Christopher P. Yates, a senior trial attorney at Ven Johnson Law’s Kalamazoo office and a former Michigan Court of Appeals judge, has been named the recipient of the 20th Annual Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award by the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law Section.
Yates joined Ven Johnson Law in May 2026 after serving on the Bench for the Michigan Court of Appeals and the 17th Circuit Court of Michigan. It was there that he helped to launch the Kent County Business Court in 2012, becoming the first judge assigned to that docket. That started a “long love affair” with the state’s business community, according to Yates, which included writing more than 600 opinions involving business and commercial disputes.
He will be presented with the award on October 9 at the JW Marriott in Grand Rapids during the Business Law Section’s Annual Meeting.
“I was asked to help with the Business Docket because I had an MBA,” Yates said with a laugh. “But it has really worked out.”
Yates was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 and served for more than four years before retiring in May 2026. He was on the Bench of the 17th Circuit Court of Michigan in Kent County from 2008 to 2022. Yates joked that he has been recognized with awards since retiring as a judge. He particularly appreciates the prestige of the Schulman Award and what it represents in the state and among his peers.
“If you hang around long enough as a judge, you find that people do appreciate you,” Yates said. “But I realize how important an award this is. There are so many (Schulman Award) recipients who I know and have worked with. It means a lot to me.”
The Schulman Award honors Michigan business lawyers who consistently exemplify the characteristics the Business Law Section seeks to foster and facilitate: the highest quality of professionalism, the highest quality of practice, and an unwavering dedication to service, ethical conduct, and collegiality within the practice of law.
A Grand Rapids resident, Yates joins other experienced and accomplished business law attorneys who received the Schulman Award, including many leading business law attorneys in Michigan with whom he has worked in practice or as a member of the Business Law Section.
Before his time as a judge, Yates worked as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, an attorney and advisor for the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, and the chief federal public defender for the Western District of Michigan earlier in his career as well.
His work on the Business Court helped to pave the way for membership with the Business Law Sections of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He served on the State Bar Section’s Board for several years, including Chair from 2023 to 2024.
“I have loved working on business litigation issues,” Yates said. “It has given me a seat at the table, allowing me to help draft important legislation for the business courts.”
Those business courts are a critical component of the state’s business community because they signify to entrepreneurs and business owners that Michigan has made the business community a high priority, Yates said. The courts have also helped set common law precedent, allowing greater efficiency and understanding of the state’s business-related laws.
“The business courts make the (business climate) more stable, predictable, and efficient. We’re a state where cases can be heard, and it is easier to resolve disputes, often without litigation.”
Yates is a big believer in the value of bar association sections like the Business Law Section of Michigan. He has worked with several Schulman Award recipients over the years, including Douglas Toering, Dee Dee Fuller, and Jim Carey.
He believes that the Section gives lawyers an infinite number of ways to serve the profession and network with other leaders.
“There’s no better way to get to know people in your practice,” Yates said.
Yates will be introduced at the Schulman Award Ceremony by the longtime Oakland County Circuit Court Judge James R. Alexander.
The Business Law Section established the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award in 2006, to be presented annually. Past recipients of the Schulman Award include Cy Moscow, Martin Oetting, Hugh Makens, and Jim Bruno in 2006; Charlie McCallum and Verne Hampton in 2007; Ann Baker in 2008; Justin Klimko in 2009; Alex DeYonker in 2010; Jim Cambridge in 2011; Jeff Ammon in 2012; Dan Minkus in 2013; Diane Akers in 2014; Larry Schultz in 2015; Timothy Damschroder in 2016; John Trentacosta in 2017; Dee Dee Fuller in 2018; Eric Lark in 2019; Douglas Toering in 2021; Mark High in 2022, Michael Khoury in 2023, Marguerite Donahue in 2024, and Jim Carey in 2025.
(There was no recipient in 2020 because of COVID-19).
Yates joined Ven Johnson Law in May 2026 after serving on the Bench for the Michigan Court of Appeals and the 17th Circuit Court of Michigan. It was there that he helped to launch the Kent County Business Court in 2012, becoming the first judge assigned to that docket. That started a “long love affair” with the state’s business community, according to Yates, which included writing more than 600 opinions involving business and commercial disputes.
He will be presented with the award on October 9 at the JW Marriott in Grand Rapids during the Business Law Section’s Annual Meeting.
“I was asked to help with the Business Docket because I had an MBA,” Yates said with a laugh. “But it has really worked out.”
Yates was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 and served for more than four years before retiring in May 2026. He was on the Bench of the 17th Circuit Court of Michigan in Kent County from 2008 to 2022. Yates joked that he has been recognized with awards since retiring as a judge. He particularly appreciates the prestige of the Schulman Award and what it represents in the state and among his peers.
“If you hang around long enough as a judge, you find that people do appreciate you,” Yates said. “But I realize how important an award this is. There are so many (Schulman Award) recipients who I know and have worked with. It means a lot to me.”
The Schulman Award honors Michigan business lawyers who consistently exemplify the characteristics the Business Law Section seeks to foster and facilitate: the highest quality of professionalism, the highest quality of practice, and an unwavering dedication to service, ethical conduct, and collegiality within the practice of law.
A Grand Rapids resident, Yates joins other experienced and accomplished business law attorneys who received the Schulman Award, including many leading business law attorneys in Michigan with whom he has worked in practice or as a member of the Business Law Section.
Before his time as a judge, Yates worked as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, an attorney and advisor for the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, and the chief federal public defender for the Western District of Michigan earlier in his career as well.
His work on the Business Court helped to pave the way for membership with the Business Law Sections of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He served on the State Bar Section’s Board for several years, including Chair from 2023 to 2024.
“I have loved working on business litigation issues,” Yates said. “It has given me a seat at the table, allowing me to help draft important legislation for the business courts.”
Those business courts are a critical component of the state’s business community because they signify to entrepreneurs and business owners that Michigan has made the business community a high priority, Yates said. The courts have also helped set common law precedent, allowing greater efficiency and understanding of the state’s business-related laws.
“The business courts make the (business climate) more stable, predictable, and efficient. We’re a state where cases can be heard, and it is easier to resolve disputes, often without litigation.”
Yates is a big believer in the value of bar association sections like the Business Law Section of Michigan. He has worked with several Schulman Award recipients over the years, including Douglas Toering, Dee Dee Fuller, and Jim Carey.
He believes that the Section gives lawyers an infinite number of ways to serve the profession and network with other leaders.
“There’s no better way to get to know people in your practice,” Yates said.
Yates will be introduced at the Schulman Award Ceremony by the longtime Oakland County Circuit Court Judge James R. Alexander.
The Business Law Section established the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award in 2006, to be presented annually. Past recipients of the Schulman Award include Cy Moscow, Martin Oetting, Hugh Makens, and Jim Bruno in 2006; Charlie McCallum and Verne Hampton in 2007; Ann Baker in 2008; Justin Klimko in 2009; Alex DeYonker in 2010; Jim Cambridge in 2011; Jeff Ammon in 2012; Dan Minkus in 2013; Diane Akers in 2014; Larry Schultz in 2015; Timothy Damschroder in 2016; John Trentacosta in 2017; Dee Dee Fuller in 2018; Eric Lark in 2019; Douglas Toering in 2021; Mark High in 2022, Michael Khoury in 2023, Marguerite Donahue in 2024, and Jim Carey in 2025.
(There was no recipient in 2020 because of COVID-19).
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