Nolan named 2018 Lawyer of the Year for Michigan

Lawrence P. Nolan, president of Nolan, Thomsen & Villas, P.C. in Eaton Rapids, has been selected by his peers in Best Lawyers in America as “2018 Lawyer of the Year” for Michigan.

The current president of the State Bar of Michigan, Nolan is only the fifth lawyer from Ingham County to become president of the SBM in its 82-year history and the only president to be a member of the Eaton County Bar Association.
Nolan has been elected three times as “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Plaintiff’s Personal Injury in the Lansing area having been chosen as such in 2013, 2016 and 2018. This is the first time a lawyer from the Mid-Michigan area has been selected as the overall Best Lawyers, “Lawyer of the Year” in Michigan.

“Our law firm is honored that Larry has again been recognized by the statewide legal community as ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for the State of Michigan,” says associate Jessica Fox, current president of the Ingham County Bar Association. “Mr. Nolan has instilled in all of us here in the firm of Nolan, Thomsen & Villas, PC the obligation of giving back to the legal profession in order to make our world a better place to live under the democratic rule of law. His dedication to the practice of law, respect of the courts, and determination to improve access to justice for all of the public has been an example for all lawyers to follow.”

Nolan has practiced for 42 years on Main Street in Eaton Rapids, expending thousands of hours of pro bono legal work to those who could not have otherwise been able to afford legal services.

He also currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of his alma mater, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, a board on which he has served continuously for the past 33 years.