Logan Byrne, president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Ingham County Bar Association, is pictured at the annual ICBA party with YLS Committee Member Lauren Kissel and YLS President-elect Jordan Ahlers-Smith.
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Wanting to work in a profession centered around helping others, Lansing attorney Logan Byrne earned his undergrad degree in criminology from Eastern Michigan University, made the Dean's List every year, and graduated magna cum laude, honored with the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in Criminology in both his junior and senior years.
He worked his way through college as manager of a convenience store on campus for a couple of years; then as a student assistant at the local Secretary of State Office; and in his senior year, took a second job at a local arcade.
Although Byrne originally considered a career in state or federal law enforcement, in undergrad he became interested in law school as an avenue to assist underserved communities. He went on to earn his juris doctor from Michigan State University College of Law, graduating in 2020.
He crammed a wealth of experience into his law school years, including serving as president of the Intellectual Property Law Society; as a legal intern for St. Vincent Catholic Charities Immigration Law Clinic in Great Lansing; a clinician at the MSU Law Immigration Law Clinic; a legal assistant for Crenshaw Peterson and Associates in Okemos; a law clerk for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco; a law clerk for Judge Rosemarie Aquilina at the Ingham County 30th Judicial Circuit Court; and a law clerk at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, located in Okemos.
“I enjoyed my time at MSU Law. The law school has a strong sense of community and has many great professors,” Byrne says. “I really enjoyed participating in the Immigration Law Clinic.”
Graduating in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, Byrne then worked as an associate attorney for the Masud Law Group in Saginaw, handling labor and employment matters; then transitioned to working as a law clerk for Judge Elizabeth Kelly in Genesee County, where he focused on family law and criminal cases—and notably, helped work on the felony criminal cases tied to the Flint Water Crisis. He then returned to clerk full time for Judge Aquilina in Lansing, assisting with criminal law matters; and helped design, plan, and implement a new treatment court, focused on rehabilitating juvenile weapons offenders.
In 2022, Byrne ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 77, covering North Lansing, Grand Ledge, and the lower half of Clinton County. Although unsuccessful, he earned valuable experience, and has been a self-employed political consultant for 3-1/2 years, providing election law consulting to political candidates, lobbyists, and PACs.
Following his campaign for state representative, Byrne acted as field director and political advisor for a successful circuit court judicial race in Ingham County; and has served as fundraising advisor for a State Representative’s re-election campaign, and as social media and advertising advisor for a local-level campaign.
“I’m passionate about helping others,” Byrne says. “Politicians are in a unique position to either do good or cause great harm. I decided to do political consulting because I want to support passionate and kind politicians. Likewise, I enjoyed the strategic planning aspect of political consulting. Unfortunately, political elections are largely determined by the amount of money each candidate has at their disposal or superficial issues that are irrelevant to a candidate's qualifications. Because of this, I like to provide support to candidates I believe are deserving and will enact positive change in the community.”
A member of both the Michigan and California bars, Byrne opened his solo practice, Byrne Law PLLC, in April 2023, focusing on immigration law; representing parents in child protective proceedings; criminal law; election law; and political consulting.
“I enjoy being my own boss and handling all cases from start to finish,” he says. “Running a solo practice allows me to take the cases I care about and provide the one-on-one time I believe each client deserves. Being able to operate in this manner is very rewarding and ensures all my clients receive a high level of representation.
“I’m passionate about family law because it’s a practice area that has a direct impact on people's lives and families,” Byrne adds. “I enjoy doing child abuse and neglect cases because it’s one of the few practice areas where I feel like I can make a positive impact in the lives of my clients. I also really enjoy my criminal appellate work because I enjoy the intellectual challenge of drafting motions and making novel legal arguments.”
Byrne provides advice to other criminal defense attorneys on the intersection between criminal law and immigration law—and whether criminal convictions will make immigrant defendants deportable.
Byrne, who is a board member for the East Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals and previously served on the Clinton County ZBA, encourages attorneys to join the Ingham County Bar Association.
“The ICBA is a close-knit community with many talented legal professionals,” he says. “It helps you build a community in the legal profession and makes your career more enjoyable.”
Byrne also is president of the ICBA Young Lawyers Section, and notes the YLS is a great way to network and get to know colleagues, get peer input or advice on specific cases, discover strategies that have worked for others, and enjoy networking events, social events, and education events.
The YLS recently hosted an annual Ugly Sweater Holiday Party and plans on hosting social events and educational events in the spring and summer. And every year, YLS hosts the 5K Paper Chase run, raising money for the organization and for a local charity. The next Paper Chase will take place at Lansing Shuffle on May 31.
A native of Attica, a small farm town in Lapeer County, where he raised ducks, chickens, turkeys, geese, and sheep in 4-H, Byrne now lives in East Lansing—and his three brothers also reside in Michigan.
His leisure activities include cooking and baking and trying new recipes; working out; and playing soccer. Always interested in the sciences, Byrne enjoys reading about theoretical physics and other nonfiction science books.
“I enjoy living in East Lansing because there are many great sporting events and community events to attend. Also, during the summer, the college students are gone and it’s peaceful,” he says. “And I enjoy working in Lansing because it’s the capital city and I like most of the attorneys I interact with on a daily basis.”
