By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Attorney Brian Hartwell entered Western Michigan University as a theater major and came out with a pre-law degree.
“The stage and courtroom are comparable in certain respects – actors and litigators tell someone else’s story to an audience familiar with the process, searching for a core truth,” he says.
With the aim of becoming an advocate, Hartwell headed to the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he found the student body to be socially and politically active.
“I would say the best part is the supportive faculty, especially the professors in the clinics, who inspire their students to serve the community,” he says.
Hartwell certainly took that message to heart. During his 3L year, he ran for city council in Madison Heights where he is the third generation from Canadian immigrants. Eight years later he ran for mayor, a part-time position he currently holds.
Hartwell, who says that Madison Heights is a microcosm of the greater Detroit area, notes there are two parts to serving in public office.
“First, the professional skills needed to balance a $50 million budget and draft new ordinances; and second, the personal skills to understand or anticipate constituent concerns. It requires knowledge of law, finance, history, and psychology,” he says.
“My favorite line about being a younger mayor is a muddled President Kennedy quote admitting that I may have the least ties to the past but the greatest ties to the future.”
Hartwell has modernized countless city ordinances and policies, including reducing the city’s use of energy from nonrenewable sources by 25 percent. He also moved to make political appointments more transparent and representative of local demographics.
“This year we eliminated our city’s draconian water shutoff law, I fought a major utility company over dangerously faulty service, and we signed a deal with the FBI for undercover work,” he says.
“Currently I’m working on policies to save the city’s tree canopy, redevelop our downtown, and enhance protections for low income renters suffering from absentee landlords.”
Hartwell’s leadership skills were evident in law school. A person who enjoys creating and being part of something new, he was in the first class in the Veterans Law Clinic and the following semester joined the Criminal Trial Clinic that was re-opened after being closed for many years.
“In both clinics, we handled trials and appeals for indigent clients who were wronged by the government in different ways,” he says. “Our early experiences shaped the curriculum for future clinical classes.”
In his 2L year, he co-founded a student chapter of the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers (ISIAL) that hosted the Consul General of Ireland the following year.
“My most meaningful network as a practicing attorney is with the statewide chapter of ISIAL,” Hartwell says.
An internship at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office was an introduction to what he terms the “never-ending grind” of practicing law.
“I have the highest respect for overworked prosecutors and trial-level judges who administer justice competently and equitably despite limited resources,” he says. “The best lawyers, clerks and judges in the criminal system remember that – although it’s just another day at the office for them – it’s likely one of the worst days in the lives of the defendants, victims and witnesses.
“In Wayne County, interns are trusted to handle misdemeanor trial work under the supervision of licensed attorneys. I’ll never forget the public trial of a Detroit Tigers fan who allegedly threw lemons at pitchers warming up in the bullpen.”
Since none of the local prosecutors were hiring when graduation came around, Hartwell shifted his litigation skills towards civil court, taking a job with Muller, Muller, Richmond, Harms, & Myers, a small law firm in Birmingham that gave him the opportunity to be in court every day. During five years at the firm he appeared in 90 courthouses across Michigan including a tribal court.
In December 2013, he opened the Law Office of Brian C. Hartwell PLLC in Madison Heights, where he focuses on all matters related to housing, including estate planning, probate, landlord-tenant disputes, and housing discrimination; and also accepts criminal cases.
“I hung out my own shingle to be closer to home, and to work more closely with the residents of Madison Heights who do not have adequate access to affordable legal services,” he says.
Several years ago, he took over operations of the pro bono law clinic at the Madison Heights Senior Citizen Center; a role that inspired another attorney to perform similar services for immigrants at the city library. Hartwell enjoys hearing exciting stories from the seniors.
“For example, I helped a World War II veteran who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. His wife marched with Martin Luther King Jr., from Selma to Montgomery in 1965,” he says.
A member and past president of the Kiwanis Club, and a member of the Madison Heights Men’s Club, Hartwell is a cooperating attorney with the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit, and former chair of the Millennial Mayors Congress which has recently morphed into the Emerging Leaders Board—of which he is a current active member—all part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called Metro Matters. He also finds time to umpire little league baseball.
In his leisure time, he enjoys biking and exploring the local network of bike lanes and trails with his girlfriend Kathy Koziol, a solo attorney practicing Social Security and Workers’ Compensation law in Southfield. He also enjoys hiking and mountain climbing. Last year he drove across the country, visiting national parks such as Glacier and Yellowstone.
“Living in southeast Michigan is a privilege,” he says. “I love the diversity of the dozens of small towns and the convenient access to cultural institutions like the DIA and Detroit Zoo. The region has its challenges, though, especially as we struggle with inclusiveness, wasteful suburban sprawl, and statewide disinvestment of infrastructure and schools.”
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