Law firm elects new board member

Law firm elects new board member

E. Thomas McCarthy Jr. Courtesy Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge

A local law firm has named a veteran attorney to its board of directors.

Grand Rapids-based Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge said this winter that shareholder E. Thomas McCarthy Jr. was elected by the firm’s shareholders to the leadership role.

He will serve a three-year term on the board, alongside six other returning members for 2018: Cheryl Chandler (treasurer); Kevin Even; William Jack Jr. (CEO), John Oostema; Jason Sebolt; and Matthew Wikander (secretary).

Smith Haughey said the board has several key objectives: ensuring the firm delivers exceptional service and value to its clients; ensuring the firm is sustainable, efficient and profitable; to be the employer of choice in the legal field; and to enhance and broaden the scope of legal services it offers.

The firm also has offices in Holland, Muskegon and Ann Arbor. 

E. Thomas McCarthy Jr.

McCarthy has been a trial lawyer at Smith Haughey’s Grand Rapids office for more than 30 years.

He has litigated cases for plaintiffs and defendants in civil and criminal cases.

McCarthy has represented clients against the negligent or wrongful conduct of others, securing compensation for trauma survivors and other victims of personal injuries and wrongful death.

He has been a certified mediator since 1989, and he mediates cases in the U.S. District Court for Western District of Michigan.

He is a board member for the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and a member of many legal industry organizations.

He earned a B.A. in psychology, with high distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1975 and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee in 1977.