Three Grand Rapids attorneys named to Lawyer Hall of Fame

Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC attorney Thomas R. Behm, Clark Hill PLC attorney William B. Dunn and Varnum attorney Randall Kraker were named to the Class of 2021 Lawyer Hall of Fame by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

The Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame recognizes attorneys aged 60 and older who have practiced for 30 years or more and whose career accomplishments have contributed to the development of the law, supporting the bar and the state with their efforts to improve the quality of justice in Michigan.

Behm, Dunn and Kraker are among 21 attorneys who will be honored in an online recognition program April 13 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Behm is a partner and has been a trial attorney at Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC for 34 years. He represents individuals who have been injured in automobile accidents, personal injury accidents, medical malpractice injury and also parties in other commercial litigation.

Behm is the president of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, the Justice Foundation of West Michigan, the Michigan State Bar and the ABOTA Foundation. He is a member of the litigation section of the American Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.

He is a committee member and pro bono counsel for Legal Aid of West Michigan and also is a teacher for the 3Rs program at Ottawa Hills High School.

Behm received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and his Juris Doctor from the Detroit College of Law.

Dunn focuses on real estate and commercial transactions for private and public entities. He has expertise in infrastructure development; office and commercial acquisitions, development and leasing; commercial real estate finance; foreclosures and workouts; industrial project finance and land development; land use and development; and advising clients in all aspects of real estate matters.

He is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Dunn earned his B.A. from Muskingum University in Ohio and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Kraker is a member of Varnum’s Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources Practice Team. He focuses on land use and zoning issues, as well as all aspects of municipal law and finance.

Throughout the years, he has served as either counsel to the municipality or the developer of hundreds of development projects. He has assisted in the development of numerous wind and solar energy projects across Michigan.

He served for over 40 years as the attorney for the city of Grandville and 30 years for the city of Belding and continues to serve both cities. Kraker formerly represented the city of Plainwell and several townships and has provided specialized municipal services to several other cities across Michigan, including Big Rapids, Chelsea, Grand Ledge and Walker.

He currently is a board member of the Grandville Walker Foundation.

Kraker earned a master’s in city and regional planning and his J.D. from Rutgers University.