Henry S. Emrich was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. with honors from Grand Valley State College in 1974 and received his law degree, cum laude, from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1978. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1979 and practices throughout state and federal courts in Michigan.  Mr. Emrich is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Federal Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, and Michigan Defense Trial Counsel.

Mr. Emrich concentrates his practice in the areas of general liability defense, first and third party litigation, subrogation litigation, first party arson and fraud litigation, and products liability defense.  Mr. Emrich has additionally defended significant trucking cases for his insurance clients.  He has handled the investigation of several truck accident-related matters involving serious injury and death.

Henry Emrich is a proponent of a thorough approach when defending trucking accident claims, including getting to the scene as soon as possible to make sure the client’s driver and interests are protected, to coordinate the investigation of the case, and to evaluate the need for and retain appropriate experts.  Given the significant forces involved in a truck accident, oftentimes there is the need to secure a bio-mechanical expert as part of the team to assist in defending such claims.

From 1982 to 1984, Mr. Emrich was an Assistant Kent County Prosecutor, Criminal Division and Chief of Fraud Prosecution.  He was employed as corporate counsel for Amway Corporation from 1984 – 1987 and has been in private practice since then as trial counsel for numerous insurance companies, corporations and individuals. Mr. Emrich was Vice Chairman from 1983-1984, Chairman from 1984-1985 of the Young Lawyers Section of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and a Trustee from 1986-1988 of the Grand Rapids Bar Association.  He has served terms on the Practice and Procedure Committee, Membership Committee and Pro Bono Committee of the Grand Rapids Bar Association.  Mr. Emrich was a recipient of the Bancroft Whitney American Jurisprudence Award three times while in law school, has authored, The New Michigan Drunk Driving Laws – 1983 published by Professional Education Systems, Inc., and developed a manual for the prosecution of Welfare Fraud based on a model he developed that was used throughout the country.

Mr. Emrich has also been involved in numerous community endeavors including the Thornapple Valley Little League, Forest Hills Hockey Association, Forest Hills Athletic Boosters as board member and president and most recently, as board member, counsel to the board, and past president of the Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth.

Notable Trucking Cases:

Mr. Emrich settled a matter in which he represented the driver and business that owned a large truck that turned in front of a motorcyclist who was traveling at a high rate of speed and was seriously injured.  Plaintiff’s demand was $2 million prior to suit. The case was evaluated for $750,000, which Mr. Emrich and his client rejected. The matter was ultimately settled for $450,000 shortly before trial, as Mr. Emrich had a $2 million limit and a collectible client.

Amanda Fopma is a Partner in the Grand Rapids office. She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in psychology and a second B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Law and Society. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2008. Amanda also holds two Master of Laws – one in Corporate Law & Finance and a second in Tax Law. She was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2008.  Ms. Fopma is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, American Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. Ms. Fopma has been named to Super Lawyers Magazine‘s list of Michigan Rising Stars from 2016 through the present. She was also named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly list of 2016 “Up & Coming Lawyers.”

Ms. Fopma has experience in representing regional and national insurers in all matters involving insurance claims and coverage relative to both residential and commercial property and liability issues.  Ms. Fopma has extensive experience in analyzing issues related to whether a loss would be considered covered under a policy, or in the context of a general liability policy, whether there is a duty to defend and indemnity.

Amanda Fopma routinely assists insurers in conducting investigations into pending claims including conducting Examinations Under Oath and offering opinions as to whether coverage exists.  Once in litigation, Ms. Fopma has defended several National and Regional insurers against claims of breach of the insurance contract and violations of the Uniform Trade Practices Act arising out of alleged loss or damage to both residential and commercial properties.  Ms. Fopma has successfully resolved several lawsuits by obtaining voluntary dismissals with prejudice from the Plaintiffs as well as at the summary disposition stage.

In her spare time Amanda enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling and showing her Arabian horses.

Amanda Fopma is a Partner in the Grand Rapids office. She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in psychology and a second B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Law and Society. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2008. Amanda also holds two Master of Laws – one in Corporate Law & Finance and a second in Tax Law. She was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2008. Ms. Fopma has been named to Super Lawyers Magazine‘s list of Michigan Rising Stars from 2016 through the present. She was also named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly list of 2016 “Up & Coming Lawyers.”

Ms. Fopma is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, American Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. She handles a broad spectrum of general liability defense matters. These matters include property, fire and casualty litigation, subrogation litigation, fraud litigation, motor vehicle litigation and family law litigation.

In her spare time Amanda enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling and showing her Arabian horses.

Amanda Fopma is a Partner in the Grand Rapids office. She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in psychology and a second B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Law and Society. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2008. Amanda also holds two Master of Laws – one in Corporate Law & Finance and a second in Tax Law. She was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2008. Ms. Fopma has been named to Super Lawyers Magazine‘s list of Michigan Rising Stars from 2016 through the present. She was also named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly list of 2016 “Up & Coming Lawyers.”

Ms. Fopma is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, American Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. She handles a broad spectrum of general liability defense matters. These matters include property, fire and casualty litigation, subrogation litigation, fraud litigation, and motor vehicle litigation.

Amanda Fopma is well-experienced in handling matters involving property, fire and casualty claims, with a particular emphasis on fraud and arson investigations and coverage issues.  Ms. Fopma has participated in the International Association of Fire Investigators  (IAAI) certified fire investigator training curriculum, as an examining attorney, teaching freshman experts what is expected in preparing a case for litigation and developing strong testimonial skills, including ensuring their reports and testimony conform with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards 921 and 1033.

In her spare time Amanda enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling and showing her Arabian horses.