James Reid, one of Michigan’s best-known and most accomplished young attorneys, has brought his team of three lawyers to Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in Detroit. Along with partner R.J. Cronkhite and associate Zoey Mayhew, Reid migrates from Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller, P.C., where he practiced for more than 15 years.
Reid counsels entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, in-house counsel, and human resources directors to make strategic business decisions.
“Early in my career, I was a pit bull litigator. But when the economy tanked, it was an eye-opener to sink or swim,” Reid said. “I decided to swim by learning to help companies resolve the issues they were suffering because of the recession.”
And it was a sound decision, as Reid grew his book of business beyond the capacity of his firm. In the process, he was named to the Oakland County Executive Elite 40 Under 40 list in 2019, awarded as a DBusiness magazine Top Lawyer in 2017 and 2018, and a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star each of the last five years. He and his team are joining Dinsmore in an effort to fully serve their clients with the resources of the firm’s 650-plus nationwide attorneys.
“As I grew my platform, my clients wanted help in other areas like immigration and intellectual property,” Reid said. “Dinsmore provides a much bigger chess board to serve them. Now I can offer them the efficiencies and resources from Dinsmore’s nationwide attorneys across so many specialized practice areas. I can fully serve my clients because Dinsmore attorneys have the skill set to compete with anyone.”
Cronkhite serves clients as lead trial counsel across multiple industries, including automotive, health care, and real estate development. He is chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s 2,300-member litigation section and has been a Rising Star every year since 2017. He began practicing as an associate in 2011. Mayhew, meanwhile, focuses on employment law. She earned the 2016 Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society award for best legal paper. They have worked with Reid for three years.
“Zoey is an amazing transactional attorney, and R.J. is a fantastic litigator who can handle any kind of dispute,” Reid said. “I’ve seen the two of them together conquer the primary needs of clients over and over.”
The competitive spirit that earned Reid the distinction as one of Michigan’s top young lawyers has also paid dividends away from the office. In both 2017 and 2018, Reid was the state’s No. 1-ranked Masters cyclist in the 35-and-older category. He and Cronkhite also won the 39th annual Race Judicata last year, a 5K for legal professionals, and he plays tennis and chess competitively.
“I’m just a guy who likes a challenge,” Reid said. “I’m equally competitive outside and inside work. I feel fortunate Dinsmore is as ambitious as I am. When I met [Chairman and Managing Partner] George Vincent, I could tell the firm is in good hands and set up for generations to come. I know I can grow as Dinsmore grows.”
Reid is Dinsmore’s second labor and employment partner in Detroit, joining Andrey Tomkiw and of counsel J. Travis Mihelick.
“With James at Dinsmore, we are established as the go-to law firm in the Detroit area for labor and employment,” Tomkiw said.
