Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge is pleased to announce that Jonathan B. Koch, an attorney in the firm’s Grand Rapids office, has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2022 class of Up & Coming Lawyers.
Jonathan, who joined the firm in February of 2020, is a member of the firm’s litigation practice group where he focuses his practice on civil appeals, professional liability defense, and high-stakes commercial litigation.
“Jonathan is a brilliant (and punchy) writer,” said Adam Tountas, Chair of Smith Haughey’s litigation practice group. “More importantly, he’s quickly building a reputation—both within the firm and outside of its walls—as a go-to appellate advocate. As a relatively young attorney, Jonathan already serves as the de facto head of Smith Haughey’s appellate department where, in that capacity, he directly handles or oversees virtually every appeal worked on by our firm.”
From nominations received state-wide, the Michigan Lawyers Weekly panel selects only 30 lawyers to hold this title annually. Selections are made by considering noteworthy cases, firm participation, and community and/or bar association efforts. Selected lawyers are among a variety of practice areas, ranging from commercial litigation to intellectual property to estate planning.
According to the publication, “These are legal practitioners who are establishing a name for themselves, go above and beyond, and display the ambition, drive, determination and accomplishments that set them apart among their peers — in their first 10 years in practice.”
In addition to extensive experience briefing complex issues in Michigan’s trial courts, he has litigated dozens of appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining Smith Haughey, Jonathan was a member of a nationally recognized appellate practice group at a leading Detroit-area litigation firm; and, before that, he served as a judicial law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice David F. Viviano.
Jonathan graduated from Andrews University with a B.A., magna cum laude, in Political Science and English Literature. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. While in law school, Jonathan interned with the Solicitor General of Michigan and Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He also worked to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals as a student attorney with the Michigan Innocence Clinic.