Kurt D. Dykstra

Of Counsel | kdykstra@wnj.com | V-Card HollandT 616.396.3103F 616.494.3503 Kurt Dykstra is of counsel in the firm's Holland office specializing in litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Dykstra advises clients in all varieties of commercial, trade secret, and real property disputes. Additionally, he advises clients regarding the retention and disposal of electronic data, both before and during litigation. Before joining Warner Norcross & Judd, Mr. Dykstra practiced in a large Milwaukee, Wisconsin, firm... Read More

Kurt Dykstra is of counsel in the firm's Holland office specializing in litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Dykstra advises clients in all varieties of commercial, trade secret, and real property disputes. Additionally, he advises clients regarding the retention and disposal of electronic data, both before and during litigation. Before joining Warner Norcross & Judd, Mr. Dykstra practiced in a large Milwaukee, Wisconsin, firm, representing clients in major product liability lawsuits, including food safety, consumer protection, and catastrophic injury litigation.

Mr. Dykstra has both trial and alternative dispute resolution experience in state and federal courts, as well as various federal and state agencies, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission. His appellate experience includes a judicial clerkship with the Hon. Ann Walsh Bradley, Associate Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as well as representing clients before the appellate courts of Wisconsin and Michigan.

Mr. Dykstra also is very active in the Holland area community. In November 2009, he was elected Holland's 40th Mayor. He had been a member of the Holland City Council since 2005. He is the former Chairperson of the West Michigan Airport Authority and serves on the Holland Planning Commission, Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and West Michigan Strategic Alliance Board of Directors. He also is a regular instructor of law-related courses at Hope College and routinely speaks on legal matters to entrepreneurial start-up groups.
  • Biography
  • Experience
  • News
  • Publications
  • Leadership
  • Speaking Engagements
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Industries

Practices

Education

  • Marquette University J.D. 1998 summa cum laude
  • Northwestern College (Iowa) B.A. 1994 magna cum laude

Admitted

  • 1998, Wisconsin
  • 2002, Michigan

Courts

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
  • U.S. Tax Court

Clerk Experience

  • Wisconsin Supreme Court, Honorable Ann Walsh Bradley

Honors and Awards

  • Listed among 40 up-and-coming leaders in West Michigan by the Grand Rapids Business Journal, "40 Under 40," 2010
  • Graduated first in law school class
  • Editor-in-Chief, Marquette Law Review (1997-98)

Bar Associations

  • Federal Bar Association
    Western District of Michigan
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Wisconsin

Languages

  • Classical Greek

Experience

  • Johnson Controls Interiors, LLC v Twisthink, L.L.C. (Ottawa County Circuit Court):  Defended technology design company against claims of trade secret misappropriation pertaining to automotive universal garage door opener technology
  • Worksquared, LLC v. Quicken Loans, Inc. (Oakland County Circuit Court):  Represented office furniture dealer in suit related to design and supply of office materials and furniture.
  • Crystal Flash Ltd Partnership v. Quality Energy, Inc. (Ottawa County Circuit Court): Week-long trial in UCC breach of contract suit
  • Second Chance Body Armor Litigation (Western District of Michigan Bankruptcy Court): Participated in WNJ team that defended body armor company against claims alleging product defect and prosecuting claims against third party product manufacturers
  • General Motors Corporation v. 1st American Metals, Inc. (Western District of Michigan): Part of WNJ team that successfully represented client in warehouse and supplier dispute
  • Gemmen v. Flipse (Ottawa County Circuit Court): Obtained summary judgment and specific performance of contract for purchase of Lake Michigan waterfront property.
  • Integrated Systems Development, Inc. v. Frontier Systems, L.L.C. (Ottawa County Circuit Court): Obtained speedy injunction, settlement, and dissolution of competitive company comprised of former employees accused of misappropriating client trade secrets
  • Stryker et al. v. Township of Park et al. (Michigan Court of Appeals): Successfully persuaded Michigan Court of Appeals to deny hearing permissive appeal based upon lower court’s decision to permit construction of Lake Michigan waterfront home
  • Wischer v. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.(Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Wisconsin Supreme Court): Member of team representing the primary defendant in the catastrophic crane accident that occurred during the construction of the Miller Park baseball stadium in Milwaukee. Case included multiple trips to the Wisconsin appellate courts
  • Stenger v. Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co. (United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin): Prosecuted bad faith claim and obtained a published decision denying insurance company’s motion for summary judgment

News

Publications

Civic Affiliations

  • City of Holland
    Mayor (2009-Present); Planning Commission (2009-Present); Housing Board of Appeals (2005-09); Leisure and Cultural Affairs Commission (2005); International Relations Commission (2005)
  • Holland City Council
    5th Ward Council Member (2005-09)
  • West Michigan Airport Authority
    Board (2004-Present); Chairperson (2008-Present)
  • Macatawa Area Coordinating Council
    Board (2009-Present)
  • West Michigan Strategic Alliance
    Board (2010-Present)

Professional Affiliations

  • Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners
    2008-Present

Community Affiliations

  • Hope College (Holland, MI)
    Instructor in Department of Economics, Management and Accounting and Department of Political Science (2003-Present)
  • Northwestern College (Orange City, IA)
    Board of Trustees (2007-Present)
  • Holland Classis, Reformed Church in America
    Overtures and Judicial Business Committee
  • Holland Area Chamber of Commerce
    Public Policy Subcommittee (2005-Present)
  • Western Theological Seminary
    Friendship House Building Committee (2005-06)
  • Holland Area Arts Council
    Corporate Committee (2002-03)
  • Community Action House
    Board of Directors, Secretary (2002-05)
  • Leadership Holland
    Graduate (2003-04)

Speaking Engagements

  • E-Records: Best Practices to Prevent Sanctions, Damages, and Bad Publicity, Association of Corporate Council, Michigan Chapter (Grand Rapids, MI 2007)
  • The New Federal E-Discovery Rules: Getting a Handle on Electronic Discovery, Grand Rapids Bar Association (Grand Rapids, MI 2007)
  • The New Federal E-Discovery Rules: Getting a Handle on Electronic Discovery, National Association of Legal Professionals, West Michigan Chapter (Grand Rapids, MI 2007)
  • Taking a "Byte" Out of Discovery: Getting a Handle on Electronic Discovery, Muskegon County Bar Association (Muskegon, MI 2006)
  • Keeping a Lid on Pandora’s (In)box: Managing Documents and Discovery in an Electronic Age, Marquette University Law School (New York, NY 2006)
  • A Roadmap for Employer Compliance with HIPAA, Lakeshore Human Resource Management Association (Holland, MI 2003)
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