.S. Air Force in contract work involving the procurement of innovative weapon and surveillance systems.

Professional Affiliations

Ohio State Bar Association

 

News and Insights

View More