Snyder names Edward Van Alst to Wexford County Probate Court
Gov. Rick Snyder Monday announced the appointment of Edward Van Alst to the Wexford County Probate Court.
“Edward Van Alst has demonstrated over the course of his legal career his abilities in ably handling complicated matters most often seen in probate court,” Snyder said. “I am certain that his long record of professional excellence and community involvement will best serve the residents of Wexford County.”
Since 2002, Van Alst has been in private practice in Cadillac, focusing on estate planning, Medicaid planning, estate and trust administration, guardianships, conservatorship, real estate, business formation, adoption, divorce, and other general matters. He also serves many of the area’s most vulnerable individuals through Friend of the Court. Van Alst began his career as a chemical engineer in 1985 working at Avon Rubber & Plastics, Inc.
Van Alst is a member of the Wexford-Missaukee Bar Association and the Probate & Estate Planning Section and the Elder Law & Disability Rights Section of the Michigan Bar. He is the Director of the Rotary Club of Cadillac, the Cadillac Area YMCA, the Cadillac Senior Center, and the Cadillac Downtown Fund and involved with many other local organizations.
Van Alst earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in 1983, a master’s degree from General Motors Institute of Technology in 1989 and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2001.
Van Alst fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Kenneth Tacoma. He must seek election in Nov. 2018 for a new full term.
Bretz to present Michigan Law Update as part of CAP?seminar
Ron Bretz will present a Michigan Law Update Friday, Dec. 1 at 1:30 p.m. in the Erma Henderson Auditorium on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. The CAP program is focused on the continuing legal education of area attorneys to aid them in their representation of criminal defendants.
Bretz graduated from Wayne State University Law School and was admitted into the Michigan Bar in 1976. From 1976 to 1996, Bretz served as an assistant defender at the State Appellate Defender Office. He handled many high profile cases including the U.S. Supreme Court’s Michigan v. Jackson, 475 U.S. 625 (1986). Bretz received the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan’s award for Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Defense Appellate Work for the Jackson case. In 1996, Bretz became a fulltime faculty member at Cooley Law School, teaching Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Forensic Evidence. He obtained tenure in 2004 and received the Beatty Award for Outstanding Teaching six times. He retired from teaching in 2014 and now holds the title of Emeritus Professor. Bretz has presented at CLE programs for CDAM, the Michigan Judicial Institute, the Michigan Judges Association, the Michigan District Judges Association, the Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System, and state and local bar associations.
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