Why Us—Fact Sheet

Founded in 1902, for more than 120 years, Foster Swift Collins & Smith has provided outstanding client service and legal excellence. Our firm delivers comprehensive services for businesses, organizations, municipalities, families and individuals across Michigan, the nation and beyond.

Foster Swift’s nearly 100 attorneys across Michigan provide a results-minded attitude and across-the-board legal excellence. We credit our success and growth to the firm’s adherence to our values of integrity, civility, hard work, camaraderie and commitment to our communities.  

Clients of all backgrounds, public and private, seek our help. For most, we establish long-term relationships that span generations. They appreciate our ability and experience in handling sophisticated transactions and corporate formations, difficult litigation and complex regulatory and municipal issues. 

Each of our practice groups is comprised of lawyers rated as the best by clients and peers, including:

• Business & Tax Law-Practice Group Leaders: Mindi Johnson and Taylor Gast
• Employer Services-Practice Group Leader: Brian Goodenough
• Finance, Real Estate & Bankruptcy Law-Practice Group Leader: Scott Hogan
• General & Commercial Litigation-Practice Group Leaders: Paul Millenbach and Adam Fadly
• Municipal and Public Entity Law-Practice Group Leader: Michael Homier 
• Trusts and Estates-Practice Group Leader: Doug Mielock

Offices:

• Lansing (est. 1902)
• Southfield (est. Farmington Hills 1997-2016, moved to Southfield August 2016)
• Detroit (est. 2003)
• Grand Rapids (est. 2005)
• Holland (est. 2010)

Recognitions:

• In 2023 and 2024, Foster Swift was recognized as "Mansfield Certified Plus" by Diversity Lab, an international organization dedicated to advancing DEI. Mansfield is a year-long structured certification process designed to ensure all qualified talent at participating law firms have a fair and equal opportunity to be considered for advancement into leadership roles. The focus is on “opening the door wider” and ensuring that opportunities for advancement are transparent and inclusive for everyone.
• Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating. 25 attorneys hold an AV^® Preeminent™ rating.
• Best Lawyers in America^©. 41 of our attorneys earned this designation for 2025. Additionally, Foster Swift was ranked in more than 48 of the 120 practice areas listed in the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers 2025 Best Law Firms in America.
  • In 2025, seven attorneys were named to the Best Lawyers® "Ones to Watch" list.
• Michigan Super Lawyers.  12 of our attorneys were recently selected for this recognition based on the survey conducted by Law & Politics magazine. We were also honored to have Michigan Super Lawyers name 4 of our young attorneys as "Rising Stars."
• Theodore Swift Civility Award. In 2000, the Ingham County (Lansing) Bar Association established this annual recognition in honor of Ted Swift, one of the attorneys for whom our firm is named.  He was the award’s first recipient. It honors local trial lawyers for “…manifesting civility in his or her relations with the Bench, Bar, clients, and the public, while adhering to and advancing the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession.”  Brian Goodenough most recently received this award in 2023.

Executive Committee

Foster Swift attorneys and staff live by The Golden Rule: Treat others with respect and dignity. Our attorneys and staff are committed to living by these strong ethical standards, and our clients appreciate the way they are treated as much as they value our legal skills.

This commitment to top-quality service is the foundation of our mission: To provide comprehensive, result-oriented legal services to each and every client. And supports our firm’s core values:

• Integrity. Honest and open communication with our clients while also maintaining a reputation of trust and confidence with judges and other lawyers.
• Professionalism. Ethical and respectful in the practice of law while passionately representing our clients.
• Working Together. Taking a team approach to problem solving and client service and maintaining a firm culture.
• Excellence. Providing quality, comprehensive, timely, and client focused legal service. Going above and beyond to meet client’s needs.
• Innovation. Working to stay ahead of industry trends for our clients as well as new trends in the legal market.
• Respect and Dignity. Treating our attorneys, staff, clients and colleagues with respect and dignity.

Foster Swift has a firm culture and heritage of giving back. Both our attorneys and staff work together to help the communities where we live and work.