Legal News
Wanting to work in a profession centered around helping others, Lansing attorney Logan Byrne earned his undergrad degree in criminology from Eastern Michigan University, made the Dean's List every year, and graduated magna cum laude, honored with the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in Criminology in both his junior and senior years.
He worked his way through college as manager of a convenience store on campus for a couple of years; then as a student assistant at the local Secretary of State Office; and in his senior year, took a second job at a local arcade.
Although Byrne originally considered a career in state or federal law enforcement, in undergrad he became interested in law school as an avenue to assist underserved communities. He went on to earn his juris doctor from Michigan State University College of Law, graduating in 2020.
He crammed a wealth of experience into his law school years, including serving as president of the Intellectual Property Law Society; as a legal intern for St. Vincent Catholic Charities Immigration Law Clinic in Great Lansing; a clinician at the MSU Law Immigration Law Clinic; a legal assistant for Crenshaw Peterson and Associates in Okemos; a law clerk for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco; a law clerk for Judge Rosemarie Aquilina at the Ingham County 30th Judicial Circuit Court; and a law clerk at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, located in Okemos.
“I enjoyed my time at MSU Law. The law school has a strong sense of community and has many great professors,” Byrne says. “I really enjoyed participating in the Immigration Law Clinic.”
Graduating in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, Byrne then worked as an associate attorney for the Masud Law Group in Saginaw, handling labor and employment matters; then transitioned to working as a law clerk for Judge Elizabeth Kelly in Genesee County, where he focused on family law and criminal cases—and notably, helped work on the felony criminal cases tied to the Flint Water Crisis. He then returned to clerk full time for Judge Aquilina in Lansing, assisting with criminal law matters; and helped design, plan, and implement a new treatment court, focused on rehabilitating juvenile weapons offenders.
In 2022, Byrne ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 77, covering North Lansing, Grand Ledge, and the lower half of Clinton County. Although unsuccessful, he earned valuable experience, and has been a self-employed political consultant for 3-1/2 years, providing election law consulting to political candidates, lobbyists, and PACs.
Following his campaign for state representative, Byrne acted as field director and political advisor for a successful circuit court judicial race in Ingham County; and has served as fundraising advisor for a State Representative’s re-election campaign, and as social media and advertising advisor for a local-level campaign.
“I’m passionate about helping others,” Byrne says. “Politicians are in a unique position to either do good or cause great harm. I decided to do political consulting because I want to support passionate and kind politicians. Likewise, I enjoyed the strategic planning aspect of political consulting. Unfortunately, political elections are largely determined by the amount of money each candidate has at their disposal or superficial issues that are irrelevant to a candidate's qualifications. Because of this, I like to provide support to candidates I believe are deserving and will enact positive change in the community.”
A member of both the Michigan and California bars, Byrne opened his solo practice, Byrne Law PLLC, in April 2023, focusing on immigration law; representing parents in child protective proceedings; criminal law; election law; and political consulting.
“I enjoy being my own boss and handling all cases from start to finish,” he says. “Running a solo practice allows me to take the cases I care about and provide the one-on-one time I believe each client deserves. Being able to operate in this manner is very rewarding and ensures all my clients receive a high level of representation.
“I’m passionate about family law because it’s a practice area that has a direct impact on people's lives and families,” Byrne adds. “I enjoy doing child abuse and neglect cases because it’s one of the few practice areas where I feel like I can make a positive impact in the lives of my clients. I also really enjoy my criminal appellate work because I enjoy the intellectual challenge of drafting motions and making novel legal arguments.”
Byrne provides advice to other criminal defense attorneys on the intersection between criminal law and immigration law—and whether criminal convictions will make immigrant defendants deportable.
Byrne, who is a board member for the East Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals and previously served on the Clinton County ZBA, encourages attorneys to join the Ingham County Bar Association.
“The ICBA is a close-knit community with many talented legal professionals,” he says. “It helps you build a community in the legal profession and makes your career more enjoyable.”
Byrne also is president of the ICBA Young Lawyers Section, and notes the YLS is a great way to network and get to know colleagues, get peer input or advice on specific cases, discover strategies that have worked for others, and enjoy networking events, social events, and education events.
The YLS recently hosted an annual Ugly Sweater Holiday Party and plans on hosting social events and educational events in the spring and summer. And every year, YLS hosts the 5K Paper Chase run, raising money for the organization and for a local charity. The next Paper Chase will take place at Lansing Shuffle on May 31.
A native of Attica, a small farm town in Lapeer County, where he raised ducks, chickens, turkeys, geese, and sheep in 4-H, Byrne now lives in East Lansing—and his three brothers also reside in Michigan.
His leisure activities include cooking and baking and trying new recipes; working out; and playing soccer. Always interested in the sciences, Byrne enjoys reading about theoretical physics and other nonfiction science books.
“I enjoy living in East Lansing because there are many great sporting events and community events to attend. Also, during the summer, the college students are gone and it’s peaceful,” he says. “And I enjoy working in Lansing because it’s the capital city and I like most of the attorneys I interact with on a daily basis.”
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