Located in Western Michigan, Kent County is the fourth largest population center in Michigan. Covering 864 square miles, the County is home to 604,142 people. The County is composed of twenty-one townships, five villages and nine cities. The County seat, Grand Rapids, is 150 miles west of Detroit; 180 miles northeast of Chicago; and 30 miles from Lake Michigan. The greater Grand Rapids area forms the urban center of the County.

Kent County Legal Profile

The attorneys at Nacht Law are dedicated to protecting the rights and interests of individuals and businesses in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming area and Kent County, as well as across the state of Michigan. Nacht Law is a team of experienced litigators, providing advice and representation in all matters employment, civil rights, and business litigation. In employment matters: our lawyers regularly stand up for the rights of Kent county whistleblowers, victims of retaliation, discrimination, harassment, or those seeking to manage accommodation and medical leave issues, or unemployment compensation. Nacht Law lawyers counsel Kent County businesses and non-profits seeking sound legal advice on personnel policies, human resources, non-compete issues, and business litigation. Our lawyers serve Kent County doctors and medical groups seeking to retain new people, set policies, third-party Medicare audits, and compliance programs. And we provide skilled criminal defense for Kent County professionals and others fighting for their civil right to be presumed innocent.

Kent County Courts

Kent County Circuit Court

17^th Circuit Court of Kent County is the trial court of general jurisdiction in Kent Michigan. It has jurisdiction over all actions except those given by state law to another court. The Circuit Court has original jurisdiction has general jurisdiction in all civil cases involving more than $25,000 and all felony prosecutions. The Court generally hears Washtenaw County business litigation, including ownership disputes, trade secret claims, and non-compete violations, and all employment related claims, including discrimination, sex harassment cases, disability discrimination, unpaid wage claims, enforcement of non-competition agreements, wrongful discharge claims, and zoning disputes. The 17^th Circuit Court hears all criminal cases where the offense is a felony or a serious misdemeanor, from drug crimes like possession and manufacturing to bank robbery, armed robbery, murder, arson, criminal sexual conduct, third offense drunk driving. The Circuit Court also hears appeals from lower courts; appeals from local government boards such as zoning appeals and appeals from some administrative agencies of state government (such as the Driver's License Appeal Division of the Secretary of State). There are 13 judges currently sitting on the 17th Circuit. The Court's activities are divided into the following functions: Administration and Adjudication Support Services, Circuit Court Services, Circuit Court Probation, Family Division Juvenile Programs, Friend of the Court.

Kent County District Courts

District Courts: A district court has exclusive jurisdiction of all civil litigation up to $25,000; and handles garnishments, eviction proceedings, land contract and mortgage foreclosures, and other proceedings. The district court handles all misdemeanors where punishments do not exceed one year, including arraignment, setting and acceptance of bail, trial and sentencing; and conducts preliminary examinations in felony cases.

61^st District Court

180 Ottawa NW
Grand Rapids MI 49503

616-632-5700

The 61^st District Court is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It has six judges, Donald H. Passenger, J. Michael Christensen, Jeanine LaVille, Benjamin Logan, Kimberly Schaefer, and one magistrate, Fritz Harley.

62-A District Court

2650 DeHoop Avenue SW
Wyoming, MI 49509
616-530-7226
The 62-A District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction. As such, it has the authority to rule on cases involving traffic and criminal matter such as: Criminal Misdemeanors, Municipal Civil Infractions, Parking Violations, Traffic Civil Infractions, and Traffic Misdemeanors. The court holds Preliminary Exams on felony cases to determine if there is sufficient evidence to move the case to the Circuit Court, which is ultimately the court having jurisdiction over such matters.

63^rd District Court

1950 East Beltline NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49525

616-632-7770

The 63rd District Court is one of seven District Courts in the County.

Kent County Law Enforcement

The Prosecuting Attorney of Kent County is William A. Forsyth. The Prosecuting Attorney appears for the State or County in all criminal prosecutions in Circuit Court and District Court, as well as appearances in delinquency, neglect, mental incompetency, and adult guardianship proceedings in both Probate Court and the Family Division of the Circuit Court.

Kent County Sheriff

Grand Rapids Police Department

Lowell Police Department
Cedar Springs Police Department

Kent County Major Employers

Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County, second largest city in Michigan (after Detroit), and largest city in West Michigan. The major industry in Grand Rapids once having been furniture production, it is nicknamed the "Furniture City." However, the city and the surrounding communities are more economically diverse today, and contribute heavily to the health care, automotive, and consumer goods manufacturing industries, among others.

American Seating

Steelcase

Haworth

Herman Miller

Van Andel Research Institute

Grand Valley State University's Cook-Devos Center for Health Sciences

Michigan State University Medical School - Grand Rapids

Alticor

Amway
Highlight Industries

Spartan Store

Foremost Insurance Company

Meijer

GE Aviation (formerly Smiths Industries)

Wolverine World Wide

MC Sports, Inc

Universal Forest Products

Schuler Books & Music

Amway

Bissell Homecare

Gordon Food Service

Old Orchard

X-Rite

Zondervan