James A. White
Retired, Emeritus Status
We are bound by the law, so that we may be free.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Over the course of his long and distinguished career, Jim White has made a significant impact on the lives of Michigan educators, farmers, and laborers.
As state and federal employment laws have evolved to provide workers protection against wrongful termination, discrimination, wage and hour abuses, and unfair labor practices, so has Jim’s practice. For more than 50 years, he has fought for the interests of individuals in the public sector and the agricultural industry before government agencies, in the courtroom, and on appeal.
The firm has enjoyed a close relationship with the Michigan Education Association, due in large part to Jim’s representation of its members, which includes K-12 teachers as well as college faculty, public school custodians, bus drivers, and paraprofessionals. In addition to protecting the rights of MEA members in collective bargaining, disciplinary actions, and labor violations, he has also counseled them regarding retirement benefits, Public Employee Relations Act issues, Family & Medical Leave Act requests, and other employment matters.
Jim’s efforts on behalf of the state’s farmers led to the U.S. Supreme Court, where in 1984 he successfully argued that the Michigan Agricultural Marketing & Bargaining Act empowers local fruit and vegetable growers to form bargaining units to negotiate with processors. This landmark decision opened the door for small farmers and producers to voluntarily participate in cooperative associations to protect their marketing and bargaining position.
Because of his reputation for fairness and his vast litigation experience, Jim has become a highly regarded and sought-after neutral in private mediations and arbitrations. He not only is a general civil mediator in Ingham County and several other Michigan counties but, since 1982, has also served on the American Arbitration Association’s National Panel of Labor Arbitrators. He is also on the permanent panel of arbitrators for the MotorCity Casino.
Outside of the practice, Jim is a world traveler, accomplished sailor, and licensed pilot. He has volunteered on a number of Habitat for Humanity Global Village projects that have taken him to far-off places such as Nepal, Kenya, Cambodia, Alaska, Kyrgyzstan, and Indonesia.
PRACTICE AREAS
EDUCATION
- University of Michigan Law School, Juris Doctor, 1964
- Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
- Alma College, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, cum laude, 1961
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. Supreme Court
HONORS & AWARDS
- AV Preeminent Lawyer – Peer Review Rating of 5.0 out of 5.0 (Martindale-Hubbell)
- Super Lawyers (Michigan), 2008 – 2013
- Leo G. Farhat Distinguished Attorney Award, Ingham County Bar Association, 2006
- Who’s Who in American Law, 1983 – present
PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
- State Bar of Michigan
- Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation
- Member, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Labor & Employment Law, and Master Lawyers Sections
Ingham County Bar Association
- Michigan State Court Administrative Office
- Approved General Civil Mediator
- American Arbitration Association
- National Panel of Labor Arbitrators
VOLUNTEER, CHARITABLE & COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
- Big Brothers Big Sisters, Michigan Capital Region
- Girl Scouts of America
- Former member, Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan Board of Trustees
- Former member, Capital Area Girl Scouts Council
- Habitat for Humanity
- Volunteer, Global Village Program
- Okemos Community Church
PUBLICATIONS
- Manual for Michigan Farmers, (legal guide), Michigan Agricultural Marketing Association, 1993
- Wrongful Discharge Cases in Michigan, (contributing author), Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1984-1990
PRESENTATIONS
- Multiple presentations and seminars regarding union strikes in the public sector, agency shops in the public sector, collective bargaining, and agricultural marketing and bargaining by Michigan fruit and vegetable growers.