


James J. Chiodini
Of Counsel
Jim Chiodini has spent his entire career – both in and outside the practice of law – down in the trenches fighting for others.
In the labor and employment area, Jim has been involved in hundreds of collective bargaining agreements, grievances, arbitrations, and unfair labor practice actions, representing private- and public-sector members of the Michigan Nurses Association, Michigan Education Association, and local police and law enforcement. He has also appeared before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts on behalf of individuals subject to workplace discrimination, wrongful termination, and whistleblower retaliation. Along with other attorneys at the firm, Jim’s advocacy has resulted in several significant appellate decisions from the Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals.
Michigan’s agricultural community has also benefitted from Jim’s labor experience. Jim has pursued the rights of apple, cherry, asparagus, and other Michigan crop producers before the Agricultural Marketing & Bargaining Board, and in the courts over fees and payments and constitutional claims under the Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act. In a landmark 2010 decision, Jim succeeded in persuading the Michigan Supreme Court that a distributor’s wrongful withholding of assessments on the purchase price of apples was a statutory violation that required the distributor to pay damages equal to three times the amount of the plaintiff’s losses. Jim also served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in other cases protecting the rights of Michigan commodity producers under state agricultural laws.
Jim’s commitment to the legal and employment rights of working men and women is far reaching. Prior to receiving his law degree, he earned a Master in Labor & Industrial Relations and held various union roles. He also taught labor relations at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and Lansing Community College.
In his downtime, when he’s not tending to the needs of the 40 acres he calls home, Jim and his wife travel North America on hiking vacations, with a particular fondness for Lake O’Hara in the Canadian Rockies.
PRACTICE AREAS
EDUCATION
- Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 1986
- Associate Editor, Thomas M. Cooley Law Review
- Michigan State University, Master of Labor & Industrial Relations, 1977
- Michigan State University, Honors College, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minor in Economics, with high honor, 1972
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
HONORS & AWARDS
- AV Preeminent Lawyer – Peer Review Rating of 5.0 out of 5.0 (Martindale-Hubbell)
PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
- State Bar of Michigan
- Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation
- Member, Agricultural Law, Animal Law, Labor & Employment Law, and Master Lawyers Sections
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- Ingham County Circuit Court
- Case Evaluator, Discrimination/Labor Panel
- Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
- Former Adjunct Professor of Labor & Industrial Relations
VOLUNTEER, CHARITABLE & COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
- Big Brothers Big Sisters, Michigan Capital Region
- Capital Area Literacy Coalition
PRESENTATIONS
- Multiple presentations and seminars for organizations including the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Michigan State University’s Labor Education Program, Michigan Veterinary Medical Association, and the Regional Office of the National Labor Relations Board.