Thomas C. Kates

I have been a practicing attorney in West Michigan including Grand Traverse, Allegan, Kent and Muskegon Counties for over 25 years. My office is located in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan and I serve clients in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Antrim. I specialize in the vital practice areas of family law including divorce, child custody, support, parenting time and paternity. I earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1989 from Wayne State University Law School where I served as assistant editor of the Wayne Law Review. I have worked as a trial lawyer in West Michigan for more than a quarter century and have the experience necessary to assist you in navigating the complexities of the legal system. I am a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Family Law and Master Lawyers Sections, and I formerly served as president of the Mason-Lake Bar Association. I am the founder of the Holland Area Solo Practice Bar Association. I have served as Attorney Guardian Ad Litem and on the civil case evaluation panel for the Grand Traverse, Kent, and Allegan County Circuit Courts in Grand Haven, Grand Rapids and Allegan, Michigan and am a volunteer domestic mediator through Mediation Services in Holland, Michigan.

A former special education teacher, I have been married to Jennifer, a clinical social worker for over thirty years. We are the proud parents of a medical resident, a social worker and a high school junior.

I have completed extensive training in domestic mediation and domestic violence screening through the Mediation Training and Consultation Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a domestic mediator. Through early stage mediation, families dealing with divorce and related issues can stay out of the courtroom and resolve their disputes in a more positive, cost-effective and amicable way. Ask me to explore with you if your case is one suitable for mediation. You might save your family a great deal of time, money and emotional turmoil.

My law office in Traverse City serves clients in all family law matters in the communities of Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim and surrounding areas.