With more than 30 years experience practicing law, including 15 years as a founding member of a West Michigan law firm., Michael J. Roberts has joined the law firm of Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge as a shareholder in its Grand Rapids office. Mr. Roberts practices primarily in the areas of Construction Law, Architects and Engineers Liability, and Product Liability.

He will continue to focus on the representation of design professionals in loss control and project planning and administration.

"I look forward to merging my experience working with design professionals with Smith Haughey's full service practice, to become a single source of legal services to the design community," says Roberts. "With offices in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, East Lansing, and Ann Arbor, the firm is poised to effectively and efficiently serve the needs of our clients throughout Michigan, even when business or projects take them away from home."

Mr. Roberts has lectured on product liability tort reform, design professional loss control, and the inter-relationship of contractual duties and obligation under custom and AIA standard forms of agreement. He is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association and its forum on construction law, as well as the Defense Research Institute. He has also served as a state court mediator and facilitator, and federal arbitrator.

Mr. Roberts served in the United States Air Force from 1962-1966 before returning and completing his Associate of Science degree at Schoolcraft College in 1967. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Michigan in 1969 and his Juris Doctorate at the University of Michigan in 1972.