Hon. James H. Fisher (Ret.)

James (Jim) Fisher brings several decades of experience as a successful litigator and distinguished jurist to his active ADR practice. Trained as both a Civil and Domestic mediator, he provides skilled mediation and arbitration services to attorneys and their clients in all types of cases.

Jim's undergraduate engineering training and experience in banking, investments and finance have enabled him to help resolve many complex cases involving business valuations. He has also served as an expert witness in cases involving analysis of business valuations and attorney fee issues.

Jim began his career as an assistant prosecutor, and in this capacity he tried numerous felony jury cases. He was appointed as the Barry County Prosecuting Attorney at the age of 28, and followed that part of his career with 15 years in private practice, during which time he handled virtually every type of case in all state courts, at all levels. He represented individuals and small businesses, as well as several municipal clients, and served as City Attorney for Hastings and Village Attorney for Middleville.

He became the 5th Circuit Court Judge in 1995, and enjoyed a distinguished career as Chief Judge of his local court, which was widely recognized as one of the most innovative and well managed trial courts in the state of Michigan. His court was among six unified court demonstration courts designated by the Michigan Supreme Court in 1996, and he was one of the first judges in the state of Michigan selected as Chief Judge all courts in his county. Recognized by the Michigan Supreme Court for management excellence in 2000, his court was also featured as a paradigm of the future in the 2011 Judicial Crossroads Report of the State Bar of Michigan.

Since leaving the bench in 2011, Jim has built a successful mediation and arbitration practice, and he remains active in public service as a member of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, having previously served as Chair.