Photo on the field courtesy of Detroitlions.com
Litigation attorney played WR for the Detroit Lions
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Attorney Miles Macik played college and pro football — experiences that still resonate today in his legal career.
“I don’t think any sport prepares you for life better than football — it teaches you responsibility, accountability, and time management,” explains Macik, a litigation attorney with Howard & Howard in Royal Oak. “It also teaches you how to focus under pressure and how to compete the right way – not just with your opponents, but also with the other members of your team so that, together, you can get the best results.
“Most of all, it teaches the invaluable lesson that you’re only as good as your team. I think all of this translates well into the practice of law, especially the team building aspect. There’s no way I would be where I am today and no way I would have had any of the success I’ve had in my legal career, without the lessons I learned through football.”
A wide receiver at the University of Pennsylvania and for the Detroit Lions in the ’90s, Macik continues to thrive in the competitive atmosphere of commercial litigation.
“I enjoy going to court and advocating, and being on my feet and having to react to what gets thrown at you in a courtroom on a case by case basis,” he says.
He got his first taste of law from a professor who taught pre-law classes and who came to all the games.
“Several players, including me, got to know him by talking with him after the games,” Macik says. “He talked me into taking his pre-law classes and it really sparked an interest.
“From there I knew that once my football days were over, I wanted to pursue a legal career. I even took the LSATs while I was on the Lions, which turned out to be one of the best things I ever did.”
Macik earned his law degree, summa cum laude, from Detroit Mercy Law.
“It was a great experience,” he recalls. “I thought it was the perfect size and atmosphere – large enough to create a good competitive environment and bring out the best in you, and small enough to have the perfect amount of availability and hands-on teaching from an incredible staff.”
Named amongst Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Rising Stars, Macik handles a wide range of litigation matters at Howard & Howard. His clients include small business owners, franchise owners, auto dealerships, insurance companies, sales representative companies, and auto suppliers.
“I truly enjoy each case, getting to know each client, and learning about how their businesses operate,” he says. “While the legal arguments from case to case may be similar, to really succeed and get the best results for your clients, you have to be able to understand their business and put yourself in their shoes. With each new client, I have to learn about how their business operates, and incorporate what I learn into the strategy and the legal theories of the case.”
Macik’s past experience as a small business/franchise owner has proved invaluable.
“I had to write paychecks, manage and hire employees, analyze costs and do the accounting, and sign the documents that bind the company,” he says. “So much of my current practice is done for businesses and business owners that my experience as a small business owner, even though on a small scale, really helps me relate to them — it’s made me a better lawyer.”
A native of Marlboro, N.J., Macik now makes his home in Northville, with his attorney wife Tina, and 5-year-old son Brayden, “a chip off the old block” with his passion for sports.
“He prefers baseball to football, but I have time, he’s still young,” Macik says with a smile.
As expected, Macik watches as much football as possible, and he and Tina enjoy working out at Grand Trunk Cross Fit in New Hudson.
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